#warrant officer kikuta

[kingslayerstew]

happy birthday kikutaaa 🥳

[yubeshichan]

Warrant officer Kikuta reporting to Lieutenant Tsurumi about the semen detective.

鶴見中尉に精子探偵について報告する菊田特務曹長。

[readerficsbyhyaku]

No Honorifics Needed (Kikuta Mokutarou x Reader)

summary

I finally caught up to GK season 4 and that first episode made me fall in love with Kikuta (and the opening too damn) so here is some appreciation for the man. Can you believe there is no other Kikuta x Reader on AO3 ?

You're the other Second Lieutenant under Tsurumi's orders and you're sent to Noboribetsu Springs to unwind. Thing is, you're the only woman of your division and you want to enjoy the hot springs. This is what happens when you step in and introduce yourself to some previously unmet subordinates.

Superior Private Usami and Private First Class Nikaidou were in Noboribetsu Springs when Warrant Officer Kikuta joined them amidst the steam filled air. The two lower ranking soldiers raised their eyes to stare at the newcomer.

“Did you just get here today ?” Kikuta asked the men under the hot water streams.

Usami immediately stood up and respectfully answered him, which seemed to please Kikuta. More small talk ensued, which you couldn’t quite hear from outside the springs.

The steam saturated air gushed out when you slid open the door to the bathing area, having finally cleaned yourself properly to enter the baths. You held your towel loosely in front of your naked body and slowly walked on the cedar floorboards leading to the rock tubs and spigots spouting scalding water to stand under.

You managed to catch a few words about a strange story that Private Ariko, who had arrived in the meantime, had told Kikuta.

“I’d love to hear this story too.”

The four men turned toward you, and as you came in closer through the steam, you could see looks of bewilderment and confusion progressively plaster themselves on their faces.

“A woman ?” Kikuta choked out as your silhouette became clear to him and the others.

You could see the gears turning in Usami and Nikaidou’s head, as they had been the ones you’d seen the most in the 27th Infantry Regiment.

You stared them down before asking

“Move over, Private Usami, I want to try the burning waterfall.”

The man hastily scooted away, still squinting at you.

“Hey, isn’t that Second Lieutenant…” he started, before getting interrupted by Nikaidou.

“You were a woman ? All along ?”

You sighed.

“Yes, Private Nikaidou. You’ve seen enough blood and guts during the war not to be bothered by a bit of flesh, hmm ?”

Once the shock of the revelation gone, the four men seemed to settle again and no one paid any mind to the fact you were a woman. However, you sensed Ariko and Kikuta were trying not to look in your general direction, not that it bothered you. Usami was the usual creep but he wasn’t ogling you, and Nikaidou didn’t seem to change attitude towards you. There was some good to having a division full of lunatics, you mused.

“Now what about that story ?”

Ariko cleared his throat before continuing his story, sometimes interrupted by Kikuta who seemed to try and bait the other two soldiers. You just listened, Usami doing a lot of mental gymnastics to try and undermine Ariko’s story. You knew what Kikuta was trying to do, getting in on the gold chase and gather some information about the skins so you tuned out of their chatter. Kikuta’s low voice droned in the background as you closed your eyes and turned around. You kept the towel to your front but that left your backside entirely exposed for anyone to see.

You heard someone choke again, the conversation stuttering slightly before resuming.

Kikuta couldn’t believe what he was seeing. First of all a woman in the army, and furthermore a Second Lieutenant of the 7th Division ? Usami and Nikaidou seemed surprised enough to see you, but were clearly not bothered about the situation. Apart from your name, he had never seen you during the war, but then again neither had he seen Koito Otonoshin.

Yet he… he was getting hard looking at your toned body, a few scars here and there but your shapes were unmistakeable. How the army managed to overlook that you were a woman was absurd. One look at your thighs and all he wanted to do was bury his head inbetween them and devour you until you begged him to stop.

He tried to breathe deep and calm down, he couldn’t get hard in front of his subordinates, but damn was it difficult. It wasn’t helping that he kept thinking about a lone woman surrounded by all the men in Tsurumi’s division, them taking advantage of you like the beasts they were, before being reminded you were a soldier too. Second Lieutenant even, so you must’ve had the skills to back it up. Clearly, you were unfazed by the naked bodies around you, and you didn’t bat an eye at Usami’s antics.

The warrant officer sat in the large bath to hide his erection as the conversation about Ariko’s story continued, and you seemingly paid no more attention to them.

Once you had enough of standing beneath the waterfall, you went into the bath to completely relax, your towel drenched and sticking to your body until you discarded it to sit in the volcanic waters. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the sound of water as well as the ambiant chatter of the other division members. Kikuta had gone out before you and you could hear he was up to his antics with Nikaidou, the latter’s shrill laughter piercing the steam.

The rest of your bathing session went without a hitch, and you went back to your work feeling rejuvenated from the hot water, and from messing a bit with your fellow division members. The other good thing about working under First Lieutenant Tsurumi was that he didn’t care if you were a woman, just if you could do what was necessary to get the Ainu gold. He wasn’t even phased when he discovered it, though you suspected he had known for a while.

That evening, when you came back to your room, Kikuta was waiting for you. As you walked down the hallway, you saw the clear imprint of his dick straining against his pants. Of course, he was the only one to have enough of a head on his shoulders to get hard by seeing you naked. Usami and Nikaidou were out of the equation, and Ariko… you didn’t know him enough. Not that it mattered, Kikuta was the one in front of you right now.

No words were needed as you pushed your door open, looking back towards him to beckon him into the darkness, only lit by the hallway lights. He didn’t miss a beat, he had barely stepped into your room that he grabbed your face and pressed his lips to yours, roughly and greedily. He shut the door closed with his foot as he backed you against the wall, body crowding you and radiating heat as your mouths danced together.

You raised your hands and brought them behind his neck, fingers carding through his shorter hair as he continued to ravage your mouth, hot kisses and nibbles making your lips swollen. You were getting out of breath as you melted into his touch, his calloused hands sliding towards your neck, shoulders, waist, pressing into your soft flesh and leaving fire under your skin.

Kikuta pulled away from you and growled “You have no idea how hard you made today for me.”

You chuckled and pressed your hips to his “I think I know.”

You could feel his member throbbing in his pants, so hard it must’ve been painful. And from what you had glimpsed in the hot springs, he was well endowed.

