a story of Daikichi Hanayama (Jushiro Konoe)

Spring has come with a Bang

"Oh, I see.... You don't have enough money to celebrate New Year, do you?"
The owner of an outdoor tea house asked Daikichi with her curious eyes, after he had refused new year's sake.

She was right.

"She didn't have to mention it."Daikichi murmured.

Hanji found Daikichi and came to him, showing his happy face as always.
"This is the first day I see you this year. Happy new year, Danna!"

"What makes you so happy, having no money on a new year's day?"
"What makes you so unhappy, then? In addition, I have a good reason to be happy. Can't you see them?"

In Hanji's hand were golden shining coins!

"Wow, they look real! You didn't steal them, did you?"
"Of sourse no! I won in a dice gamble."
"You did?! Yaizu-no, that's why you look so smart today!" Daikichi's face was brightened and continued.
"You know what? We should celebrate your good luck! Let's go to a drinking bar...By the way Yaizu-no,
you can pay for my tea."
"Wait, Danna! "
Hanji had no time to argue, as Daikichi had left Hanji and headed for the next town for a drink.

Daikichi and Hanji were walking in a mountain.

"Where are we, Danna?"
"Of course, on the way to the town.
"But we've walked long enough to get there. Supposed to be a short cut, isn't it?.... Oh no, are we lost!?"
When Hanji's anxiety had almost made a story of two men dying alone in a mountain, they found a house.
Hanji ran to it and knocked the door..
"Hello! Hello! Somedoby in there?"

Nobody answered, but the door wasn't locked.

When they went into the house, two men, a tall and a short, suddenly attacked on them.
Since thier eyes were closed, Daikichi and Hanji easily dodged and they eventually bumped against the wall.

Hanji didn't understand what they tried to do.
"What are they doing?"
"You'd better ask the boss hinding there."

The eyes of the man was closed and the ears was covered by his hands.
He hadn't realized that his men had already been worn out.

"What are you doing?"Hanji asked him.

"Go! Get them! Go!" He was still shouting.
Are they trying to get Daikichi and Hanji?

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Hanji yelled at him.
He finally found that he was alone now.
"Dam! OK, I've made up my mind. I'll do it!"

"Do what?"
"Do this!"
The man quickly drew his sword and hitted Hanji's head.

"Waaah! I was hurt my head! Ohh no, this must be the end! Dannaa.. sayonara, I'm going...."
Instead of Hanji's serious last words, Daikichi was laughing.
"Why you laugh? It's so rude"

"Do you think you gonna die being attacked by ^*mine-uchi?"
"Was it mine-uchi?" ^*mine-uchi: using a non-shrpened side of a sword just to frighten enemies.
The man checked his sword. No blood found on it.
"It seems I couldn't make it. Life really isn't easy. Don't you agree, Brother?"
The man looked a little embarrassed.

"Hey, You were about to kill me!"Hanji seized the man and yelled.
"I'm sorry. I was too confused to check the side of the sword. Are you OK, Brother?" said the man sincerely.

"How can you say that? If you were not confused, I would be killed!"
"That's right. If I was not confused, you would be killed. I'm happy for you!"

"No,no! Because you were confused, I am alive!"Hanji was still hot, not knowing exactlly what he said.
"You are right. Because I was confused, you are alive. How lucky you are!"
"Thank you! Thank you!"Hanji shook hands with the man, then realized.

"No! no! you hurt my head! I'm gonna revenge you!"

Daikichi, just having listened to and smiled at all their conversation, stopped Hanji.
"First, we'd better ask him the reason why he attacked us."

"Because you are Blackrock's body guards!"
As soon as he finished his words, he now charged at Daikichi with a sword.
Just chopping his hand with his iron-made folding fan, Daikichi dropped the sword on the floor.

"Now I've made up my mind. Kill me! Just kill me now!"the man lied down, fluttering his hands and legs.
"You misunderstood. We are not bodygurads at all."
"You are not?"the man stopped fluttering.

"No. We just wanted to ask you the way to the next town."

His name was Bearluck, and his men were Big-fool and Small-fool.
They had tried to gurad themselves from attack of a bandit group, the Blackrocks.
Hanji began to be sympathetic and wanted to help them.

"I understood. And what are you three doing here for living in such a mountain?"
"Well...The same occupation as Blackrocks. But they are brutal and we are declining."
"What!? You are bandits, too? You fool! Definately no sympathy nor help then!"

