KATANAGATARI 2

She didn’t seem to mind when people remarked on other aspects of her. This went beyond not being able to take a compliment or being bashful.

Togame was not so bad at lying as to let Azekura notice this reaction, which depending on one’s interpretation could be taken as a sign of weakness. Shichika had only sensed it because he was so ready to defend her and had spent so much time beside her thus far on their journey. Nothing changed about her on the surface; she answered in kind─

“Why thank you. Your armor is quite stunning as well.”

And repeated her question:

“Now tell me, what business brings you here?”

Azekura gave her the same answer.

“I told you, I wouldn’t really call it business…”

He was casual,7 almost as if he was teasing her, but something confused Shichika. There was no way of telling with his Armor on─but how old was Kanara Azekura? He had to be way older than Shichika, and maybe even older than Togame.

“Is it not somewhat unusual for the captain of a band of pirates such as yourself to show up in a place like this without accompaniment?”

“Spare the formalities─talk normal.8 Gah ha ha─you want to know why I showed up unaccompanied? Do I look like I need backup? I’ve never felt the need to be accompanied. But a little company?” laughed Azekura bawdily. “That’s a different story.”

“Ah, my apologies,” said Togame, adjusting her tone. “But I’d still like to know what brings you here─Dread9 Captain Azekura. Calling on two simple travelers.”

“You’re more than simple travelers,” returned Azekura.

His voice reverberated in the Armor, making it somewhat hard to understand him, but with a booming voice like that, they had no trouble hearing him.

“I know you─Lady Togame the Schemer, Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate─and Lord Shichika Yasuri, Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu, who having vanquished Hakuhei Sabi on Ganryu Island has earned himself the title of Strongest Swordsman in Japan, however swordless he may be─and you call yourselves simple travelers?”

“…”

Togame was silent.

This was unexpected. It seemed that Azekura had done his homework before paying them a visit at the inn. It made sense for him to hear the news about Shichika, but to learn the entirety of Togame’s title─word must have traveled all too fast.

Through the pirate networks…

But if he knew that much already, of course─

“On a Sword Hunt, isn’t that right?” Azekura cut to the chase. “No need to probe10─I’m a Kyushu boy, born and raised in Satsuma. As you already know, and can plainly see, I own Zokuto the Armor, one of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki─and let me guess, you’re here to take me down? Steal the Armor, over my dead body?”

“Well…”

Togame held off on answering for the moment.

For once, she was unsure of what to say.

In this respect, perhaps it was no blessing after all for them to witness Azekura fighting at the Basket so soon after their arrival… Just as Togame and Shichika had seen Azekura, he must have caught sight of Togame and Shichika.

Shichika recalled the instant where it seemed that he and Azekura had met eyes.

He may have won himself the name of Strongest Swordsman in Japan, but it was doubtful that his image11 had preceded him. Far more likely, it had been Togame’s white hair that stood out…

Indeed, the challengers that stopped them on the way seem to have used Togame’s hair to spot them. Her sumptuous finery must have tipped them off as well, but let’s just say that she was hard to miss.

And yet, there was no way that Shichika could make her cut her hair… He was an island monkey, half-naked and lanky, impossible to miss himself, unqualified to offer tips on fashion.

“Maybe we are─but so what?”

After thinking things over, Togame had turned his question right back at him. “You guys are pirates. Plundering on the high seas. If you tell me that you don’t like being stolen from, I may just lose my lunch.”12

“Point taken,” Azekura said, relishing her provocation. “If you hurt others, you’re asking to be hurt, and if you steal, you’re asking to be stolen from─same goes for killing, and being killed.”

“Asking for it?”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Azekura seemed momentarily suspicious, but he seemed like the type to brush off details.

“Alright,” he nodded, and went on. “Make no mistake─I’m not trying to beat you to the punch.”

“Words are cheap.”

While he had said there was no need to probe, he spoke as if he already knew exactly what she had in mind. Yet Togame, betraying no sign of distress, merely gave him a wry look and answered, “I see right through you. Your men have the inn surrounded, and the two of us are fish in a barrel13─for all I know, there’s even something in this tea.”

“I already told you. I came here unaccompanied─”

“Sure you did.”

Togame shrugged off Azekura’s disavowal.

Now Shichika had seen it all. If Azekura in the Armor was enormous in his eyes, he was by no exaggeration a true giant to Togame, so slight and frail that he could easily flatten her. Dread14 Captain Azekura, owner of the Armor, was a sight to see, but even more spectacular was the way Togame showed15 him who was boss.

