#gintama chapter 704

[sakukaguxxi]

Yakult and Tobacco Part 2 | Gintama

Word count: 2.7k

C/W's: none

Summary: This is a continuation of Yakult and Tobacco, which is post-chapter 704. Part 2 takes place about 3 weeks after the end of Part 1. The Kiheitai meet Otsu and reveal what happened to Tsunpo (Bansai).

a/n: This is my 2nd Gintama fic almost one year after the 1st. I had an idea to continue the story but didn't have it planned from the beginning. You don't have to read the first Yakult and Tobacco to read this one I guess, but this is a definite sequel, and it'd be nice if more people read that too if they haven't already. As I've said before, I hope this isn't too bad. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

Read Part 1

______

On a particular day, the Yorozuya had no plans or jobs scheduled, and it might’ve been an uneventful day if not for an unexpected visitor.

Shinpachi promptly answered the door after the doorbell rang. “Otsu-chan!” he said excitedly upon seeing who it was. “Come in. How may we help you?”

After everyone was seated, Otsu began by saying, “This might be the strangest request I’ve ever had for you, but I would like your help finding my producer Tsunpo-san.”

“He’s missing?” Gintoki asked.

“It seems like it…But I don’t know for sure. The last time I talked to him was a little over two and a half years ago. He hasn’t answered my calls or texts since then.”

“Hold on. You haven’t heard from him in that long? Sorry if this comes off as judgey–I’m really just trying to understand–but why are you just now trying to find him?”

“The last time Tsunpo-san contacted me was a few weeks before the invasion of the Altana Liberation Army. But when I tried to reach out again when it was over, no response. I didn’t know why he wasn’t responding or what could’ve happened to him. And none of my other colleagues from the music industry knew anything. It just felt like I’d hit a dead end, so I had no choice but to move on.” Otsu turned to look at Shinpachi. “I would’ve asked the Yorozuya for help sooner, but I found out Shinpachi-san was the only one running it for a while and didn’t want to burden him with a complicated problem.”

Shinpachi lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Otsu-chan. I hope we can help you this time, though.”

“It would be great to get some answers.”

Gintoki crossed one leg over the other and said, “So, if we want to get anywhere, we should start with the basics. What did Tsunpo-san look like?”

“I actually never saw his face or met him in person,” Otsu replied sheepishly.

“Oi, doesn’t it sound creepy that this guy wouldn’t show his face?”

Kagura shrugged. “I don’t know, Gin-chan. Think of all the world-famous musicians who wear costumes and masks in public.”

Otsu nodded. “Kagura-san is right. That’s why I never thought anything of it. I just really respected Tsunpo-san’s artistry. We mostly talked on the phone, but the few times we video called, he did wear a kabuki mask if he was on camera. There weren’t many physical traits I could see, but I think his hair was green.”

Gintoki’s eyebrows went up. “Was there anything else that stood out about him? Like speech patterns, behaviors…?”

“Hmm… Oh, yes! He would say gozaru instead of gozaimasu, which made him sound more old-timey. And his favorite instrument was the shamisen.”

Shinpachi considered this for a moment before saying, “Gin-san, are you thinking of the same person? Could it really be him?”

“I’m 99% positive,” Gintoki answered and turned back to Otsu. “Well, the surprisingly good news is I think we have an idea of Tsunpo-san’s real identity, but we need to confirm. Then we’ll be closer to figuring out what happened to him.”

“Really?” Otsu exclaimed, then bowed. “Thank you all so much. I knew I could count on you!”

Everyone stood up, and Kagura led Otsu to the door this time. “We’ll call you when we have an update,” she said.

After Otsu left, the three Yorozuya members contemplated their next move. If Tsunpo, Otsu-chan’s former producer, was really Kawakami Bansai, they’d need to confirm with people close to him.

……

Gintoki called up the Kiheitai, who were still residing in Edo. 

“Hello?” Takasugi answered.

“Hey, Takasugi, it’s Gintoki. Listen, I don’t mean to be blunt, but was Bansai-san a producer for the famous pop star Terakado Tsuu?”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a chuckle. “It’s true,” Takasugi responded. “I’m surprised you finally put two and two together after all this time. But what is this about?” 

Gintoki explained the whole situation. “...Now that I’ve confirmed Tsunpo’s real identity and that he’s passed away, I can let Otsu-chan know. However… I feel like people close to him would be more fit to talk about him, so would you guys mind coming down to meet Otsu-chan?”

“Hmm…I don’t know…I’ll have to talk to the others about it and get back to you.” 

