Prologue
Kaika Yukimura is in Kyoto to look for her father. She tries to look to Ryojun Matsumoto, a doctor and her father’s friend, for help. Unfortunately, he is out of town. Because Kyoto is filled with dangerous ronin, Kaika decided to disguise herself as a boy. She runs into some trouble with some ronin, who want her kodachi (short katana, large wakizashi). Seeing that the odds are three against one, she decides that her best option is to run away. The ronin are relentless in chasing her, and she can hear their curses not far behind her. At some point, it becomes silent. Kaika decides to investigate, and hears the screams of the ronin. The ronin are killed off by men with white hair, red eyes, and blue coats.
(left to right: Okita, Saito)
Two men, Souji Okita and Hajime Saito arrive on the scene, killing the strange men. A third person arrives, *______* and appears to be their commander, TOSHIZO HIJIKATA ❤
(Toshizo Hijikata)
Hijikata-san<3 looks like he wants to kill Kaika, but instead spares her life and decides to take her back to Shinsengumi headquarters to decide what to do with her.
Chapter 1, January 1864
She spends the night there sleeping and goes to this central room. Okita’s makes these teasing comments that he kept poking Kaika while she slept, which explains her lack of comfort the night before. Saito remarks that Okita is lying, and that he never went anywhere near her room last night. Introductions are made, and we get to know: Sanan (creepy elixir maker), Harada (red-haired dude), Toudou (kiddy ponytail guy), Shinpachi (muscular spiky haired guy), Genzaburo (old friendly dude), and Kondou (the captain that Toshi and Okita keep fighting over). People keep slipping important details, like the reason that the white haired Shinsengumi men went berserk, and Saito decides that if they keep it up, Kaika definitely will need to be executed. He directs her back to her room to avoid this. Kaika contemplates her options…
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Find a way to escape.
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Attempt to explain my situation
Find a way to escape
Kaika opens the door and rushes out, only to bump into Kondou. She realizes that they left her unbinded because they were watching to see what she would do. Sannan, Toshi, and Okita were waiting as well. Toshi tells her that he told her that if she ran he’d gut her, and Okita tells her that she should prepare to die- they couldn’t trust a kid who couldn’t keep a promise.
- Stayed where I was
- Ran for it
Stayed where I was
(Gives love points for Souji Okita)
Kaika tells Okita that they won’t listen to her no matter what so they might as well do what they want with her already. Okita laughs at this and tells her that they may have been being too harsh after all. He then remarks that he hasn’t seen such an innocent girl after Kaika asks him what they’ll do to her. Kondou is shocked at this. Toshi comments that he thought they would have all figured it out by now. Okita then asks her to explain why she would dress up as a boy and run around Kyoto in the middle of the night. Sanan lets out a sigh and suggests that they sit down and discuss again since some of them might have changed their minds now.
Ran for it
(Gives love points for Toshizo Hijikata)
Kaika tries to make a run for it, but Toshi catches her- she then tells him that she doesn’t want to die and there’s something she has to do. Toshi then asks her what makes a girl put on pants and run around Kyoto pretending that she’s a boy. All the men there except for Kondou seem unsurprised. Toshi then tells her that she almost got killed for what she had to do, so she might as well tell them.
Attempt to explain my situation
Saito and Shinpachi open the door after Kaika gives out a yell. Sanosuke and Heisuke are also there.
There are further options for what to explain:
- Told them why I’d come to Kyoto
- Decided to tell them I wasn’t a boy
- Gave up
Told them why I’d come to Kyoto
(Gives love points for Hajime Saito)
Kaika decides to tell the group the reason she came to Kyoto. After hearing her story, Saito remarks “Then you are nothing more than a lone girl looking for someone to help you?”
Others are surprised by his statement and finally realize Kaika is a girl. Saito decides to discuss matters further with Hijikata.
Decided to tell them I wasn’t a boy
(Gives love points for Heisuke Toudou)
Kaika asks Heisuke if he thinks there’s anything wrong with killing a man before hearing him out. Heisuke, although impressed by this, tells her that she should start acting like a man and accept her fate. Kaika responds in turn that she is not a man. Heisuke and Shinpachi’s eyes go wide at this. Sanosuke and Saito, on the other hand are not surprised. Saito remarks that maybe she was right and they should hear her out first.
Gave up
(Gives love points for Sanosuke Harada)
Kaika realizes that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t make a difference, and says to forget it. Harada sees the resolve in her eyes, and tells her that he likes the look in them- it seemed like she made up her mind. Sanosuke realizes that she’s a girl, and Shinpachi is left stunned by the revelation. Heisuke smiles and tells her to come and explain why she was dressing up as a girl.
