Act 7 "Big Brother"

...

You look troubled, Ushiwakamaru. Is there something bothering you?

Of course. It's Benkei. Also what happened at the gate back there.

My lord, was he that strong before? He certainly looks like he's larger...

Well, yes, that's true.

But it seems awfully unnatural. I wonder if he ate some strange herbs...

？！

Hahaha! Nice joke! I do nothing that would shame me before the Buddha.

I had some delicious tea at the teahouse, though.

Tea...you say? On this island?

Yes. I think it's just before the next gate. There is a teahouse at the first settlement that I went to.

It was bright inside, and the customers weren't gloomy like the people in that settlement, but very lively.

How about we go there to gather information? We might be able to hear some interesting news.

？！

Foufou!

Ooh! Taking a break at a rest stop during a trip is a real pleasure. I have no complaints about heading there first.

Yes. Actually, I'm thirsty too.

Oh, that's not good.

Come to think of it, the tea was so good that I had the teahouse fill my flask with it. Go ahead, have some.

Oh, you're very kind. Thank you for this.

(Glug glug) Hmm... This tea has a strange flavor... It is definitely delicious, but...

...Hiccup!

Huh!? U-Ushiwakamaru? What's the matter?

What are you talking about, Mash. There's nothing wrong with me at all.

Okay, now that we know where we're going, let's get moving. Ooh! Have a look at that, my lord.

There is a jizo statue at the side of the road here. It appears that some humans here still have faith.

...It appeared as if her complexion was off, but... She seems normal...

...

I don't think so... She's been standing there and staring at that jizo statue for a while now. What's going on...?

Ah... My older brother!

Huh!?

This...this statue's face! It looks just like my brother!

A-Are you serious? It just looks like an ordinary jizo to me...

Yes. It's nothing more than a standard jizo.

(...Nod nod)

That's because none of you know my brother! This smooth skin, this stone-like appearance, this special presence...and this expression!

This is exactly what my brother's face looks like when he peers at me with those cold, dead eyes!

I guess if you say so, Lord Yoshitsune, then it must be true.

Well, who'd have thought I'd find such a fine gem in a place like this? ...It must be the work of a renowned stonemason or a monk.

But this is Onigashima. Who knows when some oni with no sense of worth might come along and crush it?

Then I must protect my dear brother. You're coming with me. Up you go!

Ushiwakamaru has tucked the jizo under her arm... She's picked it up and is walking off with it. I-Is that all right?

Well, no, I don't think so, but there doesn't seem to be anyone around who might claim ownership of it...

But, you know, Ushiwakamaru seems to have suddenly started saying and doing odd things, and her attitude has changed a little

Hm? She appears normal, but something is odd about her... Didn't something like this happen before?

And now unexpected enemies! I'm ready for you!

What? Enemies? But how?

Isn't it obvious? So I can offer the heads of our enemies to him!

With enemies appearing so soon after finding my brother, it means only one thing! My brother wants the enemy leader's head

1, 2, 3 Look at them all! Yes! The more, the merrier!

I will offer a mountain of freshly taken oni heads dripping with blood to my brother, and he will praise me!

He'll say, "Again, Yoshitsune? Well done. Now get back to the battlefield before Masako comes in here shouting!"

Master! Ushiwakamaru is making a fatal error!

Whatever she does with the heads, we're still doing this. Time for another round of oni extermination! Bring it oooooon!

That's the last one. You're quite fast, but still no match for me!

Guaaaargh!

Watch out! It's a counterattack!

This is no attack! Hah!

Look at that! She dodged with such swiftness...

Huh? Something is rolling around at Ushiwakamaru's feet...

Ah!

Well, it was bound to happen with her bouncing around and fighting like that. There must have been quite an impact on the jizo she was carrying too...

Ah! ...My brother's head has come off!

Why you...! How dare you do that to my brother!

Skreeee!?

Unacceptable!

My brother's head... Where is it? ...There it is! S-Stop!

The jizo's head is rolling away at an incredible speed. It's like a rice ball rolling along...

And ahead of it there'sUh-oh!

That's a...Japanese traditional man-made agricultural fertilizer production facility

You mean a cesspit.

And it's fallen in.

Poor Jizo... Well, these things do happen, you know... Jizo or not, even he can't save himself now...

Fou...

...

I can't blame her for standing there in shock... Oh.

All right. Shall we be going, my lord? We still have a long way to go. (Toss)

(The bodyShe threw it away!)

Uhm, excuse me. What about that? You're going to leave your brother behind?

Hahaha! What are you talking about, Mash?

My perfect brother would never go to the toilet. Which means that head was not my brother's.

Sigh... Ushiwakamaru has really deified her brother, hasn't she?

All right, let's go. The next gate shouldn't be that far.

Eh? Oh, it's all right. My brother is everywhere anyway.

When I look closely, my brother is in that rock surface, on that small stone, in the color of the sky. Heh heh... My brother is everywhere...

My brother is in so many things that I could fill my hands with him... I am beside myself with joy...

Just when I thought she'd returned to normal... There's still something essentially wrong with her...