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.
VENGEANCE MADE HIMSELF AN ENEMY
The sky is sunny...
My heart is sunny, too...
This is definitely the town in front of the Sanko Temple gate! Talk about busy!
Not only that, this door is verrrry impressive.
As long as I'm here, maybe I'll visit the temple with a clap-clap!
My father's killer! Stop and fight me fairly!
What's this, what's this? A fight, here?
Wh- What are you saying? You must have the wrong person!
Are you running from us, coward?!
Hoo-hee! It's a vengeance killing! That looks interesting.
I've never seen a vengeance killing before!
W- Wait! I- I never did anything to deserve your vengeance!
Are you trying to trick us, thinking we're too young to know better?!
- How insulting! - Fight us fair and square!
- Yeah! - Fight them! - What a cowardly samurai!
What a brave pair of siblings. That samurai is totally lame in comparison!
Okay... I, Lady Meow of the Iron Cat Fist, shall act as backup to brighten the scene.
Oh? But I don't know what to do. How does one go about acting as backup?
Is there an actual method? Say, say! I need to ask you something!
Is it okay for a backup fighter to suddenly burst in on a fight?
- Pardon...? - Pardon...?
Wait! Wait!
Wait!
Wait! Wait.
I will backup these siblings on behalf of justice!
Uh, wait! This is a misunderstanding! Please hear me out...!
Oh, my, my! Another backup fighter beat me to the punch. I should have been quicker...
He got the good part. That's frustrating.
Now, face us!
Fight us! Fight us!
Are they finally gonna start?
I told you I am not the one! Can't you understand?!
Fight us! Fight us!
Please, hear me out...
If you are anything of a samurai, why don't you fight like a good sport?
But as I've told you repeatedly...
Oh, I see! It was too sudden for you to prepare yourself.
Let us decide a new place and time and fight fairly.
If the siblings have nothing against that...
Well then, I will confer with you. We cannot discuss this in the street...
...so for starters, let's enter a nearby restaurant. Come, come, come.
Huh? Uh... Yes, but...
...Mr. Samurai, please hear what I have to say...
Oh, perfect! Let us use this restaurant.
Come, come, enter. Come, come, come, come...
Wow! What perfect handling! It's fascinating!
The sky is sunny...
My heart is sunny, too...
Let's see... I feel a little peckish. I guess I'll grab a bite to eat.
Hey, waitress! Bring me some dango!
Coming!
Yo, heave-ho! Still, I missed a great chance. If that samurai hadn't shown up...
I, Meow, would have assisted the two siblings in mopping up the floor with him...
...and they would be reporting it to their father's grave right now!
Here you are.
Th- Thanks.
Huh? Those are the avenging kids...
Father, we haven't had a feast like this in a long time, have we?
Yes...
Shinnosuke, eat this, too.
Have you finished already, sister?
I've had enough.
Sayo, there's no need for restraint.
That samurai was far richer than he appeared to be.
Okay...
This is very strange... Those three are acting just like a family!
When I ignored the victim's insistence that he was the wrong person...
...and pressured him with the time and place for the avenging fight...
...he claimed he was on a busy journey, and he didn't want to become involved.
Then as usual, I said now that I had proclaimed my position of assistant...
...before a large number of witnesses, I told him firmly it was far too late...
...for me to return to the brother and sister to tell them he was the wrong person, so...
...I managed to collect 5 ryo from him.
Isn't he stupid? That means we can live it up for a little while again, right?
What is this? That backup fighter is their father?!
But didn't those kids say they were avenging their father a minute ago?
Isn't that strange? Their father is still alive...
Besides, the father is strange, too! Acting as a backup fighter for his own children...
...taking money from their samurai opponent...
It looks like we have another sucker.
She seems awfully laid-back for a samurai... I don't think she has much money.
Oh, ones like that are usually surprisingly wealthy.
Let's work for a tip on our way home.
Oh? Isn't that sis?
My father's killer! Stop and fight me fairly!
Are you trying to trick us, thinking we're too young to know better?!
- How insulting! - Fight us fair and square!
Huh?
D- Don't tell me sis killed their father!
How pathetic! I can't believe she had enemies after her...
I didn't hear NOTHING. I hung out with her knowing nothing about it.
Oh! Now that I think about it... It was like she would walk to avoid the eyes of passersby...
...and she'd camp out in the open, without checking into a lodge...
Even her drinking was to escape the terror...
...of being stalked by an enemy, I'm sure of it!
Fight us!
Children shouldn't be out seeking revenge. Cheeky kids!
Wh- What are you doing?
Ow!
Father!
What's going on, Sis?
Hey, who are these guys... ?
Father, it hurts!
I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me.
What, what?! You are a pathetic father to use his own kids for vengeance schemes!
I'm embarrassed as can be.
