WEBVTT
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KAEI YEAR 7 (1954)
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Greetings, samurai. Buy me for the night, would you?
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I'll have to pass.
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Please, you must. I'm begging you.
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It hurts. My b-body is in so much pain... so, please!
You must buy me!
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I will not.
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Goddammit! Son of a bitch! Why not?!
Why won't you buy me?!
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I'll kill you!
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It hurts! It hurts so bad! Goddammit!
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My name is Jinya.
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Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!
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Would you be kind enough to give me yours?
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How unfortunate.
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It hurts! Goddammit!
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Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!
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I'll kill you!
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Seems your reputation as a demon hunter holds up.
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Here is your payment.
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That girl was a courtesan in Yoshiwara.
Albeit a low-class one.
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She was trapped in a brothel,
made to have sex, caught syphilis,
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and then got tossed out
once her heart and body were broken.
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Before long, she became a demon
who just slaughtered men under the cherry blossoms.
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Far too tragic, don't you think?
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So you hired me out of pity for her?
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More like affinity.
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Honestly, there's a good chance
I end up like her one day.
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And knowing that, I couldn't just leave her be.
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You have my thanks, ronin. Sorry to burden you with this.
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What makes you think it's a burden?
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My job is all about reading
how a man feels from his expression.
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But I must say, you have the look of a lost little boy.
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Who are you, exactly?
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You can call me Harlot. I'm Harlot the harlot.
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Names don't need to be
any more complicated than that, right?
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Say, ronin? If I ever turn into a murdering
demonic bitch who haunts the cherry blossoms,
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do me a favor and kill me, okay?
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I can't pay you, though.
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I'm not interested in working for free.
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Well, shucks. Aren't you cold?
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All right, see you around.
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What a strange woman.
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There are so many people here! I guess
a divine day of celebration gets everybody out!
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Let's be careful not to get separated.
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Right.
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You know, I can't imagine
letting the guys get a glimpse of me.
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Not in this outfit.
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Oh, come on. It's a festival.
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Besides, none of the guys even bothered to show up!
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Well, I know that Jinya-san and Miura-sama
were too busy with work to come.
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But it's a shame Zenji-san didn't show up
since he was the one who invited us...
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"Every good merchant knows that holiday events
are prime business opportunities, fool!"
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My dad really gave him an earful.
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Anyways, it's not every day we get a festival
around here, so let's just call it a girls' day out.
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Okay.
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Summer really is in full swing!
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Speaking of, why do they call these "lantern plants"?
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Part of it has to do with the bright red color. Some say
the name comes from the fact they look like little flames.
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There are many theories, but apparently
nobody is sure of the actual origin.
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Huh.
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You can write the name
with the kanji for "demon" and "light."
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Since the husks are shaped like lanterns, one theory
is that demons light them up so they can work at night.
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Oh, quit it! You'll ruin their beauty for me!
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Do you hate demons?
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You'd have a harder time finding someone that doesn't.
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Good point.
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I've been attacked by demons twice now.
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And I honestly don't think
I would still be alive if it wasn't for him.
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Are you talking about Jinya-kun?
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We first met about 4 years ago. He served
as my bodyguard, although only for two nights.
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When I saw him slicing off a demon's arm,
I was struck by a childish thought.
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"Wow, this guy is a master swordsman
straight out of the storybooks."
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You're really keen on Jinya-kun, aren't you?
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I didn't mean it like that!
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I mean, I do think of him like a character from a fairy tale.
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Except...
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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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When I saw him in that moment, he looked far from
being a master swordsman and more like a fragile soul.
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So, I realized we're not all that different.
And it gave me peace of mind.
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You can't call those romantic feelings.
It would be rude to women everywhere.
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Fair enough.
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I've noticed that Jinya-kun has a bad habit of trying
to avoid the reality of his own feelings, unfortunately.
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Hey, Ofuu-san...?
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Pardon me there, ladies!
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Can I interest you in anything?
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Oh, Akitsu-san!
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Hello there, Ofuu-chan. Feel free to take a look.
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Who is this guy?
