09x03 - A Bowl of Ramen
Posted: 09/24/22 06:28
H: Here's your ramen!
I: Late on New Year's Eve,
I: that scruffy-looking man ordered not New Year's soba, but a bowl of ramen.
I: "I can't eat this much."
I: Saying that, the man took two extra cups, divided his ramen into three portions,
I: and shared them with my husband and me.
I: And after devouring his portion in an instant,
I: he left, walking down the wintry streets with his stomach rumbling.
I: The next year, and the year after that...
Sign: Hokuto Shinken
I: Every New Year's Eve, that man would visit.
I: He would always use what little money he had
I: to order a bowl of ramen and share it with us.
I: Each time, my husband would divide it into three portions,
I: load one of them up with pork topping, and serve it to the man.
I: Meanwhile, he would slurp on ramen that was nothing but soup.
H: Ikumatsu.
H: This is our restaurant's year-end tradition now.
H: Should anything happen to me, make sure you keep it going.
I: That would turn out to be the last bowl of ramen my husband ever made.
I: It would also mark the end of the little year-end tradition the three of us shared.
Gintama,OP Card: Gintama
OP Card: Slip Arc
Title: A Bowl of Ramen
Sign: Hokuto Shinken
Warning: Watch the Slip Arc in a bright roomand at a safe distance from your TV!
I: He didn't come last New Year's Eve, either.
Ramen banner: ,Ramen
I: Ever since my husband passed away, he hasn't shown up at all.
I: He was a strange one.
I: He clearly had no money to spare, but he'd share his ramen with us
I: and then leave, still hungry.
I: He must've been really lonely.
I: Maybe he was coming here for company, not ramen.
I: Who knows where he is and what he's doing now?
I: Meanwhile, here I am, upholding my husband's last wish
I: and waiting for him with a bowl loaded up with pork topping.
I: Here's your ramen—
Shin: Don't try to hog the pork!
Gin: Shut it! I'm the one who won big at pachinko!
Gin: You sit there and sip on the soup!
Kag: The egg! Let me just have the egg!
I: Jeez, you three.
I: Why not drink a soup of the dirt in that old man's nails while you're at it?
I: I hope he's doing just as well as you seem to be.
I: I can't help but be worried.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono, I would say your concern is unnecessary.
Kat: If that poor, lonely man was coming here seeking company at the end of the year,
Kat: it's actually a good thing that he stopped showing up.
Kat: He must've settled down in life
Kat: and found someone he can eat traditional New Year's food with instead of ramen.
Kat: Or maybe the ramen here got worse once you took over—
I: Here's your soba!
Shin: Y-You know that's not right, Katsura-san!
Shin: Ikumatsu-san's ramen is the best in Edo! No, the best in the universe!
Shin: There's no doubt that man is just dying to have it one more time, too!
Shin: Right, Ikumatsu-san?
Kag: He's got some nerve to not show any gratitude after all that pork he ate.
Kag: If he's got money now, he should come back and share some ramen with us.
Shin: What do you have to do with anything?
I: This is a task my husband left to me after worrying about it until the end.
I: Taking over the restaurant was all well and good, but this lingers with me.
I: And I haven't returned that scarf, either.
I: But you're right.
I: He must be leading such a happy life that he forgot all about this dingy ramen shop.
I: I'll just assume that's what happened.
I: Either way, there's nothing I can do but stay here and keep making ramen.
Gin: Hey, Zura.
Gin: Unlike you, I'm a busy man.
Kat: I'm not Zura. I'm Katsura.
Gin: I'm in luck today.
Gin: The dice and the cards are all waiting for me.
Kat: What's that saying? A fool with a big mouth and his money are soon parted?
Kat: I said what I did earlier out of consideration for Ikumatsu-dono.
Kat: But Gintoki, what do you think happened to that man, honestly?
Gin: He had no home or family, and he was old to boot, right?
Gin: Probably d*ed on the streets, at best.
Kat: Probably.
Kat: But that's only if the man was truly homeless.
Kat: This scarf he forgot at the restaurant...
Kat: It's worn out from use, but it's a high-quality item.
Kat: It would also have stuck out like a sore thumb if a homeless man was wearing it.
Kat: We might be able to find him.
Kat: If he's still alive, that is.
Kat: But if you truly are in luck today,
Kat: I might be able to clear my tab at Hokuto Shinken.
Gin: Not happening. Anyway, what I want to know is...
Gin: Zura, did you get all the way to **** base with Ikumatsu?
Kat: O-Of all the disgusting accusations! Have some shame!
Gin: I mean, you're always on her side for some reason,
Gin: and I keep running into you every time I go there for ramen lately.
Gin: So you haven't sealed the deal yet, huh?
Gin: And here I thought you'd already sucked on something else besides ramen.
Kat: Don't be stupid!
Kat: As if Ikumatsu-dono and I would ever have ***, get **** and *****,
Kat: or worse, **** like *******!