Please forgive us.
Apologies for forgiveness?! That's awfully convenient, don't you think?!
Well?! You took advantage of a lot of people!
Put yourselves in the shoes of the samurai you deceived and robbed!
I honestly was about to back you up! Even if I were to forgive such behavior...
...the sun won't forgive you! Not the sun, nuh-uh!
Are you getting this? Hey, why don't you say something?!
It is exactly as you say... I have no words to defend myself.
I wonder if this man is really repenting his actions?!
Sis? Sis, you say something to him, too.
Don't just stand there like you have no brain! They tried to kill you, you know!
Yeah.
"Yeah"? Don't you understand? Geez.
Well, you know... If you're a father, you should act like a father.
If you were thinking of the children, you wouldn't do anything overly foolish, right?
Yes... Your words have hit home.
I, Kojuro Takagaki, have just had my eyes opened.
I swear I will not do this sort of thing again.
If you understand, that's good. Right, Sis?
Yes, yes. That's true, isn't it? Fathers should act like fathers.
You've got that right.
Now, now, get your hands off the ground. By the way, mister...
...why on earth did you guys start doing this?
Yes... It all began 13 years ago...
...when I defeated the sword-crazed Kendo instructor to the lord, Mr. Zenzaburo Yoshikawa...
...in a bare blade contest in the presence of the Lord.
Ho, ho. Mister, you're actually pretty tough, aren't you?
We made a pact to not begrudge each other the results of the Imperial match...
...but Yoshikawa's men claimed that I had soiled the pride of the Bushi warrior family...
...assumed the blessing from the Lord, put Zenzaburo's son, Zenshichi...
...up to the task of hunting me down as his father's killer.
When that happened, I fled with my wife, and the then-tiny Sayo.
After that, my family became nomads.
Shinnosuke was born in the middle of the journey...
...and my wife has become a mortuary tablet without proper burial in the Takagaki plot.
Is that how it was...
We're fugitives throughout our journey, without respite in one single place...
Until finally, we ran out of ways to raise travel money... and we began that...
But it's strange... In the beginning, you fought him fair and square, didn't you?
How did that turn into revenge?
With Bushi warriors, family name comes first... Not only that...
...the Yoshikawa house is one of the proudest Bushi families... It can't be helped.
I don't know about family name or pride, but aren't you guys stupid to do that?!
That's nothing but pointless killing!
Yes, it is exactly as you say...
So quit being a samurai.
Quit being a samurai?
He's sleeping soundly...
I'm sorry, Sayo... I'm such a good-for-nothing.
I forced you to live this nomad life...
No, father... I'm only worried about Shinnosuke.
Should I give up the sword? Being a samurai?
Father...!
Lady Tsukikage's words have truly affected me.
Do you mean...?
Yes... I must begin a normal life, for Shinnosuke's sake as well.
And, of course, for you.
Does that mean we can stop pretending to avenge?
Yes...
To be truthful, I...
...really didn't like doing it.
I didn't know... I never thought of my childrens' feelings.
I am truly sorry.
Father...
Now, go to sleep.
Yes. You too, father. Oh...
I asked the people of the inn to bring you your nightcap.
No. As of today, I will stop drinking as well.
I'm going out for a bit to cool my head.
Uh, sure.
Utterly inexcusable!
Huh?
What are the owners of this inn thinking?!
About what?
They say they don't carry sake!
Pardon?
Don't pardon me! I just went to order a nightcap from the innkeeper...
...and he had the gall to say they just ran out!
Inns don't run out of sake! What the hell kind of business are they running?!
Hey, could you not shout at me?
What do you mean, dunderhead?! Can't you see how I'm suffering?!
I'll have you know I planned to sip sake in a cozy bed before turning in!
I had this simple plan of enjoyment devised in my head from early this morning!
Before I entered this inn, I watched many bars pass by out of the corner of my eye...
...but I abstained for the sake of that simple pleasure!
That plan has been completely spoiled by the morons of this inn!
Weird woman. Your plan has been spoiled? Just because you don't have a silly nightcap...
You look so grim, you'd think it was the end of the world!
If they're out of sake, they're out of sake. Be a good girl and give up for today.
What are you talking about?! We're going to a different inn. Come on, get up, get up!
Huh? Right now...?!
Forget it. Good night!
Hey, you coldhearted cad!
Be quiet!
Um, Lady Tsukikage...
Oh, the fake avenger from this afternoon...
My name is Sayo. You're in the same inn as us, Lady Tsukikage.
Yes, although I'm about to leave.
Um, if you like, will you have this?
Oh!! Th- That's genuine Grade-A sake!
Yes. I had it ready for father's nightcap...
...but he suddenly announced he is going to abstain from alcohol beginning tonight...
...so I was on my way to return it to the people of the inn.
