WEBVTT
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One, eyes drawn to the other side.
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Two, the homeland suddenly a long way off.
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Three, parents whose faces cannot be seen.
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Four, trace the path to the underworld.
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Five, they grow farther away over time.
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Six, nostalgic for the olden days.
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Seven, all the tears dry to nothing.
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Eight, and before long...
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That's where the song ends.
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KAEI YEAR 6 (1853)
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E-excuse me!
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I'm so sorry, sir! Please forgive my rudeness!
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No, I'm the one who should've been watching my step.
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Allow me to apologize.
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Oh, b-but I...
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No need to fret, little lady.
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This fella here is Naotsugu Miura-sama,
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and while he may be a samurai, he's famous
around these parts for having a heart of gold.
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Thanks for waiting. Here's your kake-soba.
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Thank you kindly.
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What's the matter, Naotsugu-sama?
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No appetite today or what?
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Oh, not exactly. Just a nagging concern, I suppose.
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Got something on your mind?
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Yes.
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Would you lend me an ear, good sir?
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Sure. I'll listen to whatever you need to get off your chest.
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Thank you.
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It's about my older brother, you see...
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Whoa, hold your horses!
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Don't start talking crazy.
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Everybody knows that you're the Miura family heir.
There's no way you have an older brother.
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No, I am quite certain that I had an older brother!
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Ofuu-san?
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Y-yes?
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Do you know him? Perhaps you've heard of a man
by the name Sadanaga Miura?
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I'm afraid not.
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Well, that figures.
Nobody seems to know about my brother.
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Not even my parents.
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I'm starting to wonder if I've just lost my mind.
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Naotsugu-sama. Try and lighten up, okay?
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Look, your soba is gonna get cold!
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Um, Miura-sama?
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Sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds here,
but shall I introduce you to a good man for the job?
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You know someone?
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Yes. I think he might be able
to help with your predicament.
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Oh, that's right!
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Actually, one of our regulars is a fella who loves
poking his nose into all sorts of freaky stuff.
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You mean to say, he's some sort of diviner or shaman?
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Huh?
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People who make their living by exorcising evil spirits.
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Nah, he's just a ronin!
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But for some reason, he goes around
resolving strange incidents and mysteries.
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For a price, of course.
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And I hear he's got sword skills
that can slice a demon to ribbons!
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Wow.
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He may come off as intimidating, but he's a kind man.
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Not to mention he has some funny quirks.
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He stops by every day to stuff his face
with our kake-soba.
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Oh, speak of the devil!
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Welcome in, pal!
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Welcome in.
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Kake-soba, please.
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Comin' up!
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One order of kake-soba!
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You're just hooked on our kake-soba, aren'tcha, pal?
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No, not really.
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There you go again.
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Would it kill ya to have a little more tact?
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Okay.
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The soba here may be plain,
but I've developed a soft spot for it.
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Now you're talkin'.
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Let me pour you some tea.
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You've gotten quite good at that.
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I should hope so.
I've been working to improve a little each day.
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And what progress have you made, Jinya-kun?
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Fall is the season for sweet osmanthus.
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It exudes a very pleasant fragrance,
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and starts to bloom beautiful flowers
around this time of year.
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Yes, that's right!
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Plants are pretty fascinating to learn about.
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My eyes are drawn to all the flowers
on the roadside now.
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See, I told you!
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Well, now that we've covered
all the different seasonal blooms,
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I'll teach you about flowers in mythology next.
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Sorry to interrupt your conversation.
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Um, if I may...
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My name is Naotsugu Miura.
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Sorry, I realize this may come off as rude,
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but I understand you are a man who occupies himself
with rumors of demons and other strange phenomenon.
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Or so I've heard.
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Indeed.
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Slaying demons is my livelihood.
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Great! Then I bet you can get
to the bottom of a mystery for me, yes?
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Not necessarily.
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Huh?
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My expertise is limited to slaying demons.
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I'm afraid I won't be of much help unless demons
are the cause of your problem.
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Sorry.
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Oh, I see...
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Miura-sama!
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Hey, pal. I hate to ask, but couldja find it
in your heart to lend Naotsugu-sama a hand?
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His dummy of a big brother apparently went missing
and now he's worried sick about him, ya see.
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Please consider it.
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I think losing someone so important
has made him very emotionally unstable.
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Pretty please!
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All right. I suppose I do owe you two a favor.
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You seem rather obsessed with this guy.
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Well, yeah, he's one of our few regulars.
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DANGO
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AMAZAKE
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TEA
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What are you doing here?
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Excuse me! May I have an order of tea and isobe mochi?
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Coming up!