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He's been a regular patron of our soba shop
since last year and always orders delivery.
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He hails from the capital in Kyoto.
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Somegoro Akitsu. Nice to meetcha, lil' missy.
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What? There's no way that you're Somegoro Akitsu.
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Huh?
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Somegoro Akitsu is one of the most popular
and respected metalsmiths of our time.
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Don't let the name bother you.
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I'm the daughter of a merchant,
so names hold a lot of weight with me.
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Are you really selling goods
that live up to the work of Somegoro?
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Well, I suppose they're not bad.
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Harsh critic. Alrighty, then.
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How about these?
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Decorative shells! They look quite old,
but certainly well made.
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Girls around your age
usually have a boy or two they're interested in.
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Just use these shells as a gift
and they're guaranteed to fall for you.
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Yeah, well, I'm not interested in anybody like that!
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Oh, don't listen to her! She's just being coy.
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The truth is that she's into someone
but can't bring herself to say it aloud.
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Not fair, Ofuu-san!
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Ain't you a cutie-pie?
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Let's see. How about this instead?
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It's a netsuke shaped like a puffy sparrow.
Pretty adorable, ain't it?
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Made it myself.
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It certainly is cute! But a far cry from Somegoro quality.
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Pretty snarky, ain'tcha?
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Say what you will, but I think this
is the perfect fit for lil' missy like you.
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Didja know that in China they say
sparrows become clams?
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They do?
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Yep. The sparrows go into the sea
and turn into clams. Or so the superstition goes.
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It's how they explain why sparrows vanish in late fall,
'cuz they went into the sea to become clams.
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And so what?
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I figured a sparrow would be more your speed,
seeing as how you're too young for the clam shells.
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Now who's being snarky?
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Hey now, I didn't mean it as an insult.
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A puffy sparrow built to survive
the cold is what you need right now.
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Just remember, the heart is ever-changing.
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Hopefully those feelings of yours
become a right proper clam one day.
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Whatever, that means nothing to me.
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But since it's pretty cute, I'll buy one.
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That'll be 90... No, wait, I'll make it 80 mon for you.
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You make it sound like that's not pricey somehow.
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Well, I am trying to make a living after all.
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Here! I'll throw in a little extra!
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Huh? Wait, this is a real Somegoro kanzashi!
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How did you get this?!
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It's something I scored for dirt cheap.
I'll just chuck it later if you don't want it.
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You've gotta be kidding!
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Then take it off my hands, okay?
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I'm sure this hairpin would be happier with you, lil' missy.
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Really? All right.
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Anything for you, Ofuu-chan?
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I'll have to pass.
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Shucks. Got a tight hold
on those purse strings, don'tcha?
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Well, thank you. Shall we get going, Ofuu-san?
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Sounds good to me.
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Goodbye, Akitsu-san. We'll be taking our leave now.
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Sure. Enjoy your time at the festival!
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What's your name?
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Kikuo...
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Ah, thank you very much!
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Now I can finally sleep easy at night!
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It's nothing.
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Here is what we agreed upon.
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Appreciated.
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Oh, that's right! Would you care
to have some of our specialty sake?
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We had a really good batch lately.
And it's one that we haven't put on the market yet.
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YUKI-NO-NAGORI
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YUKI-NO-NAGORI
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No thanks.
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Oh, shucks. That's a shame.
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Now, if you'll please excuse me.
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Thanks again! You're a real lifesaver.
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I'll definitely ask for your help again
should any new problems arise.
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Looks like you came out unscathed.
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Interesting. Didn't realize you cared.
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Of course I do. It wouldn't sit right with me
if the intel that I sold you led to your death.
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Here's your cut.
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Pity for the prostitute? No, that's clearly not it.
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Something else must be causing
that gloomy look on your face.
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I killed someone I didn't want to. That's all.
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But sparing them wasn't a choice for you, was it?
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By God, you're easy to figure out.
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Ah, that reminds me.
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There have been rumors going around
about a man who exterminates demons.
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And I don't mean you.
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He's some kind of spirit medium
who can control shikigami.
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Spirit medium?
