#dragon of kansai

[eyeeatskin]

Call him the Dragon of Kanslay, Patriarch of the Let's Go!-Ryu Clan

[zenkaze-japan]

So far so good… riding the dragon

[wholockiantabs]

Also, thanks to these games, I've discovered that I clearly have a thing for Kansai men, so that was a fun discovery.

(That, or that's just my internal gender goals and I've yet to fully realize it, but either way, I love these men, your honor)

i love it when rgg gives me lil grown men in their silly sunglasses so i can fixate on them for multiple months on end :)

[yuurei20]

Summarized transcript of the Twisted Radio episode with Scarabia (plus Ace) voice actors!! 🥳 (all is just paraphrased, not direct quotes, and Book 7 spoilers removed!)

Highlights: ・They sound so much like their characters when they talk. ・Kalim's VA does kickboxing and jujitsu ・Jamil's VA will style his own hair when he goes to hair salons ・Cater and Ace's VAs were able to record together for Book 7 Chapter 12, which is rare

Ace’s VA Yamashita (❤️) is the host, opens by asking if Jamil’s Futaba (🐍) and Kalim’s Furuta (🦦) haven’t been together for Twst for a while.

🦦 confirms, saying that they do all their recordings separately. They talk about how 🐍 and 🦦 have both appeared separately on Twst Radio.

Opening Talk: Something that has happened since 2025 began. 

They say it has only been two weeks (as of time of recording) so there hasn’t been time for anything to have happened, so they change the question to anything that went on around the end of the year or new year’s resolutions.

🦦’s story is on January 2nd he went to Enoshima and saw a matching keychain to a dragon sword keychain that he already has. And he wanted to get it, but then he didn’t. And that is the story ww

🐍 says he had a job at the start of the year where he had to appear somewhere as a guest. He met a senpai from a musical he’d been in before but when they started talking he realized that the senpai didn’t know anything about him (he knew he was a twin but thought he was the older brother, thought he was from Shizuoka even though he has a strong Kansai accent, etc.). And that was his story, a strange conversation with a senpai.

❤️ says he went for an overnight stay to a place with an onsen where also a friend lives, and his friend’s house is an inn. He didn’t stay at the inn but they prepared a special crab cuisine for him. He said it felt awkward going over to a friend’s house and meeting with their parents and everything as an adult.

Fan Letter 1 (there are two)

The letter says they have been playing Twst since 16 years old just the same age as Ace and Deuce and they want to know if the cast also has things that they have been continuing for years.

🦦 says he has been doing martial arts since he was 3. He did karate until graduating from middle school, and has been doing boxing as an adult. He does kickboxing and jujitsu now.

🐍 says his mother gave him a hair straightener when he was in middle school and he has been straightening his hair ever since. He thinks he is really good at it now. When he goes to hair salons for hair cuts he will ask to borrow the straightener from the hair stylist and style his own hair for himself.

❤️ says he was in track and field in middle school. He is good at marathons, he likes them. He loves running.

🐍 says he used to play baseball in school and hated running.

Fan Letter 2

The letter says they have been playing since 6 months after the game’s release and they were surprised by Book 5 with the singing, and how Jamil sang so well. They want to ask 🦦 and 🐍 about singing for the game.

🦦 “Kalim did not pass the audition for main vocals 😒” www

❤️ says he was nervous about being able to keep up with 🤖 and 🦦 for RAVE-UP! UP! and he heard 🦦 ’s recording of the song before he recorded and was very impressed.

🦦 says he imagined that he was singing to an audience of 2,000 people.

🐍 says he had to be careful to remember Jamil’s calmer demeanor when singing and keep a calmer tone. He struggled with the English pronunciation of the lyrics for “This is Halloween.”

🦦 tried to say the name of the next section together with 🐍 but 🐍 had the wrong page of his script open and panicked ww

Now they are going to talk about their impressions of their characters and about portraying them and the characters in the main story.

🦦 says his first impression of Kalim was of someone who has a bright personality and his high energy, but now he recognizes how he is able to draw people to him and his big heart and his elegance. He has to be careful so as not to portray Kalim as a bright character only, who doesn’t have anything else going on.

🐍 says that his first impression of Jamil was someone with a complicated personality, considering his situation. He thinks that Jamil’s growth is one of the great things about the character as he interacts with other NRC characters and learns. 

Recently Jamil has become a more comical character, which 🐍 did not see coming at all. The way he interacts with the other characters and the prefect is changing a lot, and he has to be conscious of all that when portraying Jamil.

🦦 says that Kalim’s brightness is what makes him unique. There are times when actors want to insert a bit of their own personality into a character, but he thinks it’s important that he doesn’t do that, which emphasizes Kalim’s personal individuality. He doesn’t want to add unnecessary flair just for his own ego and risk compromising Kalim as a character.

🐍 says that he did the famous DOKKAN part of Book 4 (localized as “Whoopee” on EN) in one take. They mention Jamil’s growth in Book 6. 

Now goes into conversation of non-EN content, removed from this post for spoilers~

And review of the schedule~

NRC Exam, Chapter 12 (2/3) on JP, Trey’s Book 7 card, Cater’s birthday campaign, Lantern of Wishes event, Azul birthday campaign~

❤️ says that he and Cater’s VA Kobayashi Tatsuyuki (🔸) actually recorded together for Book 7-12 (2/3), so they got to discuss together all the depth of what is going on in the story. 

🦦 says he enjoyed recording the episode and he wants to come back sooner than a year and a half, like last time.

🐍 says he is glad that they were able to discuss Kalim and Jamil together in depth.

