AUTHOR: This is chapter 12… Sorry for the very very very late update.
GINTOKI: Yeah whatever… Let's get started then
HARUHI: Really this is chapter 12?
GINTOKI: Umm… Sorry to interrupt but you're…
HARUHI: …In a wrong anime fanfic? I know. Just passing by.
AUTHOR: But this is not a crossover fic.
HARUHI: It's okay. You know I wouldn't bother, right? And I know you like me. And you have a crush on me right?
AUTHOR: *Blush* anyway this is chapter 12. Thank for those who supports especially for those who leaves their reviews even if we all know that chapter 11 is the worst.
CHAPTER 12
So where are we? Oh yeah…
… He quickly pulled out and didn't fight back on her as he hops away from her, covering his lips. "What the hell was that!" he shouted pointing her. It was a frightening moment from her because he received a kiss from her all of a sudden. A kiss from a woman who thinks she's a man. Did he enjoy it? Of course not. His mind is not yet settled and his sweat glands working crazy. "What the hell are you thinking? Why did you steal a kiss from me? Are you nuts?" he shouted with a terrified looks in his eyes.
She looked back at him with that cute look in her red face with a shy smile on her lips. "I don't know what I just did but…" she paused for a moment and said "My body felt like somehow relief and uplifted."
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"Oi Kagura –chan. I'm just dreaming, right? Because there would absolutely no way that Kyubei did that to Ginsan," said Shinpachi with silly smile locked in his face.
"What? You saw that too? Then I must be dreaming too aru-," she answered with their body frozen stock on that standing position.
"Maybe if I walked home I'll get awake in my room."
"I guess that's a good Idea."
As the two turned around to the opposite direction, they started to walk with their straight body and that silly smile on their faces. Their emotions are too confused that they do not know how they will react in such things like that. Things that never crossed their minds and never will.
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"This guy just kissed me all of a sudden. Wait a minute. She's a girl. But that doesn't change the fact that he… I mean her… him… She… Damn," he thought, unable to decide what pronoun to use. He walked closer to the wall and started smashing his own head on it like he's trying to shake off an idea out.
"Calm down Gintoki… You can do this. It's just a kiss. I mean, it's not that big deal unlike the time you lose your joystick and changed into a driving tool," he thought while continuously smashing his head on it.
She pressed her hand on the middle of her chest, trying to feel her heart thumping so hard and swallowed a lump out of her throat as she gather up all her courage. "G-Gintoki… i…uhmm… just wanted to tell you that…" her voice just faded but her lips movements clearly say it.
Imaginary lightning strikes on his head after he heard what Kyubei just said as he began to smash his head even stronger that made large cracks on the wall. "… Is this what happened when you walked someone to the meat shop?" he thought. "… but if I'll observe her behavior on me on the past episode of Gintama, this woman hates me."
Confusion overtakes her mind. She has no idea what is just happening to her but for some reasons, there is something about that silver haired guy that makes her chest heavy. She looked at him with awe while she approaches the man who's making her feel like that.
"Come on Gintoki! Wake up to this horrible nightmare!" he tries to force himself that this thing is just a dream but he realized that his head is now starting to get painful. Not seeing that she is already on his side, he was shocked as he felt someone just grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his position and turned around facing her. They both stare at each other, surprised as their eyes meet instantly.
"Come on Gintoki! wake up!" he shouted in his mind. "Face it man! It's the real thing," shouted the Author, getting really pissed off of his repeating convincing to him himself.
Passers by and other people stopped and got their attention between the two as Kyubei gently placed his hands between her chest to make the silver haired guy feel her running heartbeats inside. What the hell was that? Is she seducing him? He was about to explode as his whole body suddenly turned hot crazy.
"Gintoki… What's this very odd feeling? Whenever I looked at you it's getting worse…"
"Hey everyone! There's a girl confessing feelings over there," shouted the guy from the distant that attracted more people's attention. People in the district are weird and sometimes stupid like the people in 'the simpsons'.
This is getting bad as more people witnessed this scene. He took a quick glanced and saw these irritating people wearing those stupid smile in their faces.
"… Does this mean that…" her voice died out again wherever she says those word but her lips somehow said it when you read it.
