Original subtitles

I lost my parents soon after I was born.

In a fire, I was told.

I was passed around between relatives,

and only barely held on doing maid's work at an inn.

My only joy was taking the boat downriver when I delivered to good customers.

I was always alone.

Until the day I met Yotaro-san.

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Try to calm down. The next wave's on its way.

You'll be fine, Nagi-san. Take a deep breath in, then let it out.

Once your head is clear, the rest is easy. Let yourself relax.

Babies want to come out.

Nio, the bathwater's gone cold.

It'll shock the baby. Add more hot water.

R-Right.

That's the way. Slow and steady.

I had no blood ties...

anywhere in this life.

She's like a doll.

Get angry at something, why don't you?

Talk about creepy. She's hollow inside.

Hollow

Hollow?

Empty?

Of course I was.

I had nothing in my past or future.

I had no desires. I didn't resist.

I let the current take me and kept calm.

That's how I would survive.

Yet despite that...

Fancy meeting you again.

I'm off to give a home lesson.

Do you like the river?

What?

Oh, it's just, you're always looking at it.

Fate had a surprise in store for me.

Wasn't she a serving girl?

How can she marry a samurai?

She ought to know her place.

What a mismatch.

Shh. They'll hear you.

Nagi-san. Nagi-san.

Don't worry.

I wasn't a fit match for him.

But my mother-in-law said to me...

Delicious. I can really taste that Kyoto flavor.

I learned at an inn.

I was a farmer's daughter, too.

Huh?

And I'm a second wife.

What?

So Yotaro-san and his older brother who left home aren't...

We have no blood ties.

None at all.

But between husband and wife, or mother and daughter...

what matters is keeping the family safe.

Why did I go along with Yotaro-san's brother? Why did I come to this house?

There's so much blood.

Put your back into it!

It was all so I could have this child.

That's the spirit. Out it comes.

Hang in there, Nagi-san!

You're almost done!

Sometimes, family ties without blood can be stronger than those with it.

I'll pass something on. I'll desire something.

If I can leave something behind, it means I'm not hollow.

I'll leave behind...

Nagi-san, take care of this family.

...proof that I lived!

It's out!

You did it! Way to go, Nagi-san!

Yes! The baby's born!

Wait.

It's not crying.

Is something caught in its throat?

N-No.

Give it here!

How?

Why?

Please...

Please...

Cry.

Cry!

Please...

tie us together!

It's crying.

My treasure.

Ah.

You're so soft and so warm.

Yotaro-san.

Father. Mother.

I did it.

She had the baby?

She must have.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness!

I did it.

The baby's been born?

Really? Is it a boy or a girl?

My, how adorable.

Let me hold it, too.

Lemme see! Lemme take a look, too!

My, my.

Talk about cute.

Hang on. Where's Nio?

Isn't he back yet?

Nagi-san must be over the moon.

We oughta throw a party.

Um...

She's dead.

Huh?

I see. This will be a hard ending for Nio to bear.

What's done is done.

Still...

If you ask me, the only kind of person who can really save anyone...

is one who suffers from the bottom of his heart.

One who has known heartache.

It's been a whole day since then.

I can't keep crying forever.

The doctor even said to us...

there was nothing we could've done.

Anyway, I've got to cheer up Nio-kun.

Oh, Sakura-san!

Huh?

Good morning.

Are you checking everyone's swords again today?

Thanks for coming so early.

H-Huh?

Oh, Sakura. Perfect timing.

Hijikata-san.

I tried to hammer a bent sword into shape, and it came out like an ear of rice.

What did you do to it?!

Nio! I'm hungry!

It's breakfast time.

I'll go help.

How do you think Nio-kun's feeling?

B-Beats me.

He didn't say much yesterday, understandably. But now?

Does he get over things quickly because he's young?

Was he able to process it because of who he is?

Please make way! Coming through!

Even after that big job, this place hasn't changed a bit.

Everyone changes.

T-Todo-san?

Todo.

Don't step on the edge of the tatami.

U-Um, who are you again?

It's Shinpachi! Shinpachi's lost it!

A samurai must be proper in everything he does.

You shaved off your mustache?

I've stopped pretending to be someone I'm not. A samurai should act like one.

Magnificent.

A real dramatic shift, huh?

I know how he feels.

That battle left a bad taste in our mouths.

Don't sympathize! Move on!

Like Nio has.

I finished wiping the floors.

Oh, I'd better go wash the vegetables.

You killed the ringleader and ended the threat?

That's our Serizawa-sensei.

The greatest man alive.

Don't stand in my way.

Can you believe Hirama? No tact at all.

Don't stare at me.

I can't even look?

Serizawa's in a rotten mood.

I'm supposed to write a report on all this to wrap it up as neatly as possible.

I'll get you paper and an inkstone right away.

Do you think, maybe...

Nio-kun's trying to avoid hearing much about what happened?

Well, I bet he'd rather not.

