There're things in this world you're better off not knowing about.
[Gin-san's illegitimate child is revealed! Or so we thought. The case escalates to the matter of the child being the heir of a wealthy merchant.]
[Ofusa, the mother of baby Kanshichiro. Kahei Hashidaya, a truly dangerous man.]
Excuse me. I...um...have nothing to do with this, so can I go home?
Kagura-chan!
How would like your coffee? With sugar or milk?
But coffee tastes best with...
sugar...isn't that right?!
A smokescreen?
You, meddling scum!
Damn it! The woman! The woman escaped!
Search the entrance! She has to be somewhere in this room!
A smokescreen... But it won't work against me.
There's something different about the airflow. The smoke is flowing out somewhere...
I wonder where...
There...
["If You Want to See Someone, Make an Appo First"]
I said I want to meet the president.
Excuse me, but do you have an "apo"?
[Note: Apo is short for appointment in Japan]
What's an "apo"? Oh, you mean that? A kind of fruit from the north?
Does the president like Fuji apples?
It's not an apple. Why are you saying only certain parts in English?!
Give me a break. "Apo" or Kobo-chan...
[Note: Kobo-chan is a four-cell manga on newspaper, like a comic strip.]
I just want to see the president.
Apo.
That's right. Nowadays, you can't do anything in Japan without slogging through a mountain of red tape.
Ah! What's Japan coming to?!
E-Excuse me, but could you please not speak so loud?
Ah?
Wait a minute. That child could be the president's...
What? What is that?
Ah! Excuse me, but you can't go in there without permission!
Please wait!
Apo.
Napo.
Oh, no! We're done for! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
My lungs! My lungs hurt! It's like they're bursting! I've made up my mind!
From this day forth, I will quit smoking and quit hanging with you guys!
Where's Kagura-chan? She's not here!
No kidding...
W-Wait a minute...
We're still here! We're still here!
Wait!
Unbelievable! He's like a monster or something!
We don't stand a chance against him! Run!!
All right!
Well, weren't we already running away in the beginning?
Damn it!
Hey!
Are you all right?
Ah! We're gonna fall!!
What?! They disappeared! Where did they go?!
Damn it! Let's check over there!
Um... Are you all right?
What a relief! There was another roof underneath.
Oh, I was so scared I almost wet my pants.
Well, who are you guys?
It was you, right? The one who left the baby in front of our house?
N-No kidding...
Huh? So, you guys...
Don't worry. The baby has been taken into protective custody.
I'm 38 already ...
Really?! Kanshichiro... Kanshichiro is safe?!
Oh, I must have gotten this while cleaning! So if I take off my apron...
Whoa! Hey, hey! Calm down. Please calm down!
You're the baby's mother, right?
Can you tell us what happened? I think we have the right to know at least.
I was from a poor family,
So I was sent to work as a servant here at the Hashidaya.
My job was to take care of the master's son, Kantaro-sama, who was sickly and bedridden.
Um... I'm Ofusa... I'm honored to be working for you.
Ah, you're the new servant. Nice to...
Somebody help! Somebody!
Somebody, please!
[Surprise!]
Gotcha! That was a surprise!
Somebody help!! Kantaro-sama is... Kantaro-sama is...!
Well...hey...look over here...
Kantaro-sama is dead!
No, I'm not. Hey, over here...
Someone!
Hey! Are you listening to me?!
Kantaro-sama loved to joke around. And he often played tricks on his servants.
But he was also a very kind person, who treated me like a friend.
And I gradually grew attracted to him.
Ofusa, how much longer do I have to stay bedridden?
There you go again. You've been coughing a lot today, so you can't go for a walk.
I know I won't live very long. Well, if I live lazy like this, I might live a bit longer.
The master would be sad to hear you say that.
Master is trying very hard to cure your illness, Kantaro-sama.
That old man just wants me to succeed him to protect his fortune.
Fortune and living a long life... Are they really that important?
It sounds to me like you're being selfish.
It's the selfishness of someone who already has everything.
Maybe so.
If that's the case, I don't need anything.
Let's say...
I'd rather be like a cherry blossom.
Cherry blossom?
Kantaro-sama, but if you turn into a cherry blossom, you'll wither away before spring ends.
That's the way it should be.
They're brilliant and fully bloomed, just like that.
Six months later, Kantaro-sama and I left the house and ran away together.
I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to make Kantaro-sama happy.
We started living together.
Our lives were difficult, but we worked really hard.
Crying and laughing... We were so happy... However...
I finally track you down and look at you.
If you had stayed home and kept to your bed like I told you to,
your illness wouldn't have taken a turn for the worse.