“Tease.” Kikuta grumbled before his fingers started to undo the buttons to your military shirt. You shrugged off the garment to reveal your chest was bound with fabric. His large hands grazed over your covered breasts before murmuring

“So that’s how you did it…”

You untucked the end of the fabric strip and placed it in his hand for him to continue to undress you, and he did. He slowly unwound it from around your torso and at last, you were freed from its constraints, the large fabric ribbon pooling around your feet as the cold air hit your already hard buds. You heard Kikuta inhale deeply before you felt his hands on your chest, easily covering your small mounds and thumbing your nipples. Your back arched into the wall as his ministrations sent jolts of electricity right to your core. Right at that moment, he slid his knee between your thighs and you gasped, the delicious friction eliciting more heat to pool inside your belly. As he caressed your chest, you felt his breath on your neck and then his hot mouth right under your jaw. He sucked and lightly bit the sensitive skin there, causing you to exhale a bit louder than before.

As much as it felt good to have his hands on you, you also wanted to feel him up after the preview you had at the hot springs. You went to remove his jacket and undo the buttons of his shirt, after which he removed it. The way the fabric slid off his large arms and square chest, revealing the scar you had already seen in the morning was tantalizing. Kikuta stood there after removing his shirt, waiting for you, no, inviting you to touch him. Your hands flitted to his toned chest, tracing the muscles, feeling the warm skin under your touch. You slowly drew the scar and placed a few hickeys along his jaw and neck before he couldn’t keep his hands off you again. He grabbed your waist and pressed you into him, his need more apparent by the minute. His hips rutted into yours as he slowly licked up from your breast to your neck, breath fanning over your ear.

“Shouldn’t be doing this…” he murmured more to himself. Getting physically involved with a superior during the gold chase was awkward at best and dangerous at most. But like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to you since the moment he saw you. It had been so long since he felt soft, willing flesh under him.

You unbuttoned your pants and in tandem, Kikuta slid his fingers under the waistband and pulled them down, revealing your lower half and underwear. You kicked the garment away along with your boots and the older man suddenly grabbed you and hoisted you to your bed, dropping you on it as he towered over you. The pale light of the moon bounced off his chiseled body and it was breathtaking. The cold light accentuated his firm chest and defined abs, as well as his thick neck and square jaw. The reddish scar popped from his skin and drew your eyes down his body as his hands trailed to his belt, unbuckling it as you stared.

Kikuta had no qualms showing off to you, and you couldn’t form into words attractive he was right now. You wanted to touch him, glue yourself to him and feel him more, melt into human contact. Or maybe you wanted him to come over you and bend you to his will instead. Despite all honorifics flying out the window the moment you saw him waiting for you in the hallway, a strange dynamic came from you being his superior but him being quite a few years older than you.

A pang of painful lust echoed from your belly as he freed his bulge from his pants, his loincloth barely restraining his girth. His underwear was discarded quickly after and what a girth it was. He wasn’t hard in the springs and he had already seemed long and thick, but now it was reaching over his abs, swollen and particularly large in the middle of the shaft. You swallowed hard, thinking about how deep he was going to mess you up and it only made you wetter.

He dug his hands into your hips to bring you to the edge and pressed his hands inside your thighs, opening you up to him. You were about to protest when he kneeled beside the bed, dark eyes boring into you with intensity before you felt him lick a stripe up your pussy. He didn’t go slow or gentle, it was broad and strong, willing to taste you all at once before his mouth latched onto your clit, sucking and teasing it with his tongue. Your hands immediately tangled in his hair as your back arched from the bed, overwhelmed by the sensations he was dragging out from you.

His arms curled around your thighs and kept you open as he ate you out, fingers sinking into the soft flesh of your thighs hard enough to leave marks. You panted out as he continued to lick and suck at you, small moans leaving your mouth with every exhale and heat building up in your belly. Too much, too fast, you felt the coil in your core tighten and you were so close when there was suddenly no more stimulation at all. You clenched over emptiness as the high you were chasing receded. Frustrated, you propped yourself up on one elbow to look at Kikuta, but any complaints you had died in your throat when you saw his face.

His eyes were darker than you remembered them, swirling with lust and staring up at you as he licked his lips, his nose and chin glinting with your wetness. His hair was in disarray and there was the slightest blush on his high cheekbones.

“Let me take care of you.” He smiled before approaching your core again, hot breath making goosebumps erupt on your skin.

You fell back, wiping the nascent sweat on your forehead with the back of your hand, feeling both wound up and boneless after he denied you your climax.

“I swear Kikuta…” you breathed out.

His deep voice vibrated against your sensitive core, reviving the fire in your loins with a passion.

“Mokutarou.”

“Huh ?” you rose again.

“If you want to cry out my name, it’s Mokutarou.” He said as he delved between your folds again, dragging a moan out of you.

Your whole body shook as the tension built up within you, tighter, hotter than the time before. Your thighs strained against Kikuta’s arms as you got closer to release once again.

“Mokutarou…” you whined to warn him but it was useless as he removed his mouth from you once more, peppering kisses around where you needed him most. His scruff tickled your skin as he watched you come down from your high, desire simmering in your bones as you no longer had the strength to complain about his teasing.

He rose to his feet, looming over you as he kissed his way up to your neck, his large body casting a shadow over your sweat slick skin.

Eyes half open, you felt him kiss you and tasted yourself in his mouth. In between languid kisses, you could feel his cock pressing against your abdomen, hot and leaking. He must’ve been as wound up as you, without any stimulation and yet he was still playing with you.

“What’s your game, Mokutarou ?” you mumbled as his lips danced over yours and you felt him smile.

“One more.” he answered against your mouth. He kissed up your jaw and beneath your ear, lightly biting the skin there and littering your neck with marks.

“Just one more and you’ll be ready. You can do that for me ?” he rumbled out.

He was going to be the death of you, pulling your soul out of your body one denial at a time… But his words held a promise that sounded too good to turn down. You were too far gone to back out now so you just nodded.

“Please.”

Kikuta nestled himself between your legs again, the anticipation already building up to your orgasm without him even touching you. His large fingers spread your puffy lips apart as he exposed your hole and pressed his tongue to it. The previous times, he hadn’t touched you as directly and deeply but here he was focusing entirely on it, pushing his tongue past your entrance. The stimulation was almost too much as he pulled out and entered you again, nose bumping against your clit as he kept you open for him to taste.

“Fff- hahhh…” you moaned as he tongued you, toes flexing and your breath catching in your throat. You were burning all over, sweat breaking out in places you didn’t think it was possible and your only anchor were your hands fisting the sheets so hard your knuckles turned white.