Huh? Oh. Really? Well! That would mean this sake is in the air right now, huh?
Yes. If you would like it, please...
Oh, really? Ho, ho, then I guess I'll take it off your hands.
Please.
Oh, you know... Um, I thought your father showed promise...
...but really, this is a superb show of determination!
If you allow yourself to drown in sake, in the end, you will lose yourself...
...so you had best stop drinking, if you can.
Without further ado...
Now that I think about it, these past 13 years...
... I have lived only for that day, losing myself.
I forgot to live as a human being and as a father.
Who goes there?!
M- Mr. Yoshikawa...
I finally found you, Kojuro Takagaki!
Killer of my father! This time, I will avenge his angry spirit!
W- Wait, gentlemen!
I will not insist that we fight this moment!
We are also aspiring samurai. We will fight fairly!
We will await you by the river at the outskirts of town!
Be there before dawn!
And don't dream of hiding!
Oh? Isn't that a good- looking man, um... wait...
What do you find wrong with me?
I got dumped again. Oh, well...
Who's there?
It is Sayo.
Lady Tsukikage!
Father left this behind...
"I'm going to talk with them. I will return by morning. Don't worry."
They're here, aren't they?
They're here?
Yes, it appears so.
Huh? What?
Hey, what's here? Come on, tell me. Come on, Sis...
- Lady Tsukikage... - Yes...
Sis, where are you going?
Can't you let my family of three be? I beg you.
What?!
Have you lost your courage?!
No, I have not, sir. To speak from the beginning...
...it began when I went to the Imperial match on the whim of the Lord in his sword-craze.
Don't you think that vengeance in this peaceful world...
...and the pride of the warrior class are truly stupid things?
You ridicule us! Do you call yourself a true samurai, scum?!
That's enough out of you!
Please wait!
Why don't you draw your sword? Do you mean to make light of us?!
No, I do not! I mean that meaningless killing is not to our mutual benefit!
I told you the time for talk is over!
Draw!!
Won't my explanation make you understand?
You are the one who doesn't understand! This vengeance...
...is now the wishes of our Lord as well! It will not end until you are dead!
Until you go down...!
What?!
You're wide open!
A bamboo sword?!
You...
No, I didn't refuse to draw because it was a fake sword.
In honesty, my love for the samurai profession has died.
Shut up! I will not hear the words of a maggot who has forsaken the samurai spirit!
Now the finishing blow. After this, we can return to our land in pride.
We'll have the Lord's praise.
Prepare yourself!
Who goes there?!
Will you stop that, you idiots?!
Wh- Who are you?!
I don't know who you are, but if you've come to help him, you're too late!
Hey, pull yourself together!
Lady Tsukikage... I'm sorry you had to see me like this...
You are an idiot! You could have run and avoided this!
You're absolutely right. I know clinging to the pride of samurai is a silly thing...
...but if I had run...
Forget it!
If you keep talking, you'll worsen your wound...
You people... have done something very stupid.
I won't let you dismiss our actions as stupid!
We came to this point by protecting our family name and upholding samurai ideals.
If you also call yourself samurai, you should be able to understand the logic!
I am merely a beautiful drifter.
A- A woman?!
Don't preach to me about your idiotic samurai ideals and family names!
Are samurai so superior?!
What?!
We allow you to speak and you belittle us! You will pay!
What's so great about samurai if they go around taking lives?!
It's inexcusable! Utterly inexcusable!
SHUT UP!
I couldn't care less if I killed you...
...but if I did you wouldn't be able to rethink your actions.
Well? Don't you agree that murder to avenge murder is silly?
One murders the other, on and on... it never ends.
End this foolishness now.
If you insist upon killing this man, do it.
Then his children will be out to kill you.
If it comes to that, I won't let them. I, Tsukikage Ran, will kill you on their behalf.
Then the killing for revenge will end in a draw, hmm?
Hey, Sis!
Father!
Sis...
- What's the pillow for?! - Huh?!
Father!
Sayo, Shinnosuke, I'm sorry I made you worry...
Father...
Don't worry anymore. Your father was wrong.
No matter how poor we are, we three should live together in happy poverty.
- Yes, father. - Father...
What's this?
Good, good.
Honestly! Samurai do nothing but argue over silly stuff like warrior pride...
...and family names, don't they! Don't you think so, Sis?
Oh? I forgot. You're a samurai, too, aren't you...
I am merely a woman. A beautiful woman.
Oh, well!
Huh?
Hey, hey, Sis!
Wow, you came just to see us off!
Oh! Hey, wait, Sis!
Uh, um... Uh, Sis...
B- Bye!
Wait, Sis!
Hey, wait up a second!!
The next episode of Tsukikage Ran is: "I Was So Crucified, I Didn't Know What To Do."
Don't miss it.