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You like mochi?
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Yep.
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Huh.
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Here is your order.
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Thank you.
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Yum. This tastes even better
when you haven't had it in a while.
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On a related note,
when are you and Zenji getting married?
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Where did that come from?!
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You've turned 16 now. That's marrying age.
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Okay, but you're crazy if you think I'd marry Zenji.
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Is that so?
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I imagine Jyuuzou-dono would feel more at ease
seeing you married to someone like him.
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But Zenji is... you know, more of a brother figure.
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Besides, even though my dad has
his own ideas for prospective husbands,
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he's already told me I'm free to choose for myself.
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Granted, from a business perspective, I'm sure
he wants me to marry into a samurai or merchant family.
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What about you? Don't you want a wife?
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Not many women are eccentric enough
to wed a ronin without a steady job.
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Oh?
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I suppose that's true.
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But there comes a time when you
seriously have to consider settling down.
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How old are you, anyways?
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Thirty one.
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No way! You're older than Zenji?!
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You joked about being "immune" to getting old...
but, like, what's the actual secret?
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Who knows?
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I'm putting the money for my bill here!
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You're leaving?
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Duty calls.
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Demons again?
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Say, why do you go around hunting demons?
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With good swordsmanship like yours,
you should be able to find a number of other jobs, no?
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I wish I had an answer.
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I'm not sure why I'm doing it, myself.
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How does that work?
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But if I had to give a reason...
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it's because this is the only path for me.
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I see.
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Well, that's kind of a relief to hear.
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Hm?
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You have such a dry personality that it sometimes
feels like you don't care about anything in life.
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Honestly, I never knew what to think of you.
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But now, I see that even you can be a whiny worrywart.
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So you're just another regular guy.
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Natsu-dono...
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Call me Natsu.
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We've known each other long enough now.
Being so formal all the time just makes things awkward.
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Guess I better get back to the shop.
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Don't spend too much time brooding, okay?
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You'll end up with permanent wrinkles on your forehead.
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Arimori.
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You're going looking again?
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How many times must I tell you?
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You are the only heir to the Miura family.
You have no older brother.
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Except I clearly remember him!
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I hear that you've been going as far as the slums and the
red-light district in search of this brother. Is that right?
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Abide by morals, exemplify courage,
practice compassion, and behave with courtesy.
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The samurai code dictates that we give literally
everything in service to our sworn lord, Tokugawa.
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And yet you don't seem to care about that in the least.
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I'll focus up on my duties
once I find my brother! Now excuse me.
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Enough of this already! Arimori!
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Hey, Arimori.
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Homes aren't what make people.
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It's the people who make the home.
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Uh-huh...
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"For home and country." I can understand that sentiment.
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But even so, I'm not willing to twist my values
and beliefs just to abide by it.
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Where are you, my brother?
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Off to look for him?
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It's you!
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Jinya. Lowly ronin at your service.
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In regards to your mystery,
I have decided to do some digging into it after all.
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Huh?
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However, I can't promise that I will get any answers.
I hope you understand.
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Sure! That's fine.
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I'm happy to know you believe me.
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That alone is enough to give me peace of mind.
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Now then, I'm sorry to cut to the chase,
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but I'd like to know how things
were before your brother disappeared.
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All right. Then come to my-
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In that case...
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You introduced yourself as a ronin, earlier, didn't you?
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Yes.
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I can't help but notice the katana
you carry is of rather high quality.
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Do you come from a samurai background?
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No, not at all.
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Oh?
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I once lived in a mountain village filled with bellows
that were used by blacksmiths to forge katana,
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and I served in a role that required me to wield one.
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Now I'm serving that role once again,
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and have gotten direct permission
from the shogunate to carry this blade.
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I see.
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Are you from Kadono, per chance?
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An impressive deduction.
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Well, hearing about blacksmiths and bellows,
plus seeing that iron scabbard gave me an inkling.
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It's embarrassing to admit,
but I'm somewhat of a connoisseur.
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Learning about the different makes of blades
is a pastime of mine.
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I've heard one trademark of Kadono blades
is the simple yet refined metalwork on the scabbards.
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And the quality of your scabbard is outstanding.
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This was originally a sacred blade
that had been enshrined in the village.
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But circumstances led it into my hands.
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Oh? Does it have a name?
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It's called Yarai.
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Yarai, eh? Well, that's very interesting!
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The blades of Kadono are said
to be effective against demons.
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One term for cleansing evil spirits is "oni-yarai,"
which may have inspired the name.
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Or perhaps that katana was once used
to exorcise a demonic spirit in a local legend.
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Do you know of any such stories?
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I can't say that I have.
