Sharp Wings; 鋭い翼 [Gintama]

14 | You know the story; Demons can be kindhearted and Sadists can be...?

XIV

Manga: Lesson 42-44

Anime: Episode 27

"IN the red corner, the housewife who junked her marriage and found her place on the battlefield, the Demoness Haruna!"

Shizuku sighed from her spot as she looked at a tall woman in a short purple kimono standing in the middle of a battle ring in front of her. "Why are we here, again?" she asked as she looked to her left, where Gintoki stood with an unamused expression on his face.

"Because of that?" the tall white haired male replied while pointing to the blue corner's fighter.

"In the blue corner, this lady, a former popular singer-turned hitting star, the fighting princess of song, Dynamite Otsu!" the announcer said loudly over the microphone, causing Shizuku to sigh again.

She was told earlier that day that the Yorozuya were going out to watch Otsu, the popular idol that Shinpachi has long since fawned over, and that they wanted to invite Shizuku to watch with them. She expected a small outdoor concert or something, but she didn't expect an outdoor fighting ring. Well, it was a way to spend her unused time, so she just went with it.

"Otsu-chan, go!" Shinpachi yelled along with his fellow fans, the Imperial Terakado Tsuu army.

"No, no. She better stop..." Gintoki commented with his bored voice. "She's going in the wrong direction."

"Otsu-chan, popular singer-turned fighter!" Shinpachi raised his voice with a glare plastered on his face. At the same time, the bell rang, signaling the start of the fight.

"When a person says something like that, it's a warning sign." Gintoki replied, glancing at Shinpachi for a moment before looking back at the arena. "My favorite ramen shop said, 'curry rice will be a new menu item.' After that, the shop had to close."

"Eh?" Shizuku piped from beside the tall male. "Did Ikumatsu-san close up shop?" she asked.

"No, no. It's the previous shop that I liked before Daigo ramen." Gintoki shook his head, making Shizuku nod.

"What a bad example, Gin-san! That won't be the case for Otsu-chan. She'll keep singing!" Shinpachi growled from in front of Gintoki and Shizuku.

"I think there's a sign of misfortune on her face." The oldest among the three said. "Too bad she's not more naïve or stupid. Like you, Kagura." Shizuku jabbed the taller male in the ribs, causing him to yelp.

The teal haired girl slightly glared up at Gintoki. "Don't say things like that, Gin-san." She said lowly before her smile returned back on her face. "Kagura-chan, don't let him bother you, alright?"

"What is a dream?" Kagura suddenly asked from beside the two, clearly ignoring the two of them completely. "So painful to wait for... so terrible to be without... and, yet, to battle your way toward it along that thorny road... Take's a warrior's courage!!"

Kagura suddenly jumped from the bleachers and into the middle of the arena despite Shizuku's yell to stop her when the older girl noticed what she was doing.

"What the?! There's an intruder in the ring! Who is she?" the announcer yelled loudly.

"Oh, no. Whatever happens, it's not my fault." Gintoki said as he narrowed his eyes and bent down, grabbing Shizuku's wrist beside him.

"Not mine, either." Shinpachi nodded before he went down the bleachers with Gintoki following behind him while the older male pulled Shizuku along. "You need to discipline her better. That's why she's like that." Shinpachi said to his boss.