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(A LOUD APPLAUSE AND CHEERING ECHOED THE WHOLE AREA)
Hell that was fast. All of a sudden? Even Tsukuyo can't do that directly even though they shared a couple romantic moments alone, she never did that.
He didn't reply a word but a fake forced laugh as he scratches the back of his head. "K-Kyubei… T-that was a nice act you showed t-there… now I f-feel that you will do great in your stage play t-tomorrow," he said, trying to deceive the people around him. He thought that making up things like that would probably make everyone scram. He quickly pulled his hand away of from her hand and walked away slowly. He waved his hands goodbye and turned his back on her. "I guess I'll walk home and locked myself inside for three days. That would probably make everything gets better," he mumbled to himself.
Well, all that he knows is that none of those idiots (friends) have seen that scene. But he found it wrong. It flashed in his sight the appearance of this very familiar blond woman in front of him. His body stood freeze as their eyes meet in an instant. The wind blew cold softly but still, none of them was able to react until she felt Kyubei giving her an eye. She glazed back to her, not knowing her true emotion for now and quickly turned back to him.
"I don't what you are doing with her, but I'm still looking forward for tonight," she said.
"So, you didn't saw that?" he replied tautly, hoping that she would say 'no' but expecting 'yes'.
"Saw what?" she replied innocently.
"Huh? Thank goodness… huh? Why I'm so relieved about it?" he thought as he rubbed away with his bare hands the sweat forming on his forehead. "Nah, forget about it," he said as he passed by and continued to his destination, leaving them behind. Somehow, the crowd disbanded slowly and quietly for the reason that they didn't see the thing they wanna see before Tsukuyo came in the scene.
"Whatever you said," she said from behind as she walked the opposite way and turned to go across the street.
"My, what a troublesome day I had," he croak, scratching the back of his head. He reached and intersection and turned left without looking back. "…*sigh* I really hate to go home alone…" he said to himself. "Alone with YOU! Why the hell are you following me?" he shouted at her who is holding now his hand with her blushing face that wears a small grin she kept hiding. How the hell did she get there fast and unnoticed?
A sound of an automatic sliding door caught his attention as he saw a woman in a pink kimono holding a bag of groceries. "My my, what a sale was tha…" her voice stopped but her face was still in the same smiling expression after seeing the her wrapping her hands around his and her head resting on his arms.
Unable to react quickly, the two stared at each other, gaping and still shock by this accidental meet.
"Wh.."
"What the…"
"What the HELL do you think you are doing!"
Her eyes glowed like from a devil as she let go of the groceries in her hand and clenched her fist. Raising the sleeve up, she quickly shifts into a fighting position and aims her fist straightly to his face. It was too late for him to dodge, knowing that she has quick moves. Her raging fist was about to hit straight to his face when suddenly she felt someone just grabbed arms and stopped her for doing it. She quickly move in front of him and defended him.
"K-Kyuchan…"
She didn't want him to get his ass kicked again. No, not again. "Otae… Please…" She said, downcast. She tries to avoid eye contact with her as she will know that she will be unable to hide her embarrassment.
It took a second for her brain to process until she made a conclusion to her mind. "Kyubei just interrupt my attack to Gin-san. And they are together with arms crossed to each other… could it be…" but before she could glare back to him, he was nowhere to be found. He escaped before they both noticed it.
There's nothing she could do about it. She let him escape. "Kyuchan, can I have a talk with you?" she asked as she clutched her goods with her both hands.
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Finally she arrived in Yoshiwara after speed walking, ignoring everything and everyone as she reaches her house and straightly to her room. She slammed the door shut and leaned on it like she doesn't want anyone to come inside. Something is hurting her from the inside as she bit her lower lip. Her body slowly slides down and down until she found herself sitting on the floor. She rested her forehead on her knees and wrapped her arms around them. Her body started to feel hot with her heart beating fast.
A cold wind blew inside the room giving her a slight chill in the body. The room is well lighted except from the darkened corners at the ceiling. She locked her stare at the green wooden floor but she's not seeing it. Her vision is still on that episode that keeps on repeating again and again.
"Why? Why do I have to see that? Why it should be her?"
