A long chase ensued after the events at the taxidermist's house. Ogata and Yuki followed the tracks left by Sugimoto and Shiraishi to the entrance of a mine located on the outskirts of Yubari. There, they decided that Ogata would chase the two duos, Edogai and Tsukishima, on the one hand, and Sugimoto and Shiraishi, on the other. They had taken the mine's carts and followed each other in a persecution worthy of an American cartoon, while Yuki went to the exit, where he would corner them if they got out.
Yuki was already at the exit on the other side when he heard it, and also felt it. A thunder so loud the earth shook. He stared into whole in the mountain startledly just like the miners who were outside. The miners that were lucky enough to be outside started running in all directions, some went to get help while others armed themselves with pickaxes to attempt to rescue the survivors.
Do you have nine lives like a cat, Ogata?Yuki thought as he ran to the other exit of the mine. His stomach churned in an anxiety he hadn't felt since the war. He had never really understood what it was that he felt. Getting kicked and punched felt so much better than that damn weird feeling that made his chest compress painfully.
Yuki actually had an idea of what it could be but…He didn't want to think about it too much. Thinking too much could affect everything. He didn't have that luxury.
Upon reaching the other exit, the first thing that caught Yuki's attention were the two Ainu who were waiting near the mine entrance. The short girl next to the bearded man had the most beautiful, bright blue eyes that Yuki had ever seen in his life. Then he remembered what Hijikata-sama had told him earlier. Remembering the description his mentor had given him, he concluded that that Ainu girl must be Asirpa. The tall man beside her had to be Kiroranke then.
Yuki was aware of the girl's ideology regarding the stolen gold, it was a noble and altruistic motive, he had to admit. But he was the total opposite to her, he was there for personal, selfish reasons, for his own benefit, and for the one who mattered most to him.
Yuki's thoughts were interrupted when a miner shouted:"Someone is coming out of the mine!"
Yuki's head snapped around as fast as lightning and had to smile at the unusual scene: Ushiyama was carrying two men as if they weighed nothing to him, it even looked like he was carrying two children. He carried Shiraishi on his left shoulder, whose nose was runny, and Sugimoto on his right shoulder. They looked battled and tired from having breathed the gas inside.
He looked at the mine entrance with some expectation.
No sign of Ogata.
The feeling of Hagiwara's belly only worsened. He reached for the fabric of the vest he wore and squeezed as if that would help ease it.
"That guy rescued two people all by himself! Wow!" Someone said.
Yuki didn't fail to notice that. And then Asirpa recognized Ushiyama and vice versa. It hadn't been long since he joined Hijikata's group, so there were still things he didn't know.
"Oh, hello, young lady. It has been some time," Ushiyama greeted the young girl.
Asirpa took something white and rectangular from her pocket, it was an Hanpen, a type of fish cake. She held it up to the judoka, eyes gleaming, glad to see him again.
"Teacher Penis…"the girl said. This weirded Yuki out.
What? Teacher Penis? But why the hell… Nevermind… Sometimes it was just better not to be aware of all details.
"What are you doing here, Ushiyama?" Sugimoto asked as he took a drink of water while sitting on the floor.
"The two I came with ended up drifting away and while looking for you, I happened to see you guys riding in a cart," the Undefeated explained.
"Who is with you?" Sugimoto asked.
At that moment, Ogata walked right behind the judoka, covered in mine dust. He ran his hand through his black hair, smoothing it back. Sugimoto's eyes widened. Shiraishi paled instantly as Yuki approached the group as well, revealing his presence. His previous anxiety disappeared once Ogata turned out to be alright.
Sugimoto got up at the same time his eyes caught sight of the Second Lieutenant. He was much more surprised to see Yuki than seeing the sniper. His face turned grim. Yuki just smiled mischievously, his blue eyes piercing Sugimoto. For Sugimoto, Yuki were more dangerous than Ogata could ever be.