The Opening Talk topic they set for next time is: What do you buy when you travel?

🐍 says he got a wooden sword once when he was in elementary school and his mother was not impressed and took it away from him. 

🦦 says he wants more companions for his dragon sword keychain.

[perakstaz]

What if Earthlings created the uncanny valley effect for the inhabitants of the Re:Zero world?

Well, maybe our proportions and theirs differ by a few measly millimeters because we evolved, and they... were apparently created once by Od Laguna and that's it, no millions of years of genetic struggle (I refuse to believe in evolution in fantasy worlds. With trillions of sentient races, it's unrealistic).

Al would find another reason not to take off his helmet because of this.

Subaru wouldn't understand why everyone is shying away from him. He'd blame his mom's scary eyes. Deeper connection could have developed between him and Emilia from the very beginning (both are very scary by the standards of this world). And Rem in the second arc… well…

Wild rumors would spread about him. He'd be the last of some demi-human species, or a spirit, or a humanoid witchbeast, or cursed, or just some kind of benevolent weirdo. Or maybe just sick?

If they believe in yokai somewhere in Kararagi, those guys with the Kansai dialect would classify him as one.

But how strange would the idea of human evolution be for the inhabitants of the rz world? Well, they have something similar themselves. They power up in battles, dragons transformed into dragonkins (am I spelled it right-), spirits with their evolution. But what about the evolutionary process that lasted millions of years? The process where literal animals stood on two legs and gained intelligence? And Subaru is one of those.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

all of the vegapunks speak quite distinctly, and from what i’ve seen, they all use different personal pronouns with different levels of formality! going in order from what we’ve seen so far:

1: shaka speaks quite formally (for a man, which i’m loosely assuming he is)- he uses watashi as his personal pronoun, which places him in a neutral/formal spot, and uses kimi to address the strawhats (which is somewhat diminuitive/maybe a little condescending) but omae to address dragon (conclusion: ???).

2: lilith speaks like a stereotypical old man- she uses washi as her personal pronoun and the masculine omae as her ‘you’ pronoun, and tends to use ja as her sentence-ending copula instead of da.

3: edison speaks kansai-ben (though i don’t know enough to say if it’s a specific subdialect)- he self-references with wai, which is a dialectal variant of the washi pronoun that lilith uses, and ends his sentences with ya in place of the regular da.

4: pythagoras is, from what we’ve seen so far, the most polite of the satellites- he’s the only one to consistently use polite verb forms.

5: atlas speaks probably the most aggressively, which suits her general demeanor but is very incongruous with her actual appearance- she uses the masculine ore for her first-person pronoun and omae for ‘you.’

6: haven’t really seen york speak yet besides, like, noises.

[hifumi-123]

123 Smile!

The Dragon Maid of Kansai

[kiyosato-yuri]

♡ Get to know my yumeship ♡

so yesterday was my 850 days anniversary with Ryoshu so

— • • • ୨୧ • • • —

🐉 Fandom: #PMYume #LimbusCompany

🚬 Pairing: Ryōshū, Yuri

🐉 Ship name: Swords Dancers

🚬 Ship icon: 🚬⚔️

🐉 Relationship: childhood friend, rival, complicated, have fan childs

🚬 About sharing: to other GL pair/yume with Ryōshū only 😔👊🏻💥

— • • • ୨୧ • • • —

Here is some information and fun fact about her:

Yuri was based on my mascot, a dragon, so she basically doesn't based on any literature resources although she is descendant of the Azure Dragon of the East

Her true form is an eastern dragon You would see me draw her with pointy ears or horns, long dragon tail sometimes

Yuri has a mole right under her eye, and her neck (another one on her breast but only Ryōshū gets to see it-) She doesn't have the 2 ahoge in the front during her early design

Her dragon form

Her tongue picture for no reason

Her early design art ^

Her name written in kanji would be 侑龍 (Yuri), her full name is 青鬼侑龍 (Kiyosato Yuri)

Which is a pun I combined from dragon 龍 and yuri 百合 Blue青 is my favorite color, Oni 鬼 is one of my favorite races in terms of mythology creature's

Yuri's genders are hermaphrodite/intersex with she/her and they/them pronoun

She's the current matriarch of her clan

P/s: later I used it as my username since it ...kind of unique?

She's a dual katana wielder, one name Tenryuu 天龍 and one is Denryuu 電龍. She will use one of them to enter battle.

She only uses both swords to perform rain dance and received a buff status from it. Depending on which one is the main sword she is holding, her skill set, and sin affinity will change

Her main sin affinity are Gloom, Envy and Pride

She would speak in Kansai-dialect, or Cantonese because I speak those

Her quotes 「命かけて戦わんと、生き���られへんで。」 " Those who don't fight for their life, won't survive."

She likes melon ice cream

Extra: She has 3 babies with Ryōshū- 🤡 because I love seeing OC getting children

[dumbhumanenergy]

The Dragon of Kansai

Been playing Yakuza Kiwami 2 recently and I think the brain rot may be taiking over lol

[catluniscia]

Tentamon Majima

So some context...or a lot of context in this. So it's stated in the anime, he speaks with a Kansai Accent...now for those who don't know The Kansai dialect is typified by the speech of Osaka, the major city of Kansai, which is referred to specifically as Osaka-ben. It is characterized as being both more melodic and harsher by speakers of the standard language. (source wikipedia) And is also the accent of Majima from the Like a Dragon Series, ( I would say the Y word but certain places don't like that word and so we have to use the other title) And I made a comment about it on the socials about it and asked if there was any overlap between these two fandoms, there is, but no one really drew Majima styled Tentamon...so here I am adding this to the pool and maybe people will see it and go huh interesting. Was kinda hard trying to figure out how to do the jacket but I finished over thinking and got something out of him doing the iconic coming out of the manhole cover.