I don't want to say this but… Her tears are starting to form in the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip even tighter. She doesn't want to cry or hear by the other sobbing. Frustration takes place.
"Why I haven't noticed it earlier? Am I the only one who has no clue about them? Or was I too blinded that I didn't realize it from the beginning?"
Now it's clear. She's hurt. Gintoki thought that the moment that Kyubei kissed him, Tsukuyo didn't saw that. What actually happened was Tsukuyo was there passing by before the snatching takes place and she witnessed every seconds of it. She was stuck there in her position and was unable to move until Gintoki started to get closer to her. She wanted to slap him or throw a kunai in his forehead but if she did that, isn't that showing jelousy?
She shook her head erasing that sudden flashback just came to her and tears continue to stream down her cheeks. She found herself crying but she didn't mind wiping her tears away. Grabbing her kunai-shaped hairpin, she threw it away to the mirror and bounces to the floor but that didn't even lessen the pain. The song 'Stay with Me, by Lorraine Elison started to play from nowhere. How the hell that happened?
"Where did you go
When things go wrong?
Who did you run to
And find a shoulder to lay your head upon?"
Now her hair hanging free covered her eyes and this song now is making the mood heavier. She just walked straight into an empty corner. She took the display pillow from the top of the drawer, lay down the cold floor facing sideward with her knees touching her chest.
"Where did I go wrong? " She muttered clutching the pillow tighter and pressed it against her body as these tears flows through her cheeks again. "Was there a relationship already between them before I met him?"
She turns her gaze on the ceiling and there she saw a couple of kunai stuck there for reason. Her eyes widen and she began to realize something.
She already gave up being a woman meaning, she will never look on any man. But… did she really give it all up?
"Baby, what did I do?
Maybe I wasn't too good for you
Oh no, I can't believe
You're leaving me
Stay with me baby"
"It was just my thoughts," she whispered to herself as she burrows her face on the pillow. "Just my hallucinations…"
She lifts up her head and gazed outside the window where there, she could see the withering trees dancing with the wind. Her tears are gone absorbed by pillow. Sorrows are lessening from her eyes replaced by a relaxed and bright look in it. But a part of her feels bitterness against him. Hate? Jealousy? Who knows.
One thing is now sure for her. He will never fell for her, not a chance, and so is she, she must. Whatever happened before between them, it doesn't mean anything. Now that she concludes that, she needs to do something that can let her clear her mind for a while. Of course patrolling the Yoshiwara is an exemption because Hinowa would probably allow let her plus that would make daydream about it again.
"We're still short of workers Chi-san, what are we going to do now?"
"Can we borrow some in other bars?"
She heard voices outside, voices of two female hostesses walking in the street. They sounded like that they are in need of something. And isn't that right? They needed workers? A smile crept on her face as she stands up and jumped out the window to approach the two hostesses walking.
Whoops! She's forgetting something again.
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"Hijikata-san! Hijikata-san!" called out the badminton addicted spy of the shinsengumi while walking in the garden of their headquarters. He failed to see him instead, he saw the lazy sadist, lazing off his laziness in his lazing time, in short, starting to sleep again with his weird eye covers. Since he knew that he's always with the vice commander, he approached and asked him. "Ano… excuse me, but have you seen vice commander around. I can't seem to find him after we ate our breakfast."
"Nope," he replied with a deadpan voice. "I think he's dead," he continued, turning his back on him and continues his daily task.
"In your dreams you sadistic bastard," he answered, approaching from behind the bushes.
Yamazaki quickly switch his look to him and saluted him.
He's still on his day off but he chooses to stay in the headquarters to heal his wounds after his epic revenge last night. His navy blue kimono is slightly exposing his chest wrapped in bandages revealing that he really experienced a tough time.
He looked at him and lit a cigarette. "Now, make sure it's something important Yamazaki."
"H-Hai! Commander wants to talk to you. He's waiting for you inside."
"Kondo…"
"And he looks very upset. It looks like it has something to do with your actions last night." He said more soft than the usual.
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"S-suspended?" he exclaimed drawing her face closer to him. His eyes grew bright after hearing those words. "T-that can't be. Why Kondo?"