Gin: Uh, I never said anything that vulgar.
Gin: Yeah, you have always been the passive sort.
Gin: So you wanna pound the pavement here and then pound Ikumatsu while you're at it, huh?
Gin: If that's how it was, you shoulda said so sooner.
Gin: I can give you a discount on the cupid service.
Kat: I didn't ask for that!
Gin: Don't play dumb! I know your tastes inside and out!
Gin: You've always been into married women.
Shin: That's one weakness I didn't expect.
Gin: Come to think of it, your first love as a kid was a neighborhood widow—
Kat: You dare insult a samurai?! Keep it upand I won't hesitate to cut even you down!
Kat: I'm not into married women!
Kat: I'm into cuckoldry!
Shin: You just exposed a fetish that's totally unbefitting a samurai!
Kat: And it's not Ikumatsu-dono that I'm in love with!
Kat: It's the taste of her soba!
Kat: She inherited that from her husband,
Kat: and I just want to make that man eat it one more time.
Kat: Eat that bowl of ramen she promised her husband to serve.
Gin: How admirable.
Gin: You wanna pound the pavement to help her fulfill her promise with your love rival?
Kat: Unfortunately, we're not rivals in love.
Kat: It's not something I will ever be.
Kat: Because Ikumatsu-dono only has eyes for one man.
Bum: Hey, what's all that about?
Bum: That's one young newcomer.
Kat: Pleased to meet you.
Kat: I grew sick of being a samurai, quit sticking swords in people,
Kat: and chose to stick myself in a cardboard box.
Kat: My name is Katsura Kuzutaro.
Kat: I hope to get along with all of you. You may casually call me Kuzura.
Bum: For someone who grew sick of his life, you're awfully lively, Kuzura-san.
Kat: I'm not Kuzura! I'm Katsura!
Kat: And this here is my partner, Kuzuta—
Gin: Hey, how did things end up this way?
Bum: The other guy's got the same look in his eyes as us.
Bum: Welcome, Kuzuta-san.
Bum: Hey, nice to meetcha.
Gin: As if! Don't lump me in with you lot!
Kat: The best people to ask about a homeless man are the homeless.
Kat: I came up with this cover to make them less wary of us...
Kat: But I'm amazed you blended in instantly. That's my Kuzuta.
Gin: That doesn't make me happy!
Gin: I really should've gone looking for the scarf store with Shinpachi and Kagura.
Kat: Sorry, but who among you knows a lot about this stuff?
Kat: I have a lot of questions regarding the cardboard life.
Bum: Oh, then you should go meet the Lawd. You can introduce yourself, too.
Kat: The Lord?
Bum: Yeah. The chief of cardboard boxes and leader of all the homeless here.
Lawd,Sign: Lawd
Bum: We call him Lawd, for Leader At the Waste Dump.
Bum: The Lawd knows all, and he can solve most problems you might face.
Musashi: What's going on? It's awfully noisy.
Bum: It's the Lawd! The Lawd has graced us with his presence!
Gin: Hey, what are you doing, Hasega—
Mu: Men, throw these two out of Eden at once.
Gin: Uh, what are you talking about? What the hell is "Eden"?
Gin: Hey, stop talking through an interpreter.
Gin: You're totally made in Japan.
Mu: These two bring disaster wherever they go.
Gin: Uh, I don't wanna hear that from a walking disaster.
Gin: I'm willing to ask as many times as it takes.
Gin: What are you doing? Why are you here at your age, Hasega—
Mu: Quit chanting the Hasegawa death spell!
Gin: It's your damn name! And use your own mouth to speak!
Gin: You're pissing me off!
Mu: The lower realm's mores don't apply here.
Mu: This is Eden.
Mu: A different world where those who have been liberated from everything gather.
Gin: That so?
Gin: I don't care if you're Hasegawa-san or the Lawd anymore.
Gin: Just trash either way.
Mu: Who're you calling trash?!
Gin: Say, did you ever see anyone wearing this scarf—
Mu: Can't answer that.
Mu: Everyone here is truly free.
Mu: Nobody is allowed to pry into or bring up their past lives!
Mu: And we have no information to share with outsiders.
Mu: If you wish to become one of us so badly,
Mu: offer me bags of empty cans and
Mu: discarded convenience store lunch boxes as tribute.
Mad: Got that, uh... Kuzuta-san, was it?
Mad: Only the people who were at rock bottom in the lower world can make it to the top here.
Gin: If you're gonna laugh, do it yourself!
Bum: Lawd!
West: Pick up empty cans?
West: Save yer sleeptalkin' for when yer asleep.
West: I thought we made it clear this was our yard.
West: All the empty cans and discarded convenience store lunch boxes are ours!
West: You louts hurry up and get outta this park already!
Gin: Who the heck are those guys?
Bum: The Westside g*ng!
Bum: The armed cardboard g*ng who control the west side of this park!
Gin: What the hell is an armed cardboard g*ng?
Bum: They're upstarts that use violent oppression to expand their rule on cardboard!