I guess all that I can do is stand here and be ready for whatever happens.

Her diplomacy could easily devolve just like it had with Ginkaku Uneri. It may sound ludicrous to be so cautious about Azekura, who wore the Armor but was otherwise unarmed─and yet the Armor was not armor, but a sword.

Not protection, but a weapon.

If you looked closely, you could discern what Togame had described when they were sitting in the hot spring: the edges of the Armor were sharpened─

I see it now. A body blow from those won’t be pleasant.

He recalled the shredded figure of the hotshot swordsman flying through the air─and the ruin16 of his massive sword, bashed to dust.

Then again, a body blow from somebody so giant would be lethal, armed or not.

“Shichika.”

“…”

“Shichika. Shichika.”

“…”

“Cheerio!”

Togame spun around and whammed him in the kneecap with her elbow.

Her “punch lines”17 were becoming a little too diverse.

“Huh…what?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Quit daydreaming. This concerns you, too, listen carefully.”

He hadn’t been daydreaming, but he’d been transfixed by Azekura and his Armor. “I’m sorry,” Shichika apologized.

It was fine to stand there, ready for whatever happened, but if he missed what the two of them were saying in the process, he missed the point.

“The Kyotoryu…” said Azekura. “I know about you. I thought it might be fun to fight the Hero of the Rebellion, but if you’re the Seventh Master, that must mean Mutsue Yasuri has retired. Seems a bit too young for that.”

“My father is dead.”

These were Shichika’s first words to Azekura.

“Which means─”

But how he died─was a secret no one knew.

Don’t be so careless─he remembered now how Meisai Tsuruga had warned him.

Nanami had warned him as well, before he even set off on the Sword Hunt: Don’t tell Miss Togame how you’ve killed our dad too.

“He’s dead─I mean, he died.”

Shichika was not so good at lying. It would be hard to imagine a conversation any more awkward, but Azekura did not seem suspicious. Togame, for her part, appeared noticeably flummoxed, but at the moment our focus is elsewhere─

Azekura spoke.

“I had heard the Kyotoryu was strong, but I had no idea that you were strong enough to singlehandedly take down the Strongest Swordsman in Japan.”

“You’re familiar with Hakuhei Sabi?”

“Yeah…I’m no swordsman, but the Armor is a sword. He caught my interest─I dreamed of one day fighting Sabi in the Basket. To truly be the Strongest in Japan, he would have to get through me.”

“…”

“And when I heard that this guy somehow came into possession of Hakuto the Whisper─another of the Twelve Possessed, like Zokuto the Armor─the dream grew even stronger. One Mutant Blade versus another. Which would prove superior? I had hoped to settle the matter sooner than later, but the two of you beat me to the punch.”

“You sure are belligerent,” Togame spoke her mind, taking no pains to conceal her disgust.18 “But what should I expect─from the captain of a band of pirates?”

“Don’t be foolish19─from birth, men want to know who’s stronger, and who we stand above─it’s how we tick. You can’t expect to call yourself the Strongest in Japan─without asking for a challenge.”

Azekura nodded at Shichika.

But Shichika was unsure how to respond.

Asking?

“I would have to agree,” Togame said, and for a moment closed her eyes. She was handling her debate with Azekura marvelously, refusing to yield an inch─but still hadn’t decided how to address this development.

One thing was for sure, rolling with the punches was no longer viable. It had become necessary to try something more aggressive.20

Togame the Schemer.

This was her chance to show21 what she was made of.

“I must say, the scope of your pirate network is impressive─I never imagined word would spread like this about our moves. Am I to understand, Dread Captain Azekura, that you even know how many of the Twelve Possessed are ours by now?”

“Four,” Azekura answered plainly. “Zetto the Leveler, Zanto the Razor, Sento the Legion, and Hakuto the Whisper, which you just won from Hakuhei Sabi. I have no clue how you got your hands on the first one, Zetto the Leveler─but for the second and the third, I even know the names of their last owners. Ginkaku Uneri and Meisai Tsuruga.”

“Hm…yes, I suppose you are correct,” Togame said aloofly.

She was only trying to surmise how much Azekura knew. She hadn’t meant it to be a heavy question.

However.

Evidently─Azekura didn’t know how they had obtained Zetto the Leveler.

