TSUKIKAGE RAN Kaze ga touge wo... The wind came down...
...orite kita. ...the mountain peak.
Tamoto yurashite... It rustled my sleeve...
...sugitetta. ...and passed me by.
Onna hitori no... Are you gossiping about me?
...tabiyuku wake wo The woman who travels alone?
Uwasa shiteruka, yanchana suzume. Mind your own business, mischievous sparrow.
Nanoru namae wa... The bigger a name to call oneself...
...arudake jama yo. ...the more a nuisance it is.
Aru wa kimama to... What I have is freedom and...
...tomo no osake. ...my companion, sake.
SAKE MADE THE TEARS STING
Doesn't look like it's going to stop...
I nearly forgot. At times like this...
...it's best to warm the body from the inside with the water of life.
What? Gone?
This is bad! I neglected to replenish my supply!
Utterly inexcusable!
Hot sake, hot sake, a cup of hot sake...
Hot sake...
Hot sake!
What the hell is wrong with this town?! There isn't a single bar!!
Towns are called towns because they have bars and lodging!
This is utterly inexcusable!
RESTAURANT
What do you know? There is one.
In this situation, I welcome a restaurant or a tavern if I can drink sake.
Welcome.
HOT - COLD - SOBA - UDON
Give me a bottle of hot. Actually, cold is fine. For the time being, give me a bottle of cold.
Right, a bottle of cold.
Here it is.
Ah, it's here!
W- Waiter! What the hell is this?!
Th- Th- This is water!!
Yes, it is water.
Don't "yes, it is water" me, you! I ordered a cold one!!
As I said, it is a bottle of cold water.
What?! Ever since olden times, "cold" has always meant "cold sake"!!
For a practical joke, this is excessive!
As I am trying to say, sake isn't written anywhere on the menu.
Then what do you call that?! It says "cold" and "hot"!
As you can see, "cold" refers to cold water, and "hot" refers to hot water.
Name one store that lists water on the menu!!
Lady Samurai, I am not the kind of misguided soul who would deal in alcohol.
Alcohol does no good and much harm. When alcohol is involved...
...people raise their voices unbecomingly and make a fuss, as you are now.
Without a shadow of a doubt, alcohol is devil water.
In this town, sake is banned! If you want to drink it, get out of here!!
What do you think you're doing, waiter?!
Hey! You... You... You rotten restaurant!!
Singing your own praises, denouncing sake as devil water!
If you don't have sake, you might as well close up your restaurant!
- She said sake! - She said sake...
What's their problem?!
What's wrong with this town?! Inexcusable! This is utterly inexcusable!
This smell...
It's sake!
Hey, can you get yourself home okay, mister?
Have a safe trip!
We are awaiting your business again!
Sake?
You have sake, don't you?! Where's the sake?!
W- Wait, lady! I'll talk! I'll talk!
If you are a customer, please say so. That wasn't very nice!
Come! I'll guide you.
Hey, lady! Don't you want to drink sake?
Please follow me closely.
It's this way!
Come, come, come! This way, this way!
There it is.
- Mountain. - River.
- Isn't that backwards? - Isn't what backwards?
Passwords are normally used to confirm the identity of the person entering.
Oh, don't concern yourself over that.
Welcome.
Lady, you're new here, aren't you? Please, come in.
Thank you for coming here.
We will take you there now.
Hey! Table for one!
Right!
This is a ridiculously elaborate entrance...
Come, come. Right this way!
I definitely smell sake...
At any rate, I think I'll have a drink.
Hey, waiter. Give me a bottle of cold.
Bottle of cold, coming right up!
Not a bottle of cold water! I want sake.
Uh, "cold" refers to "cold sake", naturally.
Good then.
Let's make this our last one. Overdrinking is bad for you.
Oh...? Well, I'll be darned! It's you!
You're, uh...
Oh, it's you.
You look like her! Yes! You definitely look like an acquaintance of mine!
Not only that, she's so full of herself, she calls me "you".
Just because she's a little strong...
Right?!
I wouldn't know! You're completely drunk!
Far from it!! I'm not drunk! Who'd get drunk on such a tiny sip of alcohol?!
Still, hasn't anybody ever told you that you look exactly like an acquaintance of mine?
Here's your bottle of cold!
Oh, wonderful! You're so thoughtful! Without further ado...
That hurts! Why'd you hit me?!
Huh?
What is this crap? Is this supposed to be sake?
Huh?
Young lady...
I don't know what your scheme is, but we'd appreciate you not trying to pick a fight.
Pick a fight...?
Precisely! The other customers are enjoying their drinks. See?
I don't know whether they're enjoying their drinks or not...
...but I certainly can tell that they're all drunks who have no taste for liquor.
Well, I'm not drunk!
If you wish to talk, let's step inside.
Hey!! What do you think you doing?!
You're even quick-tempered and violent, just like my acquaintance!
That hurts! What're you doing?!
You, what's your problem?
Exactly! Not only that, she's so full of herself, she calls me "you", too.
Fight-pickers and weepers... God, drunks are a handful...
I agree with you implicitly.
There seems to be a disturbance. Were my staff inattentive in any way?
Who are you?
I am the owner of this bar.
There is no disturbance. The sake is bad, so I merely said so.
Bad? Do you say it's bad?