“Fine by me. I hope you consider it, though. Talk to you later.”

……

Otsu returned to the Yorozuya office the next day after a phone call. This time, though, there were also three new people she’d never met: Takasugi Shinsuke, Kijima Matako, and Takechi Henpeita.

Once introductions were out of the way, it was time to get down to business. Shinsuke started the conversation. “As you already know, we three were friends of Tsunpo, except we knew him by his real name, Kawakami Bansai. And this might come as a shock to you, but he had a different life from what you may expect. You see, we were all members of the Kiheitai, a Jouishishi faction.”

Shinsuke paused to observe her reaction and give her a chance to speak. Otsu’s face was slightly pensive. She said, “To be honest, I did not expect that, but I don’t think I can be angry or disappointed at this point by learning the truth. I’ll always have a good opinion of Tsunpo-san. He recognized my talent and helped me clean up my image when I was at the lowest point of my career. It’s thanks to him that I was able to become one of the top idols of Japan. So he passed away, huh?”

Takasugi frowned slightly. “Yeah, he passed away over two years ago in the war. But he actually died while trying to help save the world, not to destroy it. In fact, we were all there fighting the Altana Liberation Army to save the world. Looking back, I’ll always remember how Bansai believed in us and was a great friend. You should also be glad to know that music really had been a big part of his personality.”

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Shinpachi spoke up. “Bansai-san seemed like a really cool person. He was actually nice to be around at that time we were all on Rakuyou. And to think I was talking to the producer of my favorite idol and had no idea?”

Kagura smirked. “You would’ve definitely been geeking out, Pattsan.”

Otsu smiled gently. “It’s comforting to hear that Bansai-san was a good person. But I’m still sad he’s gone, even though I’d already mentally prepared myself for the worst scenario. Besides the songs he made for me, I don’t have anything else to remember him by…”

After just listening up to this point, Matako said, “You don’t need to feel so bad. We’re almost in the exact same boat as you. You see, it wasn’t possible for us to collect any of Bansai-senpai’s belongings after the war.”

“But there may still be a way to find some of Bansai-dono’s things,” Henpeita pointed out. “As the three of us know, the Kiheitai had many different hideouts. Remember, there was at least one used by Bansai-dono if he came to Edo by himself. It was actually a condo he bought, so anything he left there may still be there. The HOA couldn’t have moved his things out despite being dead either, since he also set up automatic payments for his condo fees.”

Matako raised an eyebrow. “Did Bansai-senpai tell you that?”

Henpeita bobbed his head. “It just came up in conversation one day. Those producer royalty checks are something else.”

Takasugi chuckled.

Gintoki clapped his hands once and stood up. “Then it’s settled! You Kiheitai people can go over there and see what you can find. Please bring something back for Otsu-chan to remember Tsunpo-san by.” He looked at Otsu. “If that’s what you’d like?”

Otsu looked at the Kiheitai. “I wouldn’t mind, if it’s not too much trouble…”

Takasugi stood up, followed by the other two. “Even though this wasn’t part of the original deal…” he said looking at Gintoki, then turned to Otsu, “we’ll do it.”

……

Finding the condo building and even the individual unit wasn’t very hard at all since the Kiheitai had been in the practice of keeping track of its members’ whereabouts and its hideout locations for safety and other reasons. Bansai being Shinsuke’s 2nd in command was no exception. The hardest part was probably flagging down a taxi to get from Kabukicho to the condo. 

Upon arrival, they just walked right in casually and went for the elevator. On the way up to the 22nd floor, it was silent at first until Takechi said, “Remember how I told you that while I was visiting a dragon hole, I heard a rumor that the Harusame was starting to go around collecting Altana crystals from all over the world?”

“Did the rumor end up being true?” Takasugi asked.

“Yes. In fact, I heard directly from Kamui-san the other day. He says he’s glad you’re alive, Shinsuke-dono. Apparently, they’re trying to make hair growth products from the Altana. Kamui-san got the idea from his father. The Harusame has become quite poor with no major backings, so they want to go into new ventures. He says their plan is to become a 90% legal business.”

Matako scoffed. “Just 90%?”

“You know what they say,” Shinsuke chimed in, “old habits die hard.”

They got out on the 22nd floor and walked down the hallway in silence until they found the door. Instead of a keyhole, there was a keypad lock. Shinsuke punched in what he thought he remembered the code as.

Click.

He turned the handle, and lucky for them, the door opened. 

