Weasel! Badger!
Where are you?!
Episode 5
Tonight, you will bear witness to a menagerie of freaks,
gathered from distant Ryukyu, Ezo, and even China and the lands beyond!
The Doan \h\hCompany
The\h\h\h Mighty Man \hof Stone
The\h\h Fire-Breathing Daruma
\hThe \hTerrifying Snake-Woman
\h\hThe \hUncanny Knife-Thrower
A fire-breathing daruma who lights up the night sky,
a man of stone with unrivaled strength,
and of course, a dreadful snake-woman and her terrifying brood!
Big brother Weasel... Where are we? Where'd Hana go?
Come on, quit crying.
She said to meet up at the Jizo statue if we got separated, remember?
Well, now. Where did you two come from?
I must say, it seems some absolute treasures have found their way to me.
Welcome to the Doan Company.
All right. Time for a round to celebrate.
Wait, no, no. If I bet big on Nio's kite tomorrow, I'll score huge.
Where the hell's the sense in blowing cash before then?
Man, I'm still not buying it.
How do hands that have only ever held blades to kill know how to paint, of all things?
When I face someone, sword in hand... At times, I find that time seems to stop.
Much like in these pictures, really.
And I have realized this same moment comes when I am holding a brush.
Then, I need only depict what I see.
You mean to tell me you paint people the same way you kill them?
No. Once you achieve that state, what you actually do is of little concern.
"The sword and zen meditation are as one." I always thought the saying pretentious,
but maybe it is close to the truth after all.
Well, shit, I like that even less.
If you're able to pull that off with a brush instead of a sword,
why exactly did all the people you killed have to die?
What? You mad?
No. But I sincerely believe you have a better head on your shoulders than I.
Man, shut up! Go sharpen that butcher's knife of yours or something!
You better not start thinking you can do what the boss does.
By the time they first dipped him in a bath,
he was already the kinda monster who could paint, fold gold, and kill as good as anyone.
Is something the matter?
Huh? No, man, why?
Forgive me. I did not mean you.
My friends... Weasel and Badger...
They're missing.
I'm always tellin' Hana not to hang out with folk from the mountains, but she never listens.
This is quite the hill.
If the missing siblings lived up here, how could Hana have met them?
She tries to act grown-up, but she's still a little brat.
And sometimes, she misses her mom.
I see. She was visiting her grave.
Aw, damn it. The kite battle's today.
That thing?
That's right. Li'l Nio better do a good job.
I'm betting my whole fortune on you!
Bring home the big one again this year!
There we go! There we go!
Which one should I cut next?
Don't even try it, little boy!
I'll show you, little girl!
Boy? Girl? Which is it gonna be?
Little girl!
Little boy!
Hang on! Stay away from me!
No, stay away!
Damn it!
I said stay away!
Usui-san.
It's wonderful to see you doing so well.
And looking even more beautiful than before.
I don't think we know each other well enough to celebrate meeting again.
Then let me get straight to the point.
I ask that you let me take back my monster.
An angel with the taint of darkness.
Our separation has been a folly that I, Doan, have regretted ever since!
If you mean Nio, I don't appreciate you using the term "monster."
And it isn't a matter of money.
Nio is a human being.
Surely you jest!
All of the monstrosities in the Doan Company pale by comparison.
You're talking about an abomination that reigns over all others.
Please leave. We have nothing else to discuss.
Do you truly think a demon would be pleased at being defanged, declawed,
and dressed as a human?
Usui-sama, I am asking you to set the beast free.
Leave.
I wonder what I should get Soji to buy me when I win.
Hey, Yuen!
Hurray!
The two siblings are not the only ones who are missing.
It seems a number of children with remarkable appearances have disappeared.
No one cares how many children from the mountains go missing.
That's simply how it is in Nagasaki.
That said, it was likely the Doan Company's doing.
I heard they kidnap unfortunate children and make them part of their show.
In the past, they were a simple company of traveling performers.
But at some point, their chief, Doan, began collecting children who were different,
with scant regard for anything else.
You know a lot about this.
Nio used to be among their number.
I brought that child into my care, because I wanted to do something.
But it seems Doan regrets letting Nio go.
He visited me this afternoon.
And this Doan—
Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!
You mean to tell me Nio lost because of that guy?!
It must have come as a shock, yes.
That don't cut it, man! I lost everything I had on that bet!
And where the hell is Nio now?
In hiding for the time being, just to be on the safe side.
Let go!
G-G-Get off! Put us down!
Doan.
Nio.
My beloved beast. Why are you here?
You wanted to make me yours, right?
Yes! I'll never let you go again!
You belong only to me.
