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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?!

What are you doing here, Papa?

Wh-Why are there so many bad people lying on the ground? Did you kill all of them?

It's alright, Kajimachi is safe. Uncle Tessai's looking for you—

I-Is that Aunt Setsuko? Grandma Kinue, too... did the bad people kill them? Even Tetsuya?!

Let's go, Papa, we need to tell Uncle Tessai—

Wh-Why are you pointing your blade at me?

Uncle Tessai! Something's wrong with Papa—

Papa?!

Yes, your father had killed Tetsuya in his madness. But what do Setsuko and my mother's death have to do with him? Hadn't he been protecting them?

I told you, Tetsuya... not just him, but what happened to your father too, it was all the fault of those wandering Oni! None of this would happened, if not for them!

Besides, since when did I say that you needed to take responsibility for what your father did?

I'm not taking responsibility for him.

All I know is that... I was just like him at the time.

It was either me or Kinbee who killed the candidate. It wouldn't have been anyone else.

But it could have been me.

And if things had gone on, it would have been me, sooner or later.

The aging Oni grabs a shogi piece from the table and smashes it to bits on the ground.

Yes, I was angry at your father, but you've always been like a daughter to me!

Do you know who I was thinking of when I made that Oni face on Hannya? Do you know why I gave you the shield before you left?

It was for you that I made Hannya, so that you wouldn't repeat the mistakes of your father!

That fallen noble house where I bought the materials and craftsmanship once had a splendid collection of legendary weapons.

The stories say that they stole the secret arts of a temple, allowing them to craft weapons that were not only incredibly sharp, but also able to suppress the madness of the Oni.

I didn't know if it was real, but the craftsmanship certainly was, and I made the shield intending for it to be my final work.

But I felt hesitant at the ultimate step.

The handle?

The handle.

According to the laws of the secret art, the part connected to the palm must be polished by the wielder personally, until it fits comfortably in the bare hand.

It was like someone had poured cold water over me... the intention, clearly, was to make one learn self-discipline.

What discipline would it take to polish a piece of metal until it fits comfortably in the hand? There would be no need for any secret art!

So I never gave you the shield, which was why everyone who felt themselves up to it had designs on the clan's leadership.

That's why there were so many internal clashes at the time. High-ranking members looked for any opportunity to take each other out, but it was the rank-and-file who suffered the most, and even the honest folk of Kajimachi became caught in the struggle...

...That's how the events of that night came to be.

Hoshiguma is silent.

Karma, karma!

Right or wrong, things have come too far. There is no way to turn back the clock.

How has Lungmen been?

If life hasn't been kind, take your weapon, and we'll have Kinbee's head, if that's the last thing we do. We're descendants of warriors, and we'll have a warrior's death.

If life has been alright, then leave now, and never think about Kinbee or me again. What happened between your father and I is between the two of us. It's not your fault.

Stop going against your heart for the greater good. It's not your place to do so.

Lungmen...

...has been kind to me.

For the first time tonight, Tessai sees Hoshiguma's gaze meet his.

I'm glad to hear that.

But I'll go with you.

Why?

If this is indeed karma, then I want to clean up the loose ends before I go back to Lungmen.

Very well.

Give Hannya to me.

You've decided how to reforge it?

The reforged Hannya would already have been yours, if you haven't been running around with that Momoka girl.

What's this ribbon?

A gift from my friends in Lungmen. I've been using it.

Take this. It's a step forward that you've learned to make compromises. I wouldn't bet against you, if you faced Chi Xiao once again, wielding the reforged Hannya.

It's a good thing to reforge Hannya, but... there's someone I need to rescue. Kinbee's got Moriuchi.

The information broker who sells oden?

The reforging of Hannya can't wait.

The kaidan were fabricated by Kinbee. The only people who know this are you, me, Momoka... a certain kami, and Moriuchi. Kinbee would never let him walk.

It's partly my fault that he's in danger. I need to help him, fast.

I've got something for you, if you need a weapon.

The old man takes out a dusty box from a corner.

What's in the box?

Your old outfit and sword. I've kept them in decent enough condition.

The one that you wielded that night. Take it.

Unless you mean to tell me that you've not changed one bit these twenty years.

Alright.

I see you haven't lost any of your guts.

I've been meaning to ask. What have you been doing in Lungmen?

Your clothes are a little too plain for a triad, but it doesn't seem like you've been leading a quiet life either. What's going on?

Oh, er, I joined the Lungmen police.

Come again?

I work for the L.G.D., the Lungmen police.

You—pfft, hahahahaha!

No wonder the room stinks of cop!