[zenkaze-japan]

Enter the Dragon…2024

[yakuzacanons]

hello! could i ask some mundane headcannons for ryuji? commom/cute stuff that he likes, like what he prefers for breakfast or if he likes any sports, some NSFW if you see fit. i love your mind and your writing, i KNOW you can make this cool 🙏 tysm!!!!!!

Love n justice for our Kansai Dragon, anything for our golden headed big boy. No major NSFW here so have fun, everyone.

Sleeps like a starfish and snores like a mf. Shockingly, rises pretty early in the morning. Tends to walk around his bedroom with no clothes on, maybe a robe at most.

Coffee drinker in the morning but tea drinker at night. He has a routine. Likes to brew his own at both times. Doesn't talk much during breakfast, mostly just yawns like hell.

Prefers a traditional Japanese breakfast over western style breakfast, then western style food for lunch or dinner for variety. Knows how to cook but seldom has the time to do so.

Doesn't play many sports himself but fond of watching them. Sumo wrestling is a personal interest for him. In private, he does work out a lot though and does some kickboxing.

Loves pets. Your pets, his friends' pets, his coworkers' pets, a stranger's pet. If it is small and fluffy and can be pat on the head, he likes it. You'd be shocked at the noise that can come out of this large ass man when he sees a cute dog.

Fond of shopping and dressing up, which always comes off as shocking to someone at the Omi. Naturally sharp dresser and has great taste. If you need fashion advice, he's got you.

Yes, he does have to redye his hair fairly often and no he will not to some salon to do it. He will do it at home in his bathroom by himself, thanks very much. Well, unless he's dating someone. Then maybe they can help out.

Despite the fact that he's almost always constantly surrounded by people, he doesn't like going out in large groups. Most of the people he does go out with are Omi men, many of which he sees as coworkers and less as friends. Plus, it means he has to be responsible for their behavior so it's not really relaxing time off.

His favorite types of dates are wine tastings or going to a cool jazz club. Romantic at heart but everyone assumes he's a fuck boy based on his looks.

[asp1990]

Day 20: Sunday January 19th, 2025 [Final Day]

Breakfast: konbini coffee & snacks

Lunch: dry aged wagyu steak meal set

Dinner: veggie teriyaki noodles

Steps: 14,621

Last day post! Deciding now to trek out to Nara was the best decision we could make. We woke up at 8:30am and had ample time to shower and negotiate our packing situation. Yet again, I was thankful for packing my mini suitcase inside my larger one as it allowed us a bit more grace in fitting in all of our goodies.

We checked out at 11am, left our luggage at the hotel, and went for a stroll through the Shinsaibashi shopping mall… again. We visited the Pokemon store… again. We then walked for 20 minutes to visit the Namba Yasuka Shrine, which is famous for its dragon head design. We took a few photos but the line to make an offering was huge, so we decided to get some lunch instead. A very quick visit!

We walked back towards Dontoburi for lunch - I’d found one last place off my list for us to try that Google suggested was “not as busy as usual” so we were hoping we wouldn’t have to queue. As soon as we lined up a waitress came and showed us a message on her phone that said “the queue is for 1 hour. We can guide you to our sister restaurant with a similar menu” so we said sure! We ended up a few doors down at a beautiful restaurant called Kitan Hibiki Yakiniku & Steak. We were seated upstairs where the grill round table was fully occupied, so we got to sit at the bar all by ourselves. We enjoyed two beautiful ‘dry aged wagyu steak meal sets’ that had steak over rice with egg, miso soup, pickled veg & soba noodles. Delicious! We enjoyed a long lunch and decided which last touristy thing to do. Morgan suggested karaoke or a maid cafe but both felt a bit off for the middle of the day on a Sunday. I suggested one more “sky high” view and Morgan agreed. I booked tickets through Klook and we caught the train to Harukas 300 Observatory.

Once out of the station we tried to follow signs to the observatory but it was very confusing! We got a lift up to the fourteenth floor and were confused again. We followed signs with a blue bear covered in clouds on it but that stopped suddenly. Infuriating! Finally we found the damn ticket desk and there was no queue, so we went right up. Phew!

The observation deck was beautiful and second highest to Tokyo Skytree that we visited at the start of our trip. The sun was shining bright and it was so hot we had to remove our coats. We could see the Donki Ferris wheel that we’d ridden and Osaka Castle in the distance. We stayed for about half an hour before needing to head off. We did some shopping (surprise, surprise - there was a mall underneath) for one more souvenir for Morgan’s mum that he’d struggled to find. We then caught the train back to our hotel. We collected our luggage, charged our phones and booked a taxi to the train station that was where our connecting train would be if we took PT the whole way. We were worried about taking bulky luggage on the subway during peak hour and wanted to be on the train as little as possible.

We got to the train station at 5:20pm and luckily it was a station with elevators. We went up to the platforms easily and accidentally boarded a pre-booked train with comfy seats and room for luggage. We sat down, heard the PA announcement say “please have your tickets ready to show the conductor” and promptly jumped off at the next station. Whoops! Luckily the correct train arrived 4 mins later and it wasn’t packed at all, so all anxiety about being an inconvenience was alleviated. It took 30 minutes to get to Kansai International Airport.