For Togame, this was food for thought.

Azekura had no reason to be honest with her, and she had no reason to take his words at face value22─but assuming he was telling the truth. From the sound of it, the Armored Pirates had gathered no intelligence on the Maniwa Ninja Clan, and Azekura didn’t know exactly how Sabi had wound up with Hakuto the Whisper.

The pirate captain didn’t have the full story.

Which means─they stood a chance?

“And yet,” Togame said deliberately, “the more I hear the more confused I get─Dread Captain Azekura. You know exactly who we are, and you know why we’re here. So what would prompt the owner of Zokuto the Armor to pay us a visit?”

It couldn’t possibly be to offer up the Armor in tribute to the bakufu─Togame was finally getting down to business. They had to quit the pleasantries sooner or later. At this point, there was no turning back.

Even if Azekura’s men had the inn surrounded─

“Seriously?” laughed Azekura. “You expect me to cooperate with the bakufu? To a pirate, that is suicide─antiestablishmentarianism23 is nothing less than our banner. As long as there is water in the ocean, we won’t be caught dead currying favor with the government…but there is one thing I wanted to ask you─Togame.”

Not Lady Togame.

Togame.

Azekura dropped the formalities.

The bakufu and the pirates were rivals, but Azekura’s informality came across as overly familiar.

“If you were somehow to succeed, and prized Zokuto the Armor from my dead body─what next? As far as I know, the Armor is the only one of the Twelve Possessed in all of Kyushu─if there was another, you can bet your life that I would hear about it.”

“Ears peeled, huh.”24

“Just a careful listener. Well? I’m curious to hear where you’re off to next. Now that you’ve beaten your way through western Japan─will you hop over to Shikoku?”25

“No. In the event we dispossess you, Dread Captain Azekura, of the Armor─we plan to pay a long-overdue visit to Owari Castle. I’ve been away from home for ages now…and who wants the help to see more of their house than they do?”

“By land? Or by sea.”

“This is a harbor after all. We’d like to go by sea, if possible. There must be boats out of Dakuon bound for Owari.”

“Yeah─but not only Owari. You can go to Tosa in Shikoku, and the Capital, and the rest of Japan, from Edo up to Mt. Shirei…as far south as the Ryukyu Islands, or as far north as Ezo. Hence why I chose this port for my base of operations─while it’s no Dejima Island26 in Nagasaki, it’s undoubtedly one of the prime harbors of the nation. However─”

Azekura paused.

“If you do manage to steal the Armor, are you sure that you can make it out of Dakuon alive?”

“…”

The chores of triumph.27

Oddly enough, this was exactly what Togame had been getting at back in the hot spring─the second biggest problem they were up against, after Azekura being giant.

This man was extremely─informed.

He wasn’t just the first to know, he was deeply perceptive.28

With his great size and booming voice, Azekura didn’t seem like the type to sweat the details, and he probably did overlook the nitty gritty, and saw the world in broad brushstrokes─but that did not mean he was not a thinking man.

Despite his claims─

Perhaps he actually had beaten them to the punch.

Here to crush them, before they proved a nuisance…

What else would he do when he got word that someone sought the Armor? It was the very namesake of the Armored Pirates─if they lost it, their authority would necessarily wane, along with their grip on the harbor. He had to nip this in the bud.

Judging from his nonchalance, Azekura had dealt with any number of contenders for the Armor─in fact, how could Togame and Shichika be the first? Great Sword Hunt or no, one of Kiki Shikizaki’s Mutant Blades could buy a country. And even if the Maniwa never made it this far south, the Armor could not have gone wholly uncontested─

“Alright, I’ll cut you a deal.”

What?

She had not expected this from Azekura.

“Deal?”

Togame knit her brows.

Never in the history of the world29 has a proposal lobbed at someone as a “deal” wound up being a true bargain for the recipient. More often than not, you wind up with a lemon, dressed up like a golden egg.30

Togame braced herself.

“Let’s hear it. This better be good.”

“It’s good alright… Either way, no loss for the bakufu.”

Azekura raised a finger wrapped in steel and pointed straight at Shichika. Though left out of the conversation for some time, he was not spacing out─but being called on flustered him.

“Huh, what?”

“Kyotoryu,” Azekura said, unfazed. “Let’s have a duel.”

“…”

Shichika was dumbfounded; you could hear it in his voice, but Togame must have felt the same about this exchange that bypassed her.

