Session 6. (21/8/04)

Continuing from where the last episode left off, we find the Troubleshooters arriving back at Matsuyama Castle, long after the meal they were supposed to attend with the Sanuki visitors is over. They discuss the night's events. Sugiyama's deductive processes conclude that the Shrine of Shizari was fired to lure Emiko there (while Kimori's deductive processes deduct one wasp from the wall and add two half-a-wasps to the ground). The others begin to think that all the day's incidents were diversions - but from what? The only lead they didn't follow up themselves was the yakuza base. Just then a guard tells Sugiyama that a note has arrived for him. The note tells him to go for a meeting outside the east gate. This conveniently gets him out of apologising to Lord Chozo. Komako also pleads important duty and goes to protect Takara. This leaves just Mariko, Emiko and Kimori to this unwanted task. Mariko and Emiko soothe matters with their rhetoric; Kimori says little. After the meeting, Emiko and Kimori head down into the city. Mariko is asked to stay behind with Lord Chozo.

Sugiyama, paranoid as ever, goes to his meeting at the east gate by going out of the south gate. Outside the east gate he meets Nishina who reports on the ninja attack on the yakuza base. Nishina led a group of about 20 ninja into the yakuza base, an abandoned school. They crept in and got as far as the central courtyard when over 50 yakuza appeared around the courtyard, many armed with bows. The ninjas' escape route was cut off, but they managed to flee and fight their way on and through teachers' quarters and out a back door without losing anyone, though several were wounded.

Down in Matsuyama city, Kimori pays two teachers at the Academy of the Blade to guard his house. Emiko goes to the Shrine of Shizari to see what help she can give. The priest's house has been badly damaged and Emiko gives 4 gold coins to help pay for artisans to repair it. Later Sugiyama turns up with a crony (the ninja, Kajitori) and they inspect the damage. They conclude that the fire had been set more for appearance than for destruction. Kajitori also helps Sugiyama analyse the poisons the assassin at the castle had with him. They were fast and deadly, the tools of a high level ninja, expert in yogen.

Up at the castle, Komako is chatting with Takara. She flirts a little, playing on Komako's Buddhist-driven reserve which is actually little in evidence. Takara asks Komako to help her practice Court Dance. Despite Komako's indifferent performance, both manage to improve a little. In Lord Chozo's study, Lord Chozo tells Mariko he has an idea to counter the propoganda of the sumotori - to start a news sheet to spread the truth around the city, rather than just rumour. Mariko, being the most learned of the Troubleshooters is ideal to run this. She will need a staff of scribes, news gatherers, and a stock of paper. Fortunately there is still the paper warehouse the Troubleshooters captured last year. Of course, many people in the city can't read too well, so in addition to pinning the news sheets up on public buildings, Emiko can travel around the shrines of the city and read out the sheets to the people after they have offered their prayers.

Before retiring to bed, Sugiyama calls in at the police station to interrogate the captured yakuza. He doesn't need to be too brutal to learn that there are bushi among the ranks of the yakuza; they have hired thugs to attack the Troubleshooters; and there has been a power struggle within the Sharks that has seen them taken over by "foreign" yakuza (i.e. from outside the province). Sugiyama still beats them up a bit because it isn't easy being a cop.

The next day Mariko is up early and writing for the news sheet. She writes a very good act for a play, which she intends to get students from the Academy of the Blade to perform, but gets little actual news written. Emiko spends the morning hanging round near the sumotori performance, listening to gossip. She learns that the money they make from the performances probably can't support all the players - presumably they get money from elsewhere. Sugiyama tours the Matsuyama hostelries trying to find out where the ninja assassin was staying. In the evening, Komako accompanies Takara to a dance at the house of Minato Minshu, Lord Chozo's Chief Strategist and senior man at court. Komako takes part in the dancing to keep his eye on Takara. At first the dancing lessons seem to be paying off, but in the third dance he makes mistakes and makes a fool of himself. In his confusion he loses sight of Takara, who he last saw dancing with a local high-up, Fuhito, an older man of dubious reputation. Komako frantically pushes through the crowds of guests, then circles the outside of the room, but fails to find her. Finally he goes outside and sees Takara struggling with Fuhito. Komako rushes in and punches Fuhito. He staggers back and just misses a wicked slap from Takara. He tells Komako to get lost, but Komako says he is there for Takara's protection. Fuhito jumps at Komako, but Komako trips him and puts him in an arm lock. Takara fetches the host, Minato, and has Fuhito thrown into the street. Without waiting for midnight when the kagas are due to arrive, Komako escorts Takara back to the castle.