"Hey, you're… Tsurumi's men, aren't you?" Sugimoto asked without looking away from Yuki. "Second Lieutenant Hagiwara… Why are you with Ushiyama?"
"Tsurumi? Hah! You should know I'm not part of any Division, Sugimoto. Did you hit your head in the war?" There was strong irony in Hagiwara's tone of voice. "Mhm… So things got a bit out of hand. It looks like we're going to have to take them too," he added, glaring at Sugimoto coldly, then directing his gaze to Asirpa.
His blue eyes met hers. As much as they were the same color, their differences were remarkable. The blue of Asirpa's eyes was full of sparkle and energy, they conveyed a warm sense of hope. The blue of Yuki's eyes wascold, dull, endowed with a subtle murderous intensity. 'Subtle' because deep inside Yuki's blue orbs, there was a frightening darkness.
Asirpa's eyes reminded Yuki of a very dear person from his past. Even so, nothing could ever be compared with this person's eyes. His eyes…
Everyone gathered back at Edogai's house. Yuki explained to everyone that the taxidermist had used the skin of some of the corpses to produce fake tattooed skins on Tsurumi's orders, and that he died in the mine incident. His death was confirmed by Ogata, who said that he found his body under the rubble.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…have we met?" Sugimoto addressed Hijikata.
An atmosphere of tension spread in the place suddenly. Yuki sensed this and took a step towards Sugimoto. Ogata's watchful eye caught this movement and became alert. Shiraishi broke in a cold sweat. That's because they had actually seen each other before. That was the problem…
Oh shit… thought the Escape King.
"No, of course you didn't!" He hurriedly told Sugimoto. "He is… Hijikata Toshizou."
In the blink of an eye, Yuki stepped between the two men acting as a bodyguard. He stared at the scarred man, telling him to be careful about what he did next with his gaze alone. The tension in the air was so thick you could slice it with a butter knife. Everyone was attentive to the slightest movement. Ogata narrowed his eyes at Yuki's protective behavior.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Shiraishi Yoshitake?" Hijikata said in his gravelly aged voice. "Would you be so kind as to introduce me to your friend?"
Shit, you old man! Shiraishi thought. If Sugimoto finds out that I've been passing information to you... Would he kill me without even hesitating?
"Kiroranke…" Sugimoto asked the Ainu man not taking his eyes off Hijikata. "Was this old man the one who came to your village?"
"Yes," he answered.
Sugimoto continued talking to the old samurai. "There's something I wanted to ask you if we ever met… Nopperabou must have shared information others are not aware of only with you, Hijikata. He trusted you a lot, or just the goals coincided, but… Did he come to you with a plan to arm the Ainu people and start a war for independence?"
Yuki and Ogata narrowed their gazes at the same time.
"I wonder…" Sugimoto continued, "Is Nopperabou, in fact, an Ainu?"
Behind him, Asirpa seemed very obviously distressed. The whole situation was tense and complicated, also not something you could easily oversimplify with black and white. Yuki thought that if a fight broke out, the advantage would be very obviously with his group, as they were in greater numbers. Besides, Yuki should be faster than Sugimoto. He analyzed everyone's positioning within the peripheral field of vision of his eyes.
"So, you've come this far?" Hijikata smiled sarcastically.
"And you plan to trick Nopperabou and take his gold?" Sugimoto's eyes were fierce as he asked that question. "Make use of that gold to rebuild the Republic of Ezo, eh, Hijikata?"
"My dad-..." Asirpa started, but was cut off by Hijikata immediately, so he pulled out the end of his katana in order to get everyone's attention.
Yuki had did the same, and kept a close look on Sugimoto's movements, but he had heard very clearly what the girl had said. Ogata too, as he was staring at the girl with disguised curiosity and surprise.
"Are we going to join forces or should we fight to the death here and now?" Hijikata asked, staring at Sugimoto. "Make your choice."