You were deceived by that nasty woman.
This is all your fault! Anyway, I'm taking Kantaro back home.
Please wait, Master!
Shut up!
It can't be... You're carrying... Kantaro's...
Abort it. If word of this got out, the family name would be tarnished.
After that, Kantaro-sama and I were not allowed to see each other anymore.
Until he passed away...
Then Kanshichiro was born.
I decided to do my best to raise him.
Master!
Master had lost his only son, so he had his eye on Kanshichiro as his heir.
I lost Kantaro-sama,
and I couldn't stand losing Kanshichiro, too.
But they kept chasing me.
And I knew it was only a matter of time before Kanshichiro and I were captured.
I'm sorry, but I'll come back for you...
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me...
I feel sorry about what I did. I got you guys involved in this for my own selfish reasons.
Ofusa-chan, you're a young woman whose had a tough life, huh?
But it sounds like that bastard Kahei is a real lowlife.
That woman is the lowlife.
That wench killed my only son.
If it weren't for her, my company would be secure.
I planned for Kantaro to become my heir and then my life's work would've been complete.
But that vulgar, lowborn woman ruined everything.
Do you have any idea what I endured for the sake of this company?
I groveled in the mud, I hobnobbed with human scum, I even betrayed my own conscience.
Can you understand my feelings?!
Kantaro-sama hated that part of you.
Why are you so obsessed with this business? Is it money? Or power?
Humph! A woman like you will never understand...
A man spends his entire life trying to create a single work of art.
Art is infinite in variety, from one person to another and takes on many forms.
For me, it's the Hashidaya.
No matter what, I have to finish my masterwork.
I will sink to any depth to protect it.
Go!
Hey, is this the president's office?
Wh-What?!
So, this is what...I need to see you, right?
Apo.
Napo.
What? Bastard! Who the hell are you?!
Huh? Who am I?
That's right. I'm...
...a babysitting lone wolf.
Gin-san!
Kanshichiro!
It seems things have got way more complicated here. Shinpachi, explain it in thirty words or less.
That's impossible, Gin-san. Why are you here? You explain it in thirty words or less.
Impossible.
Are you crazy?! Why would you bring the baby into enemy territory?!
What's with you? I just saved your butt.
What are you doing here anyway? In thirty words or less.
Shut up!
That old man is trying to steal that kid! His son knocked up the kid's mother.
And now the old man's knocking her down.
He wouldn't accept the tyke while his son was alive, but now that his son's dead...
He wants the kid to become his heir!
Hey, hey. I came here to return the kid, but I guess I'll have to change my plan.
This is nonsense! He's my grandson. He's the heir to the Hashidaya. Hand him over.
I really don't care whether I give you to your grandpa or your mother
as long as I'm not stuck with you anymore, but...
Hey, what do you think?
Oh, I see, I see.
Sorry, old man.
He said he'd rather suck momma's flat chest than suck on your hairy old teats.
Please stop! Please stop using such disgusting expressions!
Do you think you can outrun us? We've got an ace up our sleeve.
Although he's blind, he's a master of Iai.
[Note: Iai, as in Iai jutsu, are techniques for drawing a sword.]
He's also a master assassin who can kill anyone with one unstoppable blow.
His name is Nizo Okada. Otherwise known as...Nizo the butcher.
Yo, I knew I'd see you again.
I've seen you before... You were blind?!
Both of your hands are free this time. I'm glad. Now we can fight for real.
Nizo! As long as we have Kanshichiro, we've won half the battle! Kill them all!
Gin-san! Be careful! That guy is a master of Iai! So don't let his timing affect you!
[Note: Timing is one of the elements of Iai jutsu.]
Gin-san!
Kanshichiro!
That's not good.
You should've held on tighter to your baby.
Eh, Mother?
Kanshichiro!
Great job, Nizo. That was quick and fearless! I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.
I'm sorry, Master... It seems I won't be able to put this guy away as easily as I thought.
Sorry, but you'd better take the child and quickly go.
Kanshichiro!
Hey, hey! Don't move so much!
Wh-What's the matter?! Hey!
Hey, hey. He seems to hate you, doesn't he?!
When he was with me, he was as quiet as a middle school boy on his first date.
Should I teach you how to soothe him?
What?!
In general, a grandchild likes his grandpa.
You're not qualified to be his grandpa, are you?
Shut up!
Nizo!
Go for the kill!
Shinpachi, Kagura, I'll be fine. You go after the kid and the old man.
But!
Just go!
Gin-chan!
Gin-san!
Later...
I promise to meet you later.
Are you sure? A samurai shouldn't make a promise he can't keep.
