Still sleepy...
Don'tcha think you oughta march over to your neighbor's place and give 'em a good talking to?
Nobody can sleep with all their shouting so early in the morning.
I suppose.
Stupid bitch! You got a problem with us or what?!
Not at all.
H-hey, you two need to cut it out right now!
T-take it easy.
Huh?!
It's awfully rowdy in here today.
Oh, Jinya-kun!
The hell do you want?!
Just drunken fools? Or something worse?
If ya ask me, the latter seems far more likely.
I concur.
What kinda stupid bullshit are you spewing, boy?!
Hah. Actually, I'd bet this guy's more of an old fart than you.
You goddamn jokers...
Aw, jeez. Now you've done it.
Would you like to be next?
You bastar-!
Talk about ruthless.
I held myself back.
Yeah, well, even so...
Whoa! They're getting back up.
That's it. Your ass is grass!
Guess I've got no choice.
Hey!
Get back here, shithead!
What just happened?
What did you do?
Hm?
These decorative shells are tsukumogami that create mirages.
And I can control it so that only people who I choose see them. Pretty useful, huh?
What exactly did you show them?
Don'tcha know that ignorance is bliss?
Um, thanks, Jinya-kun. I'm glad you showed up.
Sure.
Same to you, Akitsu-san.
Shucks, I didn't do much.
Yeah, he literally just watched.
Hm?
I see you're still as snarky as ever, lil' missy.
Ofuu-chan, can I get some tempura soba?
Okay.
I'm assuming you want kake-soba, Jinya-kun?
Yeah.
And so...
Zenji's been working like a madman ever since my dad threatened to fire him from the head clerk position.
Have you noticed anything strange about his behavior?
Not really.
Like I figured, it seems knocking back too many drinks is what drove him to act out yesterday.
Sorry to worry you, but everything is okay now.
I see.
Well, I should get going.
Maybe I can put my dad in a better mood if I pick him up a bottle of sake on the way ho-
You'd better not.
And why's that?
He's been drinking Yuki-no-Nagori every night, hasn't he?
There's something strange about it.
Please tell Jyuuzou-dono that he should drink a different sake instead.
A-all right.
I'm counting on you.
Be careful on your way home. It's dicey out there.
Funny. I didn't know you could give dad speeches, too.
But I'll be okay. Thank you.
Looks like the sparrow is still just a sparrow, huh?
Yes. A long way from becoming a clam.
Why hello, ronin. Did you bring a friend along today?
Don't mind him. He's not important.
Ouch. Do you always hafta be so mean to me?
Well, not that I really care.
I did some digging into that liquor you asked me about.
Have you learned anything?
I couldn't get any clear answers about where Yuki-no-Nagori is made,
or even how it got brought into Edo.
But I learned that a sake shop in Kuramae was responsible for ordering
a huge stock and wholesaling it throughout town.
Do you remember "Mizukiya"?
The owner there hired you a while back to slay a demon that was hiding in his warehouse.
Some of my customers told me they tried to ask where the sake was brewed,
but the owner dodged their questions with nonsense like, "It's divine liquor that flows from a sacred spring."
Hah! Is he just ripping off the myth of the woodcutter who found a fountain of youth that tastes like sake or what?
Talk about pathetic.
You said it.
The owner has gone out today to procure more stock, but word is that he'll be back tomorrow night.
Why don't you pay him a visit?
I will. Thank you.
One more thing.
There are rumors of a beautiful woman with golden hair going in and out of Mizukiya on occasion.
This is just a hunch, but it's possible that Yuki-no-Nagori may be a sake made overseas.
No!
What's your problem? Don't jump at me like that.
Sorry.
Does this golden-haired beauty give you a clue or something?
Please, Dad. I'm begging you to stop.
And I keep telling you to shut the hell up!
Ugh, not again! What a noisy pair.
Yeah.
D-Dad, no!
Jinya!
He's turned into a demon!
Wow! Nicely done.
Guess we've got more questions for that sake-selling geezer now.
Father?
Yes?
Pardon me.
Um, I wanted to talk about Zenji...
What about him?
Are you upset?
More like disappointed. After all I've done to look out for him.
Still, he is quite young...
As long as he buckles down to work hard and live proper, there's nothing that he can't bounce back from.
So, you'll forgive Zenji? For what he did?
It depends on him.
Mistakes are complicated. We can't easily measure the full impact they have.
Sometimes it's not until much later when you realize the scale. And it can leave you frozen in fear.
It sounds like... you might be speaking from personal experience.
Maybe.
In any case, regardless of how deeply youngsters may regret their choices later on,
I believe it's important for them to live their life as they please. Whole-heartedly.
And when they inevitably take a tumble,
it's the adults in their lives who have a duty to provide them a place to return to.
Natsu. You should do the same and live freely.
Freely? Even me?
Bear in mind there's nothing that you can't bounce back from.
Right.
Father, you really should cut down on the sake.
I'm in a drinking mood right now. Thanks to good company.
Oh, right. I brought you a gift. They're teacakes.
YUKI-NO-NAGORI
Wonderful. I'll have some later.
Wh-who are you?!
Might I interest you in a sake so superb that it could ruin a man?
Ruin? What do you mean?
Everyone, regardless of who they are, has a soul clouded with filth.
Try as they might, there is no way to hide or avoid it.
I don't understand...
All you must do is dredge it to the surface.
Jealousy, carnality, pride.