Gin: Wait, what? Did we enter the Warring Cardboard Era while I wasn't paying attention?
Mu: Get outta here!
Mu: This is a free utopia!
Mu: We won't hand it over, no matter how many times you try.
Gin: You're stepping on the Lawd! He was trying to say something!
Mu: We won't give in to v*olence!
Mu: We only fall to our knees in our cardboard boxes!
Gin: But the Lawd's totally giving in to v*olence beneath you!
Gin: And this interpreter's just running his mouth now, isn't he?
Bum: Interpreter? What are you saying, Kuzuta-san?
Bum: This is the Lawd.
Gin: What?! He was the Lawd all along?!
Gin: Then what was with the old man next to him who was dressed all godlike?
Bum: That's the guy always mumbling something by the Lawd's side.
Gin: In the end, you've hit rock bottom in this world, too!
Bro: Now there's a face that takes me back.
Bro: I found an unexpected diamond buried in the trash.
Bro: I see.
Bro: So you came here, too...
Bro: Katsura!
Kat: Y-You're...
Gin: Who are you, again?
Bro: Don't interpret for the people watching at home!
Bro: Don't tell me you forgot...
Bro: How you got me thrown in jail for that woman
Bro: and reduced me to being homeless!
Gin: I see.
Gin: After crossing swords with you at the Land of Korin,
Gin: I never expected you to return as a cyborg.
Bro: That's Mercenary Tao!
Bro: Just look at the quality difference in our comebacks!
Kat: I remember now! You're Ikumatsu-dono's brother from back then...
Kat: Fancy running into you here.
Bro: I'd rather you didn't sum it up so easily.
Bro: I mean, ever since then, I've lived my life thinking of nothing but you guys.
Bro: You two ruined my life,
Bro: so I was chomping at the bit for a chance to get my revenge on you two!
Kat: Oh? By becoming king of this cardboard mountain?
Kat: Talk about a roundabout revenge.
Bro: Look, I know that you're here to look for that man.
Kat: What are you talking about?
Bro: Don't play dumb.
Bro: I know all about it.
Bro: How my brother desperately looked for him here while he was still alive.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono's husband did what?!
Bro: How that man visited that filthy ramen place every year,
Bro: and just who he is, too.
W: Um, if I may ask, where did you get this?
Shin: Oh, we're looking for its owner, too.
W: This crest on the lining certainly is Nishikiya's.
Kag: Really? Does it ring any bells?
Kag: Did some filthy old man come here to buy it?
W: This isn't one of our products. It belonged to the master of Nishikiya.
Kag: Master? Like the boss of this place?
W: Yes. I remember him wearing it with style whenever he went out.
Shin: Where is he? Where is he now?
W: He passed away around years ago.
W: Why would this thing show up after all this time?
Shin: Um, was it given away to someone after he d*ed?
Shin: Are there any family members who might know?
W: Just the young miss.
W: But she was very young when her father d*ed.
W: She probably doesn't remember anything.
W: Nishikiya is a textile store that the master and mistress built themselves.
W: Right when they'd overcome hard times and put up shop, the master passed away.
W: After that, the mistress made the store grow this big all by herself.
W: But she d*ed six years ago, too.
W: On top of that, the young miss lost her husband.
W: So even if she doesn't remember anything anymore,
W: I'm sure the young miss will be delighted if she sees this.
I: I wonder about that.
I: After having the scarf taken without permission
I: and people sniffing around without her knowing,
I: even the gentle young miss might get angry.
I: Just kidding.
I: Delivery for you, Osono-san.
Bro: Katsura, I came here to k*ll that man.
Bro: "That man" being Ikumatsu's dad, who is said to have d*ed years ago.
I: Oh, you're trying to find that homeless man using this scarf?
I: Jeez, you could've just told me.
I: Sorry you went through all this trouble for my sake.
I: Yes.
I: The scarf belonged to Nishiki Matsugoro, Nishikiya's founder, who d*ed years ago.
I: And I'm Matsugoro's daughter, Nishiki Ikumatsu.
Shin: Y-You're Nishikiya's heiress?
I: Sorry I didn't mention it. It's just not me, you know?
I: Running a ramen restaurant suits me much better, right?
I: Of course it does.
I: Nishikiya may be one of the top textile showrooms now,
I: but until it was started, we lived in abject poverty.
I: But while life was hard, we had fun.
I: Even if we had nothing to eat, the three of us supported one another as we lived.
I: But it all came crashing down the moment we became able to live a decent life.
I: Ironic, right?
Shin: If I may ask, how did your father pass away?
I: I was really young back then, so I have no idea.
I: Besides, he was living elsewhere with his mistress back then.
I: As soon as our store got on track,
I: he apparently made a move on one of the girls working here.
I: Mom found out and threw him out.
I: Not long after that, we heard that he'd d*ed of illness.
I: People were saying he deserved it for abandoning his wife and daughter,
I: but I still remember how sad my mother looked then.