In the middle of the night, a doshin calls on Sugiyama and tell him there has been a break in at the house of Minato Minshu and a body has been found. Sugiyama rushes to the scene to find Minato's staff rushing around trying to discover what has been taken, which seems to be some jewellery and some important documents. The body turns out to be that of a Shark yakuza, presumably the burglar. There is no sign of the documents. In private conversation, Minato tells Sugiyama the documents are for Lord Chozo's next campaign. Sugiyama examines the body and finds that its neck was broken - by an expert. There is nothing else on the body. Sugiyama asks the doshin who found it whether they touched the body. They deny it, but under Sugiyama's terrifying glare admit they took a gold coin. When the miserable doshin hands it over Sugiyama sees it is a Hyugan coin.

At the paper warehouse, Mariko has finally written some news (mostly from a statement from Lord Chozo), and she, Emiko and two scribes have copied it out onto 50 news sheets. Emiko and the scribes tour the shrines, temples and other meeting places of the city and paste up the sheets, reading them out once a crowd has formed. Kimori is called to Matsuyama Castle. Here Lord Chozo hands him a note then leaves him to read it. It is from Kempei, the ronin who sold him a sword on the way home from Hyuga, joined the party and ended up as a pupil at the Academy of the Blade. The note tells of Kempei's sorrow and regret that the sword he sold to Kimori was flawed and likely to break, which he knew but sold it anyway to clear his gambling debts. Kimori had been very kind to him and now Kempei cannot live with the dishonour. Consequently he has asked Lord Chozo for a suicide mission - he is going to infiltrate the ranks of the Sharks and tell the Troubleshooters the location of their base. Kimori rushes off to find Sugiyama (he finds him in Doshin Donuts) to see if they can intercept Kempei, but it is too late.

In the afternoon Mariko gathers news for a second news sheet. She has another patriotic message from Lord Chozo, and article about the Troubleshooters' triumph in the contest against Sanuki, and, to her surprise, an advert from the Sumotori who are looking for a replacement ju-jutsu demonstrator. Mariko sends Emiko up to the castle to tell Komako - this could be just the opening they were looking for. At the castle, Emiko takes over guard duty of Takara from Komako, and starts teaching her calligraphy. Komako heads off to the sumotori's advertised location - a bar in Chiba ward. While Emiko is away, two thugs turn up at the paper warehouse and threaten Mariko with violence if she doesn't pay 20 SP protection money. Mariko is unmoved. The thugs say they will return at 9pm for the money. Mariko recognises them as Shark yakuza from the tattoos on their fingers (L−O−V−E and H−A−T). She tells Sugiyama and Kimori when they get together at the end of the day and they decide to lay an ambush. Meanwhile, Komako meets an agent for the Sumotori in the bar who tells him to come to the training stable at 9 in the morning. Komako heads back to the paper warehouse.

At the warehouse, Kimori and Sugiyama are making preparations well ahead of the yakuza's return. Sugiyama has climbed into the roof to see what hiding and attacking options it offers, while Kimori is searching the garden. Then, at 8pm and well ahead of schedule, the yakuza heavies burst in. One of them demands money from Mariko, and when she refuses he draws his sword; the other throws his lantern into the bundles of paper. Mariko stands up, draws her dagger and scores a critical hit on the yakuza, leaving him dazed. Sugiyama drops from the ceiling and uses Silent Kill with a kama on the other yakuza. After a brief struggle both yakuza are dead or unconscious. Kimori meanwhile has rushed in from the garden and tackles the flames. To add to the mayhem, an arrow appears from nowhere and strikes Mariko. Sugiyama peers into the darkness outside the main doors and is rewarded with an arrow to the chest. He rushes out, followed by Mariko, leaving Kimori struggling with the flames, which have taken hold on the paper bundles. Kimori finds a fire beater and manages to smother them quite quickly. Sugiyama rushes the archer, who switches to a naginata and holds him off. Komako arrives back from the pub and Mariko joins them. Unable to hold all three off, he quickly goes down under a hail of blows.