As soon as we walked through the doors to the international terminal it was chaos. No lines, no rules, and a whole lot of confused looking white people. Morgan hadn’t been able to print or download our boarding passes so we were already at a hurdle. It took ages to queue for luggage tags, the conveyer belts weren’t working and both our bags were overweight. It took us an hour to check in properly. When it was finally our turn, we were too tired to exit the line and reorganise our luggage, so we had to pay $124 for 8kg of excess. We then made it through security and customs without any issue and had time to have a final sake in the departure terminal before boarding.

Our flight was huge - 3 rows of 3 across and very full. I took a sleeping pill and hoped I’d be able to snooze during our 7hr flight. I sat between Morgan and an elderly woman, Elizabeth, from the States who was very ready for a chat when I was ready for a snooze. Thankfully we both dozed when the lights went off. The woman behind me incessantly poked me in the back when reaching things from her seat pocket, which was frustrating, but otherwise a smooth ride.

We arrived in Cairns at 6am. It was nice to be back in Aus. The customs guy made fun of my for filling out my declaration form in purple pen (it was the only one I had) but let it fly. Then on to Melbourne!

I had the most wonderful time in Japan with Morgan, but am desperately craving my own bed, clothes not from a suitcase, being able to cool, warmer weather & our cat. This was a trip of a lifetime though! 🇯🇵🍜⛩️

[todayisafridaynight]

Idk why ryuji bein all like ‘i dont mind The Dragon part [of dragon of kansai]’ is cute to me

[four-white-trees]

Trick or treat!!

cutieeeeeee

here, have some Ryuji from my Kaito fic :3

Kaito and Hoshino were brought into a small room divided by a plexiglass screen. Two folding chairs were the only objects in the room, and Hoshino and Kaito settled down in them. Kaito had to position his chair back a ways to fit his legs in, and even then, between him and Hoshino, the space felt too small to contain them.

The claustrophobic feeling only increased when Ryuji Goda was brought into the other half of the room. Kaito smelled him first, his earthy, musky scent traveling through the small slats in the plexiglass meant to facilitate talking. Not an unpleasant scent, but something in it made Kaito’s hackles raise. Goda was a massive man who had a few inches over Kaito, which was not a common occurrence in his experience. He was quite broad, a wall of a man composed of muscle and fat, and there hardly seemed enough room on the other side of the glass divider to hold him.

He stared across the divider, glowering at Kaito and Hoshino. He’d removed–or had taken from him–his black chef’s coat and cap, and he wore only a white undershirt and black slacks. His hair, disheveled from a night in jail, was still blond after all these years, and it reached to his shoulders. His right arm was missing below the elbow, a fact Kaito had not taken notice of the night before. The harsh fluorescent lights of the room highlighted every harsh line and blemish and freckle in his face. Kaito felt at once intimidated and exhilarated to be sitting face-to-face with a real yakuza legend.

The Dragon of Kansai himself.

Hoshino opened his mouth to begin, but Goda beat him to the punch. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked, his voice vibrating the walls.

Hoshino stammered and seemed like he was having trouble finding his words, so Kaito leaned forward. “I’m Kaito, a P.I. with the Yagami Detective Agency.” He held his business card up for Goda to see. He couldn’t present it properly to him, of course, but Kaito still wanted to respect Yagami’s business card etiquette. Goda seemed uninterested in reading the card, however, as he kept his gaze trained on Kaito. “Your business partner, Kim-san, hired me to look into the murder you’ve been accused of.”

Goda slid his eyes to Hoshino. “And the boy here?”

Hoshino cleared his throat, color coming to his cheeks. “I’m Hoshino, a defense lawyer with Genda Law Offices.”

Goda scoffed. “Kim hire you too?”

“Well, ah, no,” Hoshino answered. “But if you would allow me to be your defense representative, it would help Kaito-san’s investigation as well. Genda Law Office and the Yagami Detective Agency have a very close working relationship.”

Goda leaned back in his chair, grimacing. “Kamurocho’s gotten a lot scammier than I thought,” he said.

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 3 - The Song of Naru (Part 1)

Things that happened in this chapter

- Yotube drama

- Mustaches

Watch Ooku guys!

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. Nakiryuu means “crying dragon” and it’s a common motif in Buddhist temples 

2. I don’t know what this means. I think it’s some kind of Japanese wordplay that flew over my head

3. Oogiri is “a form of comedy that focuses on improvisation by providing a funny answer on the spot for a question or thematic topic”

Previous | Next

Haneina High School’s Asahina was eating an onigiri.

He had spread out a picnic blanket in the courtyard during the bright afternoon and was eating lunch. Next to him, Eddie was stuffing his cheeks with triangular onigiris. Before studying abroad, he had learned of the existence of onigiri after watching a Japanese historical drama, and now he was captivated by them. Every day he thought about what to use for the filling, and today’s filling was kiwi fruit.

When Asahina was on a school trip in elementary school, he saw that only his onigiris were cylindrical while everyone else’s were triangle-shaped and thought, Huh? Why am I the only one who’s different? He asked his mother about it after he returned home, and she told him that she was from Kansai and that onigiri had always been made like this back home. Apparently, it was easier to pack in a lunch box.

There was an unpleasant scraping sound, and Asahina stopped eating.

“Ow, I bit the inside of my mouth.”

“If you bite the inside of your mouth, that is your body’s way of informing you that you are eating too much and it doesn’t wish to eat anymore.”

“Really?”