I: I don't know how the scarf found its way to that homeless man,
I: but I'm guessing it means my dad was living a similar life to him.
I: Thinking about it that way, I just can't think of him as any old man.
I: Sorry I made you waste your time for me.
I: Ultimately, maybe people are best off when they have to fight to live another day.
I: The moment we have more than we need, our eyes start to wander.
I: I feel like we could clearly see what was important when we were poor.
I: If it weren't for that, I'm sure his eyes wouldn't have strayed from us.
I: And we would've been able to forgive him, too.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono's father is alive?!
Bro: That's right. He was barely scraping by in this dump.
Kat: No way. You mean the homeless man who kept visiting the restaurant was...
Bro: Wait, you really didn't know?
Bro: And Ikumatsu didn't realize that he was her father?
Bro: That's funny.
Bro: She forgot what her own dad looked like?
Bro: Of course you'd forget about a scumbag who left his family for another woman.
Bro: Isn't that right?
Bro: How long are you gonna stay silent? I know you're here.
Bro: Whatever.
Bro: I'm sure the kindhearted Katsura-san can't sit tight after learning all this.
Bro: Katsura, you bring Ikumatsu's old man to me.
Kat: What?
Bro: Don't get any funny ideas.
Bro: I control pretty much all the homeless in this town.
Bro: I think some starving homeless even camp out at the dump near the Hokuto Shinken.
Kat: You knave!
Bro: This is my revenge.
Bro: Bring me the head of the father of the woman you love.
Bum: Lawd, what should we do?
Bum: The Lawd was right.
Bum: Those guys really brought about a disaster.
Bum: We should've thrown them out right away.
Bum: Who's Ikumatsu's old man, anyway? I've never even heard of someone like that.
Mu: No need to worry.
Mu: We already found Ikumatsu's father.
Mu: Hurry up and take this man in shades to that punk.
Mad: What're you pulling the Lawd's strings for?!
Mad: Who're you calling Ikumatsu's old man?!
Kat: You must endure this, Hasegawa-dono.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono has practically been taken hostage.
Kat: We can't do anything unless we shut up that knock-off Mercenary Tao.
Mad: Before that, do something about this knock-off Commander Ikari!
Mu: Listen up. Use Shades as a decoy to distract the enemy.
Mu: In the meantime, I'll guide these men outside the park via this secret passage.
Mad: Why's the Lawd getting into it, too?
Kat: Lawd...
Mu: Instead of looking for her father,
Mu: you must first ensure the daughter's safety.
Mu: Don't lose sight of your cause.
Mu: And my cause is... No matter whose father or how big a scumbag they are,
Mu: I will protect everyone here!
Mad: But you're not protecting me at all!
Mu: We should work together.
Bum: What are you talking about, Lawd?
Bum: You're half-senile, fool. Can you really show them the way?
Mu: Who're you calling a fool?!
Mu: I plunged into the straight man routine the moment I was born!
Mu: This way! Follow me!
Bum: Where are you taking a plunge now?!
Bum: Hey, we'll handle things here, so take care of the Lawd.
Mad: In the end, I get to lead this band of idiots?
Mad: I'm done with this crap. I'm gonna leave this place and find a proper job.
Kat: I still can't believe that homeless man was Ikumatsu-dono's father.
Kat: He was going to see her unbeknownst to all, huh?
Kat: And he hid who he was due to the guilt over abandoning his family?
Kat: In that case, why did he suddenly stop showing up?
Kat: Because he'd seen that his daughter was blessed with happiness?
Gin: She lost her husband, and now a weird guy with long hair is stalking her.
Gin: Nobody would consider her blessed.
Kat: I never stalked her!
Gin: Keep it down. What if they hear you?
Gin: You're not used to straight manwork. Don't push yourself.
Mu: Yeah! Let me plunge into the straight man routine instead!
Mad: Seriously, where do you think you're taking a plunge?!
Mad: The Lawd's getting swept away!
Gin: You've got it wrong, Hasegawa-san.
Gin: This straight man really wants to plunge into Ikumatsu's pus—
Mad: Hey, knock it off!
Mad: I can't handle these three stooges!
Gin: H-Help!
Gin: I... I can't swim!
Kat: Screw you!
Kat: When did I say I wanted to plunge into Ikumatsu-dono's *****, *****, or *******?
Mad: Look, we don't have time for that! Help me rescue him!
Mu: I'll take the plunge instead!
Mad: Why?!
Mad: I can't deal with this!
TBC: ,To Be Continued
Preview,Sign: Preview
Mad: Once this chaos blows over, I'm going to seriously look for a job.
Mad: I mean it. This isn't a death flag or anything, okay?
Mad: I'm serious, by the way.
Ep Title,Title: A Family
Gin: Next time: "A Family."
TextR: A series of surprising reveals
TextL: from a complex web of relationships.
TextR: The next episode features so many twists and turns,
TextL: you'll stop worrying about whowould ever hire Madao.
