act44side

Her microphone finds the ninja, again and again, striking with a fury that even hell does not know...

Stop, stop, no—

I WILL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! I WILL BEAT THIS HEARTLESS MONSTER TO DEATH!!!

Momoka?! What are you doing?

I'M KILLING THE BASTARD WHO KILLED MY HASUKE! I WILL RIP HIM FROM LIMB TO LIMB!!!

So, you're, er... you're fine?

I'M FINE! I'M VERY FINE! I'M GONNA BEAT THIS ASSHOLE INTO A PULP!!!

M-Momoka, calm down, he's not worth it, we gotta get out of here...

The rain of blows finally comes to an end, as footsteps fade into the distance.

That other voice must have belonged to Kichisei, the one who was with Momoka. Yes, it was Kichisei who took Momoka away, it must be her...

Thank you, Kichisei... you're my lucky star—

The novice ninja gives Kichisei his most sincere gratitude before passing out. Not that he is in any condition to verbalize it.

I've been waiting for you. No one can stop you, even after all these years.

Quit posturing. Your men have already scattered. I strolled right on in here.

What business does the 'Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai' have with a man who's already finished?

If you came to take revenge for yourself and Tessai, all you need to do is draw your sword.

Hoshiguma shakes her head.

Your crimes have been exposed on your own TV station. Your Diet member <i>upstairs</i> won't help you now, no matter how much bribe money he got from you.

How he may try to cover up his ill-gotten gains is none of my business.

It's enough for me that justice will be served for the people you actually killed.

You almost sound like a cop.

Yeah, I've been working for the Lungmen police force.

...Are you serious?

Yes, I am.

I want to laugh, but I'm not quite in the mood tonight. And I thought the L.G.D. was just a gimmick.

I only came to do what I should have done when I took that step twenty years ago. I came to cut my last ties to Higashi.

And how do you intend to do that? You can't cut yourself off from your past. Karma and fate will always follow you.

You could put them in chains, lock them in boxes, but they will escape when you're least prepared, and tear everything into pieces.

The only thing you can cut is my throat, and it would be nothing more than a formality if you did so. Nothing more than venting your anger.

Yeah, a formality.

There's nothing I want from you or Mitsukue. All I want is a formality.

A letter of excommunication. Tell all of Mitsukue that Hoshiguma no longer has anything to do with Mitsukue, the Kinsekikai, or the Ao-Oni kaidan.

The tall Phidia blinks, then begins laughing wryly.

I see Lungmen has indeed turned you into a cop, through and through.

But I refuse. We have a better way of disassociating someone.

Cross swords with me. Rebel against the oyabun of the Kinsekikai, and there will be no room left for the Kinsekikai to treat you as one of us, no matter which one of us falls.

Do we really have to do this?

This is the true meaning of finishing unfinished business from twenty years ago.

It's just...

Mifune casts a glance around his office.

I rather liked this place, and it would be a shame if a mess was made of it. Let's go somewhere else.

Where?

Kajimachi.

You've razed it to the ground.

Our memories remain, don't they?

You're one twisted bastard.

Let's go. Maybe we'll even catch the end of the fireworks show.