Looks like the Shinsengumi are looking for Kaika’s father. As a result, in exchange for forgetting the incident with the white haired Shinsengumi members, the Shinsengumi would help Kaika find her father, Kodo Yukimura (creepy ass old dude).
Kondou decides it’s a good idea to make Toshi be responsible for Kaika. The other members make fun of Toshi’s plight and he obviously isn’t humored by this…
Kaika’s left bored because Toshi decides that it’s best that she stay inside her room at all times. @___@ There comes a decision on what she should do when Toshi’s out on a trip:
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Stay put
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Talk to someone
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Search the compound
Stay put
Kondou comes in the room with sweets! (OTL this was a hard choice…so I’m glad I at least get some sweets… OTL KONDOU, why aren’t you dateable? I love men who feed me! OAO)
There’s a cute dinner scene where the guys are fighting over food. Shinpachi says that because there’s not enough food even for a kid, he’ll go ahead and nab some of Heisuke’s food. He’s an adult, so he needs more food, haha. Harada apologizes for their behavior, but Kaika says that she’s gotten to used to it (Her face: =___=;;).
(left to right: Heisuke, Shinpachi, Kaika, Harada)
There’s a plot to burn down Kyoto and kidnap the emperor. Kondou invites Kaika to go with them as a messenger to Ikeda Inn. The Shinsengumi are severely outnumbered and no help comes for a while.
(left to right: Okita, Kondou, Shinpachi, Heisuke)
Kondou decides to storm in, along with Okita, Heisuke, and Shinpachi. Kaika hears shouts within the inn, with Kondou crying out for Okita not to die, and Shinpachi remarking that Heisuke had been severely injured. Kaika decides to help by carrying them out, but realizes she can only save one of the two.
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Look for Okita
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Look for Heisuke
Look for Heisuke
A ronin attacks Kaika, and Shinpachi steps in to save her. Shinpachi’s left hand is injured badly, but Shinpachi tells Kaika that his injury is minor and to go help out Heisuke.
(left to right: Kaika, Heisuke)
She goes to Heisuke, who is blinded by his own blood, and is facing off against a mysterious man with red hair and black clothes (though from watching the show, I know this guy is actually an oni, who is one of Chikage’s main henchman). Kaika notices that the man is not armed, and chooses to
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…stop Heisuke
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…help Heisuke
…help Heisuke
(Gives love points for Heisuke Toudou)
Kaika draws her sword and tells Heisuke that she will watch his back for him. Heisuke laughs and remarks that if Kaika wanted to be his eyes, she needed five years of training first.
The mysterious man tells Kaika and Heisuke that he is not part of the Choshu (the ones planning to burn Kyoto and kidnap the emperor), and goes away while Heisuke curses and faints. He has a bad forehead injury, but it is not fatal.
The Shinsengumi gain recognition for their success at Ikeda Inn, but have suffered losses from the battle. Harada offers Kaika an opportunity to join the Shinsengumi. She decides she (I)…
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…want to come
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…will stay behind
…want to come
Some extra details forgot: Sanan is acting like a whiny bitch because he lost his ability to wield a sword after some injuries. Everyone is learning to ignore him, but it’s incorporated in the dialogue, and his attitude has gone from that of someone kind to a harsh and bitter person.
Kondou allows Kaika to help out and Sanan remarks that Kaika will only be a burden- Saito steps in and tells Sanan that based on previous actions and her help at the Battle at Ikeda Inn, she’s “hardly proven a ‘burden’ thus far.” (…I was seriously touched by this, Kaika/MC was too, as Saito doesn’t hand out compliments lightly…which makes later decisions hard, seeing as I sometimes have to choose between which member to help out, and Toshi’s still being cold… though, Saito was cold at first, so I think Toshi may warm up to me in time… and I’ve had these long years of dedication to him after all! ^___^ I will strive for a Toshi route, but explore other routes on other playthroughs!) Okita, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care either way. The Aizu Domain gives orders to help out the Kyoto Judicary Commissioner’s men with fight against the Choshu (who are nationalists trying to get rid of the shogunate. The Shinsengumi’s role is to protect the shogunate, so their objectives directly clash against each other). Kondou announces that Lord Katamori Matsudaira, the Lieutenant-General of the Aizu, have reported on his orders. However, the official there replies that there were no orders received to accept the Shinsengumi. Saito explains to Kaika that the communications must be chaotic, and that this usually indicated that the enemy was doing well.
