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That's what I was waiting for!

A jam?! Are you kidding me?

Ouch!

My hand... I can't move it...

What do those famous people say in their death poems? 'In the fifty years of human life'? Well I haven't lived that long...

Shut it. I was just planning to take you to the oyabun, but it looks like Mitsukue would be a better place without you.

Ha, now ain't that an honor...

Shut up and accept your death, lest your spirit become a ghost that shall not know rest—

What's that?!

My blade! It was broken by a shogi piece?!

Careful, Tessai! They mean business!

Take this, old bastard!

The ninja yells at Tessai, but throws the broken sword to Kichisei lying on the ground.

Kichisei sees Tessai's movements clearly for the first time.

His iron fan pulls in the broken blade like a magnet. Tessai swings the fan, and the blade flies from the fan—

Gugh...

Th-Thanks, Old Man... you saved my skin...

You want to sleep, do it in a bed. You still have to mind the parlor tomorrow.

Alright...

Footsteps! Are there more of them?

Hoshiguma... Momoka too! Are you alright?

Were you crying, Momoka?

I'm fine.

Kichisei, you...?

Would be dead if the Old Man didn't show up.

Uncle Tessai, Momoka's being hunted by Kinbee's people and has nowhere to go. I want to hide her in Kajimachi for a while...

No problem! Plenty of space in the Old Man's pachinko parlor—

Kichisei takes one glance at Tessai and realizes that he is not exactly in a great mood.

What I mean is, she can stay upstairs in my shop!

Hmph, suit yourself.

Thanks, Old Man! I'll take her—

One moment. Do you really plan on parading her through the town as though that son of mine doesn't exist?

You mean... Tetsuya?

He's been snooping around. The girl can stay at my place until he leaves.

...He won't go there.

Well, let's go home—

Tetsuya?!

The Lucky Star ain't open today. What are you trying to do, barging in while I'm out?

Er, I...

I'm sorry! I was looking for the Northern Court spy, and I haven't searched your home yet, so...

I'm the only one here. Do I look like a spy to you?

Wait, how did you get hurt? Was it the Northern Court—

Why would a Northern Court spy attack me? Just got in a little fight, that's all. All I need is a good night's sleep.

Er, how about I bandage it up for you?

I almost forgot. You started studying medicine before working for Kinbee, and wanted to try your skills on anyone in town who had a bump or bruise. Must've read too many swordfight manga...

Fine, suit yourself. Let's see if your skills have improved.

Who did this to you? It almost went all the way through.

Would you believe me if I said it was Kinbee?

Don't talk bad about Mifune-san, Kichisei. He's doing it for the greater good.

Forget the greater good, I remember how YOU were crying about how you were gonna become a swordmaster and clear your mom's name.

What happened to that with the development of Kajimachi? Did the window displays in the luxury shops eat up all your time?

I left. I didn't have to live off compensation money like you all, and I didn't want you to think that I was working for him out of greed.

What kind of bloody <i>baka</i> are you?

I'm not kidding, it was Kinbee's men who did this to me! I would be dead if your pop didn't step in!

—What?

Ouch!

Sorry! But—no, why would Mifune-san want to kill you? It must be a misunderstanding!

Misunderstanding? I saw Hoshiguma once at the shrine, and then his men started tailing me. You tell me where the misunderstanding is!

I-I'll go and find him! I'll smooth things over, if he's really angry at you for some reason.

Are you his son?

You're beyond saving. Seriously, I want to introduce the muzzle of my gun to that dumbass mouth of yours.

Now get lost, before I actually do it. I'll wrap the rest of the wounds myself.

...What a loser.

So that's the truth behind the kaidan?

What about your family home? Shimasu, Sanoguchi... that bastard Kinbee killed all of them?

Strictly speaking, I only have proof for Sanoguchi.

Do they have evidence, then, Moriuchi, Momoka, and that so-called kami?

Do you have proof for the Diet candidate dying by your hand twenty years ago?

I...

I could never forget what happened that night.

You came back with blood all over you, standing at the door of this very manor, not saying a single word.

I thought you had failed to stop Kinbee, but you told me that the Diet was dead, and you killed him.

You accidentally killed Shuuji, whom you were close to, while trying to stop Kinbee. Then you went berserk and started killing indiscriminately...

The Diet candidate was dead by the time you came to your senses.

Who can prove that you did it? Only yourself, when you don't even remember what happened?

If you think that Mifune didn't kill Shimasu and the others, what makes you say that you killed the Diet candidate?

Well...

There was a succession crisis brewing, and you did, indeed, kill brothers of the clan—not one, but several.

You thought the people wouldn't accept someone who would kill her own brothers. Indeed, you couldn't accept it yourself.

The Diet candidate was dead, and my relationship with you was much better than with Kinbee. Placing the blame on you would prove that I was fair and unbiased, at least.

Kinbee was a valued administrator who was conducting the bulk of Kinsekikai's transformation. He put in honest work back then, and was more valuable than someone like you, who only contributed to fighting.

All of these were things that you said to me the next day, when your reason had fully returned. Your arguments were valid, for the greater good, and impossible to ignore at the time.

Did any of it have to do with who killed the Diet candidate, though?

I wanted a straight answer. Did you kill the Diet candidate by the name of Koretou? Yes or no?

You said... 'Yes'.

The rest was history... I pinned the blame on you, then smuggled you to Lungmen. To everyone else, you had gone missing, having likely committed suicide because you feared punishment for the murder.

But one lie must be covered up by another lie. If you had killed the Diet candidate, then Kinbee and his people must have gone to protect him... things snowballed from there.

Let me ask you again, Hoshiguma: Did you kill the candidate?

If the answer is yes, then there is nothing else to say. I did my best after you committed the deed, and it is my fault that the Kinsekikai has become what it is today.

If not...

Tessai says nothing more, but gazes straight into Hoshiguma's eyes.

...The only thing I hoped when I came back was that my sacrifice was not in vain, and that things had gotten better for the Kinsekikai.

But I was wrong.

So you didn't kill him?

No, I...

I don't know.

I remember nothing from when I accidentally killed Shuuji until I saw the candidate's lifeless body. All I know is that I had gone on a rampage.

Then why did you say 'Yes'?

Hoshiguma says nothing and looks in the direction of her family home.

Because of your father?!