Shatter the calm facades that people wear by stirring up every dark feeling hidden
in the far recesses of their hearts.
And taint them!
Until finally...
...hatred piles up like snow and colors their true heart white.
Thus I dub it Yuki-no-Nagori or "snowy remains."
When all of the human's hearts are steeped in rage,
perhaps he will notice.
I'm right here. Waiting for you.
This is more than enough for me to become the richest merchant in all of Edo!
Looks like business is booming for you, merchant.
Who goes there?
We met once about two years ago. Do you remember?
Why, of course!
You're the gentleman who killed the demon plaguing our storehouse.
Although I greatly appreciated your help, I cannot condone you trespassing on my property...
I have business with you. I'll gladly leave once its finished.
Wh-what kind of business?
I'm looking for a certain sake.
Yuki-no-Nagori. You have some, no?
Well, I...
Wow! Now that's an impressive haul.
Who are you?!
This is all Yuki-no-Nagori.
Hey!
It certainly is impressive.
This sake is hugely popular and sold out in every store. Finding it has been a hassle.
Ah, but of course! Since I just went and procured this new stock today.
Oh? Where exactly?
I'm afraid I can't tell you that. This is how I make my living, after all.
What a shame.
In that case, let me try a slightly more coercive method...
Natsu. Would you care for a drink?
Huh? But I...
Okay, just one sip.
Would you pour me a cup?
Sure.
Tastes superb. Don't you think?
Unusual incidents have been on the rise lately.
Mostly drunkards going on violent rampages.
Notably, all people who were drinking Yuki-no-Nagori.
Ah, um, uh...
That sake is clearly tainted. Where did you get it from?
F-from Mount Oyama!
There's a spring halfway up Mount Oyama in Sagami province, a-and that's where it flows from!
All I've done is bottle it!
Interesting. So, you prefer death, then?
I applaud your fortitude. I'm sure it'll prove useful in Hell.
I'm not lying! There really is a spring of pure sake! Please believe me!
Fine, then what's the secret behind it?
D-don't ask me! All I know is that woman said it could ruin people!
Woman?
A blonde one! She said the more people drank, the more they'd become slaves to hatred!
But that's everything she told me!
And you thought that was okay to sell?!
So what if people act a little weird after they drink too much? That's just natural with booze!
There's nothing wrong with a merchant selling his goods!
So, you did it for the money, huh?
Here I figured ya had some good reason, but you're just scum.
Jinya. This fool is useless, he only sells the stuff.
But we have a lead on the mastermind.
And now we know for sure that all the violence going down was caused by Yuki-no-Nagori.
Let's destroy this batch and head for Oyama.
D-destroy?! You can't be serious!
What else do you expect? That stuff is way too dangerous for us to leave behind!
Screw that!
I still want information from you.
Whoa there!
Tell me everything you know about that woman.
L-let me...
Start talking, now!
Cut it out already!
Yeowch! What are you, a brick wall?
You better stop or else that geezer is seriously gonna croak!
This blonde lady... is she some kinda problem?
No.
I won't press you to give me any details.
But if you start killin' people over this, then I'm gonna have to put you down myself.
You're right. Thanks for stopping me.
Oh, quit it! What am I supposed to say when you thank me for punching you?
You can't have it!
Back off! This is MY sake!
Hey, what are you doing?! That stuff is poison!
Shut up! That's just an excuse for you to steal it!
Stop! You'll cross a line you can't come back from.
Everyone harbors some hatred inside.
But this liquor propels that into becoming malice, ruining people's minds...
and turning them into demons.
Yuki-no-Nagori is a sake made to create demons.
I remember that boy, Kikuo...
He must have worked here at your shop.
But you made him drink that sake, didn't you?
Because you wanted to know exactly what would happen to anyone who drank it.
Jeez. You're such a reckless fighter.
A tsukumogami?
It's a lucky sparrow that grants the power of protection. Cute, ain't it?
Thanks. I appreciate the help.
Here he comes.
Go, my paper swallow!
Yeesh, this demon is oddly strong for a newborn! Something ain't right here, ya know?
This was all planned from the beginning...
Or rather, it was set like a trap.
Huh?
Just imagine that the sake never came from a spring, but was actually something the woman created.
Then it stands to reason this man was put in place to deter anyone from discovering the truth behind it.
How is that even possible? Who is this lady?
Dammit! How could you...?!
Hey, what's got you so on edge?
We're running out of time. Natsu's father has been drinking this liquor every night.
Wait, really?
Cripes, that's bad news.
Then ya best get moving, Jinya. Let me handle this freak.
Somegoro Akitsu.
Why so serious?
Let me guess, you don't think I got what it takes to beat this demon?
Don't sell me short!
Humans are stubborn creatures, ya know? More so than you can even imagine.
Got it? So you hurry along to the lil' missy.
But...
Listen here, the Akitsu style packs a serious punch. I don't need your sorry butt frettin' about me.
You have my thanks.
That's better. I get the feeling he and I might have to throwdown someday,
so I gotta keep my ace up my sleeve.
Alrighty then.
Come on out, Demon Queller!
Surprised?
When Emperor Xuanzong of China got struck by a bad illness,
Master Zhong Kui here was the deity who wiped the floor with the evil spirits possessing him.
He's on a whole different level from you demons.
But if you still wanna have a clash of titans... then bring it on!
Please!
Let me make it in time!
I'm right here. Waiting for you.