“A d-duel?”

“Precisely. On the off chance that you win, I’ll hand over the Armor. And I’ll see to it that none of the pirates and nobody in town gets in your way. I swear by the god of the sea to send you on your way back to Owari.”

“God of the sea? What the hell,” Togame muttered under her breath.

Of course, she had no interest in the sea god─her mind was occupied with the deal that Azekura had proposed.

The duel had been proposed by him.

And he had promised to take care of things thereafter.

Taken at face value, this was a lucky deal indeed. But any way you looked─

“It sounds too good to be true.” There was nothing else to say. “I can’t help but think there must be a catch.”

“No catch─although of course I have a handful of conditions. I heard about all of the lowlifes that you fought along the way, you took on anyone who stopped you. I can’t imagine you’d deny me, Kyotoryu.”

“Huh? Oh, no─”

“Cheerio!”

Togame spun and whammed her elbow into Shichika, once again.

He hadn’t even tried to dodge the blow─the figure of devotion.31

But Togame was not about to extol his devotion. Instead, she chewed him out.

“Don’t just agree, you colossal idiot! Use your head.”

“Nice to meet a happy couple…” Azekura let a laugh slip from inside the Armor. He was having fun with them.

His remark made Togame come to her senses. She turned to Azekura.

“And what might these conditions be?” she asked him sternly. “Don’t tell me that you, a pirate at large, wants a pardon32─unless you’re planning to step out33 of the game.”

“Please. Do you think I’m so free of freedom34 that I need a hand from you? I didn’t mean anything that ludicrous─I just want to save face.”35

“Face?”

“Yup. Not to sound cocky, but I’m the face of this whole region─not just Dakuon Harbor. Down here, my authority is absolute.”

“Not to sound cocky or anything,” Togame shrugged sarcastically.36

She meant for this to slow the conversation down, so she could take a moment to observe how he reacted─but things did not proceed as she hoped. His armor perfectly concealed his visage and kept her from perusing his expression.

“Gah ha ha, so you see, I can’t be the one to propose the duel─for the sake of the town, and the sake of my men.”

“…”

“This is one of our taboos.37 Dueling38 is banned among the Armored Pirates─if I intentionally enter into a duel, I would set a bad example, as Captain.”

“Dueling is banned?” echoed Shichika, doubtfully. Perhaps the lawless associations of the word “pirate” failed to accord with the idea of an ethical code.

“Nothing special,” Togame explained, without turning around. “If everyone did whatever they wanted, the organization would fall apart. To maintain the integrity of a group, some degree of law is necessary─especially if you want people to like you.”

“Wow, that stings─for your information, popularity isn’t what I’m after.”

“Oh yeah? What about the Basket.”

“That has nothing to do with being popular─it’s a business. Lately it’s been even more profitable than the plundering, I’m sorry to say. Pretty soon they’ll start calling us an ocean rodeo39─oh, right.”

It sounded like he thought of something.

“When we have this duel, I want for it to happen in the Basket.”

“Why?”

The Basket.

Why fight on enemy territory─Togame had been hoping to avoid the venue.

“Why? Didn’t I just say? Duels are forbidden. If I fight you at the Basket, it’s strictly business. Plus, regardless of who wins or loses, the audience will be ecstatic to see me fight the Strongest Swordsman in Japan, especially if he doesn’t have a sword─come on, you’re from the government. Do your part in helping out the regional economy.”

“You want to show off Shichika as some kind of a freak?”

“Small price to pay, if it means you get the Armor─am I wrong?”

“…”

She had nothing to say.

You see─he wasn’t wrong.

If Shichika was forced to fight him on his turf, that wouldn’t help his chances─yet.

Things still sounded too good to be true.

“But at the Basket─I’m assuming not just any drifter can show up and fight.”

“Wrong. At the Basket, we leave the door40 wide open─the Armored Pirates welcome everybody, even drifters. You remember who I fought in the battle where you saw me…the hotshot swordsman with the massive sword? That guy was still in training, a nobody. Said he just happened to be passing through. But one false move on my part, and that rookie would have been next in line to fight you, the Strongest Swordsman in Japan!”

“…”

They even welcomed drifters.

This caught Togame by surprise.

But the flip side was that Azekura, Maestro41 of the Basket, was so resolutely confident that he welcomed even total strangers into his arena.