I: Late on New Year's Eve,
I: that scruffy-looking man ordered not New Year's soba, but a bowl of ramen.
I: "I can't eat this much."
I: Saying that, the man took two extra cups, divided his ramen into three portions,
I: and shared them with my husband and me.
I: And after devouring his portion in an instant,
I: he left, walking down the wintry streets with his stomach rumbling.
I: The next year, and the year after that...
Sign: Hokuto Shinken
I: Every New Year's Eve, that man would visit.
I: He would always use what little money he had
I: to order a bowl of ramen and share it with us.
I: Each time, my husband would divide it into three portions,
I: load one of them up with pork topping, and serve it to the man.
I: Meanwhile, he would slurp on ramen that was nothing but soup.
H: Ikumatsu.
H: This is our restaurant's year-end tradition now.
H: Should anything happen to me, make sure you keep it going.
I: That would turn out to be the last bowl of ramen my husband ever made.
I: It would also mark the end of the little year-end tradition the three of us shared.
Gintama,OP Card: Gintama
OP Card: Slip Arc
Title: A Bowl of Ramen
Sign: Hokuto Shinken
Warning: Watch the Slip Arc in a bright roomand at a safe distance from your TV!
I: He didn't come last New Year's Eve, either.
Ramen banner: ,Ramen
I: Ever since my husband passed away, he hasn't shown up at all.
I: He was a strange one.
I: He clearly had no money to spare, but he'd share his ramen with us
I: and then leave, still hungry.
I: He must've been really lonely.
I: Maybe he was coming here for company, not ramen.
I: Who knows where he is and what he's doing now?
I: Meanwhile, here I am, upholding my husband's last wish
I: and waiting for him with a bowl loaded up with pork topping.
I: Here's your ramen—
Shin: Don't try to hog the pork!
Gin: Shut it! I'm the one who won big at pachinko!
Gin: You sit there and sip on the soup!
Kag: The egg! Let me just have the egg!
I: Jeez, you three.
I: Why not drink a soup of the dirt in that old man's nails while you're at it?
I: I hope he's doing just as well as you seem to be.
I: I can't help but be worried.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono, I would say your concern is unnecessary.
Kat: If that poor, lonely man was coming here seeking company at the end of the year,
Kat: it's actually a good thing that he stopped showing up.
Kat: He must've settled down in life
Kat: and found someone he can eat traditional New Year's food with instead of ramen.
Kat: Or maybe the ramen here got worse once you took over—
I: Here's your soba!
Shin: Y-You know that's not right, Katsura-san!
Shin: Ikumatsu-san's ramen is the best in Edo! No, the best in the universe!
Shin: There's no doubt that man is just dying to have it one more time, too!
Shin: Right, Ikumatsu-san?
Kag: He's got some nerve to not show any gratitude after all that pork he ate.
Kag: If he's got money now, he should come back and share some ramen with us.
Shin: What do you have to do with anything?
I: This is a task my husband left to me after worrying about it until the end.
I: Taking over the restaurant was all well and good, but this lingers with me.
I: And I haven't returned that scarf, either.
I: But you're right.
I: He must be leading such a happy life that he forgot all about this dingy ramen shop.
I: I'll just assume that's what happened.
I: Either way, there's nothing I can do but stay here and keep making ramen.
Gin: Hey, Zura.
Gin: Unlike you, I'm a busy man.
Kat: I'm not Zura. I'm Katsura.
Gin: I'm in luck today.
Gin: The dice and the cards are all waiting for me.
Kat: What's that saying? A fool with a big mouth and his money are soon parted?
Kat: I said what I did earlier out of consideration for Ikumatsu-dono.
Kat: But Gintoki, what do you think happened to that man, honestly?
Gin: He had no home or family, and he was old to boot, right?
Gin: Probably d*ed on the streets, at best.
Kat: Probably.
Kat: But that's only if the man was truly homeless.
Kat: This scarf he forgot at the restaurant...
Kat: It's worn out from use, but it's a high-quality item.
Kat: It would also have stuck out like a sore thumb if a homeless man was wearing it.
Kat: We might be able to find him.
Kat: If he's still alive, that is.
Kat: But if you truly are in luck today,
Kat: I might be able to clear my tab at Hokuto Shinken.
Gin: Not happening. Anyway, what I want to know is...
Gin: Zura, did you get all the way to **** base with Ikumatsu?
Kat: O-Of all the disgusting accusations! Have some shame!
Gin: I mean, you're always on her side for some reason,
Gin: and I keep running into you every time I go there for ramen lately.
Gin: So you haven't sealed the deal yet, huh?
Gin: And here I thought you'd already sucked on something else besides ramen.
Kat: Don't be stupid!
Kat: As if Ikumatsu-dono and I would ever have ***, get **** and *****,
Kat: or worse, **** like *******!
Gin: Uh, I never said anything that vulgar.
Gin: Yeah, you have always been the passive sort.