When he retreated, you groaned in frustration. You had to hold out for him, but damn if it wasn’t the sweetest torture you’d ever felt. You laid there, exhausted and yet tenser than you’d ever been, as if strings were linking every part of you to your belly, and when they’d snap you’d be nothing more than a doll, a puppet to pleasure.

Kikuta pushed you back on the bed and joined you, keeping your legs open as he fit his hips there, pressing his engorged cock to you and eliciting a jolt from you.

“You did good.” He murmured in your ear as he lined up with you.

“You did so good.” He hummed as he slowly pressed the head of his cock inside of you, and suddenly stars erupted in front of your eyes.

Despite all the preparation, despite your wetness, he was still thick. You could feel your walls strain and give in to his girth, a slight pain to accompany the pleasure of being filled and it was so good. Your hands found themselves on his broad shoulders as he inched more and more of him inside of you. You thought you were full but he continued pushing inside you until his hips were flush with yours and the pressure was unbearable. You were speared open by his cock and when he pressed the palm of his hand on your belly and you felt the bulge he made there, it was too much.

White hot pleasure wrecked through you from the point you were both joined, hands digging into him as you arched your back and clenched all around him, the orgasm more intense than any you’d ever had before. Tears pricked at your eyes as you gasped for air, completely blown away by the intensity of your climax. You hadn’t sensed it coming, the damn breaking instantly as pleasure coursed through your limbs, eyes open on blinding white and brain screaming in silent ecstasy.

You were barely recovering, limbs trembling and vision still spotty when he started moving. Dragging out against your sensitive walls and pushing back in again, burying himself deep into you, slowly. You whined for him to wait but he kissed you instead, muffling your pleas as he stoked the fire deep inside you to life again, one stroke at a time. You were a mess beneath him as he continued to push himself in and out, so deep you could almost feel him in your throat and yet you missed him the moment he pulled away. He was throbbing and burning inside of you, yet it seemed he had all the control and you had none. The tantalizing, addictive rhythm he set drove you crazy and you wanted, needed more. You felt your walls hug him closer, the coil in your gut wound tight again and you bucked your hips to accompany his movements to try and get more friction, more stimulation.

“Ready for more ?” he breathed out as he plunged into you and you frantically nodded, almost begging him to.

He pulled out and snapped his hips to yours, setting a faster, harder rhythm than before. Your hands raked down his arms, blunt nails leaving faint red marks on his skin as you grasped his forearms for support as he pounded into you. You could feel him in your belly every time, carving his place out and rearranging your insides to fit him. Every stroke sent a shiver of pleasure through you like the flow and ebb of the sea, inexorable, unavoidable. When you looked down, you could see the slight bulge he made in your abdomen as he filled you up. He was pushing you to your limits and it was the best thing you’d ever felt.

Kikuta caught you staring and lowered his gaze to where you were joined, his length glistening as he pulled out, and your juices dripping down his balls and thighs as he pushed back in. He nuzzled your neck, still drilling into you, and you heard him murmur.

“You’re taking me so well, sweetheart.”

That did it for you. You felt his hips falter as pleasure surged through you, mouth opening in a silent cry as wave after wave racked your body. He continued to thrust into you, chasing his high as you were contracting all around him, milking him dry. He stilled as he came, cock throbbing and pulsating inside of you as he painted your walls white. You felt him bite softly your shoulder, teeth only slightly digging into your flesh as if he was trying very, very hard not to hurt you. A fragile, strangled moan escaped from his throat as his own climax came crashing down on him. Every little twitch of his cock as he released inside sent pleasure aftershocks through your body as you panted in unison, basking in the afterglow of your respective orgasms. Pleasure was permeating your body and it took a moment for it to subside, any movement setting your nerves aflame and sending another jolt of electricity up your spine.

Kikuta’s muscles strained as he slowly pulled himself out of you with an obscene shlick. He rolled to his side and pulled you in, spooning you. You were sticky and sweaty and so was he with his chest pressed to your back, but you’d given up your place for nothing in the world. His hands gently rubbed your tired body, your waist, hips and belly as he whispered soft praises nuzzled into your neck.

You’d never thought a soldier could be so tender and yet here you were, two beings broken by the war trying to piece back their hearts and soul by joining and melting together.

His cuddling continued for a while longer as he pressed soft kisses along the nape of your neck, your body pressed against his as his strong arms circled your waist and for once, made you feel safe. No more chills, hair standing on end as you waited for an unknown assailant to come at your during the night. No bone-chilling cold, body halfway covered in mud while your fellow soldier died out next to you. Only a dull, pleasing ache in your core and a steady breath and steady heart at your back, human heat lulling you to sleep.

You could both wear your scars again once the sun rose, as for now it was nighttime.

author’s note

Thank you for reading this ! I hope you enjoyed it ! I want to write more but alas, i am ace and get inspiration once in a blue moon.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Is it normal for Koito to be a high ranking soldier at his age? How did he do that? That's pretty impressive to me. Hopefully it's not because of his father's influence. I don't remember reading about this in the manga, so I was wondering if you'd know! Thanks :)

For Koito to have that rank is absolutely normal.

Premise, things in the Army changed through years so I might be slightly off in regard to what happened in the years in which GK take place, but I hope this will give you a general idea of how things worked.

Now... you can losely split the Japanese Army in two branches, those who studied to become officers and those who didn’t.

Whose who didn’t study to become officers start in the army with the rank of Nitōhei (二等兵 “Second Class Private”) and, normally, can rise up till Sōchō (曹長 “Sergeant Major”). There are rare cases of some rising even higher (usually reaching at most Tai-i (大尉 "Captain”) unless they lived in wartime... in this case they had a chance to rise even higher) but they’re not the norm, especially if they keep on not attending officer school (and attending to officer school might be an option they don’t have).

Those who study start with the rank of Shōi (少尉 “Second Lieutenant”) and can rise up till the rank of Taishō (大将 “General”).

Koito attended the Rikugun Shikan Gakkō (陸軍士官学校 “Imperial Army Academy”) so, same as Yuusaku and Tsurumi, started his career in the army as a Second Lieutenant (you can see Tsurumi managed to rise to First Lieutenant, all the characters above in ranking to Tsurumi also started as Second Lieutenant and managed to rise higher).

The fact Koito is a Second Lieutenant means that he’s basically fresh from the Imperial Army Academy and has just joined the Army.

