#gintama chapter 704 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sakukaguxxi · 3 months

Text

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?

3 notes · View notes