It is very bad. You are also extremely bad to serve bad sake with a clear conscience!
Do you mean you would like good sake, Lady Samurai?
Good sake is similar to poison.
Poison?
The better it is, the more you drink, becoming poison.
Sake is also devil water. Do you want to contend with poison as well as the devil?
What is this nonsense?
Lady Samurai, we wish to sell sake...
...to the customers who insist upon drinking the devil water...
...though it breaks our hearts to do so.
I don't know what you've been talking about, but I have no business...
...in a bar that only offers this worthless sake. I will leave now.
Very good.
Your bill. One bottle of cold comes to 1 ryo, 2 bu.
What?! You're going to make me pay for drinking this?! Don't be ridiculous!
Is this the face of someone who's being ridiculous?
Very much so. Your face was ridiculous to begin with...
...and it's becoming more ridiculous by the second!
What?!
And you, stop this ridiculous business!
Lady Samurai, I assure you this trade is not for self-interest.
Customers always drink forbidden sake. The money they pay...
...goes towards building watchtowers, bridges, and the upkeep of the town.
It is all for the good of the town, for the good of the people.
You say "forbidden". Who on earth declared sake forbidden?
That would be me. I am in charge of this town.
1 ryo, 2 bu, Miss.
Thank you, come again.
What is this?! This is only 7 mon!
Hold it!!
Hey, wait up! You, the look alike!
That's sake! What a waste...
A drop of sake is a drop of blood. You will shed one tear for every drop wasted!
Sake? Samurai, are you familiar with sake?
This isn't bad...
This isn't bad, but it's still young.
Its youth is certainly an asset, but it's still barely within the premature stage.
That's right! It's new sake I made this year.
A little while ago, my master told me the exact same thing and won't even taste it.
Well, it's markedly better than the watered- down sake I just had in the underground bar.
Who are you?
I... I'm...
So, you're that underground bar's private sake brewer?
Yeah. As a sake brewer, you must stock last year for this year, and this year for the next.
Who the hell would want to make bad sake?
But it's a fact that you are producing watered-down sake, isn't it?
From your reaction a moment ago, I can see you have a love for sake.
So why are you giving them watered-down sake?
I...
Why don't you try giving them the real thing for a change?
I can't!
Have you prepared tomorrow's batch?
Yes, sir. Here it is.
It's still too thick... Put in more water.
More? But that would...
Who do you have to thank for being able to make sake? Huh?!
W- Well...
Just do as I tell you...
...if you don't want to be thrown out like your master.
You... haven't been meeting with that old man, I trust?
F- Far from it, sir! I don't even know where he is!
Those who make devil water are devils.
If I find such a devil...
...I won't let him off lightly.
This way!
This is the place!
What a good smell!
You lousy thief!
- You're wrong! - Then what are you?
I'm just a beautiful sake-lover!
What...? Who told you about this place?
The sake.
I came because I smelled the sake.
Just a sake-lover, huh? It seems you're not lying about that.
Would you let me have a cup of this sake?
No, don't!
Why not?! Just one cup!
DON'T!
Why?
It's one day too soon!
One day?
Yes... This will be ready to drink by tomorrow exactly.
It's still too early to consume today. If you want some...
...come back again tomorrow. If you're lucky, I'll let you have some.
Okay!
Sake sure is scary stuff. It's not meant for drinking, right, Denkichi?
Well, feel like talking now?
What's that? You want more? Very well then...
I'll talk... I'll talk! Please...
I found one!
Is that you, Denkichi? Give me a hand. I'm going to let you drink real sake.
Hold on!!
I... I should apologize to my sake...
Master! Master!
Master! Master...!
This is good... This is good sake...
It fills my whole body.
I see. After this, he'll be able to dedicate himself to business.
Now he's the only one who can make sake.
Water it down, and we have a monopoly.
Don't say such a disreputable thing. Listen, sake is the devil...
...the money is for the town. I haven't said or done anything wrong.
I'm merely taking a little... for my trouble.
A little?
Just a little.
I heard everything, I heard everything!
You... How long have you been there?!
Mr. Important Bigwig, are you actually a lousy thief?!
That's very clever. You should be pleased!
If you've overheard, you leave me no choice. Get her!!
Come on, I'm ready for ya!!
I feel sick.
What's with you?!
S... Stop it! Please stop it!!
The rest is up to you.
What did you say, you self-important jerk?!!
Y- You!
An unrefined rascal who doesn't even know the taste of liquor...
...wouldn't understand the sorrow of sake used for evil purposes.
Yeah, like she says!
The sun and Lady Meow have seen through all of your evil plots!
- Don't dawdle! - What do you have to say for yourself, you dumb beast?!
Get her!!
W- Wait! Hear me out!
It's true I hoarded money. But I promise you! I really will use it for the town!
L- Look, all of the money is over there...
You're amazing!! Even your strength is exactly like my acquaintance!
Um... Lady Samurai... Here, I made this...
I can't drink that.
Don't you think your master is the one who should drink that?
When you believe you've made truly delicious sake...
...I will come for a drink, whether you ask it or not.
I feel sick...
Hey, it's the samurai lady!
Hey, wait for me!! Samurai lady!
Hey...
Hey! Hey!
Wait up!!
The next episode of Tsukikage Ran is: "Suddenly I Was A Mother."
Don't miss it.