In that case, how much are you willing to pay?
Give me my doll back.
Mommy... Mommy!
Come on, no more crying. I've got food.
Gimme!
I miss my mommy!
Hang on, I've got yours right here. Just a sec.
Here you go.
Give it back.
Cut it out already! Put Badger down!
Hey!
What do you think you're doing?!
Eat up and try to stay quiet.
If you don't wanna end up getting slugged like me, you should do as they say.
What's gonna happen to us?
Well, if you learn some tricks, life might not be so bad.
Who are you?
I mean, it's better than living in the mountains.
You get to eat every day and sleep under a roof.
I wanna go home. I bet Hana's looking for us.
Yeah. No way are we staying here.
Oh, is that right?
Hell yeah! Nicely done, Nio!
I might not starve now!
So the target for revenge is the Doan Company.
And the coin was bitten by the twins Hana is searching for?
This works out perfectly.
How exactly did some kids from the mountains get a gold coin?
And how did you end up receiving it?
Does it matter?
I was on my way back from saying hi to Doan.
I came across it by chance. Honest.
I asked you to stay away from Doan.
Oh, did you?
Well, this all seems a little too convenient.
Whoa, excuse me, but when did we start questioning where the coins come from?
This is bitten gold, same as any other.
And now that it's in our hands,
ain't it our job as revengers to get to work, no questions asked?
Or are you gonna tell me that every other time, all those cases were legit?
Well, you've got a point there.
Once the gold bears the mark of a grudge, we have no choice but to act.
And there you have it. Isn't this great, Yuen?
Don't give me that scary look. You wanted him dead, too, right?
Oh, but Doan's mine, okay?
Since I'm the one who brought the revenge in.
I can have that, can't I?
Thanks for getting this for me so quickly.
I promised Doan I'd be back tonight.
It's too late, y'know.
If you wanted to keep me from going, you should've killed him first.
You could've done it without anyone catching on, right?
It's not a question of whether anyone knows.
I have already strayed from God's path.
I adhere to a code because it's the last way I can stay faithful.
I don't get this stuff about religion and codes.
But I do get that we can't kill without a coin, because Yuen says so.
But we've got a coin now, so it's fine, right?
How's it looking? Nio said everything should be set.
You think we're gonna find that Doan guy snoozing?
If he is the villain we have been told he is, I doubt he fully trusts Nio.
I hear that.
See? And here they are.
Okay, since we're the decoys, let's make this flashy...
I didn't mean literally!
Damn it.
Hey, samurai! You get the fat fire freak!
Seems you knew we were coming.
It's been a while, but...
Guess it's time for a test of strength.
Bastard!
Asshole.
If this keeps up...
He really lit a fire under us.
Take the whole deck, then!
Damn you!
Get your fat ass off me! You're in the way!
Well, someone sure owes someone.
I do not know which of us you mean.
Steady as she goes!
Honestly...
See what happens when you play with fire?
Somebody! Get the keys, please!
The kids will burn to death otherwise!
Get out of here quick, boys!
Help the kids who can't walk, you hear?
That's right. I want your eyes on me.
My precious abomination...
You wanted me to be yours and only yours, right?
Yes. I knew.
That's right. If you want to make sure I belong to you alone, this is how.
I can't.
I can't bring myself... to destroy you.
Okay.
In that case, I guess I'll have to make you mine, Doan.
Yes. From the very beginning, this was meant to be.
You exquisite creature.
At long last, I can become yours.
You've been waiting for this for a while, huh?
Now I'll love you, Doan.
Hey! Quit running!
This cake is expensive. What gives, Soji?
It must have cost most of your take from the job.
You said the other day that you wanted to eat your fill of it.
I guess I'd say... I'm just glad Hana's not worried sick anymore, all right?
But then there was no point!
I got those kids to bite the gold 'cause you said you were going broke.
I didn't wanna hear you whining about the kite battle.
If you weren't gonna keep the money, I shouldn't have bothered killing Doan.
And those kids would've probably been better off there than back in the mountains.
What the hell? You mean to tell me you set up the whole thing?
Why are you giving me that look?
You're the one who said one piece of bitten gold is the same as any other.
Nio asked me something the other day.
Whether living in a town where I can smell the sea
made me miss my old days as a scoundrel.
What did you say?
Same thing I said to you.
I take these kinds of jobs to keep that side of myself in check.
I doubt Nio understood what you meant.
Well, that's human nature.
Even if it only amounts to an excuse, we try to justify the things we do.
Except for Nio, who doesn't feel the need.
Even if that is the case...
I still want Nio to live like a human being.
Episode 5
Next time, Episode 6