The room was empty and wind outside blew inside softly giving them both chills behind as they sit on the empty floor with their swords lying down beside them. The walls are painted with mountains and realistic birds that are so real that look like it might fly away. Though the room is clean beautiful and well furnished, the energy inside is very unpleasant. It was left open to let the cool breeze come in and to enjoy watching the beautiful garden with bushes and rows of old maple trees behind it.
He smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked down. "That's because you failed to follow the one of the most important rule: Never act like a hero and fight alone," he replied.
He knows that he's right about it but he doesn't want the whole squad to get hurt and die because of his personal reasons. He wants to reason out it but he chose to remain silent and let him speak again. "…And you did it again… to the same person."
Gorilla observes the silence from him so he decided to continue. "*clears throat*If you disobeyed this rule, the punishment is the complete dismissal to the group but since you helped a lot of people I reduced it to only two weeks suspension.
"And since you are suspended, you cannot go to any patrolling or any emergency response. I can't even let you to join the investigation to that incident."
The mayo freak looked away in dismay. He remained silent for a minute and thought of a question to ask. His is about to finish a cigarette when finally did open his mouth to ask, "Ano… I'm suspended on any shinsengumi works right? But can you tell me the latest update to your investigation?" he asked.
Gorilla watch the beautiful plants dance with the rhythm of the wind. There was nothing to lose if he tells it right plus it's not in his punishment that he isn't allowed to get some news about a crime. He turns back his gaze on him and spoke with hesitance, "We found tons of prohibited drugs in the trailers this morning and I found it more suspicious."
"What do you mean?" he asked again drawing his face closer, wanting to know the reason.
"It will cost to an estimated value of 20 billion yen."
"What is so suspicious on that?"
"Kuraba can't have big money after losing millions of yen after we busted his smuggling of weapons."
He waited him to continue. He could fell his sweat forming in his forehead. But before he could finish, Hijikata respond already. "There's a bigger syndicate behind it."
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"I'm home."
His voiced echoed the walls and the ceiling but silence answered him. He stopped and listened for a moment but still there's no response. He sighed and scratched his head irately as he sat up and removed his boots. He didn't realize that he didn't accomplish his task; to buy strawberry milk and sweets for himself.
He walked to the kitchen hoping that Shinpachi and Kagura are there. But no one is there yet but the goods and other groceries are neatly place beside the sink. So they've been here for a while ago.
"Where those guys did go now?" he said with his thumb under his chin. He turned to the fridge to get some water but before he could get any closer, there's a pink note sticking on it. The writing was neat but small so it could be Shinpachi. He pulled out the note and read it.
'Went back to the dojo … Hoping that we could find my own body sleeping… I'm stuck in this dream whole day… Yes, it's a dream because there's no way that you and Kyubei did that thing right?
He mouth stuck open after reading it with a horrible facial expression locked. "W-w-w-what? D-d-d-id they saw it?"
Wait. There's another note sticking on the fridge. This time, the hand writing skills are very poor with a few erasures on it.
'Went to the park… afterrealizing that the whole day was a lie… I will only stay here for a while to kill someone – Kagura'
He pulled that other note and he crumpled it together in anger and embarrassment. He started to sweat cold and his pupils dilated in terror now that he knew that they both know it. Of all the things they can see… But there's nothing he could do?
He let out a heavy sigh and let it all pass out and instead of water he took a can of Mountain Dew before he walked to his office. The giant dog is still there at the same position and place before he left. He let out a yawn and closed his eyes again after seeing him. Although he's just sleeping the whole, at least he kept his promise to keep the place.
"What a lazy dog… " he muttered as he lies down the couch and places his one arm behind his head. Damn, he's lazy too.
It's obvious to his blank stare on the ceiling that he's daydreaming. Daydreaming not about that Kyubei thing, but the nights he spent with the blonde woman. He took a quick gulp and placed the can on the floor. He can't tell whether it was dream or just happened. The thing on the bed and on the roof that was really something that never happened before between them. And also her kiss to his cheek while she was sleeping, he wonders what she is dreaming that time. An uncontrollable smile crept to his face while remembering the second kiss on the bar. The smell of her breathe, the look in her eyes, and that smile on her lips, he remembers every details of it. "Of course that doesn't mean anything, she's drunk that time," he remarked in his mind. "I know I'm just a guy that she will never have a crush. I'm not even worth for her kiss. I don't deserve her."