The apartment inside wasn’t exorbitantly fancy but definitely still more upscale than cheap. There was a computer in one corner with a printer, basic producing equipment and electric keyboard, and a few feet away, an acoustic guitar sitting on a stand.

Matako picked up the guitar. “I think Otsu-chan would like this guitar.” 

Shinsuke nodded as he looked around. They could technically leave now that they had something, but he didn’t feel quite ready. 

“It’s not as dusty as I expected,” Shinsuke remarked. “Housekeeping must still come.”

“What are we gonna do with this place?” Matako wondered. “It was mostly just Bansai-senpai’s, and he’s gone now.” 

“We can’t take everything, but we can grab a few more personal items, then notify management of this resident’s passing, and they’ll take care of the rest probably.”

Shinsuke noticed Takechi was sitting at the computer clicking around. He went to stand next to him to get a closer look for himself. There appeared to be mostly mp3 files and an icon for FL Studio, a digital audio workstation, on the home screen, which wasn’t that surprising. But one thing caught his eye.

“Can you click on that?” Shinsuke instructed, pointing to where he wanted Takechi to go.

Takechi did what he was asked, and a window popped up with a picture.

“I didn’t know he took this,” Matako commented. It was a picture of the four of them having dinner at one of the hideouts. Besides Bansai flashing a peace sign for the camera, it was a completely candid photo. Behind Bansai on one side, Matako and Henpeita appeared to be arguing over something. On the other side, Shinsuke was picking up a piece of food with a smirk.

“We were actually a really good team,” she said. “I’m just glad we can at least be together like this again.”

Shinsuke turned his head for a second to look at her sympathetically. “I know the Kiheitai’s been through a lot in the past couple years, but I promise things will be different now.”

Matako smiled. “We can finally make a memorial for Bansai-senpai, huh?”

“Do you want me to print out the picture?” Takechi asked. “Hopefully it’s not out of ink. We’ve somehow been really lucky so far today.”

“Go ahead,” Takasugi said. “Print two copies while you’re at it.”

They decided to leave with the guitar, the printed photos, and a pair of headphones that looked similar to Bansai’s main pair. After the photos were printed out, Takasugi told Takechi to delete the file from the computer. He just didn’t want a picture of them floating around for any random person coming after to see since they weren’t going to take the computer. 

……

The Kiheitai ended up going back to the Yorozuya that same day to deliver the items. Gintoki then called up Otsu, and they waited until she arrived.

“Wow, you guys are fast!” she remarked.

“We found this guitar and these headphones,” Matako said. “Which one of them do you want?”

“Hmm…The guitar!”

Matako handed it off to her.

Otsu bowed. “Thank you, I’ll treasure it always.”

Takasugi pulled out one of the printed photos. “Here’s a picture of Bansai we found, too. Now you’ll finally know what he looked like.”

Otsu took the picture, and her eyebrows went up. Without taking her eyes off it, she said, “Wow, he definitely looks like the artist type. I’d expect nothing less from someone cool like Tsunpo-san…He was also quite handsome.” Now she was blushing slightly.

Shinpachi gasped dramatically in the back.

“You can keep the picture,” Shinsuke told her. “We have our own copy.”

“Thank you all again for helping me. It means so much that I could finally get some closure.” Otsu reached into her purse and took out some money, giving it to him. 

Shinsuke raised his eyebrows, then smiled. “Thank you.”

Otsu stood up and gave money to Gintoki, too, who was more than happy to accept. “Well, I better be heading out.” She picked up the guitar. “I now have some new inspiration and a new perspective, and I’m ready to channel it into a song!”

……

Later that day while back at their house, the Kiheitai finished putting together a simple memorial/shrine for Bansai and were now burning incense. On a small table, the picture was now in a frame, with the headphones laying in front of the picture and a vase of incense sticks to the side. 

None of the members were particularly religious, but paying their respects to the dead still felt appropriate as a ritual. They each put their hands together and bowed their heads.

After a minute, Matako asked, “Shinsuke-sama, do you know if there’s an afterlife?”

Takasugi shrugged. “In all seriousness, I still don’t know despite literally coming back from the dead. I actually don’t remember anything in between dying and being reborn. After experiencing that, I’d be fine to just wait a long time before learning the answer.”

“I suppose we won’t know for certain until it’s truly our time,” Takechi said. 

Matako smirked at him. “I think the lolicon is definitely going to hell,” she grumbled. 

“I’m not a lolicon, I’m a feminist.”

……

The next morning, Shinsuke and Matako were sitting outside on the veranda after breakfast to enjoy the refreshing weather. Shinsuke also was smoking his kiseru.

