The next day, work went on as usual at the Security Section of the Kougakyo Governor's Office. But when Kyuuzou returned from lunch break, his colleague Hyogo had unexpected news for him.
"A delivery came for you by Turtle Express." The bespectacled onnagata glanced at the tasteful-looking gift box sitting on Kyuuzou's desk. With the red gift box was a thank you card.
Going over to his desk, the red samurai opened the card. It read, "Thank you for spending time with me at the park yesterday. I very much appreciate the chance to get to know you better. P.S. Here is a token of my regard. Because the most beautiful onnagata in the world deserves better than oranges."
The card was signed by Shimada Kanbei. The red warrior frowned. Then Kyuuzou opened the box and turned almost as red as his dress.
--
It was Kanbei and Gorobei's turn to cook dinner for the samurai household that evening. As the two tall men busied themselves in the kitchen, they heard a knock at the door.
"I'll get the door," Heihachi said obligingly, putting down the newspaper that he was reading. Moments later, the short redhead shouted into the apartment, "Kanbei, there is someone here for you!"
The dark ronin washed his hands and came to the apartment door. Kyuuzou was standing there, holding the crimson gift box.
After studying the elegant onnagata's expressionless face for a moment, Kanbei finally asked, "Are they the wrong size? I was thinking that Size D really doesn't go with your figure, so I settled for Size A. But if you want a bigger size, I'll be happy to go exchange them."
Kyuuzou was a little relieved to hear that. He was half expecting the king of sleazy lines to say, "Will you wear them for me?" Or something similarly gross. In that case, he would have to kill the tall ronin. Still the silent samurai remained silent.
Kanbei was now wondering if Kyuuzou was insulted because he said the onnagata was a Size A. So the dark ronin added anxiously, "Please say something. Tell me what you want me to do. I would like to know your preferences."
Kyuuzou finally spoke, flushing an angry red, "If I want silicon breast enhancers, I'd buy them myself."
He shoved the box into Kanbei's arms, spun sharply around, and marched off.
"That old pervert got away easy!" The crimson drag queen thought. "I should have given him a couple of tight slaps."
In actuality, Kyuuzou had felt tempted to keep the silicon pads. He could afford to buy the accessories himself on his decent paycheck, but the crimson samurai was quite stingy as far as personal luxuries were concerned. Yet his pride did not allow him to accept such a gift from the hentai ojisan. How could he put on items that the dirty Kanbei had probably been fingering with impure thoughts in mind?
Kanbei called out after the departing queen, "About our next date, I mean duel…"
The female impersonator ignored him and walked on. As much as Kyuuzou wanted to find out who was the better fighter of the two of them, he was not sure if he wanted to get another 'thank you' gift from Kanbei. Who knows what that Shimada fellow would buy him next? Lingerie?
--
Kanbei spent the next few days moping around at home after work. The other samurai could not help noticing that the old man had lost his usual interest in nightlife. Gorobei, Shichiroji and Heihachi were a little concerned; Kanbei had not spoken of what put him in a low mood, but his teammates suspected that it had to do with Kyuuzou's returned gift, now sitting inconspicuously at the top of the rosewood bookcase in Kanbei's room.
"Is he going to return that purchase or what?" Shichiroji wondered. "What's the point of keeping it around?"
"C'mon, Kanbei," Gorobei called out to his leader evening after evening. "Let's go for a drink at the sake house! It'll cheer you up!"
Each time, the long-haired ronin politely declined, saying he has to review the intelligence reports that the samurai's private security company had received from clients or gathered on their own.
But when Masamune dropped by one evening for a visit, Kanbei politely put on a smiling face and had some drinks together with the old metal smith. Masamune had brought a large earthenware jug of brown rice wine. Whatever Kanbei's mood was, it would have been impolite to decline to drink with their guest.
The 5 adult samurai and their old acquaintance exchanged pleasantries around the living room table while Heihachi poured out cup after cup of wine. Katsushiro did not join the drinking party. After greeting Masamune, the samurai schoolboy retired to his bedroom to 'do homework', or at least that was what he told Kanbei. But Shichiroji suspected the boy was probably taking the chance to play video games. Vague hints of background music and fighting game sound effects were drifting through the thin apartment wall.
Just as the grownups were making small talk about work and weather over the subtle aroma of the fragrant brown liquid, the telephone in the hallway rang. Shichiroji got up from his seat to answer the call when Katsushiro popped his head out of his room.
"I'll get it," The boy volunteered.
Nodding, Shichiroji returned to his place at the table. Since Katsushiro did not call for any of the samurai after picking up the phone, the adults simply assumed that the call must be from one of the teen's school friends.
But not a minute had passed before an excited squee reverberated through the hallway. Kanbei turned in the direction of Katsushiro, annoyed at his charge's unsamurai display of undignified emotion in front of their guest. But his disapproving gaze was wasted on the oblivious Katsushiro.
"Kirara is coming to Kougakyo again!" The dark-haired child burst into the living room. "She will be taking the University of Kougakyo Entrance Exam in one and a half weeks!"