A quick internet search revealed that when the body was in poor condition, such as fatigue or poor physical condition, it was difficult to control jaw movement well. It said to get plenty of rest and get in shape. It had a point. Last night, he had been too focused on video editing and didn’t get enough sleep. Eating too much—he did have second helpings of Wan-Nyan cheese curry at the place he visited yesterday.

The Haneina second-year Asahina You and American exchange student Eddie Fox were Yotubers who ran the channel “Yumihiki Douji” together, and they were well-received. The standard orange kyudo uniform was Haneina’s color. They also had customized orange bows and arrows, all of which were uniquely theirs.

Anyways, it was “aesthetic.” Rather than kyudo that emphasizes spirituality, they aimed for kyudo that people could enjoy watching.

On today’s practice, Asahina wore a pongee kimono as he drew his bow. When he learned that the kyudo wear he usually wore was training wear and that people wore kimono in formal occasions, he started to collect kimonos. It was said that patterns weren’t allowed and solid colors were OK, but finding those were difficult. Kimonos were expensive, so most of them were recycled items, and washable polyester materials were tried as well.

Their videos were almost completely ignored as soon as they were uploaded, and after a while they were filled with comments like “their shooting form is terrible,” “they’re so bad,” “that hairstyle is so ugly,” and “you’re disrespecting kyudo.” But since it was for class, they updated every week, and positive comments like “I look forward to it every week” and “Same same. I learned so much from them.” As they took in the opinions and feedback of the viewers, their archery skills also improved. Recently, their collaboration project with a channel about Japan became trending.

One day, someone wrote in the comment section, “I started kyudo because I admired Zen in the Art of Archery. Can everyone in Japan do what Awa-sensei did?” It was a request from a foreign viewer.

Shooting a target in the dark.

Two arrows were shot in the dark. The first one pierced the center of the target, and the second one split the first one down the middle, the shaft halved in order to reach the center. This was a superhuman feat. Asahina had also heard this story from his grandfather when he was young, and it remained somewhere in the back of his mind. He would love to attempt it. Even if he didn’t hit the center, he would probably hit the target at least.

The results were terrible. He couldn’t see the target at all after turning off the lights in the target area. They tried lighting mosquito repelling incense, but they only produced faint white trails of smoke and he couldn’t find his aim. When they went to pick up the arrows, they found that the arrows had avoided the targets and pierced the azuchi at an angle, or landed right in front of them. It looked like a battlefield. Now he knew how much he usually relied on his eyesight.

He had considered trying again during daytime, but it was no use in the first place. If you could aim and hit, then you’d already hit. The shape of the bow, which had existed since the beginning of time, had changed, and despite the difference in materials, it had reached a point where it couldn’t be changed anymore. And now it had reached the present. The Japanese bow, which had been imbued with the lives of generations of bow makers, was a tool that even the wisdom of mankind couldn’t yet control.

That was why the bow chose the wielder. What should one do to be chosen?

Asahina gave a big stretch.

“Haa, ‘don’t do today what you can do tomorrow.’ Tomorrow is fine, so let’s think about it tomorrow.”

“’Tis a Turkish proverb. This humble one takes it to mean, ‘Do it today because you may not be able to do it tomorrow,’” Eddie said.

“Really?”

Can’t be helped. They were going to stay at the kyudojo until nighttime today as well.

He heard the gathering bell. He listened to the nostalgic sound that tinted the sky an azure color.

He heard the gathering bell. He listened to the nostalgic sound that tinted the sky an azure color.

On that day, Asahina and Eddie were at the temple gate.

The two walked along the cobblestone path to the main hall. Two dragons were painted on the ceiling of this temple, and when they clapped their hands in prayer right below them, there was an echo like the roaring of dragons. They were called nakiryuu. (1) In fact, the two of them met in this nakiryuu room, and moreover, it was in a dream.  Their conversation went something like, “It’s been a while. When was it, a few hundred years ago?” “Well then, shall we go all out?” When they actually met each other at school, they were both silent, wondering if this was a continuation of the dream.

There was a fellow second-year of the Haneina kyudo club standing in the temple.

“You guys really like the nakiryuu room, don’t you,” the fierce-looking Matsuda said.

“I guess so,” Asahina answered.

“I don’t really know what the dragon’s expression is like, but the resonating sound when you clap your hands together feels good.”

Matsuda was poor-sighted. He couldn’t see the outlines of things very well, but he had a great ability to sense the presence and feelings of people. He could tell that Asahina and Eddie had an unusual relationship, but he thought that it was something that must not be mentioned. He liked watching their red and gold hair sway, so he quietly stayed by their side. The three of them chatted with each other a lot, and right now Matsuda was putting his hand on Eddie’s shoulder. He felt an unfounded sense of security that these two sun-colored people would never treat him like a freak or exclude him.

On the other hand, the fourth member of Haneina’s kyudo club, Kanuma, was a man who went at his own pace and didn’t care about anything. He was obsessed with haikus, and when he started thinking about them, he often got lost in his own world and froze in the middle of conversations. Incidentally, his haiku skills were mediocre.

Even right now, he was muttering to the temple wall.

“Maybe a line about dragons? It’s even more difficult if the motif is mundane.”

“Kanuma, have you composed a poem? I’d like to collaborate with you on a haiku and kyudo project for the next Yumihiki Douji video,” Asahina asked. “Yeah,” Kanuma answered.

“Kanuma, I want to ride the dragon on the ceiling. Can you help me?” Matsuda asked, and was answered with “Yeah.” No matter what was said to him, he only answered, “Yeah.” Eddie threw in the towel. “This is hopeless.”

There was another person glued to the wall. More precisely, a boy was staring at the patterns on the wall.