The soldiers below Koito, who might be in the Army by longer time than him, never went to the Academy and only received a mandatory training. Some of them, like Sugimoto, decided to join the army on their own, others were conscripted as some years of military service were mandatory. You might notice there are no Second Class Privates in the story because that’s the rank soldiers get when they’re receiving their training and then they’re moved up to First Class Private.

A special case is Kikuta.

You might read in the English translation he’s a Warrant Officer, but in the Japanese text he’s defined as Tokumu-Sōchō (特務曹長  “Special duty sergeant major" or “Master sergeant”) which is kind of an obscure rank that was around only for few years and that later was fused with Jun-I ( 准尉 "Warrant officer” or “Associate officer”) and disappeared, hence why they went with Warrant Officer in the translation.

Tokumu-Sōchō is a rank for whose who didn’t go to the Army Academy but just rose to the top of the ranks for those who didn’t study to become officiers and therefore are not considered an officier.

Jun-I is also for whose who didn’t go tot he Army Academy but are considered an officier. They can also be given the chance to attend the Academy and therefore further rise in ranks (though keep in mind things changed a lot through the years so I’m not sure about how this applies during GK).

All this to say that yes, for Koito is normal to have such rank and, more than due to his father’s influence is due to his father’s money that he was allowed to attend military school (Ogata is poor and although he aims to rise in ranks he can’t attend military schools, not even the Rikugun Yonen Gakkō (陸軍幼年学校 “Military Preparatory School”) at which one attends prior to the Academy)... same goes for Usami who wanted to attend to it to get close to Tsurumi).

Once you attend school, if you successfully finishes it, you’ll have such rank so it’s not really impressive, it’s just the first step in the officers ranking system.

What the manga says is impressive and which Koito accomplishes is that he was studying to attend to the Navy Academy and instead switched to the last minute to the Army (due to meeting Tsurumi). Since there’s an exam to pass, Koito managed to prepare himself in record time. Now... it’s still possible they were more lenient with him due to his father’s rank and title (I mean, rejecting the son of his excellency Koito? It really wouldn’t look good) but I tend to think Koito just made it on his own, as, when he decides to, he seems to be a hard worker.

At least those are my two cents on it.

I hope it helps!

[bethanysac]

Warrant Officer Kikuta 🥵

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy - Kikuta deserved better - 273-276

As I catch up on things, I’m gonna hit the highlights that really stuck with me.  Ogata is able to escape from Vasily using the tactics he observed from the showdown in Barato with Hijikata cutting through random row houses.  He’s seriously gotten into Vasily’s head as he hesitated to snipe aggressively after killing the wrong guy with Ogata’s cloak.

The only worthwhile thing from this continued and seriously a no longer interesting plot point, is getting to see Ogata wiggle under a fence like a cat.

So, I approve of this at least.  My own cat scores this as an 8/10 in cat wiggling.  Minus 2 points for not enough emotion from Ogata’s face.

Thankfully, Asirpa was able to escape with Sofia after Tsukishima gunned down Ariko.  It seemed to me that Koito froze/hesitated during that situation.  Tsukishima had no problem brutally shooting Ariko at point blank while Koito literally just hung back and watched. 

Asirpa is in a state of extreme shock. She just interrogated by Tsurumi to give up the code, watched Ariko be shot and now sees Boutarou’s corpse in the bottle-mobile.  Our girl needs years of therapy - she’s reaching the same level as our male cast members at this rate.

At least she breaks down in tears as Sugimoto tries to console her.  The artwork for this part of the page is excellent, it really does capture the melting of her mind and how she’s realizing how deadly the gold is.

It ties directly back to her argument with Kikuta before all this shit went down.  I’m always giving Sugimoto crap for being a moron, but it seems that he did make the right action by reaching out to allow her to hug his arm.  There is that soft look as he gazes down at her and just lets her be emotional.  It is clear that his presence is a comfort to her as she takes her time before returning to a more lucid mental state.  This is shown by how she opens her eyes and looks up before declaring that they need to meet up with Hijikata since she’s figured out how to crack the code.

Meanwhile, Kikuta rushed Ariko to a clinic to save his life.  Being the father figure/older brother he is, he tells him that it isn’t his time to die; he never made that makiri yet! And to my relief, Ariko wakes up!  Noda didn’t go for the lazy writing of killing of the minor Ainu character, something I was afraid of.

If his father saved him, it means his makiri was where he was shot in the chest under his uniform.  There is a lovely transition about a makiri in a fictional museum that was made by him, implying that he returned home and did make the makiri and likely resolved some of his identity issues, though it was still likely a tough life for him.  Ariko apologies for not being able to work as a spy for Central and really it isn’t like he’d be able to do so anyways.  But he did verbally point out he’s now politically on the side of someone like Asirpa to fight for their culture and right to exist in spite of colonial powers. The middle panel of Kikuta bidding him farewell just gives me the feels.  It is so clear that Kikuta knows he’s toast.  He saw Tsukishima shoot Ariko and Tsukishima likely watched him as he tried to save the man.

The fact that he said a casual line about going to an onsen.  Ugh, death flag for sure right there.  It seems Ariko knows that as he looks forlorn.  Kikuta is that sort of suave man who is going to look cool even though he’s doomed; he’s that awesome.

The action returns to Tsurumi at the church having solved the code.  With Tsukishima gone off to try to kill Ariko, Koito has remained behind.  All of a sudden Koito reverts to his extreme Satsuma accent when addressing Tsurumi in the absence of Tsukishima.  I think he didn’t even realize it at first, just like how after they escaped the fight with Boutarou, Koito spoke normally to Tsurumi without realizing it.

It is clear it took him a moment to realize he was speaking ‘Koito’ as Tsurumi is unable to respond to him and he then panics.  Koito is more than willing to chase after Tsukishima and support him, but Tsurumi instead recalls him.

At first he consoles himself that everything is okay. 

He is trying very hard to convince himself that everything that they witnessed through the keyhole was all an act to get the key!  Yes, it isn’t that Tsurumi doesn’t have some sort of awesome goal and this isn’t about how the death of his wife and daughter left him unhinged!

But the other random members of the 27th then comment on how strongly Nikaido reeks of beer . . . and Koito then thinks about how he and Tsukishima were hiding in the room at the church when Tsurumi ‘checked’ that he was alone.  And then it hits him - they were also played as a part of the ‘Tsurumi theatre’.  Unlike Tsukishima who has whole-heartily given himself over to Tsurumi, it is clear that Koito can’t.