“That kid put up a good fight… He only earned the right to fight me after beating five of my men in a row. Probably the best no-name fighter we’ve hosted at the Basket in a while. Some good that did him, though,” laughed Azekura. “Now he’s a dead nobody.”

“The right to fight you… You’re popular, and the star of the show. So to challenge the reigning champion42 of the Basket, one needs to pass a test…I see. Well, do we have what it takes to challenge you?”

“Don’t play dumb─I know this guy’s the Strongest in Japan.”

“For the past month. Barely enough time to prove it─right, Shichika?”

“Hm? Ah, yeah, sure…”

Shichika had been warned not to simply nod along, but he could only answer vaguely. Things were getting complicated. He no longer had a clue what Togame wanted, or what she was planning to do.

“Well, all I can say is, maybe.”

“Bull─how could amassing four of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki be anything but proof? I’ve heard the Mutant Blades lorded over the Age of Warring States. The power of each domain was measured by the quantity of Shikizaki blades in its possession. I have one, and you have four─based purely on the numbers, you outrank me, even if I am the champion. I need for you to make the challenge, though, as a formality,” concluded Azekura. “To protect the image of the Armored Pirates, and my image as Captain.”

“But what about the crowd, Dread Captain Azekura? You only know about the ‘proof’ you speak of through the grapevine of your pirate network─I doubt simply making an announcement would suffice.”

“No, you’re right about that─but as they say, seeing is believing.43 Five men is overkill…three’s plenty.”

Azekura thrust three fingers at them.

Three fingers, every single knuckle clad in steel.

“Let’s have a special match down at the Basket. Say tomorrow. Beat three men in a row, and you earn yourself the right to fight the champion. Usually, I have eight men fighting for me─but that hotshot friend of ours beat five of them. Three’s all I have on hand.”

“And if Shichika beats those three men and beats you, Dread Captain Azekura, he gets to take home Zokuto the Armor as a trophy?”

“Exactly. To keep the fights from being fixed,44 the victors normally walk away with no more than a feather in their hat, but for you, I’ll make an exception. Since I’m the actual challenger, I may as well throw you a bone.”

“Special match… But don’t you host fights every other week? You sure do as you please.”

“I’m running the show. Gah ha ha!” Azekura laughed heartily. “Goes to show how bad I want to fight you guys. Trust me, I’d love to be more open about this, but there are these bores who’d raise a fuss. As an entrepreneur,45 I’ll admit that I quite like the idea of using a Master of the Kyotoryu to sell tickets.”

“…”

Togame thought in silence.

It had sounded too good to be true, but the deal seemed more plausible now. Azekura could feign deference to Shichika, calling him the Strongest Swordsman in Japan and whatnot, but if the Captain was certain he’d never lose─it made sense. And as the Maestro of the Basket, he wanted to use Shichika to make up for the five men beaten by the hotshot swordsman─however.

Was that a good enough reason for Kanara Azekura to put one of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki on the line? Pugnacious as he was, perhaps he truly only wanted to try his hand at Shichika Yasuri, Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu─

The venom of the swords.

The venom of the blades of Kiki Shikizaki─

Swordsman or not, it must have made its way into Kanara Azekura’s system─

It made sense that he needed to protect his reputation, as the head honcho in town. At the same time, a man of his reputation would have to honor his word─was he sure about making such a promise?

Togame had to be missing something.

She understood─but she was missing something.

“Far as I can see, Dread Captain Azekura─you’ve left an important question unaddressed.”

“Which is?”

“You’ve mentioned that if our side wins, Zokuto the Armor will be ours…and you will guarantee our safe return─but what happens if we lose?”

“Poor things,” mocked Azekura. “You’re worried about what will happen if you lose? Sounds like you’ve already lost to me.”

“If we lose to you, Dread Captain Azekura…or if we fail to win all three of these qualifying matches…what price will we pay for our defeat? I can’t imagine you would let us get away scot-free. Not when you’re betting the Armor.”

She had phrased it as a question, but she saw where this was going─the Captain had to have a motive, and Togame had a hunch as to what it was. In a word, he wanted them to up the ante46 by wagering the four Mutant Blades in their possession.

Zetto the Leveler. Zanto the Razor. Sento the Legion. Hakuto the Whisper.

To throw their four swords─all four of them─into the pot.

There was no other way to balance his outrageous wager.