Igarashi had a nickname: the Gardening Prince. He grew various plants, took precious care of them, and drew them. His bows and arrows were decorated with a profusion of flower drawings, and at competitions, the people of other schools let out gasps of admiration when they saw his bow and arrows.

After imprinting the pattern on the wall into his eyes, he looked at Asahina.

“I saw the last Yumihiki Douji. There was another comment from ‘that guy.’ Is everything alright?”

“Oh, you’re talking about ‘Tetsi’ right?”

“They write complaints in other people’s comment section every time. Isn’t that like going into other people’s houses and renting a room?”

As their views increased, someone calling themselves “Seigi no Tetsui” would write things like, “Kyudo is a traditional Japanese martial art” and “What kind of kyudoka would have red or blond hair? If you’re Japanese, dye your hair black like a Japanese.”

Eddie waved his own blond ponytail at Matsuda.

“My blond hair is my natural hair, and I am not Japanese, but American, so how about that?”

“It’s an old trick to throw in mistakes on purpose to get people to bite, isn’t it? Don’t get lured in.”

“As you say. I shall ignore it.”

Kanuma, who they thought wasn’t listening, turned around, gave a thumbs-up and grinned.

The Yotube channel “Yumihiki Douji” was Asahina and Eddie’s channel, but it was actually run by the six of them: Matsuda, Kanuma, Igarashi, and Coach Tsuchiya.  

When the five exited the temple gate, they heard the laughter of elementary schoolers on their way home from school.

It happened at the end of the holidays.

A protest was posted on several channels set up by Haneina students with the title “Attention Haneina High School.” The writer was Tetsi, or “Seigi no Tetsui.”

Your school is making students selfish and egotistical in the name of freedom. Since children are immature beings, adults should firmly admonish them to follow the rules of the world. Someone who isn’t disciplined in that way would commit foolish acts later in life. The behavior of the kyudo club is especially unbearable to watch. Kyudo uniforms are white. This should be stopped immediately. They are a disgrace to kyudoka—.

Because the school was named, a staff meeting was held.

The principal said, “Our school’s educational philosophy is to ‘cultivate people with reading comprehension and communication skills.’ Listen carefully, think for yourself, and share your opinions. Communicate calmly with people who have different opinions. Videos are the place to practice these things. First, Tsuchiya-sensei will show the students an example. I shall take responsibility. Do it to the best of your ability.”

The next day, Coach Tsuchiya stood in front of a camera.

“To everyone who watches this channel, thank you for your continued support. My name is Tsuchiya Ena, a teacher at Haneina High School, as well as the coach for the kyudo club. Recently, we received the following comment. As a faculty member, I sincerely apologize for my poor choice of words. From now on, I would like to choose my words more carefully. Regarding kyudo uniforms, in accordance with competition rules, we wear white during tournaments and only colored clothing during practice. We appreciate your understanding.”

The next day, a new video channel was opened. The owner was Tetsi. There was a black sheet covering their entire body, and they were wearing a Noh mask. Their voice was also modified.

“It’s one thing if you’re university students, but it’s deplorable for high school students to wear orange. It’s a lax mindset. There’s something you should do before worrying about your clothes. You should study harder. Are you going to destroy the traditions that kyudoka have cultivated over centuries?”

After this, Yumihiki Douji and Tetsi continued to post responses to each other’s videos.

――There is no basis for claiming that the students in our club aren’t diligent in their studies. The school will not publish data that only extracts the grades of some students. That is your delusion. Also, there is no reason why this is acceptable for university students but not for high school students. The white kyudo wear we wear for competitions is practice wear, and kimono is worn on formal occasions. By wearing kimono on a daily basis, the students are trained to avoid careless blunders in formal situations.

――Who does this young woman think she is? What kind of university did you go to? Don’t tell me you’re from an F-ranked school. A school that would hire such a bottom-of-the-barrel girl is clearly not worth anything. What a stupid school. There’s no point in talking to you. Get me the principal.

――The university you graduated from has nothing to do with your kyudo ability. In the past, there apparently used to be a section on the examination form where you must fill in your last place of education, but this has already been eliminated. The precept of our school is “learning from the past.” We visit the old to learn the new. You can’t break the mold if you don’t know it. We respect the teachings of our predecessors.

――Where’s the respect? You should respect your elders. I’m senior to you.

――I said the old, but predecessors aren’t necessarily older people, and just because someone is older does not mean they are superior. It’s just a way to honor a person’s achievements.

The videos were clipped and spread widely, and a controversy arose as to what color kyudo gi should be.

“It should be white.” “No, green should be OK as well.” “White, black, and navy blue are fine, but fluorescents are going too far, aren’t they? It’s too bright for the eyes.” “What color should I buy if it’s not white? Can I dye it lavender or something?” “Who’s this Tsucchi? Can the coach be my girlfriend?” “At my school, if you buy a different color, you’ll have to buy a new one, but I don’t have the money.” “I’m in the table tennis club, but I get more motivated when I chose a gi that stood out.” “The length of the sleeves is just right for kyudo gi, aren’t they?” “Tsucchi and Tetsi together make Tsutecchi.” “My dad’s Chicchi.” “The bow’s micchi is kewacchi.” (2)

It was a flood of words that was pretty much just an oogiri. (3)

Asahina raised his hands.

“Hey, Tsucchi, let’s stop responding to Tetsi, okay? This is taking over the channel. Our channel name is Yumihiki Douji, right? The adults are butting in too much.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I just got so mad when my adorable students got criticized.”

One day, Tetsi’s disguise got peeled off.