The next day Komako turns up for an audition for the Sumotori troupe. First there is a mock jujutsu fight against the wily Daibutsu. Komako loses the first fall, but soon works out Daibutsu's technique and handsomely wins the next four falls. Next comes a tile-breaking demonstration. Five stacks of ten tiles are put out - Komako has to break them all in no more than six attempts. Komako accomplishes this with ease, his fifth attack being exactly hard enough to break the 50th tile. The Sumotori are impressed with his panache and hire him on the spot.

Back in the city centre, Sugiyama gets a tip-off from a mysterious informant, Fukainodo. Following this lead, Sugiyama visits a pawnbroker's run by Saku (his business card reads "Dealer in Dodgy Goods"). Sugiyama sees Minato's missing necklace and brooches on a table behind Saku and pushes past him, seizing the goods and demanding to know where they came from. Saku confesses that he bought them (for a very good price) from a man called Wakiya. Saku thinks he lives in the Chiba district but doesn't know where. Sugiyama threatens Saku with arrest over the rest of his stock and leaves, but quickly details a doshin to tail Saku. Elsewhere, Mariko produces another news letter without Emiko's help - she is teaching Japanese Classics to Takara, who is beginning to pine for Komako. He, meanwhile is settling in at the Sumotori stable, and starts talking to the other martial artists. It is easy to get them to talk politics, but when someone accidentally mentions Hyugan gold coins, they close up like clams. Komako is shunned for a while, but later, after a good jujutsu practice session Komako is back with the in-crowd and gossip abounds. Komako overhears two sumotori talking about the "real plan", but when he asks them about it they will only say, "Oh, you're not from Hyuga, so you wouldn't understand."

The next day Sugiyama gets a report from the doshin who was sent to follow Saku the pawnbroker. He reports that the pawnbroker went straight to the Chiba district, went into a bar, came out with Wakiya, argued and stabbed him dead, whereupon the doshin arrested him. Sugiyama goes to see him in the cells. Saku admits to killing Wakiya in revenge for selling stolen goods, but repeatedly says he doesn't know where he lives, only that he is often at that bar. Sugiyama goes straight to the bar and starts asking customers about Wakiya. No-one admits to knowing him so Sugiyama starts questioning the barman. When he denies everything Sugiyama starts to get rough. At this point several of the customers come over and start laying about Sugiyama with fists, clubs, chairs - whatever is at hand. Sugiyama leaps behind the bar and flattens the barkeeper, but with at least six of the customers raining in blows, it isn't long before the lights go out and Sugiyama is unconscious and helpless in a very unfriendly part of town.

The following day Komako's efforts at infiltrating the sumotori are beginning to pay off. He learns that the purported plan - to replace Lord Chozo with Nishina Benkei - is a sham: they really plan to return Keji Furoja, the sadistic old daimyo, to power. The citizens of Iyo will not like this!! Now he has the ammunition to discredit the Sumotori. At an opportune moment he slopes off to the Shrine of Shizari and tells Emiko his news. Then he returns for his afternoon performance.

Later that morning two doshin make a gruesome discovery. By the banks of the Stone River they find a naked body. On closer inspection it turns out to be Sugiyama. On even closer inspection they find he is still alive; in fact not even badly injured. Evidently the patrons of the bar fear the consequences of killing the Chief of Police. Sugiyama's clothing, armour and weapons are lying under a nearby bridge, so even robbing the Chief of Police is reckoned to be too risky. The doshin help a groggy Sugiyama back to the station, where he is just gathering his wits and trying to remember if he had any ninja devices on his person when Kimori bursts in screaming that his wife Mitsumi has been kidnapped by thugs who broke into his house and knocked out the guards. Sugiyama tries to calm Kimori down and notices a note on his desk. It is in a ninja code and Sugiyama realises it is from the ninja he sent to infiltrate the Sharks. The note gives the location of a Sharks base in Chiba district - at last they have a target. They immediately go to collect Mariko, Emiko and Komako and prepare to attack!

To be continued...

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