The venom of the swords─

It was natural for the owner of a Mutant Blade to thirst for more. In fact, Togame had approached Meisai Tsuruga, their third opponent, with a similar proposition─although it must be said that the Mistress of Triad Shrine had been fighting for a better cause…

Kanara Azekura was a pirate.

For whom taking what he wanted by force was only natural─

“How insightful of you.”

And yet.

What Azekura said after this compliment entirely defied her expectations.

“If I win, Togame─I want you to be mine.”

“…?”

This development stunned her.

“Wha─don’t you want the swords?”

“Swords? Who needs a bunch of swords─this one is plenty. All I want is you,” boomed Azekura. “I fell for you the second that I saw you. Be my girl.”

■　■

Contrary to Togame’s fears, the inn was not surrounded by a squad of Armored Pirates─no, this person seemed to be alone.

He was young.

Tall and slender, long black hair cascading down his back. Expressionless─and yet his eyes possessed a glint of violence.

“…”

A while now had passed since Kanara Azekura entered the inn, in all his armored glory─by now, the pirate captain was quite engrossed in conversation.

“Poor timing… Might need to hold off. Until the time is ripe.”

The interloper uttered these words too quietly for anyone to hear─and left the inn behind.

Blending instantly into the darkness.

Sleeveless ninja garb.

Chains wrapped around his body. A strange man indeed.

1 無名 MUMEI “no name”

2 事態 JITAI situation, circumstances

3 一目瞭然 ICHIMOKU RYŌZEN blatantly obvious at first sight

4 威圧感 IATSUKAN overpowerment

5 可憐な KAREN NA cute, lovely, dainty

6 容姿 YŌSHI physical appearance

7 捌けている SABAKETE IRU easygoing; patient

8 ため語 TAMEGO style of speech among friendly peers

9 どの DONO lord/lady, strictly speaking (Azekura uses the same honorific for Togame)

10 腹の探りあい HARA NO SAGURI’AI “go searching each other’s stomachs”

11 人相書き NINSŌGAKI personal description (of a suspect)

12 噴飯もの FUNPAN MONO “meal-blowing”

13 袋のねずみ FUKURO NO NEZUMI rats in a sack

14 名高き NADAKAKI renowned

15 舞台度胸 BUTAI DOKYŌ stage nerve

16 成れの果て NARE NO HATE the result/end of becoming

17 突っ込み TSUKKOMI “thrusting in” retort, usu. delivered by the straight man in a comedy routine

18 呆れ AKIRE being appalled

19 愚問だな GUMON DANA “that’s a stupid question”

20 強引 GŌIN “pull hard”

21 見せどころ MISEDOKORO showcase (often, in a theatrical work)

22 頭から ATAMA KARA “head-on”

23 反権力反体制 HANKENRYOKU HANTAISEI “anti-power, anti-establishment”

24 地獄耳 JIGOKU MIMI “hell ears” clairaudience; able to pick up voices, in particular

25 四国 SHIKOKU “four countries” the smallest of Japan’s four main islands; had four domains

26 出島 DEJIMA the sole point of direct trade with the outside world during the Edo period

27 勝戦処理 SHŌSEN SHORI neologism that plays on 敗戦処理 HAISEN SHORI mopping up a loss

28 洞察力 DŌSATSURYOKU “power to see into a cave”

29 古今東西 KOKON TŌZAI “now as before, from east to west”

30 権謀術数 KENBŌ JUSSŪ manipulations

31 忠義者 CHŪGI MONO loyal comrade/servant

32 お目こぼし OMEKOBOSHI look the other way

33 足を洗う ASHI WO ARAU “wash one’s feet” mending one’s evil ways

34 自由に不自由 JIYŪ NI FUJIYŪ deprived of liberty

35 面子 MENTSU face (as in honor) derived from the Chinese word mianzi

36 わざとらしく WAZATO RASHIKU artificially

37 ご法度 GOHATTO prohibition an Edo-era term

38 私闘 SHITŌ private fighting

39 陸海賊 OKA KAIZOKU “land pirates” phonies

40 門戸 MONKO gated entrance

41 主催者 SHUSAISHA sponsor, host

42 王者 ŌJA ruler

43 百聞は一見にしかず HYAKUBUN WA IKKEN NI SHIKAZU “one look is worth a hundred rumors”

44 八百長 YAOCHŌ rigged match

45 商売人 SHŌBAI NIN businessperson

46 賭け金 KAKEKIN stakes