Hikage Episode

You're heading out again at night?

Sensei...

Must be nice for someone who can just loaf around and eat.

It's not like that, okay? Just because I was resting when we first met doesn't mean you can talk about me like that.

Huh...? I'm just sayin' what I see.

Then you saw wrong. Want to correct it, even now?

I fight enemies every day and get dragged through the mud, then I can't even get treated right when I rest. You don't know this sad life in another world...!

Wow... Ain't that a bit of a tantrum?

Calm down. Petty men aren't popular, I tell ya.

Ghk!

Glare at me all you want, ain't gonna make you popular all of a sudden.

O-Okay, stop. I get it.

More importantly, tell me where you're going. Try to think about the position I'm in, having to keep tabs on you.

If you cause trouble...

Ain't gonna happen, so don't worry. I'll be quiet and come back.

Even so...

Haa... You're a real pain, man.

Sensei, I don't trust you. If things go sideways, I need a place to run to, right?

So I'm checking the area. You ain't gonna force me to stay, are you?

If that's what you mean...

Hmm... In that case, I can't really stop you.

...?

Why would I butt in? Do whatever you want. Just tell me where you're going, at least.

Thought you'd cling a bit more, but you give up fast... I'll be late, so you don't need to wait up.

Huh? What...?

If you start bothering me, you'd better be ready.

...I'm holding myself back from wanting to fight you too, y'know.

No reason to refuse when a skilled fighter wants a match. I've even crossed blades with a Swordmaster before.

Heh, you've got spirit. I only poked you 'cause I was bored, so don't get all worked up.

Well... I don't hate a guy like you.

You seem pretty aggressive, but what are you trying to do, pointing a blade at someone looking after you?

I don't swing my sword at just anyone. Unless you end up siding with the Empire, that is.

...Pfft.

You've got quite the fire. I was just talkin', don't mind it.

Got you!

Huh...?

W-Whoa?! Hikage?

Ugh... That hurts like hell. Why are you lurking around here so suspiciously?

I was just lookin' around... If anyone's suspicious, it's the one who came charging in outta nowhere, ain't it?

S-Sorry about that... It's just, standing somewhere this dark makes people misunderstand. Is your forehead okay? Does it hurt?

Nah... I don't feel emotions, I tell ya.

What does pain have to do with emotions...

Head's spinnin' a little... You got a rock for a head, don't ya?

...I've got a bump?

Spit it out. What do you want?

Meeeow!

A cat...? Don't tell me you were standing there just watching this one?

Cats walk on moonlight, y'know. Which means this one's a Shinobi too, in a way.

So you like cats, huh?

Told you I don't really understand emotions.

It's not complicated. If something catches your interest, you get curious, and the corners of your mouth lift, that's liking it.

If you didn't like cats, you wouldn't even look at them. So you must like them.

Oh...?

Then do you like me?

K-Khack!

H-How did we get there?!

You jumped me 'cause you're interested in me, and you're smirkin' all sly too.

That's not what this is... Anyway, if you've got nothing to do, hurry back. If someone else sees you, they might get scared.

Why?

Because you're walking around at night with a sword...!

Then...

How about I smile like this?

For real?

You're a stranger and you haven't caused problems, that alone is enough to like. If you mess something up, I'm the one responsible.

What a boring answer...

Well... as long as you don't bother me, I can cooperate all you want.

Huh... This really feels like a different era.

Why's your face all twisted up? Didn't you tell me to smile big?

I'd like to, but...

Merchants are getting nervous because a Shinobi from who-knows-where is walking around with a sword and a killer expression.

You're not upset, are you...?

I'm tryin' to smile, that's all.

...There's a lot of seafood here. Ain't much different from where we used to be.

They've got a lot of interesting shows too.

Even so, in a world like this... ain't it boring?

I thought that at first too. But the more I watched, the more fun it got.

It's like the kind of romance you feel when someone used to digital stuff encounters something analog for the first time in a while.

Hmm.

Sensei, you're kinda sentimental, ain't ya.

Am I.

Yeah, maybe. Back when I was job-hunting, I only cared about data...

After getting tossed around here, you've started getting angry, getting happy... you've gotten more emotional.

See? You really are someone who's got it easy...

People living on a blade's edge can't do that.

Maybe... That's exactly why it hits harder, though. Because it's real.

Stuff I would've brushed off before, I can't anymore. Even when it's hard, you have to endure to move forward...

In an adventure with no end in sight, maybe I started letting myself slack off a bit... leaning on my comrades.

How about you loosen up a little too?

Hmm... Can't do that. Not unless the mission disappears entirely.

And...

I don't have comrades to lean on, y'know.

None at all? What about Asuka or Yumi?

We weren't that kind of relationship to begin with. If you really want to put a label on it, we're in the same academy, sure...

The academy's policy is to be chosen through competition, not through some weakness like relying on each other.

That's a pretty sad story.

Even obstacles you can't overcome alone can be cleared with comrades. At least, that's how it's been for me.

You're fighting powerful Yoma too, right? Isn't it hard to handle that alone?

What do I care. I ain't interested in anything but fighting.

What about you?

Huh?

Do you think I'm a comrade?

Not a comrade I travel with, exactly... but it's still a bond.

Heh. Now that's an honest answer.

But for today, you're a comrade. So loosen up a bit and enjoy it.

Pfft. You're a real weird one, I tell ya.

Why do you chase down and kill even monsters that are running away?

The basics of party hunting are keeping the formation. You have to consider other people's movements too.

Fighting together is enough. That stuff's a hassle.

That aside, monsters...

You ain't about to say you feel sorry for 'em, are ya?

Yoma or monsters, it's all the same. Anything that harms humans ought to be wiped out.

Of course not...!

I just don't want to build more grudges than necessary.

Some monsters are relentless, they'll even bring their buddies and chase you down.

Hm... That'd be a real pain.

Right?

No matter how strong you are, it's not good to keep increasing the number of enemies. Most living things have emotions.

Emotions...

I used to think showing emotions didn't do any good in a fight...

But back then, and even now...

Things that put emotions first are annoyin' as hell.

Alright! The fight's over, so no need to nag you more.

Want to go unwind...?

Unwind?

After a mission, you're supposed to eat your fill, have a drink, take a bath in a warm hot spring... that kind of rest comes after, right?

Didn't you do that in your world?

...

Let's go, Hikage.

Sensei...

You...

Yeah...!

That's cheesy...

...

Huh? That expression just now... looks good on you.

Expression? What's my expression look like?

Heh... How bland.

Yeah...?

Well... that's good to hear.