Henpeita came outside and said, “I finished talking to the apartment management about the death of their resident. They seemed understandably shocked yet also sad. Of course, I had to change a few details of the story…They don’t need us for anything else because we weren’t his relatives, but they told me they’d cancel his account and thanked me for notifying them.”

“Thanks for doing that, Takechi,” Shinsuke said. “Now, I’d actually like to make a call to Kamui. I’ve been thinking about what he told you, and I’m intrigued. Maybe we can be involved in some way to help.”

Matako leaned forward. “Shinsuke-sama, what kind of involvement do you have in mind? Please tell me we’ll stay away from anything too sketchy. Compared to the Harusame, even we looked like saints.”

He blew out some smoke, then locked eyes with her as he said, “I promise. I plan on asserting our boundaries and staying on the 90% legal side. We’ll all have a say in the matter.”

Matako nodded. “Okay, that’s reassuring.”

Shinsuke took a final hit from his pipe. “Anyway…I’m gonna call him now.” With that, he stood up and went inside. 

Henpeita sat down. “I look forward to what that man has in mind.”

“Let’s see where we go this time.”

______

a/n: Thanks for reading! Please like and reblog! Do you think I should keep it a duology or go for a trilogy in the future?

[forgloryforhonor]

miss you gintae posting. hope you are doing well

hahaha thanks. I am doing well. For now i've just archived some stuff i posted on tumblr on ao3. I'm still continuing the drabble series especially since it's now December. I'm laying back on the meta though. I have been focusing on other fandoms (not anime but more british stuff).

Lately it's been a period of just collecting references and inspiration.

I hope the gintae people are doing well too. We were quite busy last November. The tag's still quiet but that's okay, maybe someone will add something new to share to us. After all, there's still lots of stuff that can be discussed from that 704-chapter behemoth called gintama <3

Anyone can always send me gintae-related asks though! They help me jog my memory XDXD

[pockethep]

Hello, JJK got me into anime then I started reading the manga. I saw your post on Shonen endings and wanted to know if you had any reccomendations? I'm not picky so anything really I just need a new hyperfixation.

So good news, I can recommend anything from the original list I gave. But for a beginner, I'll highlight a few of them.

Haikyu!!, honestly a great into into sports anime and if you love series that have a focus on character moments and dynamics Haikyu!! is the one for you. Not only did it have a fantastic ending, it has a fantastic beginning and middle. It's about volleyball but you don't have to know a thing about the sport if you want to start.

Mob Psycho 100. Genuinely one of my favorite series ever period. It's such a great show and manga. It's about a boy named Shigeo, nicknamed Mob (hence the title),

Full Metal Alchemist. Watch it then read it or read it then watch it. I can't stress enough how good this series is.When you watch it you'll either love it, or find out why so many people do.

Zatch Bell!. Zatch Bell holds a special place in my heart for being a show I watched very early on and rented at the library before I completely forgot about it. I remembered my fondness for the show and spent days searching for it until I found it and binged it in a week. It's about the title character, Zatch Bell who is a Mamodo, partnering with a schoolboy, Kiyo, for a once in a millenium tournament on Earth to determine who rules the Mamodo world. (And a sequel is currently running I believe...)

Golden Kamuy (completed) OR Dogsred (ongoing). Both are by the same author, Satoru Noda, and I really enjoy his writing. He's great at writing humor while also keeping it serious and something I really like is that he knows when to let a moment hang by itself. Golden Kamuy is about a veteran and a young Ainu girl going on a treasure hunt (ends up way more wild than that). And Dogsred is about an ice skater joining a hockey team (also way more than that).

Full list from previous post. I can recommend all of these but they vary wildly in length (I.E. Gintama is 704 chapters) so keep that into account:

(Haikyu!!, Slam Dunk, Assassination Classroom, Mob Psycho 100, Dororo, Gurren Lagann, Zatch Bell, Chainsaw Man, Trigun, Ashita no Joe, Gintama, JJBA , Golden Kamuy, Azumanga Daioh, Beck, Pandora Hearts, Great Teacher Onizuka)

Also for full clarity, Shonen is a demographic, not a genre. So while the previous recommendations are shonen, I can recommend some that aren't.