That monologue sounded too good to be true.  He weakly says Tsukishima’s name into the rain as he then thinks ‘No . . .’  The rain is really fitting in this scene, I think it really is a stand in for Koito’s own disappointment and tears in this entire crazy quest for the gold.  Is he worried about his ‘older’ brother figure?  Himself?  Both of them?

He continues to try to rationalize the performance that Tsurumi gave them - even if Tsurumi lied to them, it wasn’t all a lie.  Oh Koito.  I want to give you a hug and pull you away as your little bon-bon-ness has won me over.  Most of that speech wasn’t for Koito, it was for Tsukishima.  Speaking about helping Japan is what Koito would like to hear but we can tell he doubts that as well.  Hence, his waffling.

But then he realizes that as Tsukishima has given so much - all of Tsurumi’s words, even if they were ‘sweet lies’ as he he referred to them on Karafuto, it was just perfect for Tsukishima.  However, Koito has broken the spell that Tsurumi held over him.  The final page of the chapter of Koito looking at the illuminated Tsurumi and shutting the door on him.  It is the exact opposite of when Tsurumi rescued Koito from the kidnappers when in his youth. I now find myself wondering how this relates to the tiger curse.  It is clear that the curse for Tsukishima will not end well.  After he shot Ariko, his eyes regained their sparkle!  Not good, not good at all!  However, have I misinterpreted it for Koito that by becoming disillusioned with Tsurumi he will be cursed to be miserable through him gaining independence from his hero worship of Tsurumi?  The idea that ignorance is bliss, and now Koito is well in the know.  The fact that when he and Tsukishima were sort of on the same page was when he could speak to Tsurumi but now that he’s on a different path from Tsukishima he’s tripped up again.

Chapter 274 finally allows Asirpa to determine the fake skins after what she witnessed with Boutarou in the brewery and thinking about Ainu garments that she figured out that Edogai likely went above and beyond with his fakes.  Thanks money counterfeiting guy from the fake Ainu village for the inspiration.  It is a lot of pages that tie together other plot points nicely but really doesn’t do anything for me as a reader personally.

The most important point is that as Sugimoto falls asleep while Asirpa and Hijikata work with the skins is that we get another flashback - one that links him to Kikuta!

and even more importantly - Hanazawa Yuusaku!  Chapter 275 starts out with an homage to the classic movie ‘Singing in the Rain’.  As soon as I saw Sugimoto spinning on a lamp post, it was obvious.  Yes, small town boy in the big city - causing trouble.  He gets in some sort of brawl with random guys from the army and is ‘rescued’ by Kikuta, who immediately realizes that he’s hungry and decides to treat him to some lunch.

It shows that Sugimoto has a short fuse and is an impulsive youngster.  Really, he is lucky that he didn’t do more stupid shit to get him in trouble.  We can also clearly see that Kikuta is a member of the 1st Division, the Tokyo based one that Sugimoto eventually enlists with.

Kikuta decides that he wants Sugimoto to impersonate Hanazawa Yuusaku and to go on a marriage interview for him.  This is because Hanazawa Hiro, the now identified wife of Hanazawa, is pulling the strings in the background to prevent Yuusaku from becoming a flag bearer.

This then makes us wonder why these two parents have such contrasting expectations for their only son.  It makes me think back to my theory that Yuusaku was a pretty poor solider and lacked any skill or potential.  Long ago, Tsurumi told Nikaido that Ogata is the ‘true heir’ of Hanazawa inheriting his military and [some] leadership skills as he stood on the watch tower in Barato ordering the random gangsters how to fight effectively.  Yuusaku is a disappointment for Hanazawa - he can only save face by having his son become such a symbolic part of the army.

I laughed at the next page where Kikuta confirms that Hiro is colluding with the young heiress to steal Yuusaku’s virginity and thus preventing him from becoming a flag bearer.  I love the posture of the terrified Yuusaku!

However, Hiro’s plan has been found out by Hanazawa and he consulted with the leader of the 1st Division to assist him with resolving this unpatriotic and embarrassing issue.  Recall that Ogata was born as a result of Hanazawa being posted to Tokyo - this implies that he likely became good friends with the leader of the 1st Division during this time.

To prevent anyone from identifying Sugimoto, he’s the perfect substitute for Yuusaku and changes into Kikuta’s uniform.  He’s one of those guys who just has that look.  Sugimoto immediately thinks that since he’s been treated well by Kikuta, joining the military might be a good way to find security - in food.  However, we get a link of the cap to Kikuta and what appears to be his dying younger brother.

Kikuta looks so sad, like there is something unfortunate with Sugimoto’s statement of food.  We don’t get to see his expression, indicating he’s likely hiding his emotions from Sugimoto and instead tells Sugimoto he’s going to have to train him in food etiquette.

He’s presented with some Western cuisine, something that may blow his cover and something that Kikuta didn’t expect as he watches from a tree outside.  But again, due to his extreme luck, he’s able to use nervousness as an excuse and it gives him time to state his family his super traditional so they wouldn’t have eaten food like this.  When he’s removed the cap, Kaneko Kaeko is smitten with his handsome face. He can use his excuse as a way to have an out for not knowing how to eat that tasty ebi fry (why to I hear ‘ebi fry’ in Nyanko-sensei’s voice?).

As she explains the fancy places she’s dined at, Sugimoto thinks about how he was living off of cat food.  Cue another reason why he just hates on Ogata, since he was stealing food from Ogata’s people! 

The rest of the dinner goes well, and Kikuta checks in with him.  Meanwhile, our wealthy heiress is completely smitten with him!

As Sugimoto mulls over the idea of a somewhat arranged marriage as a negative he spills the beans about Toraji and Umeko.  And Kikuta isn’t having any of his bullshit.  I love how Kikuta points out how selfish and downright stupid Sugimoto is being in all of this.  Kikuta gives Sugimoto good advice - which he’s clearly still never followed.

He makes it clear that he’s got to give up on that hometown and move on.  Which will be completely ignored as Toraji will end up in the 1st Division with Sugimoto in the trenches.  I’m now wondering how Toraji and Sugimoto reconnected.  Hrrrmmmmm?  Is this something that Sugimoto encouraged and that’s why he has all of these unresolved emotions about Toraji’s death in the war?

The chapter reveals to us that Tsukishima’s love ended up marrying the cousin of Kaeko, making Tsukishima’s acceptance of her ‘death’ even more heartbreaking as he thought that Tsurumi had lied to him about her fate.  [weeps bitterly]. 

