He would freely admit (quietly, where neither Hotaru nor the scheming Tonbei could hear) that his time with them had made him a little...er...lazy. Sitting in one place, napping much of the day, meals provided free (almost...) and regularly...and without the certainty of hunter-nin appearing around him if he became too lax.

Still, there were advantages to the vagabond life as well. Freedom from responsibility, the well-intentioned nagging of Tonbei and...Hotaru. Hotaru would be better off in the village. No more clinging to foolish ideas and long dead dreams that Tonbei only encouraged, and no more of her incessantly placing faith where it didn't belong.

No more of her calling him 'master' when she thought he didn't hear her.

Maybe some fool in that village would take up that title for her and she could go on pretending it meant something. It didn't matter to him. She wasn't his responsibility any longer. Nothing was, short of taking care of himself, and that was just how he wanted it.

Not having responsibilities did not feed him.

Unfortunately, lazing about all day and avoiding people could only last so long as he had supplies...and he'd run out.

So this vagabond shuffled through the streets of an unfamiliar village, and purchased supplies with what remained of the wealth he'd pilfered from the abandoned bandit camp he'd happened across.

Tedious, but not so tedious that he regretted leaving Hotaru's company.