Akatsuki no Yona

Mushi-shi (Somewhere up there with one of my favorite series)

Monster and Pluto (same author both fantastic stories)

Vagabond

Vinland Saga

Smoking behind the Supermarket with You

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Frieren

Natsume's Book of Friends

The Apothecary Diaries

Dungeon Meshi (can't recommend this enough and has a recent anime out)

Ouran Highschool Host Club

Wotakoi

Cowboy Bebop

Samurai Champloo

Black Lagoon

Now what I'm reading currently is kind of a lot. I like to have a swathe of manga I am caught up with but read weekly, biweekly, or monthly depending on the schedule. There are a few here and there that I might miss but here they are.

Chainsaw Man

Blue Period

Gachiakuta

Dandadan

Witch Hat Atelier

Gokuragakai

Make the Exorcist Fall in Love

Skip to Loafer

Wind Breaker

Fool Night

After God

Sanda

The Summer Hikaru Died

Kagurabachi

Undead Unluck

Ichi the Witch - This one started recently and currently has 3 chapters out. If you want an ongoing series with a growing fanbase check this out. The team behind it is also great.

Kai-Hen Wizards - Also currently 3 chapters. Looks interesting so you might wanna check this out as well.

Marriage Toxin

Centuria

How Do We Realtionship?

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Hirayasumi

Medalist

Yotsuba&!

Firefly Wedding

Akane-Banashi

Don't feel like you have to read a bunch of series. New series come out all the time, just give something a chapter or two to gauge your interest and start reading.

[fucktheroyals]

Gintama has the best foreshadowing in anime/manga though because the level it’s at (foreshadowing wise) is so insane for a show/manga with 367 episodes/704 chapters and the fact that it comes off as just a silly little show.

[dushu--shannai]

Gintama chapter 704

So... Takasugi became a baby... Well... He is my favorite character but he is also one of my husbandos so I feel a little bad right now ... It might sound sadist but I was ready for his “death”(Beautiful... This drama with Gintoki’s tears)

And Bansai is alone in Hell... *sighs* He could have been a great father 

*looks at her screenshots from the first episodes when Takasugi was still considered as THE antagonist* Waa I can’t help but feel weird !

Sorry for any mistakes. English is not my native language

[epicdogymoment]

gintama is just. found family: the manga

[suchine-toki]

[beautifulwalljuju]

So apparently okikagu is not canon the best ship ever

[brs-love]

I should be studying for my history exam but aaaaahhh I can't, I'm depressed cause GINTAMA ENDED LIKE WTF, EXCUSE ME SIR BUT THAT WORK OF ART WAS MY FUEL AND OKIKAGU WAS MY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM

I just

Caaaaant

Whyyyyyyy

I refuse to be in the same generation that saw gintama dieeeeee

[claymorecut]

OKAY. Maybe I'm going a little bit crazy here but....

IS THIS A FREAKIN' MIRACLE!!?? AM I DREAMING!!!!!???? WHAT THE HELL IS SHINPACHI EVEN SAYING!!?? THAT KONDOU IS THE ONLY MAN HE CAN ENTRUST OTAE TO!!!??? YOU MEAN LIKE "ENTRUST" ENTRUST!!?? AS IN THE ENTRUST WHERE YOU'RE SAYING HE'S THE ONLY MAN FOR YOUR SISTER, THE ONLY MAN YOUR SISTER LOVES!!?? AS IN THE ONLY MAN SHE'LL ENTRUST HER LIFE TO AND MARRY!!? AS IN THE ONLY MAN WHO'S WORTHY OF HER!!!????

OKAY! FUCK! KONTAE LOOKS CANON TO ME! THIS LOOKS VERY, VERY, VERRRYYY FREAKIN' MUCH CANON TO ME, WHAT THE HELL SENSEI!!!??? IS THIS AN INDIRECT HINT GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

[electron-me]

LMAO KATSURA BECAME A NEW STALKER

[yangxiaoshorter]

There are no words that would be enough to say how much this show and these characters mean to me. This is my favorite show of all time, and Gintoki is my favorite character of all time. So all I'm going to say is thank you Sorachi, for this amazing show and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm glad it had such a perfect ending fitting its amazingness. I'm sure Gintama will come back one day. So I wont say goodbye. Lets make it a "see you later" instead.

[forgloryforhonor]

even though I like doing research and meta on gintama, the 704-chapter material is an absolute behemoth to work with and i drop what im doing.

as such i have too many wips.

[letspartyzura]

IT ENDED FR THIS TIME

still trying to process it

[gakupoid2m]

I have been sad all day, man I'm gonna miss gintama so much

[sparda3g]

Gintama (True) Final Chapter Review

This is the end, friend. Sparda3g reviews the true final chapter of Gintama. Enjoy!

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