No sweat. I'm more dependable than I look.
I'm the type of guy who arrives for a date 30 minutes early.
You're such a funny man, just like I thought.
I lost my eyesight to a disease when I was young.
But humans are tough creatures.
The other senses grow more acute to compensate for the loss of vision.
Because of that, my nose, ears and intuition have become very sharp.
My whole body works as my eye. I see the world more fully than before.
Have you ever seen what comes out of a man the moment he dies? I wonder if it's his soul.
It's released at the same time I kill a person...
And it's such a beautiful color.
So I kept chasing it, and people started calling me the butcher.
So, what color is your soul?
You... Your eyes are even better than Sankon-san's?
[Note: Osuman Youla Sankhon is a Guinean performer on Japanese TV who was known for having exceptional eyesight.]
I don't care if your whole body is your eyeball, or that old man's eyeball.
But I don't need any special powers to see.
I can see... The color of your grimy soul. It's the color of a turd.
The only kind of person who can kill people is a piece of crap
who doesn't even try to understand the feelings of others.
Even if your whole body can see, your soul can't see anything.
Want to find out?
Come on. I'll smash your skull into pieces!
You asked for it...
Was I too fast for you? Now which one of us is blind?
[Refreshing Nose]
What's wrong? Did you see an illusion of me dying?
I-Impossible! I just killed him, I'm sure of it...
Wh-Why?
My sword blade...
Your Iai was quick on the draw. But this time it worked against you.
It can't be! His first strike broke my blade?!
He was even faster than my speedy Batto jutsu?
[Note: Batto jutsu are techniques for drawing a sword. Also called Iai jutsu.]
I thought I cut him, but that was only in my head!
I already told you. Your soul can't see a thing.
A bit more...
You should open your soul and live!
S-Stay back! Kanshichiro is my grandson!
The Hashidaya is also mine! No one can take them away from me!
You can do whatever you like with the Hashidaya. But that child is my son.
Damn you, woman.
You took Kantaro away from me and now you're trying to take Kanshichiro and the Hashidaya away, too?
H-Hey! Be quiet!
Kanshichiro can hear...
...what you're saying.
Impossible! What can a baby like this understand?
He understands. And he remembers.
All babies do. Especially the memory of being held tenderly...
Kantaro-sama always told me that.
There was an altar covered with flowers and a picture of a beautiful woman...
Don't worry... Everything will be all right. We'll survive somehow.
We'll be fine...
I'll cook the meals and change the diapers...
Well, I don't know how to, but I'll change the diapers somehow...
So you can go on without a worry.
I'll protect Kantaro and the Hashidaya.
Do you think what you're doing would make Kantaro-sama and your wife happy?
Kantaro was born sickly.
The doctor said he would, at the most, live one-third a normal lifetime.
After hearing that, my wife said that we would make him three times happier.
Like a cherry blossom--he can live a full life, even if it's short.
But I wasn't as clever as my wife.
I hired all the doctors I could and raised my son like a bird in a cage.
I wanted them alive in any way possible. My wife...
And Kantaro...
Now, I've lost everything. I couldn't keep any of my promises after all...
You haven't lost everything.
In fact... See?
Kanshichiro...
Kanshichiro is my child.
But he's also your grandson.
So the next time you visit my house, it won't be as the master of Hashidaya,
but as a grandfather who loves his grandson.
And we'll have tea and cakes together.
I guess no one can beat a mother. It's like, "Mothers are strong," huh?
Hey, why are you wearing a diaper? Hey!
So, it's time for us to go home.
Thank you so much for everything. I'll never forget what you did for us.
Please don't remember me losing my dignity as a person.
How is it? Taste good?
What? The milk isn't good enough for you?
Hey, hey. It's a hundred years too early for you.
You can start drinking sake after you at least grow some hair in a few places.
Yeah... When you're a little older...
...and if you still remember me.
Come see me sometime. I'd be glad to have a drink with you.
Yes, you have my word. A samurai doesn't make a promise he can't keep.
Well, laugh a lot and cry a lot and grow up quick.
I'll be waiting.
Yeah, yeah.
What's the matter?
Oh, my! He's crying so hard! How strange, he hardly ever cries...
Spring is almost over...
The next episode... "Stress Makes You Bald, but It's Stressful to Avoid Stress, so You End Up Stressed Out Anyway, so in the End There's Nothing You Can Do."
[Serial arson in Edo! Tatsumi, the female firefighter pursues the criminal.]
[These brats, who often appear, are Yo-chan and Ken-chan. Kids' annoyance factor is proportional to the length of their hair.]