But it was too late.
Blackrocks had already surrounded the house and began to shoot them as they stepped out.

Daikichi's hiccup began.

"Stop shooting! We have absolutely no relationship with the Bearlucks!"
said Daikichi, quickly drinking sake from his calabash bottle.
Hiccups stopped but not the Blackrocks' shooting.

They seemed to think Daikichi and Hanji were bodyguards of the Bearlucks.
Daikichi and Hanji had nothing to do but ran back to the house.

"Danna what shall we do?"
The three Bearlucks showed very happy faces to them.
"I think you cannot go out without beating up the Blackrocks."

"We 'll rely on you."said Bearluck.
."We 'll rely on you." followed Bigfool and Samllfool.

Soon the Blackrocks came into the house, brandishing a sword.
Daikichi and Hanji fighted back and swept them out in a few minutes.

But it was sure that they came back with a gun. Daikichi Hanayama by Sandayu
The barricade they had just made would be broken soon!

"Thanks to Danna, It turned out to be a very nice new year's day! "
Hanji became a bit irritated by Daikichi having brought no solution yet and just sitting.

"Don't complain. I have more serious problem."Bearluck said

"What makes you say that, Bandit?"
"Don't call me Bandit. For your imformation, we are good bandits unlike them, Brother. For they don't hesitate
any killings for money and things but we do not. Further, we are not exactlly bandits anymore."

"So, what's your problem?"

"In my father's days, we used to have many followers and do a big buisiness as bandits....until he met a woman."
Bearluck continued.
"He devoted himself to her too much and soon died. His followers had gone one by one."
"And now we are just three of us."

"And?"

"And I met a girl!"
"She said if I quit a bandit, she would marry me. Since I've never been good at bandit buisiness, I have no
regret for giving up my career for my girl."
"I immediately notified this to other bandits. Most of them respected my decision but Blackrock.
He was not happy about it and started attcking us."
"I have to see her tonight to make our wedding plan. If I don't go, she could cansel our engagement!"

A puppy came to Daikichi, being attracted by his calabash.

"You can't have it. It is essential to Danna."
The puppy ran out of the room and went to a store room. Bearluck followed it.

"Danna! Brother! Come here and take a look at this!"

It was an old cannon!

"My grandfather was a great bandit. He fought against magistrate's court and got this."
"Dannna, can we use it!?"Hanji was curious.
"Well, it can be useful to just set it in front of us. We can scare them out at least."

"OK, let's move it!"

They moved the cannon to the door and opened the door.
Hanji stood by the cannon and brought the fire close to the iginition point.

"Hey, Blackrocks, can't you see this? Can you see what'll happen If I lit it?"
Hanji got very excited and didn't realize that his fire got closer to the point.

"Watch out Yaizu-no! Be careful! "
"Alright, alright"
But Hanji was not exactly listening to Daikichi.

Now his fire was almost to the point!
"Hide yourself!"Daikichi shouted.

BAAAAAANNNNNG!!!!

Smoke blinded everything for a while

"Are all safe!? Anybody hurt?" Daikichi looked around.
Bearluck, Big-fool and Small-fool in shock came out slowly.

"Hey, Yaizu-no! Are you OK?"
Hanji was absent-minded, still standing by the cannon, and exhailed smoke like a chemny,.

"You fool! Yaizu-no!" Daikichi yelled near Hanji's ear.
Hanji startled "Waw! OK, OK, I can hear you! "

On the ground after the Blackrocks run away, their guns were left.
But soon they came back with a sword!

"What's in the hell do you disturb the men quitting bandit? There's no reason you can kill them."
"Danna, no one will complain us of cleaning them out."
"Right!"

It would have been no problem for Daikichi and Hanji to sweep them out unless they had bandits to help.
"Help Brother!"
"Help, please!"
Bearluck, Big-fool and Small-fool fought against them hard as well, but no use.

Finally all the member of Blackrock's were gone forever.

"Thank you Dannna, Brother! I can see my girl! Now, I have to go to make a weddigng plan. Good bye"
"Did you see him? Danna. Bearluck always goes for his interest."

"Oh, you say so, Yaizu-no? Don't you forget you could have killed us all"
"I know I know. You don't have to mention it."
"You fool!"

Two started walking, leaving their cheerful laughing.

(END)

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