Kitsune Anand approaches Minoru and his yoriki, to introduce himself, saying that he is working with the newly established lord of the region, but left for the hamlet of Porisuko when he heard that the Emerald Office had sent out agents to deal with Nagokita. He impresses upon Minoru that Nagokita is not to be underestimated, explaining that the warlord butchered the local Shinjo and destroyed what is now called the Ruined Forest Keep, which was once their seat of power in the region.
However, he considers it the least of Nagokita’s crimes, and explains that his clan had to act as mediators between the Lion and the Unicorn when dealing with the matter, giving him insight into the particulars. Some of Nagokita’s own men protested his actions and requested permission to take his head in exchange for their early retirement, which would have swept the matter under the rug. They were successful, and sent the head of Nagokita, and those of everyone else involved in the butchery of the Hachimoto family, directly to the Shinjo. Given how long it has taken for the Shinjo to appoint new custodians of this land, and someone calling themselves Nagokita still acts as the local lord, Anand believes that the retired samurai who supposedly killed him must still be active in the region. He claims they are likely dispersed among the local monasteries, common folk or ronin, using false identities.
Minoru tells Anand his plans to deal with the situation, and lays out how he’ll be visiting the Shinjo tomorrow to introduce himself and request soldiers to search the region for Nagokita as soon as possible. Anand approves of the plan, and brings up another reason why he wanted to talk to Minoru before he meets the Shinjo.
Anand explains that the new local lord came out of nowhere to take command of the Guard’s Wrath ronin band, and was only recently adopted by the Shinjo, so may be unused to dealing with great clan samurai. Though Minoru promises to be as straightforward with them as possible, Anand also mentions that he knows the group have been visiting their other neighbors to see how they might help the restoration of Hirosaka, but that as newly elevated samurai, Shinjo Huihuisu may not know what they have to offer in terms of resources, or what their value is. He instead offers his own appraisal: though the hamlets of this region seemed barely able to sustain themselves on the ride here, many of them are home to extremely skilled carpenters, smiths, rangers, foresters, prospectors and appraisers, all with connections to a vast network of merchants. He believes that with proper direction, they could transform this region into a prosperous one. The Brotherhood of Shinsei, he adds, also have investments in the region, and would like to support more monasteries and waystations for pilgrims headed to the Plains of Thunder due to the dangers of both the Shinomen Mori and the River of Gold.
Anand continues by elaborating more on Shinjo Huihuisu, whose way of thinking is unlike anything Anand has ever come across before. He gives as an example the time that Huihuisu paid a second round of taxes to Otomor Hideko after the first batch was stolen, seeing no issue with it. As such, he says, Huihuisu may be able to offer up solutions to problems that may surprise Minoru and his team. Eiko notices that this actually stresses Anand out more than any of the times he’s spoken about Nagokita, though he hides it well.
Minoru asks if Anand will be joining them when meeting Huihuisu and looking for Nagokita, which Anand confirms before rising to leave. Before excusing himself, he asks Minoru if it would be possible to have the Guard’s Wrath pardoned for any crimes committed while they were ronin, so that they can be recognised as legitimate by surrounding clans. While he cannot promise it, Minoru says he will discuss the matter with his advisors after meeting with the Shinjo tomorrow.
Anand heads up to his room, as do Minoru and Hajime, leaving the Eiko and Yuzume downstairs. Eiko notices that one of the patrons of the inn is a monk, and approaches to talk to him about the monasteries in the area. The monk mentions that he works at a monastery dedicated to Koshin, the fortune of roads, and offers Eiko the best directions to the Ruined Forest Keep that he can, since he knows the paths so well. Eiko realises that this route would take them through the Shinomen Mori, and that even if they made it out, they would end up far, far away from the keep itself – for some reason, the monk must be lying. As he responds with wordy praise and thanks, Eiko notices that the monk carries two swords under his robes, which no member of the Brotherhood should have on them. Thankfully, the monk doesn’t realise that Eiko has seen them, and takes his leave after bidding Eiko goodnight.
Eiko discusses this discovery with Yuzume, who requests that he fetch Minoru downstairs to accompany her on a walk. He stays upstairs to socialise with Hajime while Minoru meets Yuzume, and once the two Scorpion are outside she explains that they might want to follow the man pretending to be a monk, in case it leads them to some clues. Yuzume requests that the air kami cover her in a shroud to make her invisible to the human eye, but Minoru can only rely on his own stealth as they track the man through the hamlet. He stops at the geisha house, where four men and women come out to join him with knives and rusted swords.
For a moment, they raise their heads, their attention drawn in Minoru’s direction even though they haven’t yet spotted him. Thinking quickly, he picks up a small rock from the ground and throws it into someone’s garden, hitting a resting chicken on the head and giving himself time to hide himself properly as the group is distracted. They wait a little longer as the monk and his friends chat and walk around to a wagon, where he hands them a huge sum of money before pulling the wagon toward the temple on his own. Minoru and Yuzume both follow inside the temple, with Minoru pretending to be any old person offering up prayers, and Yuzume still invisible.
The shrine is for Mikoto, the Fortune of Ronin, and is tended to by a couple of monks. The main building is filled to the brim with old discarded weapons and armor, presented as offerings, along with prayer beards and tied bells. Some of the equipment, however, is not out of date, and wouldn’t be out of place in a Lion armory. Minoru realises that they’re hiding the weapons they use in plain sight, and gestures to Yuzume that they should leave now that they have this information.
Yuzume, however, decides that it may help their odds when they battle Nagokita and his army if their weapons and armor do not work as intended, and calls upon the earth kami to help her make the metal brittle and the joints of the armor stiff. After making her offering, she smiles and happily leaves the temple. Minoru follows behind, but the monks, realising that this man came in without purifying himself or making any offerings, is acting quite suspiciously, and follow him outside the temple. They pull swords on him, and ask if he will join them as a guest, which he turns down twice before they insist. Deciding to attack them before he can be attacked, Minoru lets out a loud cry and draws his sword on the monk closest to him. Yuzume, still invisible, runs up behind the monk, joining in Minoru’s cries so that Hajime and Eiko will hear them.
Back at the inn, Eiko and Hajime are readying themselves to make the best impression possible on the Shinjo tomorrow – painting their nails, discussing the right outfits to wear, etc. Hajime has brought out his secret stash of tea that he only shares with other Crane, that Minoru and Yuzume don’t know about. Eiko praises Hajime for how handily he dealt with the Imperials this morning, and the two exchange compliments while Hajime tries not to think about how badly thinks with Sanae as well. They are glad to finally have a quiet moment with no interruptions, and just as Hajime pours the tea, Minoru and Yuzume’s screams cut through the air.
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