Gin: So you wanna pound the pavement here and then pound Ikumatsu while you're at it, huh?
Gin: If that's how it was, you shoulda said so sooner.
Gin: I can give you a discount on the cupid service.
Kat: I didn't ask for that!
Gin: Don't play dumb! I know your tastes inside and out!
Gin: You've always been into married women.
Shin: That's one weakness I didn't expect.
Gin: Come to think of it, your first love as a kid was a neighborhood widow—
Kat: You dare insult a samurai?! Keep it upand I won't hesitate to cut even you down!
Kat: I'm not into married women!
Kat: I'm into cuckoldry!
Shin: You just exposed a fetish that's totally unbefitting a samurai!
Kat: And it's not Ikumatsu-dono that I'm in love with!
Kat: It's the taste of her soba!
Kat: She inherited that from her husband,
Kat: and I just want to make that man eat it one more time.
Kat: Eat that bowl of ramen she promised her husband to serve.
Gin: How admirable.
Gin: You wanna pound the pavement to help her fulfill her promise with your love rival?
Kat: Unfortunately, we're not rivals in love.
Kat: It's not something I will ever be.
Kat: Because Ikumatsu-dono only has eyes for one man.
Bum: Hey, what's all that about?
Bum: That's one young newcomer.
Kat: Pleased to meet you.
Kat: I grew sick of being a samurai, quit sticking swords in people,
Kat: and chose to stick myself in a cardboard box.
Kat: My name is Katsura Kuzutaro.
Kat: I hope to get along with all of you. You may casually call me Kuzura.
Bum: For someone who grew sick of his life, you're awfully lively, Kuzura-san.
Kat: I'm not Kuzura! I'm Katsura!
Kat: And this here is my partner, Kuzuta—
Gin: Hey, how did things end up this way?
Bum: The other guy's got the same look in his eyes as us.
Bum: Welcome, Kuzuta-san.
Bum: Hey, nice to meetcha.
Gin: As if! Don't lump me in with you lot!
Kat: The best people to ask about a homeless man are the homeless.
Kat: I came up with this cover to make them less wary of us...
Kat: But I'm amazed you blended in instantly. That's my Kuzuta.
Gin: That doesn't make me happy!
Gin: I really should've gone looking for the scarf store with Shinpachi and Kagura.
Kat: Sorry, but who among you knows a lot about this stuff?
Kat: I have a lot of questions regarding the cardboard life.
Bum: Oh, then you should go meet the Lawd. You can introduce yourself, too.
Kat: The Lord?
Bum: Yeah. The chief of cardboard boxes and leader of all the homeless here.
Lawd,Sign: Lawd
Bum: We call him Lawd, for Leader At the Waste Dump.
Bum: The Lawd knows all, and he can solve most problems you might face.
Musashi: What's going on? It's awfully noisy.
Bum: It's the Lawd! The Lawd has graced us with his presence!
Gin: Hey, what are you doing, Hasega—
Mu: Men, throw these two out of Eden at once.
Gin: Uh, what are you talking about? What the hell is "Eden"?
Gin: Hey, stop talking through an interpreter.
Gin: You're totally made in Japan.
Mu: These two bring disaster wherever they go.
Gin: Uh, I don't wanna hear that from a walking disaster.
Gin: I'm willing to ask as many times as it takes.
Gin: What are you doing? Why are you here at your age, Hasega—
Mu: Quit chanting the Hasegawa death spell!
Gin: It's your damn name! And use your own mouth to speak!
Gin: You're pissing me off!
Mu: The lower realm's mores don't apply here.
Mu: This is Eden.
Mu: A different world where those who have been liberated from everything gather.
Gin: That so?
Gin: I don't care if you're Hasegawa-san or the Lawd anymore.
Gin: Just trash either way.
Mu: Who're you calling trash?!
Gin: Say, did you ever see anyone wearing this scarf—
Mu: Can't answer that.
Mu: Everyone here is truly free.
Mu: Nobody is allowed to pry into or bring up their past lives!
Mu: And we have no information to share with outsiders.
Mu: If you wish to become one of us so badly,
Mu: offer me bags of empty cans and
Mu: discarded convenience store lunch boxes as tribute.
Mad: Got that, uh... Kuzuta-san, was it?
Mad: Only the people who were at rock bottom in the lower world can make it to the top here.
Gin: If you're gonna laugh, do it yourself!
Bum: Lawd!
West: Pick up empty cans?
West: Save yer sleeptalkin' for when yer asleep.
West: I thought we made it clear this was our yard.
West: All the empty cans and discarded convenience store lunch boxes are ours!
West: You louts hurry up and get outta this park already!
Gin: Who the heck are those guys?
Bum: The Westside g*ng!
Bum: The armed cardboard g*ng who control the west side of this park!
Gin: What the hell is an armed cardboard g*ng?
Bum: They're upstarts that use violent oppression to expand their rule on cardboard!