They wrote, “You guys should just shoot your bows quietly.”

Their comment section became a huge mess.

“It’s not ‘shooting a bow,’ it’s ‘drawing a bow.’ Saying you’re shooting a bow means you’re making a bow. If you’re an archer, that should have been the first thing they taught you.” “You’ve never referred to their shooting forms at all, have you? Maybe you don’t know the Eight Stages of Shooting at all? You’re not an archer at all, are you, Tetsi?”

The identification people showed up and very easily found Tetsi’s identity. Tetsi was a female office worker, a classmate of Tsucchi’s from the same university, and had zero kyudo experience. An hour later, all her videos were deleted, and Tetsi’s account was gone.

She was just an outsider who was stirring things up by using words she heard somewhere to provoke them. The flood that had been blocked by the dam continued to flow, and all the talk about what the color of kyudo gi should be got lost somewhere in the middle. Just what was all that fuss about?

The pair returned to normal operations.

“Hello, this is Asahina of ‘Yumihiki Douji.’”

“This humble one is called Eddie.”

“She, or rather, Coach Tsuchiya is working hard as a teacher, her main job. It’s encouraging, so if you like, please give her a high rating.”

The Kazemai High School kyudo club was continuing to work hard at practice today.

After the training camp, when everyone put on their hakama, there was a feeling of “this is what an archer is,” and they felt somewhat proud.

Tommy-sensei was holding a box. He pulled out small kasumi-mato from within. They were handmade by him, and the frame was made from the cores of duct tape.

“Now then, everyone, let’s use these mini targets today. For those who hit the target, I will give them a present along with this mini target.”

Tommy-sensei pointed to Masa-san, who was wearing a silver mustache. He was holding five “fake mustaches” in different colors.

Masa-san stroked the ends of his outward-curling mustache.

“If you put this on, you’ll become an archer like Tommy-sensei.”

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo clasped their fingers in a prayer-like pose.

“I would just love to have the pink mustache. I shall do my best.”

“I guess I’d go for the light blue.”

“Black is classic. No, white might be fine too.”

The girls were excited for some reason and were choosing the color of their mustaches.

The mini targets really did look small once they were placed on the azuchi and the archers stood at the shooting line. They were smaller than the kinmato used for celebrations.

The first-years were standing in front of the targets. Nanao quickly put on his headband and was ready to go.

“I have to give it a try, don’t I? I’ll shoot through your heart!”

Several girls fainted in the stands.

While they were waiting for their turn, Keyaki and Kanbayashi were chatting. It was about the recent video incident.

“I’m glad that Asahina and Eddie from ‘Yumihiki Douji’ have recovered from this. I was thinking of unsubscribing if it became a channel for watching Tsucchi,” Keyaki said.

“If someone asked me what color I want my gi to be next time, I’ll go with white if possible. White is safe and effortless,” Kanbayashi said.

“I heard that most of the girls in the Kirisaki kyudo club were navy blue hakama in the summer. I thought that they were required to wear navy blue gi, but I was told that they run on a merit system and have no specific rules on what to wear.”

“I don’t think people who want to stand out in the first place would choose kyudo as their club activity. Archers gravitate towards the world of wabi-sabi and mania than dazzling luxury… It’s more that we prefer the austere and understated.”

While they were talking, arrows were being shot one after another, but without success. They were allowed to shoot the mini targets as many times as they wanted to within the time they were given, so everyone was going through their arrows.

In the fourth round, a beginner first-year successfully hit the target. Cheers erupted, and when the round was finished, everyone rushed forwards. They took back the mini target with the arrow in it and handed it to the person who shot it. They were moved to tears.

Time was up when each person had finished shooting up to four arrows.

In the end, only the first-year, Ryouhei, and Shiragiku were able to successfully hit the mini targets, while all the others were disappointed.

Kaito silently pulled out his arrows. His two arrows had pierced the azuchi around the mini target, as though avoiding it.

“If it had been the usual target, I would have landed all my arrows. To think I didn’t land a single hit…my training’s not enough.”

After returning from retrieving his arrows, Nanao took off his headband.

“Even when everyone didn’t hit the mini target, they’re closer to the center than usual. It’s strange.”

“So does that mean it’s possible to hit an arrow in the center if you’re conscious of it?”

Next to him, Seiya smiled daringly.

“But you’ll never become a master if you keep aiming and hitting at the target. You haven’t trained enough, have you.”

“Gaah, this is just full of contradictions.”

Minato was looking at the upper right, as though he was thinking about something.

“It’s like you’re looking, but you aren’t looking, and it’s like you’re not looking, but you are in fact looking. In kyudo and zazen, you don’t stare at a single point, but vaguely look with half-open eyes.”

Hearing that, Ryouhei approached Minato and Seiya from behind.

“I learned that in kendo. If you don’t focus on a single point and vaguely look at the whole body, you can quickly sense your opponent’s movements before anyone else. Basically, they’re telling you to not get caught up in the information coming in through your eyes.”

Masa-san was standing behind all of them.

“You guys noticed something important. Kendo and kyudo are both martial arts, so they have a lot in common. Takuan Osho left behind the phrase ‘kenzen ichinyo,’ where ichinyo means the state of being one. In English, it’s explained as ‘The sword and zen are one.’”

Keyakia and Kanbayashi had both stopped cleaning and were leaning forward to listening. Himuro was of course unmoving.

“First of all, you have to get used to it. As you gain experience, you accumulate data, and your body learns trends and countermoves. The ultimate goal is to be able to draw a bow in the same way no matter when, where, or under what circumstances. Well, I also had a tough time getting there as well.”