The Shinsengumi head off to Fushimi Magistrate for new orders and are directed to go to Kujo Beach by the manor official. The men there are hesitant to receive them, but are convinced to let the Shinsengumi stay there after Shinpachi tells them that they would be directly disobeying orders if the Shinsengumi were not allowed to stay. Inoue relays that the men stationed at Kujo Beach are reserves, and the main force of the army has been committed to the defense of Hamaguri Gate. In other words, the Shinsengumi is being treated like reserves. The men, however, take their post seriously, and stay up all night on watch. Kaika does her best to stay up with them, but drifts into sleep every now and then. In the morning, there are sounds of a battle nearby. The Shinsengumi are ready to head into battle, but are stopped by the Aizu soldiers, who say that they were ordered to stay at Kujo Beach. Toshi, furious, tells them that if they had any sense of pride in their jobs of protecting the imperial estate, they should forget their orders and move.
The Shinsengumi, and a couple Aizu soldiers affected by Toshi’s speech, go to Hamaguri Gate, and find a bunch of corpses. Saito comes back with news that Choshu attacked Hamaguri in the early morning, but were repelled with combined forces of the Aizu and Satsuma. The Choshu were overwhelmed, and were forced to retreat. This is odd behavior, since the Choshu are nationalists supporting the emperor, yet have attacked the imperial estate, the home of the emperor. Harada arrives with news that some Choshu soldiers are fighting at Kuge Gate. Yamazaki (the ninja-looking guy) arrives with information that the men who may have led the raid are heading for Mount Ten’nou. Hijikata decides to have Harada go to Kuge Gate to fight the Choshu, Saito and Yamazaki to figure out the situation at the current location, Hamaguri, and hold their position there, and have Kondou go to talk to the Aizu bigwigs to grant permission to pursue the Choshu if they fled outside Kyoto (which is beyond the Shinsengumi’s jurisdiction) Toshi has the rest of the men come with him to Ten’nou to confront the men who conducted the raid. He lets Kaika make a decision herself on where she wants to go.
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To Mount Ten’nou
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To Hamaguri Gate
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To Kuge Gate
To Mount Ten’nou
Kazama Chikage appears and kills a man. He starts taunting the Shinsengumi. It appears that he was the one who attacked Okita at Ikeda Inn and injured him. Chikage asks the Shinsengumi why they are chasing after men who have been defeated in a battle. He then mentions that if they should even pretend to have pride in themselves, they should know that they are going to commit honorable suicides. Kaika asks Chikage how a person could keep their pride if someone else has to fight for it. Toshi states that cowards who start a fight over something stupid and don’t have the guts to follow through and run away with their tails between their legs don’t have the right to die an honorable death. Those who start a fight he isn’t willing to give his life for doesn’t know what it means to be a warrior. In his mind, dying in the battlefield would be more honorable than dying on your own sword.
Toshi draws his sword and prepares to fight Chikage. Shinpachi reaches for his own sword, about to leap into the fight, probably hoping to help Hijikata gain the upper hand. Kaika must decide what to do.
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Stop Nagakura
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Fight as well
Stop Nagakura
(Toshi would suffer a huge blow to his pride if I were to jump in. Also, I don’t think it’s decent to interfere in a one-on-one unless there’s foul play on one side, or one of them is near death already)
(Gives love points for Toshizo Hijikata)
Kaika stops Shinpachi, which reminds him that their main objective is to stop the Choshu rebel raid leaders at Mount Ten’nou. He tells Toshi that he’ll be borrowing his men for a bit and gives orders. Kaika leaves with Shinpachi, telling Toshi that they’ll be waiting at Mount Ten’nou, and to catch up soon. Toshi laughs (“Who the hell do you think I am?”) (Me: *faints and squeals* >3<)
A man name Shimada stays with Kaika along with a few other men at the base of Mount Ten’nou in case the Choshu rebels are seen there.
The rest of the men are dispatched to look for the rebels. Kaika starts worrying about Toshi, and just as she mutters that she hopes he’s safe- he appears. Toshi is unhurt- it seems that the Satsuma stepped in and interrupted their fight- Chikage is part of the Satsuma. The Satsuma had helped the Aizu with defeating the Choshu, so Chikage’s behavior is seen as strange. Shinpachi arrives and tells Toshi that all of the Choshu leaders have committed suicide. Toshi decides to respect their honorable deaths.
The Choshu’s extremists’ attempted attack on the imperial estate came to be known as the Hamaguri Rebellion. The following strange individuals were identified during this rebellion: Chikage Kazama, who injured Okita at Ikeda Inn, Kyuju Amagiri, who injured Heisuke at Ikeda Inn, and Kyo Shiranui, who fought alongside men from Choshu. Chikage and Amagiri were with the Satsuma. Some extremists had escaped and fled, setting the southern end of the imperial estate on fire, and reducing it to ash. As a result of the attack, many imperialist nationalists were executed. The Shinsengumi were given permission to patrol outside Kyoto, from Osaka to Hyogo. The Choshu were decreed enemies of the court.
the pachiful life 