Gin: Wait, what? Did we enter the Warring Cardboard Era while I wasn't paying attention?
Mu: Get outta here!
Mu: This is a free utopia!
Mu: We won't hand it over, no matter how many times you try.
Gin: You're stepping on the Lawd! He was trying to say something!
Mu: We won't give in to v*olence!
Mu: We only fall to our knees in our cardboard boxes!
Gin: But the Lawd's totally giving in to v*olence beneath you!
Gin: And this interpreter's just running his mouth now, isn't he?
Bum: Interpreter? What are you saying, Kuzuta-san?
Bum: This is the Lawd.
Gin: What?! He was the Lawd all along?!
Gin: Then what was with the old man next to him who was dressed all godlike?
Bum: That's the guy always mumbling something by the Lawd's side.
Gin: In the end, you've hit rock bottom in this world, too!
Bro: Now there's a face that takes me back.
Bro: I found an unexpected diamond buried in the trash.
Bro: I see.
Bro: So you came here, too...
Bro: Katsura!
Kat: Y-You're...
Gin: Who are you, again?
Bro: Don't interpret for the people watching at home!
Bro: Don't tell me you forgot...
Bro: How you got me thrown in jail for that woman
Bro: and reduced me to being homeless!
Gin: I see.
Gin: After crossing swords with you at the Land of Korin,
Gin: I never expected you to return as a cyborg.
Bro: That's Mercenary Tao!
Bro: Just look at the quality difference in our comebacks!
Kat: I remember now! You're Ikumatsu-dono's brother from back then...
Kat: Fancy running into you here.
Bro: I'd rather you didn't sum it up so easily.
Bro: I mean, ever since then, I've lived my life thinking of nothing but you guys.
Bro: You two ruined my life,
Bro: so I was chomping at the bit for a chance to get my revenge on you two!
Kat: Oh? By becoming king of this cardboard mountain?
Kat: Talk about a roundabout revenge.
Bro: Look, I know that you're here to look for that man.
Kat: What are you talking about?
Bro: Don't play dumb.
Bro: I know all about it.
Bro: How my brother desperately looked for him here while he was still alive.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono's husband did what?!
Bro: How that man visited that filthy ramen place every year,
Bro: and just who he is, too.
W: Um, if I may ask, where did you get this?
Shin: Oh, we're looking for its owner, too.
W: This crest on the lining certainly is Nishikiya's.
Kag: Really? Does it ring any bells?
Kag: Did some filthy old man come here to buy it?
W: This isn't one of our products. It belonged to the master of Nishikiya.
Kag: Master? Like the boss of this place?
W: Yes. I remember him wearing it with style whenever he went out.
Shin: Where is he? Where is he now?
W: He passed away around years ago.
W: Why would this thing show up after all this time?
Shin: Um, was it given away to someone after he d*ed?
Shin: Are there any family members who might know?
W: Just the young miss.
W: But she was very young when her father d*ed.
W: She probably doesn't remember anything.
W: Nishikiya is a textile store that the master and mistress built themselves.
W: Right when they'd overcome hard times and put up shop, the master passed away.
W: After that, the mistress made the store grow this big all by herself.
W: But she d*ed six years ago, too.
W: On top of that, the young miss lost her husband.
W: So even if she doesn't remember anything anymore,
W: I'm sure the young miss will be delighted if she sees this.
I: I wonder about that.
I: After having the scarf taken without permission
I: and people sniffing around without her knowing,
I: even the gentle young miss might get angry.
I: Just kidding.
I: Delivery for you, Osono-san.
Bro: Katsura, I came here to k*ll that man.
Bro: "That man" being Ikumatsu's dad, who is said to have d*ed years ago.
I: Oh, you're trying to find that homeless man using this scarf?
I: Jeez, you could've just told me.
I: Sorry you went through all this trouble for my sake.
I: Yes.
I: The scarf belonged to Nishiki Matsugoro, Nishikiya's founder, who d*ed years ago.
I: And I'm Matsugoro's daughter, Nishiki Ikumatsu.
Shin: Y-You're Nishikiya's heiress?
I: Sorry I didn't mention it. It's just not me, you know?
I: Running a ramen restaurant suits me much better, right?
I: Of course it does.
I: Nishikiya may be one of the top textile showrooms now,
I: but until it was started, we lived in abject poverty.
I: But while life was hard, we had fun.
I: Even if we had nothing to eat, the three of us supported one another as we lived.
I: But it all came crashing down the moment we became able to live a decent life.
I: Ironic, right?
Shin: If I may ask, how did your father pass away?
I: I was really young back then, so I have no idea.
I: Besides, he was living elsewhere with his mistress back then.
I: As soon as our store got on track,
I: he apparently made a move on one of the girls working here.
I: Mom found out and threw him out.
I: Not long after that, we heard that he'd d*ed of illness.
I: People were saying he deserved it for abandoning his wife and daughter,
I: but I still remember how sad my mother looked then.
