Session 11. (26/9/01)
Episode 4 contd.
We pick up from last week's episode shortly after the jail break attempt. Sugiyama has vowed action against the Bull yakuza and immediately sets off with the other troubleshooters, five doshin and nine teachers from the School of the Blade to attack their headquarters, south of Shindate bridge. They arrive and Sugiyama spends a few moments planning and positioning his men. He places archers (Kimori and two teachers) on three of the corners to the complex, splits the rest of the teachers between the two rows of houses on each side of the base and sends the doshin to enter the houses at the back of the base. Meanwhile, he, Komako and Emiko prepare to enter the front gate (which is barred and bolted). Hearing nothing inside, Sugiyama makes a phenomenal leap over the gate and lands in the compound, only to find that the yakuza patrolling inside had spotted him while he was deploying the troops. Sugiyama quickly dispatches one of the yakuza, but one of the others gets a critical hit with a bo staff, and breaks Sugiyama's arm*. The rest of the attacking party takes Sugiyama's scream as the signal to attack, and start entering the houses bordering the compound (except for one teacher who fails to break the door!). Several of the houses are occupied, and fights break out; others are empty and the attackers are able to come straight through into the compound. Tsunatane, the most senior teacher, encounters a yakuza, but barely breaks stride, dealing with him in a single action phase using both the blade and the handle of his naginata. Sugiyama meanwhile, smarting from his broken arm, vents his feelings on the yakuza and soon fells one. Komako then enters the fray, climbing over the gate with help from Emiko the footstool. Sugiyama deals with the last of his assailants while Komako opens the gate and lets in Emiko. By now fights are breaking out all over the compound as yakuza wake up and come in and those teachers and doshin that met little or no resistance break through the houses. Tsunatane has a longer fight with a yakuza then joins Sugiyama, who is having his arm successfully mended by Emiko, using her sacred text of healing. In the houses the score is two defeated doshin, two defeated teachers and four defeated yakuza. Outside, four yakuza are seen running away. Kimori and the teachers let off arrows, but only one of the teachers gets a hit. Two of the yakuza charge the bowmen, and Kimori has to resort to his no-dachi, though the poor yakuza wishes he hadn't. The other charging yakuza badly injures the bow-wielding teacher, but is already hurt by arrows and the teacher manages to gut him down. The third bowman dispatches his second moving target, but the third yakuza to make a break from his corner gets away.
Back in the compound the fights are resolving themselves. Komako has a long fight with Oba, a female yakuza; elsewhere the score is 2 yakuza, 2 doshin/teachers. One victorious yakuza escapes through one of the houses only to bump into Kimori coming in; the fight is short. At the front of the main house, Sugiyama, Emiko and Tsunatane are preparing to go in. Sugiyama sneaks in, followed by the others. Tsunatane then crashes through a screen door to find himself in the middle of five armed yakuza. Sugiyama slips in unnoticed and goes for a Silent Kill on one of the yakuza. It is quite successful, injuring Chiba, the third most senior yakuza and stunning him. Tsunatane wields his naginata effectively and does significant damage. Even Emiko squeezes into the crowded hallway and gets in a hit. Sugiyama, now spotted, is attacked by two yakuza, but he presses home his advantage on Chiba, gets a critical hit and turns him from third to half. Tsunatane and Sugiyama then turn their attention to the other three yakuza and quickly polish them off. Meanwhile Kimori and the others have mopped up the last of the yakuza in the compound. Kimori tells two doshin to open the back gate to the house, but they are too scared. Kimori goes to open the gate but hits his head on it and dazes himself. After a few seconds he recovers and leads the doshin into the back of the house. They arrive in time to see Sugiyama's group head upstairs, so they search the ground floor. Upstairs, Tsunatane is about to enter the last room when a figure bursts through the paper screen and hits him with a bo staff. It is Kabayama, leader of the Bull yakuza. Sugiyama and Tsunatane rain blows down on him, until Sugiyama's final critical hit kills him. (Ironically, the yakuza who escaped was the most junior in the whole gang - now he is the most senior!)
In the aftermath, Emiko goes round healing the injured, the yakuza that are still alive are taken to the prosecutor for interrogation and probable execution, and the base is searched. One of the things that Kimori's search team finds is a note to Iwasa from Kabayama instructing him to kill the locksmith; the action against their headquarters has foiled this and saved the locksmith's life (earning budo and on for the troubleshooters).
The following day, Kimori is approached by the artisans who are fixing up the School of the Blade saying they have found a woman's shoe in the debris. It has the name Terazawa inside it; this is not the name of any of the teachers or pupils.
Later on, when Sugiyama is returning from lunch, he hears his name called from a dark alleyway. Investigating cautiously, he sees that the alley is very short and end in an iron grille. There is a shadowy figure behind the grille. The figure says, "I am Hayashi. My firm makes a lot of money in this town, but you are hurting my profits. However, there is always room for another partner. Look down." On the ground Sugiyama sees a small box. The lid is partly open, revealing gold. There are more that 20 coins in it. "You don't have to do anything - in fact, I want you just to do nothing. What do you say?" Sugiyama is amazed. Hayashi is head of the Bear yakuza gang! "Take it or leave it," Hayashi adds, "but consider how much ou value your life." Very suspicious, Sugiyama examines the box for traps, but finds nothing. While he is doing this, the figure behind the grille slips away. Sugiyama feels very exposed. So, picking up the box, he hurries away.