Those bitter thoughts didn't even fade his smile on his face, not even a little. "But at least, going out with her will probably do," he said to himself. "I guess."
A shadow from the window darkened the room for a second followed by a footstep landed on the floorboard. His smile turned into a moody irritated one.
"If those tax robbers are after you again, please don't make this apartment into a hideout, Zura," he demanded, taking another gulp into the soda can.
"Zura janai, Katsura da! No I'm not running from those guys. I'm just here to tell something important," he replied taking a sit on the other opposite couch with Elizabeth.
"If you're here to ask me to join your bombing party, then you may leave," he said without taking his look away from the ceiling.
"It's not about that but I'm not gonna gave up that thing anyway," he said and cleared his throat suggesting that he's changing the topic. "It's about that drug smuggling syndicate."
Those words caught his interest at least and looked at him seriously. "Well, about them. I know we killed the head. So it's over, right?"
"That's what we also thought but…" said Elizabeth through sign.
"…we got information from the Shinsengumi, a leakage from their reports. Touma Kuraba may be the leader of this group. But according to their research, there's a bigger group involved in it," he said with his arms crossed in front of his chest while looking below.
"Do they have a proof?" he asked, as he lift his body and sit upright. His feelings went heavy and somehow worried about something. Katsura expected that he will ask for a proof so get himself a little prepared. He took another gulp and placed it on the table in front of them.
"Just this morning, inside the city, a truck of this kind of drug was busted by the police in the highway. It was suspected to be smuggled to the neighboring planets," he took the Mountain Dew Gintoki is drinking and drank it all.
Gintoki remained silent, wanting to hear more about this. He can feel his sweat forming in his forehead. He wanted to kick him in the face for drinking his softdrink but he didn't mind it.
"And this woman…" He continued.
"What about the woman?" he asked that made Katsura surprised because he didn't thought he heard him say that. But he must continue now. "That woman I chased down to the alley. Short blue hair, cute, about 5'2'', aging 18 to 22. She must be skilled like a ninja by the way she ran and disappeared before my very eyes."
"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked.
"All I wanna say is… don't ever let your guard down. They will be surely after us after what we've done," replied in a low voice. "I haven't seen her since the battle."
"Be careful. We don't know what will happen," said Elizabeth through sign.
After that, they quietly stand together and went through the window where they came in.
"It's good to be ready from their attack, but it's better to prevent them from doing it first," he followed up before they both disappear to his sight.
He sighed softly with a grimace in his face, shaking his head disapproving this things happening now. Another job, another pain in the ass. How he wished he didn't heard that from Katsura. He slumped down back to the couch and stared on the ceiling again until his vision grew darker and darker. Remember that his whole body is not fully recovered yet and a longer period of rest is needed before he returns back to his daily routine.
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(6:00 pm)
The air is calmer and somehow colder. People in streets are receding and the a few light post are lighted. The orange sky gives moody and beautiful scenery in the whole district with few thin clouds running slowly with the wind that anyone can tell that there will be no rain that will pour on the ground tonight.
A yellow light illuminates the windows of Otose's snack bar, a sign that it's already operating by now, opposite to the Yoruzuya's. The entire room was filled with silence and the darkening corners make it more look gloomy. No one is in the kitchen or even the bathroom. No footsteps can be heard inside. Sadaharu was already gone after Kagura picked him up and went to the park to fight the patrolling sadist. Somehow, the orange sunlight brightens the room where he is sleeping and the elongated shadows of the objects make the place darker.
Though the sun shines dim orange, the light penetrates his eyelids giving him a rude awakening. He grunts in annoyance and slowly lifted his eyes. Everything is orangish in color in his sight and he recognized that it was already past sunset. Past sunset?
His eyes widen in horror as he quickly jumped out of the couch and run quickly to the bathroom. Taking a few seconds of washing his face, he quickly rushes to the front door and wore his boots quickly as he could and went outside.
"I'm gonna be late for our date. Date? Wait. Is that an appropriate term?" he mumbles to himself while setting his helmet with his scooter beside him.