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I hear they use some kinda dog or bird spirits
to take down demons.
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But that's just pillow talk.
I'm not sure how much of it is true.
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See ya, ronin.
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Be careful not to let your rival
steal all the good jobs from you.
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Jinya-kun!
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Thank God you're here.
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Well, Natsu-san has been acting strange...
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Natsu? What happened?
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Oh, how I have longed to see you, dear brother.
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Natsu?
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Thank the stars! After all this time,
I have finally found my way back to your side.
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What the hell is going on with you?
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Please don't! I want to stay with you!
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This all started after she put on a hairpin
that she bought yesterday...
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She suddenly went very quiet.
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Where is my dear brother?
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A kanzashi...?
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Pardon me, Natsu,
but I need you to show me that kanzashi.
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Of course, dear brother.
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Thank you.
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It's nothing but a regular hairpin... right?
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Well, here's an idea.
Whaddya say we just break the thing?
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No. We shouldn't do anything careless.
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May I have it back, dear brother?
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Sure. I'm sorry.
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Yay!
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Watch it, Natsu!
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We just can't help but come here, can we?
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Hey, Jinya!
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And... milady?!
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What exactly is going on here?!
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Care to explain this, Jin-dono?
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Hold on! Before you even answer that,
we gotta break this up!
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What is your problem? Please stop!
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C'mon, now. Don't be silly, milady!
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Who do you even think you are?!
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This is downright crazy. Right, Jinya?
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Yes, indeed.
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Where did she buy that kanzashi?
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We went to the Hozuki festival yesterday
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and bought it off a gentleman
by the name of Somegoro Akitsu
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who'd come from Kyoto to sell his wares.
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Huh? Somegoro Akitsu?!
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I guess we start by finding him.
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That's ridiculous! You must've heard wrong
because he's long dead.
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Wait, really?
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Yeah. Somegoro Akitsu was a craftsman
who put out work decades ago.
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He was known for combs and kanzashi.
Plus, katana accessories and the like.
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His metalwork is pretty famous.
It's difficult for even our shop to get stock of his stuff.
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That reminds me, Natsu-san said this kanzashi
was a Somegoro piece when she looked at it.
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Then, does that mean...?
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You better not tell me that Somegoro suddenly came
back from the dead and is traipsing around as a demon.
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Nah, that can't be the case.
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How would you know, pops?
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Because I've met Akitsu-san before.
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He's no demon. That guy's human, no doubt.
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That's all I need to hear. I trust your judgement.
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Seriously? C'mon, Jinya.
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You've never met him, right?
Then how can you just buy into this so quickly?
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Well, that doesn't leave us much to work with...
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Akitsu. I'm just going to have to find this guy.
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Please let go.
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Nuh-uh! Not after I finally found you.
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I am never going to leave your side again, dear brother!
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Sorry. But I have no idea what you're talking about.
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Huh?
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I don't know why you cling to me.
Or why you call me your brother.
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None of it makes any sense.
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Why should a bird need any reason
to perch itself by a flower?
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It is simple. I merely wished
to be at your side, dear brother.
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And after many ages, my wish has been granted.
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Now joy fills my heart.
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I'm afraid that I must go. Will you watch the place for me?
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Then I shall accompany you.
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Have no fear. I'll be back soon.
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So please just wait here.
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Okay.
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Good girl.
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Sorry, but she's in your hands now, Zenji.
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What?
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Jin-dono seemed rather accustomed
to dealing with her...
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You said it.
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Big brother.
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Pretty sunset, ain't it?
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I'm bettin' there'll be a beautiful moon out tonight.
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Which means, it's gonna be prime time
for drinking some sake.
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Do you have business with me?
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Huh? You're the one who's
got business with me, ain'tcha?
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They say you've been lookin' all over for me.
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After I heard a big and tall fella had business with me,
I wondered what it was about, but...
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The answer to that is obvious.
Since demons only come after me for one reason.
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There have been rumors going around
about a man who exterminates demons.
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I suppose I should ask. What is your name?
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Who, me?
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I'm Akitsu.
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Somegoro Akitsu the Third, actually.