Still, he'll forget in three days, if he eats and sleeps right.

These things need to be done properly.

It all comes down to his feelings. How he thinks about it.

Maybe tilling a field will take his mind off it.

Leave him be.

H-Hijikata-san.

Kondo-san, can I leave Nio to you?

Yes.

This calls for swords. Nothing else will do.

Nio. Time to train!

What?

Huh? Kondo-san?

Is he okay?

Wait, what?

I'm more worried about him.

It's better not to think too much at times like these.

So, um, you want me to attack you?

Yes. With all your might.

Keep going. Don't rest.

Yes, sir!

Keep it up.

Yes, sir!

More.

Yes, sir!

Come at me!

Keep it up!

They're really just training.

Come on!

Nagi-dono was buried at a temple for the destitute without family.

She had no relatives of her own,

and she was divorced just before this business.

There was nothing else to be done.

Wh-Why tell me that now?

Continue.

Weak.

I cut down Yotaro-dono.

I killed him.

I never could have stopped him without killing him.

Serizawa-san slew Naozumi.

Please stop.

Their bodies will be disposed of as criminals.

Please just stop.

The Kyohachi house and dojo both lie in ruins.

The line will be abolished, including cadet branches.

Please stop it!

I know.

I know all of that.

It's because I fell short.

Because I didn't notice back then.

Because I failed.

Because I was weak.

It's all...

my fault.

Giving birth always comes with the risk of death.

The newborn has been left with trustworthy people.

Now you know what happened.

Do you think he can handle it?

Maybe he should be less blunt.

No, this is for the best.

He can't move forward until he accepts reality.

Nio-kun!

He's burning up.

What?

Why didn't anyone notice?

You idiots worked him too hard!

Awkward.

Hajime, what should we do?

He's just exhausted. Sleep will fix his body.

J-Just his body?

What else should we be worried about?

Hey, where are you going?

I have business.

What? Our buddy's in pain here.

Have a heart!

Man, Nio...

Is that so?

Thanks for letting me know about Nio.

So what did you want with me?

I want you to meet somebody, Hajime.

Huh?

Granny! Long time no see!

Look at you, dressed up all fancy.

Wh-Who's this?

You must be Hajime-chan.

Hajime... "chan"?

I'm Iroha. Nice to meet you.

And she is?

Nio's sister.

His sister? The one that noble family took in?

I know all about you and the Miburo from Granny's letters.

I want to ask you for a favor.

Yeah? What favor? You'd better not ask me to play games with you.

Anyway, it's not safe for a kid to go out alone at night.

He's just like the letters said.

Isn't he just?

Hey! What did you say about me?

I'm not alone, of course.

Huh?

Behold. My ball never falls. Such is my mastery of kemari.

Wh-Who's this guy?

Hajime-chan.

This is the great and noble Anegakoji-sama.

Never heard of him.

Even the patriotic loyalists of Satsuma revere him as a leader.

A trailblazer at 23 years of age, he leads the anti-foreigner faction at court.

You stand before Anegakoji Kintomo-sama!

Am I truly so impressive?

You may fawn over me with reverence.

Oh, okay. I get it.

Now, do you mind if I sock this guy?

What for?!

Listen, I'd like you to guard Anegakoji-sama for me.

I shall permit you to guard my person. Rejoice, Hajime.

Only for three days, though.

And not all day. Just from his house to the Imperial Palace.

A guy like him must have lackeys and bodyguards.

Well, you see, they went to an oyster festival and all took ill.

And yet I was spared, for I am among the elect.

I wanted to ask Nio, too, but it sounds like he has bigger problems.

Hijikata-san and Okita-san would stand out,

and asking the Miburo would make things complicated.

"Complicated"? Why?

Anyway, who's after this big shot? And why?

Fine. Don't tell me if you don't want to.

So I just need to keep you safe for three days?

You'll do it, then?

Yeah. I haven't got much choice.

None of us do.

"Us"?

Thanks, Hajime-chan!

Stop.

Hajime-chan!

Stay back, old hag!

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The Palace

You don't have far to go, right?

Merely to His Majesty's council at the palace and back.

You cannot have entered the grounds before. I'm impressed it doesn't show.

Gawking would make people suspicious.

A diary?

Keeping daily records is one of a noble's most important duties.

It comes in handy the next time they do something.

They link past, present, and future.

That's how they preserve traditions.

I don't really get it, but it sounds like work.

Anyway...

Aren't you going to ask me about Nio?

Huh?

You must know some of what happened.

You're his sister, right? Isn't worrying over every little thing what families do?

You don't pick up on much, do you, Hajime-chan?

What's that supposed to mean?

Because we're family, I know.

My brother must be...

Ties

Next time

The flow of the times grows fiercer.

Its chaos gains speed, and the Miburo hurtle toward a turning point.

As new leaves sprout, young wolves overcome sorrow and pain,

striving to discover their own truths.

Next time: "The Blue Oath."

The Blue Oath

It won't disappoint.