I: I don't know how the scarf found its way to that homeless man,
I: but I'm guessing it means my dad was living a similar life to him.
I: Thinking about it that way, I just can't think of him as any old man.
I: Sorry I made you waste your time for me.
I: Ultimately, maybe people are best off when they have to fight to live another day.
I: The moment we have more than we need, our eyes start to wander.
I: I feel like we could clearly see what was important when we were poor.
I: If it weren't for that, I'm sure his eyes wouldn't have strayed from us.
I: And we would've been able to forgive him, too.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono's father is alive?!
Bro: That's right. He was barely scraping by in this dump.
Kat: No way. You mean the homeless man who kept visiting the restaurant was...
Bro: Wait, you really didn't know?
Bro: And Ikumatsu didn't realize that he was her father?
Bro: That's funny.
Bro: She forgot what her own dad looked like?
Bro: Of course you'd forget about a scumbag who left his family for another woman.
Bro: Isn't that right?
Bro: How long are you gonna stay silent? I know you're here.
Bro: Whatever.
Bro: I'm sure the kindhearted Katsura-san can't sit tight after learning all this.
Bro: Katsura, you bring Ikumatsu's old man to me.
Kat: What?
Bro: Don't get any funny ideas.
Bro: I control pretty much all the homeless in this town.
Bro: I think some starving homeless even camp out at the dump near the Hokuto Shinken.
Kat: You knave!
Bro: This is my revenge.
Bro: Bring me the head of the father of the woman you love.
Bum: Lawd, what should we do?
Bum: The Lawd was right.
Bum: Those guys really brought about a disaster.
Bum: We should've thrown them out right away.
Bum: Who's Ikumatsu's old man, anyway? I've never even heard of someone like that.
Mu: No need to worry.
Mu: We already found Ikumatsu's father.
Mu: Hurry up and take this man in shades to that punk.
Mad: What're you pulling the Lawd's strings for?!
Mad: Who're you calling Ikumatsu's old man?!
Kat: You must endure this, Hasegawa-dono.
Kat: Ikumatsu-dono has practically been taken hostage.
Kat: We can't do anything unless we shut up that knock-off Mercenary Tao.
Mad: Before that, do something about this knock-off Commander Ikari!
Mu: Listen up. Use Shades as a decoy to distract the enemy.
Mu: In the meantime, I'll guide these men outside the park via this secret passage.
Mad: Why's the Lawd getting into it, too?
Kat: Lawd...
Mu: Instead of looking for her father,
Mu: you must first ensure the daughter's safety.
Mu: Don't lose sight of your cause.
Mu: And my cause is... No matter whose father or how big a scumbag they are,
Mu: I will protect everyone here!
Mad: But you're not protecting me at all!
Mu: We should work together.
Bum: What are you talking about, Lawd?
Bum: You're half-senile, fool. Can you really show them the way?
Mu: Who're you calling a fool?!
Mu: I plunged into the straight man routine the moment I was born!
Mu: This way! Follow me!
Bum: Where are you taking a plunge now?!
Bum: Hey, we'll handle things here, so take care of the Lawd.
Mad: In the end, I get to lead this band of idiots?
Mad: I'm done with this crap. I'm gonna leave this place and find a proper job.
Kat: I still can't believe that homeless man was Ikumatsu-dono's father.
Kat: He was going to see her unbeknownst to all, huh?
Kat: And he hid who he was due to the guilt over abandoning his family?
Kat: In that case, why did he suddenly stop showing up?
Kat: Because he'd seen that his daughter was blessed with happiness?
Gin: She lost her husband, and now a weird guy with long hair is stalking her.
Gin: Nobody would consider her blessed.
Kat: I never stalked her!
Gin: Keep it down. What if they hear you?
Gin: You're not used to straight manwork. Don't push yourself.
Mu: Yeah! Let me plunge into the straight man routine instead!
Mad: Seriously, where do you think you're taking a plunge?!
Mad: The Lawd's getting swept away!
Gin: You've got it wrong, Hasegawa-san.
Gin: This straight man really wants to plunge into Ikumatsu's pus—
Mad: Hey, knock it off!
Mad: I can't handle these three stooges!
Gin: H-Help!
Gin: I... I can't swim!
Kat: Screw you!
Kat: When did I say I wanted to plunge into Ikumatsu-dono's *****, *****, or *******?
Mad: Look, we don't have time for that! Help me rescue him!
Mu: I'll take the plunge instead!
Mad: Why?!
Mad: I can't deal with this!
TBC: ,To Be Continued
Preview,Sign: Preview
Mad: Once this chaos blows over, I'm going to seriously look for a job.
Mad: I mean it. This isn't a death flag or anything, okay?
Mad: I'm serious, by the way.
Ep Title,Title: A Family
Gin: Next time: "A Family."
TextR: A series of surprising reveals
TextL: from a complex web of relationships.
TextR: The next episode features so many twists and turns,
TextL: you'll stop worrying about whowould ever hire Madao.