As Kikuta and Sugimoto discuss what appears to be Yuusaku’s lack of a free will, he’s told not to meddle in others concerns.  What does Sugimoto do? The man just can’t keep to himself and he goes and finds Yuusaku to confront him.  He wants to know if Yuusaku wants to be a flag bearer even though it is a death sentence.  How does that conversation go? Just how we’d expect with all of the information we know about Yuusaku.

I love how he’s like it isn’t to meet my father’s expectations!  It is because understand my father’s convictions and fight for my country.  Okay, you keep telling yourself that Yuusaku, but it still sounds like you are doing this for your father, you know tomay-to, tomah-to.  Sugimoto mulls over what Yuusaku would choose if given the choice.  I just sigh as we know enough about Yuusaku’s backstory that the man only does what his father says - with great conviction. All of our Ogata flashbacks have made this so clear, Yuusaku is a doomed man from the moment he entered the army.  Maybe even a doomed man from his birth even.  Perhaps, he’s acutely aware of this, but based on how freakkin’ awkward he’s with Ogata and his older brother actions, I continue to think he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack and can only be used as a patriotic pawn.

Yuusaku then becomes suspicious of Sugimoto’s line of inquiry and realizes that he’s got Kikuta’s cap.

Not sure how to respond, he runs away and we learn that Kikuta’s younger brother died of illness during the first Sino-Japanese war.   That same war that killed Koito’s older brother and that Tsurumi and Tsukishima fought in as well. With the statement of illness, I know what most likely killed Kikuta’s younger brother - malnutrition - specifically beri beri.  As the Japanese military rapidly modernized using European models, they ran into an issue with many soldiers and sailors dying of some sort of mysterious illness and it wasn’t something that impacted the Westerners at all.  Most of this has to do with the ability to eat white rice which was much more processed.  It made it more expensive, but was nutritionally bad for men who came from lower incomes or poverty.  Remember how stoked Asirpa was when she ate white rice all the way back at the herring fishery?  If anyone has read “House of Five Leaves” by Natsume Ono, you’d know the protagonist is a poor ronin and he falls ill due to beri beri.  The solution was to return to the countryside/hometown to eat a more diverse diet.  For a more detailed explanation of how bad this was for the Japanese military check out the video by Linfamy on youtube here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzIBpFDRr5g

The video even highlights the fierce (and counterproductive) competition between the Army and Navy which has already been well defined through Koito’s backstory. The chapter ends with Sugimoto dropping the cap and the polite man who picks it up for him is Tsurumi with Ogata, Usami and Tsukishima in Tokyo. The plot thickens . . . somehow Sugimoto got mixed up in the business of the 27th and apparently Tokyo isn’t a vast city that you can get lost in and everyone knows everyone.  Like how I was on flight to Saskatoon and the man next to me started up a conversation how he was from Burlington and went to Guelph and my friend who I was going to visit was also from Burlington and went to Guelph it is a small world kinda moment and in agriculture.  I digress though.  Things are starting to pull back together but I’m still not 100% on with this plot direction/story arc.

[occultsheep]

Kikuta's here to do some business with the big iron on his hip (big iron on his hip)

Rbs appreciated <3

Pls don’t repost/remove caption

[azzurro-due]

菊田杢太郎生誕記念2021

2021.11.26

🎉菊田さん！！お誕生日おめでとう🎉

個人的に好きなお話、精◯探偵の時のお衣装です。

宇佐美におべべが汚れるぞ！！って言ったり←好き

ノラ坊を藤次郎さんに重ねたり…

菊田さんは面倒見が良くて頼れる、お兄ちゃん気質な人でしたね。

スパイとして生きるには、優しすぎた気がします。

[tsurumi-kun]

i don’t wanna do hw i just wanna draw gk stuff😔

[kai-does-some-art]

It’s just the pits without you, baby It’s really just the pits without you, baby It’s like everyone’s a dick without you, baby

(twitter) - (instagram) - (donate) - (commish)

[french-banana-toast]

more Golden Kamuy doodles

 (buh I love warrant officer Kikuta so much)

[kingslayerstew]

it kills me how genuinely incompetent kikuta is every single time i remember i start giggling like how the hell did that man ever get promoted to warrant officer

[ginkamuconfessions]

I never remember private ariko and warrant officer kikuta's names so I just call them Gracious and Glorious

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello there! Thank you very much for "Warrant Officer Ogata" image that you manifested in the last ask, when you mentioned he'd have risen at best to Kikuta's rank. I have another ask tho: From the original in japanese is it implied Ogata has any sort of accent, manneirism in speech, etc or he speaks the standard japanese?

^___^ Glad you liked it!

In truth it seems some Warrant Officers managed to rise slightly higher... during the Russo-Japanese war for special merits during the war and MOSTLY shortage of officers. I guess Kikuta lost his chance (especially because after the war the war academy produced a huge amount of young officers so they didn’t need to promote warrant officers anymore)... and anyway it seems the most they could rise was first class lieutenant... so again, a little better than Kikuta but nowhere near close to Hanazawa... and basically almost off limits since there was no more need for it.

I’m not exactly the best person to ask about Ogata’s eventual accent, as I’m nowhere near as proficent enough to get this.

I seem to remember though that the Japanese fandom got upset because the anime changed 1 or 2 of the sentences Ogata said slightly as in the manga they were vaguely old fashioned (which might have hinted at how Ogata was raised by his grandparents) while in the anime they’re standard Japanese.

Take this with a huge grain of salt though, as it was pretty long ago and I don’t remember all the details. Beyond that episode I never heard people saying Ogata talked something different from standard Japanese so I would expect him to do so... but again, this is a question that’s more fitting for someone who’s proficent in Japanese than for me.

Thank you for your ask and sorry if I couldn’t be of some help.

[lostinlogicerror]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: ゴールデンカムイ | Golden Kamuy (Manga) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Tsukishima Hajime/Tsurumi Tokushirou Characters: Tsukishima, Tsurumi, Usami, Kikuta, Koito  Additional Tags: Unhealthy fixation, Disturbing Themes, Canon Compliant, Spoilers for chapter 210 Summary:

Tsukishima has been looking forward to this reunion. For more reasons than one.

When the official assembly of their unit - or what's left of it anyway - is over, and the soldiers under Tsurumi's command are brought up to speed, it's finally time to meet in private. Away from prying eyes and curious ears. They choose an unassuming inn's room for that purpose. Or more like Tsukishima does, having prepared everything beforehand, anticipating that his superior officer would expect the unabridged version of the report afterward.

Tsukishima has been looking forward to this reunion. For more reasons than one.