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Nobody knows if it's true,
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but the village chieftain said this is a mystical katana
that's remained pristine for over a century.
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How fascinating.
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Is there any chance you could unsheathe it for me?
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No.
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My apologies. I've gotten a little too fanatical.
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I don't mind.
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But we really should get started.
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Of course.
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As I've already explained, my brother,
Sadanaga Miura, has gone missing.
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But I can't find him no matter how much I search.
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Worse yet, nobody seems to remember who he is.
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No one at all?
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No. My parents claim they've never
heard of this "Sadanaga" person.
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And that I'm the only heir of the family.
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Furthermore, although some people
seemed to have vague memories,
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they ultimately just told me the same thing.
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I'm forced to conclude that nobody
actually remembers my brother except for me.
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Begging your pardon, gentlemen.
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But if you're gonna talk about serious business like this,
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I think it's common sense to do it in a private place
where there are no people around.
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Good thing hardly anybody comes to this shop.
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Your tongue's sharper than your sword, eh, pal?
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Joking aside, I got the impression that
the two of you were quite concerned for Miura-dono.
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Hence why I brought him here.
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Nothing, I'm just tickled pink that you've
lightened up enough to start telling jokes.
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Whatever.
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When exactly did your brother disappear, Miura-dono?
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Just before spring started, at the tail end of January.
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Nothing seemed out of the ordinary
at that point, until he suddenly...
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No, hold on.
17:57.730 --> 18:00.730
I recall him saying something not long before that,
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about "going to see a girl."
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And one more thing, I found some flowers in his room.
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Flowers?
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I'm afraid I don't know enough about plants to say
what kind, but they had a strong fragrance.
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The leaves were narrow and the flowers
were small with white petals and a yellow center.
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My brother wasn't really the type
to appreciate flowers, so I thought it was strange.
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When exactly did you find them?
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Right after my brother disappeared.
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No one else visited his room except for me,
so I imagine it was my brother who left them there.
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Do you still have the flowers?
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I figured they might serve as evidence,
so I made sure to preserve them before they wilted.
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Miura-dono.
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I know it may be problematic, but I would like
to pay a visit to your house tomorrow.
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Huh?
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Oh, hey, Jinya.
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Natsu-do...
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Natsu.
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Welcome in, Jinya-kun.
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Kake-soba, please.
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Sure. One order of kake-soba!
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Say, pal, when did you start
calling Natsu-chan by her name?
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Oh. A few days ago, at her request.
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Ofuu. You gotta step it up a little more, ya hear?
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What are you talking about?
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But I must say, you two seem to get along well.
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Not really. It's nothing special.
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Ofuu, how close are you with Miura-dono?
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With Miura-sama?
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We aren't especially close or anything,
but we do talk on occasion when he visits the shop.
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Why do you ask?
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I was just curious.
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I see.
19:48.690 --> 19:52.020
Well, he's always been polite in our interactions.
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I find him to be a kind and earnest gentleman.
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Hold on, are you talking about that samurai
who I bumped into the other day?
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Yes.
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He seemed like a very humble guy.
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Sure, but he can get pretty hyperactive
whenever the subject of swords comes up.
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Which reminds me!
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Take a look at this, pal.
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Wow, a kogai?
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Well, you know how the Miura family are vassals of the
shogun, so it's necessary they have these kind of tools.
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Anyhoo, not that it means much,
but he gave me this kogai meant for samurai.
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I swear, everything boils down to swords with him...
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Let the guy talk freely and it's either strictly business
or just something about katana.
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I've even heard that his mom chews him out,
like "enough is enough, Arimori"!
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You've had dealings with his mother?
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Huh?
20:41.480 --> 20:44.650
Yeah, but only enough to catch a quick glimpse of her.
20:44.980 --> 20:49.150
She's a real terror, ya know.
Harps on people regularly from what I hear.
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With all that said, pal...
Would ya mind taking this kogai off my hands?
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But Miura-dono gave that to you as a gift. I can't.
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It's fine. There's not much sense in the owner
of a soba shop having samurai gear like this.
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Yes, but...
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I don't really have a need for it anymore.
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So please just take it off my hands.
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Okay?
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Fine. I'll hold onto it for you.
21:19.190 --> 21:21.690
I appreciate that! Thank you.
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I'm sorry. My dad should know better.
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Ofuu.
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Yes?
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The flowers with white petals and a yellow center
that Miura-dono spoke of... are they daffodils?
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Although he did say they were small.
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I just hope they're anything but daffodils.
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This is the garden of happiness.
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The warm and sunny place
where I spent my childhood days.
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But...
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...the way back is long gone now.