act44side

What's the hurry? Are you looking for the most precious thing on Terra, the stepping stone to 'happiness'—

Wait... you're the Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai?

May I ask where Momoka-san is?

Are you a fan? Or are you after Mifune's bounty?

Neither. I just want to ask a favor.

Can I ask you to 'disappear' me like Momoka-san? Maybe that'll make me go viral like her!

It's the Ao-Oni!

Can I get a pic?

Out of the way.

Wait, Ao-Oni-san—

Uh... Ao-Oni-san, we're just a drinking establishment...

One Moeshima Black, to go.

The Moeshima Black production line shut down a few years ago. May I interest you in the newest offering from the same maker? It's their premium line, which I'm sure you'll be happy with—

Fine. Whatever.

While the clerk gets the liquor, Hoshiguma stands with her back against the storefront, gazing coldly at the crowd that has begun to gather.

A city is a big place, whether it's called Lungmen or Mitsukue.

The death of one man does not move the heart of the whole city, much less the death of a yakuza figurehead.

One man has died. Many still live.

But the people who still live, this city that they live in, has nothing to do with her anymore.

No one is following.

This is a good place.

Hoshiguma opens the bottle, and the smell of alcohol gushes out.

Just smelling it is enough to make her light-headed.

This one's for you, Uncle Tessai.

Ugh... how could this stuff taste so thin, when it's so expensive and the alcohol content so high?

This is the second time I've drank to someone. The first was to my father at my old home.

The kaidan chasers must be thrilled about the Ao-Oni drinking with a dead man.

Kaidan... hah.

The story of me and Higashi ended when I chose to step up for what was right, when I really didn't know what it was.

It was stupid, even though I survived. Ch'en, too, faced the same choice, and she survived as well, but I still think it's stupid.

You should have met Ch'en Hui-chieh, Uncle Tessai.

She's a true <i>kyou</i>, although they pronounce it a different way in Yan. But it refers to the same thing: Someone who's willing to stand in the way of an army a thousand strong, armed with nothing more than a sword.

This one's to her.

But I'm not like her.

She's brave. Unlike me—

Hah, awkward, isn't it?

But I'm scared... I can't deny it.

I'm not worried about my own life. But what about other people? Those I'm trying to protect? What about...?

...What about my home?

Honestly, I should just set out for Lungmen right now, and never look back.

It's a big deal, an L.G.D. officer suspected of murder in Higashi. That'd make a headache for everybody, from Missy to Mr. Lin to Madam Fumizuki to Mr. Wei.

They won't abandon me. I know what kind of people they are, and they know me well.

But I caused this.

Will my new home suffer for the trouble that I caused?

How could I keep calling it home, in that case?

Or I could draw my sword and become a real Oni. A killer.

Kill Kinbee, kill any of his men who dare draw on me, kill any police who stand in my way...

Turn into a nightmare that roams the streets of Mitsukue, become a true monster, become the kaidan after all.

Take vengeance. Go with the tide, embrace the times, become the maddest of the revelers, and become exactly what he...

No, exactly what everyone in Mitsukue wants me to be.

There's no way out. Every path leads to a dead end.

Is the bottle empty already?

You certainly can hold your drink, Hoshiguma-san.

Who's there?!

Where are your men?

I came alone.

Where's Uncle Tessai's body?

In police possession. Cause of death was a sword wound, but it was not your sword that did the deed.

Then why are your men after me?

Orders from above.

Are you here to arrest me too?

No, I'm here to drink with you.

Without waiting for an answer, the policeman sits down on the ground and takes out a small glass from his pocket.

Damn, this stuff is strong.

You want to try to convince me to come quietly, so you can carry out those orders from above?

Then, get you out of Mitsukue and back to Lungmen.

Against the orders of your superiors?

Why do you think I had you taken into custody the moment you entered Mitsukue?

I would have done the same, if a gang leader who had committed a major crime in Lungmen twenty years ago came back.

Is that all?

What else could it be?

The policeman looks straight into Hoshiguma's eyes.

When he realizes that Hoshiguma is not joking or hiding anything, he suddenly punches her in the face.

I can't believe you forgot.

The Diet candidate killed by the Kinsekikai was named Koretou.

That was for my uncle.

<i>Kono bakayaro.</i> His murder would not have gone ignored all these years, if you didn't stupidly claim responsibility for your stupid yakuza honor.

Sorry...

It's a little too late for that. There's nothing I can do about Mifune now.

He's in cahoots with one of the most powerful Diet member. How else could a yakuza have gained so much influence over the police?

The best I can do—the best the police can do is to let you go, so he won't get what he wants.

And Uncle Tessai's death will be nothing more than a footnote in the Ao-Oni kaidan legend and the Haunted House, and nothing will ever get resolved. Same as it was back then, am I right, Detective Koretou of the Spiritual Affairs Station?

You say you don't want him to get what he wants, but all you're doing is helping him.

You think Mifune is behind the kaidan.

You don't sound surprised.

A cop is a cop, even if he's from the Spiritual Affairs Station. I can smell where the rot is coming from, even with this chained collar around my neck.

So you've made peace with the chains?

All you need to worry about is filling your own stomach with fried meatchop with rice. Not all of us are the same.

Do you know how much it costs to get a house that can barely squeeze a family of four in Mitsukue?

I'm not sure I want to know.

If you're willing to pay off my loans and take my wife and kids to Lungmen, sure, I'll turn your old home upside down.

Or, if you're absolutely certain that it'll be a fatal blow to Mifune, I could potentially see myself jumping on this gamble of yours.

Now, it's your turn to answer.

Do you plan on paying off these loans that I'm not even sure I could free myself of before I die, or is there a greater power than the Diet, enough to take Mifune out once and for all?

I'm doing my best to help you. Recognize good faith when you see it, Ao-Oni.

The policeman angrily downs the last bit of liquor left in the cup.

Come with me.

No.

Give me a reason.

I...