"Oh?" Gorobei and Heihachi peeled their lips from their wine cups and turned towards the boy.
"Please, can she stay with us?" The wide-eyed youngster gushed. "She says she'll only be here for two days, but it would be nice if she could stay longer, don't you think? We can really show her around the city. She didn't have the chance to have much of a tour last time."
Kanbei's expression turned a tad bit less welcoming. Their apartment was already crowded. And schedule-wise, this was really not the best time for the household to be entertaining visitors. The samurai had just taken on a contract to bring security to one of Kougakyo's worst neighborhoods, the Ichijou district. As Gorobei had just been telling Masamune, this outcaste neighborhood was historically neglected by police and health services because of the low property values. Ambulances and firefighters were reluctant show up when called, partly due to the district's crime rate. Even street cleaners shunned Ichijou because they feared for their own safety. Finally community activists had enough and decided to hire the famed Kanna Samurai to patrol the streets.
Some days earlier, the headman of the district and a citizens' committee had begged Kanbei and Gorobei with many tears. "Please lend your shining strength to us. All it takes is your presence to make the darkness flee our streets. Once the drug dealers and pimps leave the neighborhood, the street cleaners could do their work and the residents' morale would rise. We dream of many things – better schools, more health care facilities, more business investments in the community, but none of these would come to pass as long as our people's spirits remain low and they have no pride. Please get rid of the crooks. Then train us to organize neighborhood self-defense committees so that we can continue your legacy."
Kanbei knew that scouring Ichijou wouldn't be an easy job. According to reports from inhabitants of the district, one Ichijou resident who waged an anti-drug campaign in his neighborhood had already been shot and killed. Another community organizer was brutally beaten by unidentified assailants in his own home. The violent drug traffickers and pushers operating in the bowels of Kougakyo had defied even Ayamaro's highly trained police force. The samurai would not have an easy time, but Kanbei found himself oddly sympathetic towards the citizens' committee of Ichijou, whose members were less whiny and showed more of an independent spirit of self-help than the some of the snivelers of Kanna who seemed more adept at the blame game.
Thus the samurai found themselves signed up for another dangerous project that had potentially low returns. Ichijou, having no rice to give the samurai, promised cash payments once district revenues picked up.
At this point, Kanbei's grave thoughts were once again interrupted by young Katsushiro's high-pitched, persistent voice. "Please, can she stay? Can she stay? Komachi is coming with her too!"
"Trust Kirara to impose her needs on others," Kanbei thought sourly, recalling how insistent the Mikumari had been when she recruited him for the Kanna Defense Project. Almost immediately, he chided himself for the ungenerous thought.
"Still, it would be better for Kirara to find lodging elsewhere. A cheap hostel like the one the peasants stayed in during their first visit to Kougakyo, perhaps?" Wondered the old ronin.
But it seemed that neither Katsushiro nor Kikuchiyo were waiting for his decision. The red robot was now speaking in his always-louder-than-needed voice. "Oh, of course the Mikumari sisters can stay with us! We'll be delighted to have them here! And tell little Komachi I'll take her around the city and show her all the cool places!"
"Yes!" Katsushiro, shouting joyfully, rushed back to the phone.
"Peasants and their lack of personal boundaries," Heihachi sighed inwardly, listening to his young colleague discussing the details of the upcoming visit with Kirara. Friendly and open as the mechanic was, he still did not feel fully comfortable with the way country folk like Kikuchiyo and Kirara unhesitatingly opened their hearts and homes to others and expected the same in return.
Observing Kanbei's unreadable expression, Shichiroji leaned over and whispered. "We can discuss this further… maybe I can talk to Yukino about putting the sisters up. True, Iyashi no Sato is out of the way if Kirara is planning a trip to the university, but I suppose if she starts out early in the morning, she will be able to take the exam on time."
"Un," Kanbei said neutrally.
Taking in all of these, Masamune interrupted in a tentative voice, "Er, folks, maybe I should leave now, the evening is getting late… I don't wish to be a bother."
"No, no, you're not causing us any inconvenience, Masamune," Gorobei shifted his keen eyes from his leader to their guest. "Please stay for a little longer. We haven't finished your wonderful jar of wine yet. I think the 6 of us can do better as drinkers, ne?"
Lifting his wine cup, the big man proposed a toast. "Here's to the success of our upcoming Ichijou project! Masamune, we may be needing your valuable expertise soon, if the past is anything to go by."
"Cheers!" The rest of the men at the table promptly followed Gorobei's lead.
"An awkward domestic moment has been temporarily smoothed over by good ol' Gorobei," Shichiroji noted with a half-amused, half-exasperated smile. "But I think there will still be trouble, trivial and not-so-trivial to come. With a risky new mission hanging over our heads, I don't know if I want to deal with a lovesick old fool and a lovesick young fool in the same household at the same time… Now that Kirara is making a reappearance, we can only expected more angst and antics from Katsunoji…"
