Sharp Wings; 鋭い翼 [Gintama]

1 | The question is, where's the main character?

I

Manga: Lesson 12 - 14

Anime: Episode 13

THE doorbell rang over and over again, signaling that there was someone outside the doors of the Yorozuya office located in Kabuki-chou in Edo.

"Excuse me!" the voice of one named Katsura Koutarou came from outside as he repeatedly pressed on the doorbell. He had been standing there for quite some time now, and he's been waiting for his friend, but there was still no answer coming from the other side of the door.

"It's Katsura." He called as he waited.

"Gintoki? I've been on standby outside your door since the prologue chapter. I never expected to appear earlier than you in the story. If possible, I'd like to rub it in your face." Katsura said as he pressed on the doorbell once again. Like before, there was no answer.

"Gintoki!" he called again after a short while. Surprisingly, this time, someone opened the door. A large dog stood on the other side, looking curiously at Katsura.

"E – excuse me, is Gintoki-kun home?" The dark haired male asked the large animal as if he would answer back. The white dog stared at the tall male for a few seconds more before it turned its head to the side.

Taking it as a sign, Katsura pulled up the paper bag he was holding and presented it to the dog. "Well, I have some sweets as a token of..." he started, looking at the large animal in front of him. It gave no response, so Katsura just continued.

"I'll just leave them here, then." He said as he attempted to place the paper bag on the floor beside the door. "Enjoy-,"

Before he could finish what he was saying, the dog leapt up to him and took his head whole. Katsura doesn't know how long he had been inside the dog's mouth, but he couldn't do anything, so he just stood there.

"So much for my opening scene."

On the other side of Edo, a little girl named Kagura stared at the bamboo lawn decoration on the pond behind some rich man's house. She had taken a fascination on watching the small cycle over and over again, ever since she and the Yorozuya got to that house. Inside the small, open room behind her, a boy named Shimura Shinpachi sat beside stupid-looking perm head named Sakata Gintoki. The trio was there for a job request coming from the owner of the house, but the leader of the Yorozuya didn't look like he was listening to what his client has been talking about for the past minutes.

"Gin-san, please pay attention." Shinpachi whispered to the white haired male beside him, being careful to not get heard by their client. "I know that you're sulking because you didn't get to appear first and because you were just called a 'stupid-looking perm head', but we have a client, so at least look like you're listening to him." he said, trying his best to convey his message to his boss.

"Zip it, Shinpachi." Gintoki glared at the shorter male with bloodshot eyes. "The only reason why I'm acting like this is because I have a hangover, not because I'm sulking." He hissed while rubbing his eyes.

"Just try to look natural, Gin-san." Shinpachi scolded and proceeded to listen to their client.

"I know it sounds odd for me, her father, to say this," Their client said as he pulled up something from under his sleeve, seemingly not noticing Gintoki's lack of interest in him. "but she's a beautiful girl, so I'm worried that she's gotten mixed up in something dreadful." He continued, giving a picture to the two people in front of him.

Gintoki took the picture in his hand and inspected it, looking at the person who their client claimed to be as his daughter. From beside him, Shinpachi peeked over the taller male's shoulder to look at the same picture.