KATANAGATARI 2

“Infovac?”26

Shichika squinted at this unfamiliar term.

Togame unpacked it for him. “Remember how Kyoken went through Konayuki’s memory after she took over her body? Well, Kawauso does the same thing, but with inanimate objects: stone and steel, desks and chairs, houses and mansions, helmets and swords. He can read the history of things. Psychometry,27 to put it simply.”

“Things have feelings too─Kyotoryu. But it’s not like I can read it all. I’m the opposite of Kyoken. I can’t read people’s feelings. I’m too bashful.”

Shichika gasped. “You mean…”

Even with a katana’s brains, it was easy to imagine just how useful this kind of ninpo would be in a scramble for the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki─so what if reading every single detail was beyond him? His ability to glean an item’s history made him a major threat.

He’d said “opposite”─but it was opposite in a whole other way. If Kyoken Maniwa was a persistent presence, then the ninja Kawauso Maniwa could decipher persistent presences!

To think that the Maniwa had such a secret weapon all along!

No wonder Hohoh had been so forthcoming in his alliance with Togame.

He had an ace in the hole.28

But what was his plan showing up here, waving his ace?

“Are you trying to make up for violating the agreement─by lending me Kawauso?”

“Is that what you would like?”

“Fool. Why should I believe a ninja? The best I can hope for are easy lies.”

“If that’s the way you see it, how about this instead?”

Hohoh Maniwa moved his hand.

The blade of his hand, which he had used─to chop off his left arm.

But this time, the hand was aimed at Kawauso’s neck.

“Ah…!”

“…ulp!”

Togame yelped─and Shichika gasped yet again.

The blade of Hohoh’s hand, sharp as any sword, sent Kawauso’s noggin twirling through the air. That was the extent of the sideshow, which ended there without any further flourish.29 Kawauso’s head, still wearing its faint smile, simply spun twice or thrice and bored into the snow. For a few moments, his headless body spewed blood like a geyser, standing upright─but it soon lost its balance, fell to its knees, and fell face…neck-first into the snow.

“Y-You!”

“There, the life of a Maniwa Boss. Just another ninja, but I beg you, please don’t take this lightly,” Hohoh deadpanned─showing her his bloody hand just like the month before. “With the loss of Kyoken and Kawauso, the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa have been reduced to a mere four, including me. At this point, Madame Schemer, we cannot pose a threat to you as enemies. What reason have you left to fear us? I would hope that you can find it in your heart now to pretend our little slipup with the treaty never happened.”

“Y-You’re supposed to be their leader!”

“Again, you overestimate me. The Maniwa have no use for a leader. Ninjas are born, and then they live, and then they die. What now?” Hohoh calmly continued with his intimidating overture. “If we still scare you even now that we have lost Kawauso’s psychometry, then I have no choice but to fight you, on my own. To see who gets the sword that girl was holding, Soto the Twin. Not like I could lift the heaviest sword in existence, but that’s irrelevant. Taking down the killer of my comrade is all the─”

“Enough, it never happened!” yelled Togame, not even letting Hohoh finish. “I’ll let it slide this time! Just get out of my sight! I’m sick of looking at your creepy smile!”

“I’m much obliged by this sudden generosity.”

With that, Hohoh Maniwa hoisted Kawauso’s body over his shoulder and crouched to pick up the severed head.

“Oh…Madame Schemer. About that last bit of intelligence, which you just said was looking pretty iffy. I have an update, and while I have you here, I may as well fill you in. I told you that three of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki could be found in Mt. Shirei, Tendo, and Edo─but it seems that the owner of the sword in Mt. Shirei has changed.”

“The owner…changed?”

“Not that we Maniwa can take the credit─and considering your recent schedule, neither can you… In other words, a third party has started their own Sword Hunt.”

Speaking without inflection, Hohoh turned his back on Shichika and Togame.

“I hear our rival boarded a ship in Mutsu30 that is headed for Shikoku. As with Princess Negative…I suggest that you address this threat as soon as possible. Mt. Shirei is a Level One Disaster Area, just like Mt. Odori, but it got demolished in a mere quarter of an hour─sounds like a real monster.”

1 重鎮 JŪCHIN important person 重い OMOI heavy 鎮 CHIN a weight

2 逐一丁寧に説明 CHIKU’ICHI TEINEI NI SETSUMEI explain carefully, point by point

3 元凶 GENKYŌ “source evil” root of an unpleasant situation

4 星の巡りの悪い HOSHI NO MEGURI NO WARUI star-crossed

5 狂犬発動 KYŌKEN HATSUDŌ pun on 強権発動 KYŌKEN HATSUDŌ invoking state power

6 伝染の狂犬 DENSEN NO KYŌKEN “The Contagious Mad Dog”

7 残留思念 ZANRYŪ SHINEN “lingering ideation” (paranormal, usually of a dead person)

8 水臭い MIZUKUSAI “disagreeably watery” (恐水病 KYŌSUI BYŌ “water-fearing disease” = rabies)

9 感嘆 KANTAN awestruck 感じる KANJIRU to feel 嘆く NAGEKU to wail

10 手詰まり TEZUMARI “out of hands (moves)”

11 ためらいなく TAMERAI NAKU without hesitation

12 根こそぎ NEKOSOGI “roots and all”

13　遺伝子 IDENSHI genes (i.e. deliberate anachronism)

14 ばか正直 BAKA SHŌJIKI “stupid straightforward”

15 死に絶える SHINI TAERU “die off” compound of the preceding 死ぬ SHINU die 絶える TAERU cease

16 木偶の坊 DEKU NO BŌ wooden doll or puppet

17 梅 UME plum often pickled to be sour; a nuance here of punchy tartness

18 定石 定跡 JŌSEKI JŌSEKI “set stone” “set path” optimal moves in go and shogi, respectively

19 速さで翻弄する HAYASA DE HONRŌ SURU make sport by virtue of speed

20 夜顔 YORUGAO “The Moonflower” (literally, “night face” vs. 朝顔 ASAGAO Morning Glory)

21 双刀之犬 SŌTŌ NO INU “Dog of the Twin Katana”

22 飛花落葉 HIKA RAKUYŌ “Spattering Flower Petals”

23 鞘打ち SAYA’UCHI “scabbard blow” vs. 峰打ち MINE’UCHI hitting with the spine of the sword

24 斬り伏せて KIRI FUSETE “cut down”

25 ひらひら HIRA HIRA onomatopoeia for gentle flapping

26 記録辿り KIROKU TADORI “tracing the record”

27 探魂法 TANKON HŌ “a means for searching souls” (not a simple word, in English or in Japanese)

28 切り札 KIRIFUDA trump card

29 衒い TERAI pretense

30 陸奥 MUTSU modern-day Aomori, at the northern tip of Honshu, the main island of Japan