"Good evening Gintoki," called out the maid robot standing at the front door of the snack bar.
"Good evening," he replied in a deadpan tone.
"Would you mind if I ask where you are heading?" she asked.
He started the engine of the scooter and heated up its engine. "A date," he answered.
The word 'date' that she knows is the one about the days recorded or a particular day so his sentence didn't register to her mind clearly. "What's a date?" she asked.
He looked at her with an annoyance in his face. Explaining it to her is maybe a little difficult. He scratched the back of his head and answered briefly "… It's a lover's hangout."
Before Tama could say anything, he already sped away leaving trails of smoke on the road with dusts mixed on it. She looked at her retrieving back until he was impossible to see in that distance.
"Lover's hangout." A small light pasess across her pupils and then there's weird bleeping sound in her head. "Registering data…"
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"What the hell! You're already down too? Hah! It looks like I'm still the winner," she shouted in a boasting manner while standing on the table with a couple of empty dom perignon in her hands. Her red face is somewhat half pissed and half smiling as her kimono is starting to fell of her shoulder. Everywhere is a mess in the bar. Drunk men on the floor with lots of empty bottles and spilled alcohol drinks on the carpet. But it's of the happiest bar in the whole Yoshiwara about an hour ago.
12 men, who are the guests, are down on the couch and on the floor after having a drinking fight with Tsukuyo for almost two hours. Not a single one standing against her.
She was a big help for the hostesses, though they lacked some hostesses, she managed to entertain them almost by herself. And on top of that, she had fun.
"That's great Tsukky," cheered one of the hostesses sitting on the couch.
"You've done it again," cheered the other.
She's just like Otae. Almost, except that she didn't harmed anyone this time. Her cheerfulness boosted to the top and forgets whatever she's crying for earlier. It was like the happiest day of her year.
She went silent for a second until she suddenly loose her balance and fell off the table. Luckily, the two girls sitting near her caught her instantly.
"T-tsukky…" exclaimed the other girl but the other one gestured her to be quiet.
"She's asleep…"
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Crickets started to sing along with the trees dancing in the blow of the wind. The once busy street is now a peaceful empty path filled with contrasting darkness and light coming from the posts. He watched every little thing while sitting on the bench just beside the store's entrance for almost three hours while waiting for her to come. He wished to go home. Kagura is maybe worry about him (Actually, she's busy watching 3-hour special of 'The Sopranos' series.).
He's not wearing any wrist watch so he has no idea what time it is but he is very sure that she is very late. His body wants to leave and walk back home but a big part of him tells him to stay until she appears in front of him. "What's up with that woman?"
He heard the store's entrance opened and a woman with back hair in a ponytail went out of this newbie cakes and ice cream store where they will have their date and locked the door as the lights coming from the inside are fading to black.
"Ah… excuse me miss but are you closing now?" he asked nicely to her.
She turned around, facing him and looked at him with a sweet smile in her face. "Ah yes sir, it's already past 9 pm. We close at 9. Can I help you with something?" she asked.
"N-nothing. I'm sorry," he replied.
"I should go now. If you want something here, you can go back at 5:45 am 'cause we open very early."
She bowed and he waved back and the conversation just ended. There's no one to talk to again. He let out a deep sigh and stared blankly on the ground again.
The cold breeze brushed to his face giving him the chill to his whole body but he didn't mind. The wind blew softly again and the more it blows, the more chilling the effect is to his body.
I wonder how hard is to be alone and waiting for someone who you suspected that will not come. I wonder what's the feeling of being left in the empty street.
His face remained expressionless but the loneliness in her eyes says his real thoughts.
Dumped? Was he like this less important for her? Less prioritize? Too easy to Ignore?
He's a good person anyway, he would not mind, would he?
END OF CHAPTER
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SHINPAHI: That's long enough compares to the other chapter!
AUTHOR: You're here again! Sorry for the very late update.
GINTOKI: you're abandoning the story, aren't you? Even it's not finished.
AUTHOR: No. I'm just lacking some time for it. And if I abandoned it you'll kill me.
GINTOKI: Hell right… But not just me.(Points you)
AUTHOR: Reviews are accepted. Oh I was surprised on your reviews in chapter 11. Very much thank you for the support.