Keyaki became at a loss upon hearing that.

“If even Masa-san says it’s difficult, I wonder when I’ll be able to do it.”

“Don’t rush, don’t rush. Miyamoto Musashi also wrote in the Book of Five Rings, ‘See to it that you temper yourself with one thousand days of practice, and refine yourself with ten thousand days of training.’ Have you learned the essence of ‘No-Look Shooting’ of the Kazemai-ryuu? Now, take these as a souvenir.”

Tommy-sensei prepared slightly smaller mustaches as participation prizes. They were handed out when practice was over, and everyone wore them on the way home.

The next day, people started calling the kyudo club, the “Mustache Club.”

Tsucchi, a.k.a. Haneina High School faculty member Tsuchiya Ena, was being followed by a suspicious person.

The suspicious person was dressed in baggy clothing, and wearing a mask and a hat pulled deeply over their face. She had been followed by people in the past, but this one seemed particularly persistent. They followed her to work and back home every day.

“Tsucchi, shouldn’t you tell the police about this soon?” Asahina said.

“It is as Asahina said,” Eddie said.

“Mm, thank you. But some people get mad when you involve the police, so I’ll observe the situation for a few more days. Maybe they’ll get tired of it soon.”

“We understand, but if anything should happen, please notify us immediately.”

It happened on her day off.

When she finished shopping and passed through the crowd, she sensed someone following her. When she increased her speed, they got even closer and she could hear their heavy breathing behind her. It made her feel so sick that she finally couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Hey, who are you? Are you Tetsi? Stop this. If you have something to say, show your face!”

Suddenly, the suspicious person attacked her. She quickly got onto the defensive and dodged, but since she was wearing heels that day, her feet got caught on the unevenness of the ground, causing her to stumble.

Crap, she thought, covering her face, but no impact came. When she slowly opened one eye, she saw a man catching the fist of her attacker.

The tall man spoke.

“I know you’re following this person. I’m willing to go to the police with this.”

The wrist he grabbed was thin—the suspicious person was a young woman.

The woman threw out her back and prostrated herself on the ground.

She was screaming.

“I’ve cancelled my phone, but I’ve still been getting a lot of phone calls at work, and the girls I used to be friendly with won’t even talk to me anymore, so there’s no place for me anymore! My life is all messed up because of that woman!”

“This is called reaping what you sow, and in Buddhism, it’s called karmic justice. However, the reaction to a single karma is only once, and it isn’t a chain reaction.”

Tetsi slammed her hat and mask to the ground. She looked just like an ordinary woman, so she didn’t look like the type to write such coarse words. Her hands tore at her hair.

“But, isn’t it unfair!? In university, I tried to talk to Tsucchi, but I got ignored, you know!? She was active in kyudo, everyone makes a fuss over her on Yotube for being a beautiful woman, and she can say whatever she wants to say! Even though we’re the same age, she’s the only one who ever got help, and I got left alone because I’m not cute! After rewriting it over and over and sending it to the planning committee, they rejected it, saying that it was ‘a proposal that was too womanly. Do it again.’ Does that mean I can’t be trusted without a title!?”

She started talking to herself.

Aah, this is such a pain. I don’t remember being approached by her. I worked hard at kyudo, and I have nothing to do with her not doing well at work. Either get back at your boss or quit. Just as Tsucchi was thinking that, the man bent down.

“I don’t know about other men, but all women look beautiful to me. Please raise your head.”

Tetsi looked up as instructed. The man continued.

“You don’t need to change your appearance or title. Just stop belittling yourself. You don’t have to beat anyone to live.”

“…Are you a Buddhist priest? Your head isn’t shaved, so maybe you’re wearing a wig? Ah, I’m so sorry!”

“…How about using that imagination to change jobs to become a screenwriter?”

What’s with this skit?

Don’t tell me that this is some kind of hidden camera prank?

While Tsucchi was thinking this, the man picked up the fallen bag and hat and handed them to Tetsi. He looked as though he was about withdraw at any moment.

“Please wait! Just who are you?”

The man turned around. “I’m just a Shinto priest passing by. You’re Ena-senpai, huh. It’s a good name. I’m rooting for you.”

That was all he said before he quickly left.

Tetsi also said “I’m sorry” and left, leaving Tsucchi all alone.

Oi oi, isn’t he too much of a smooth talker?

Not a Buddhist priest, but Shinto? How incredibly shady.

She could still understand where Tetsi was coming from. That was because Tsucchi also had similar experiences, such as being made fun of because “she’s just a woman,” being sexually harassed and groped on the train. She had the appearance of a woman but was a middle-aged man on the inside, so she just beat them all up. In addition, she was called “Ena-senpai.” Not many people called her that.

She searched her past memories and came across a person with a similar face.

When she was a third year in high school, the start of the awards ceremony was delayed. It was said that the name of the archer who won the kyudo boys’ competition, the one who hit with all his arrows, was different. Because he had used his old name when he entered, so he took part in the tournament under that name. It was dealt with without issue, although it appeared to have been pointed out from within.

She remembered that remarkable ochi. In another tournament, when Tsucchi was about to have her arm grabbed by her male junior, the taller boy made a loud sound that scared off the younger boy.

After that, she thought that the reason why she couldn’t find his name in the student tournaments was because his last name had changed, but she never saw his face at the venues. The remarkable ochi had disappeared.

If she remembered correctly, his name was difficult to read.

His name was—.

As Tsucchi picked up her phone, thunder sounded in the distance.

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