All four of them gathered with First Lieutenant Tsurumi at their centre, it almost feels like they reversed the flow of time. Back to good old days. Except Superior Private Ogata has been permanently replaced with his equal in rank - Usami, Warrant Officer Kikuta couldn't look more out of place if he tried and Tsukishima... Tsukishima is someone else entirely now.

Then there's Tsurumi.

Once upon a time a distant and unreachable star - or at least that's the impression he adamantly showed to the outward world - you could gain access to now and bask in his light if only you knew how to ask. How to approach. And Tsukishima wasn't afraid to get burned. Not anymore.

He can't resist - doesn't want to - the pull of gravity and steps forward, with purpose. The initial surprise in First Lieutenant's gaze vanishes as quickly as it appears and he allows Tsukishima his forwardness. Following the impossible compulsion, he cradles his face reverently. Finally. Having confirmed the tangible presence of his Lieutenant with his own touch now, he feels something akin to relief.

Tsukishima's calloused fingertips begin to map out the familiar expanse of Tsurumi's face under the latter's watchful gaze - the high cheekbones that have become so pronounced over time, the dimples, the impeccable skin giving way to angry red of scarring. His superior closes his eyes and hums approvingly when Tsukishima's thumbs rub tenderly the place where the circles under his eyes would be, his attention drawn to the taller man's eyelashes that were inexplicably still present.

It'd be a lie to say he ever minded the difference in their height, and yet presently there's an undeniable curl of frustration in his gut at this mere fact. It won't do. So Tsukishima takes a deep breath and letting go of Tsurumi's face, grasps firmly at his forearms instead. He ignores the questioning glance. For his purposes, he needs to tower over the man. The next course of his actions already settled in his mind, he maneuvers him around and pushes into nearest beat-up wood chair, none too gently. The aged furniture creaks in protest.

There's an immediate if rather subdued reaction coming from his right, Usami's offended voice of upset, at his audacity no doubt, and Kikuta's almost inaudible gasp. Their worry relieved with Tsurumi's flick of hand in a dismissive gesture. It's alright. Do not interrupt.

Persistently paying others no mind, Tsukishima simply locks his eyes with his Lieutenant's. Finding nothing but approval in the intense stare directed at him, he presses forward, resting his right knee on the front edge of a seat, and spreading Tsurumi's legs in the process. Just a hint at his intentions.

He leans further down, one hand supporting his weight on the left armrest - mindful to not block the view of the other inhabitant of the room - he relishes the idea of having Tsurumi trapped under him, only mere inches between them. Tsurumi's arms, on the other hand, remain still, compliantly, at his sides. He doesn't need a worded command to understand his needs, he knows him so well, and Tsukishima's pleased.

Gradually, Tsukishima can feel the dreadful cold seeped into his bones melting.

It's been a couple of excessively long months and every tiny gesture feels like too much, too little. He tangles the fingers of his other hand gingerly between Tsurumi's silky hair strands and pulls his head up just a fraction to press his lips to the cold headplate, absent-mindedly noting the almost invisible trace his breath leaves on its surface.

He'd rather be kissing the actual skin of his scarred forehead, the threat of infecting the wound be damned.

Toying with the idea, he lets his fingers play with the leather straps. He's perfectly aware of how these are constantly grinding into Tsurumi's skin, his hair, rubbing it off in spite of Tsurumi's best efforts to prevent that. So futile. For his sake, Tsukishima wishes he could allow himself to take off this forehead protector more often. It'd be so easy to undo the clasps now.

Ultimately it's the presence of others in the room that helps him resist the temptation. This is a sight reserved for Tsukishima's eyes only (or at least it's what he tells himself, he's come to realize the reality doesn't matter nearly as much as your assumptions about it).

The atmosphere spreading around the room is thick, somewhat tense, yet Tsukishima couldn't feel more at ease. The insistent silence of his comrades is almost deafening and at odds with the muffled sounds reaching his ears, as if through a wad of cotton, that Tsukishima has been purposefully ignoring this entire time. He wills himself not to make eye contact.

It's Tsurumi's rather impatient huff that finally takes him out of his reverie. Tsukishima takes note of his dilated pupils and slightly parted lips and just like that, everything else ceases to matter. Almost without meaning to he brushes his thumb over Tsurumi's bottom lip, feeling the edge of his teeth, before finally diving in for the open-mouthed kiss.

He swallows the hitched breath and the following moan. Encouraged, he adjusts the angle so he can kiss him raw, desperate. Oh, Tsukishima has missed this sensation, badly.

It ends far too soon, when he registers the palm at his chest and a slight push, prompting him to regain control of himself. Tsukishima does. It takes them both a moment to compose themselves.

"Care to explain yourself, Sergeant Tsukishima?"

First Lieutenant Tsurumi inclines his head to the side, indicating the pitiful young man sprawled on the floor, bound tightly and securely, a gag in his mouth. Tsukishima meets his expectant gaze and then reluctantly follows his line of sight, finally acknowledging his other superior - in rank at least - registers the glistening sweat and helpless look on his face, but doesn't linger. Koito's no doubt in great deal of discomfort but otherwise unharmed. For the time being.

"You gave me the authority of final decision making, sir."

"That I did."

"Then I ask you to trust in my judgment."

Tsurumi draws out his breath leisurely, sounding almost exasperated. Tsukishima can't begin to guess what kind of tale will he have to spin to get out of this predicament, however, he's certain he'll manage.

"Very well."

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy - Kikuta really deserved better [part 3] 280-283

I’m still behind on my GK meta.  Here is my push to catch up before new chapters drop.  Just a note of clarification from my last meta.  When I discuss Yuusaku’s eyes being similar to Asirpa’s, I don’t mean that he has blue/green eyes like hers but just that his ‘innocence’ is represented by that but there may also be a difference.  If he were not Hanazawa’s biological son, it would make a sweet plot twist and explain why he didn’t inherit the ‘natural abilities’ of the men of that family in the military.  This sounds silly, but a major theme of GK is that children do inherit abilities from their parents.

Most of chapter 280 isn’t super useful, we learn that Usami discovered Kikuta’s role as a spy for central and that’s pretty much it.  Kikuta seems to think that Sugimoto will be enough to stop Tsurumi which, I dunno, I guess makes some sense considering he’s one of the main characters, but meh.

He does get a badass scene where he tries to look cool and take Tsurumi out with him here . . .

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to be badass as Tsukishima shoots him in the head.  Recall that, he’s wanted a front row seat for the Tsurumi theatre and has rationalized in the past that he’s going to be Tsurumi’s right hand man -

[Sighs].  Oh Tsukishima, I’m more worried about your mental health and well being with these recent chapters. Honestly, the rest of the chapter seems like filler to me.  The skins are arranged to reveal a location for the gold, at the fort in Hakodate, Goryokaku.  The only other part I found interesting is here.  Tsurumi makes his orders known and Koito is off in the corner by himself.

Koito, what are you thinking?  How are you feeling? Are you upset by Tsurumi?  By Tsukishima declaring he’s Tsurumi’s right and man and not your big brother?  Tell me Koito?  Are you no longer on board with things but caught up in the momentum of events?

And both groups are now en route to the location and - Kikuta deserved better.

Chapter 281 starts out with group eating squid in Hakodate as they check out the remains of the fort.  It is mainly historical context information and how this is where Hijikata should have died.  I’m not a Shinsengumi ‘fan’ so this plot point continues to be meh for me.

What is more important is that Boutarou told Shiraishi that the gold came from the Russian Consulate to the fort.

Kimuspu lead them there as the group of men organized by Wilk are in search of the gold at the Russian Consulate.  They are able to break through a fake wall to find a cellar below where the gold is supposed to be.

Of course, since this is a manga this perfectly overlaps with other events in the manga - mainly the kidnapping of Koito by ‘Russians’ aka Tsukishima and Ogata.  Wilk goes over to investigate and sees Koito Sr. deciding that Koito’s fate is set based on the current actions of the kidnappers.

It is interesting that the previous chapter had a very lonely looking Koito to lead into this flashback that is also related to him.  Is this important or just luck in the plot/flashback story line? The men proceed to find the gold - but as Wilk examines it, it becomes clear that it isn’t the gold.

Instead, we are only left with Wilk asking him what is going on?  And we have no idea what Wilk is looking or referring to, but it isn’t gold!

The flashback ends and the group is roaming around the fort a night only to bump into the 27th!  Poor luck for the group indeed.

Chapter 282 starts off with a fight between the 27th and everyone else.  Of course they are doomed from the start since they are up against monsters of a sort.  After a few violent deaths, Sugimoto searches one of the men to find a telegram.

Welp, shit.  There best effort to beat Tsurumi isn’t going to happen as he figured things out at the same time that they did.  Shiraishi has a complete meltdown for several pages.  Which I’m personally not a fan of - I’m just tired of him being the lazy comic relief by this point.  But if you’ve been reading my meta since 2018, you’d already know how I feel about that.

Hijikata remains calm and tries to think of logical places to search for the gold.  Digging directly into the ground would have been too obvious so it is likely in a building.

Frantic, Shiraishi runs into the door of one of the buildings. The group seem to descend into a sort of chaotic panic about finding the gold before Tsurumi gets there and then how to get the gold off the site.  It all just seems odd.  Like, dude, you guys need to just chill and stop shouting out random suggestions.  Of course Sugimoto immediately concludes they will have to fight.  Which isn’t a very clever idea from Sugimoto, it is his freakkin’ default state.

Of course Hijikata was planning to fight from the start.  That has been his goal since the beginning of the manga!  But this time, he’s enlisted the help of Sofia and her fellow Russian partisans.  Who are on their way to Hakodate and we get an epic shot of her pouring vodka on her face.

It is a logical call, he needs other people who are experience fighters - someone who can go toe to toe with the 27th.

Chapter 283 then turns to give us a brief flashback into Hijikata’s planning for events.  He knows the fort inside and out and takes charge (as he should in this situation).  Before they left he met up with Sofia and tells her to bring her men to Hakodate that afternoon.

What is interesting is the conversation that unfolds as they discuss working with Sofia and her group.  As a war vet, Sugimoto is the most uncomfortable with this, even if he isn’t quite aware of it, he thinks it is too much of a stretch.  What surprises me is that Shiraishi, doesn’t trust her either and he even mentions Kiro, unless he personally thinks Kiro was more trustworthy than Wilk or Sofia?

Hijikata is confident that they will deal with things as they happen, but Asirpa clearly states that they can trust her.  This makes sense based on how Sofia was there with Asirpa when Tsurumi interrogated her - she knows Sofia is someone whom she can rely on.

Meanwhile, Sofia is supporting the dream that Wilk and Kiro both shared in their youth and tells her men as such.  Going way back to the flashback with the three of them and their interaction with Tsurumi as Hasegawa we know that she is the most caring and compassionate of the three leaders.

She is the type of person who could truly inspire others to work towards a common goal, and we’ve seen this through her actions, including taming that tiger.  The idea is still crazy, but hey why not.

On the same train is Ogata, clearly following Sofia.  He’s asleep and we get a flashback to him laying on the futon with his mom.

At the end of the chapter, it notes that she is saying some lines from a nursery rhyme associated with a children’s game.  I’d go with the interpretation that many things are easy to enter or become involved with but are difficult to escape.  How will this impact his role in the fight for the gold?  Is he still acting as a sort of solo agent?  Is he reflecting on this entire mess?  His life choices? Lack of choices?

The rest of the chapter is again a bit meh.  Of course Tsurumi has commandeered a train, looks like it is mainly carrying freight and Vasily as well.  Vasya, what are you doing again?  Why are you still after Ogata?  And you are just humming a tune while you lounge on a horse in the freight part of the train. Okay . . . as I’m behind on this meta, others have already pointed out that Vasily is likely a Cossack, all comfortable on his horse.  Which I feel like is a somewhat lazy ‘Russian stereotype’ since many different Slavic groups existed in the Russian empire at this point in history.

The end of the chapter does finally answer a question I asked in meta a very long time ago now here: https://chibivesicle.tumblr.com/post/178997911192/does-hijikata-have-a-useful-tattoo  I remember asking if Hijikata had a useful tattoo b/c we never saw it in the manga - until this chapter.  The answer?  Yes.  He fucking does have a useful tattoo.  And he is a buff man despite his age and imprisonment!

All in all what to I think of these chapters?  They are moving all of the groups together for some sort of confrontation.  How does this all pan out? We shall see.  Koito is def wavering in his support of Tsurumi.  Ogata is in the mix, likely with the Russians.  What is Vasily doing?  How many men does Tsurumi have?  What will Hijikata do based on his past battle at Hakodate?  Will Asirpa be safe?  Will Sugimoto finally get captured by Tsurumi and Ogata will have to rescue him?  I’ve been waiting for that to happen for years now by this point!