Salt's Best on Tempura
The crew sneaks into a palace to save a townswoman from the chancellor, but a samurai named Shion does the deed for them. Though she was hired as a palace guard, she could not allow the chancellor's misdeeds to go unpunished. Now unemployed, Shion, who happens to know Mirin, joins the crew after the incident so as to learn more about samurai culture.
A man and a woman appear to be leaning into each other in the private chambers of a palace.
The woman is, actually, trying to put some distance between them, but her frail arms are powerless before the man.
Townswoman: Please, Chancellor...
Chancellor: Ohoho... A little fun never hurt anybody.
Townswoman: As I've said before, my heart already belongs to my fiance...
Chancellor: Yes, I tried giving up on you once after hearing that. But doing so only inflamed my passions further.
Chancellor: Consider this training for when you do get married. You'll thank me later!
Townswoman: Noooo!
???: My apologies.
Chancellor: Huh? What are you...
???: My name is Shion. I was hired as a bodyguard a sennight ago.
Shion: I apologize for disturbing you so late into the eventide, but I come with news.
Townswoman: Sennight?
Chancellor: Eventide?
Chancellor: I heard of the increase in security personnel, but you're quite different from the samurai I know...
Shion: Forgive me, for I am still studying samurai culture.
Chancellor: Studying, you say... You admit to being a phony samurai? In any case, what news do you bring me?
Shion: I've spotted knaves in the vicinity of the palace and request permission to assemble the guards.
Chancellor: Oh? If it's just a few prowlers, leave them be.
Shion: But, Chancellor, they may still pose a threat despite their numbers—
Chancellor: We've had numerous reports of knaves surveying the palace's perimeter in the past, but they've never attacked. Surely anyone would give up after seeing how much security we have.
Chancellor: Please consider whether your "news" is truly worth reporting in the future. I'm a busy man after all.
Shion: My apologies. I shall return to my patrol.
Townswoman: ...
Townswoman: Um... Excuse me!
Shion: Hm?
Townswoman: I-I was just preparing to leave... Could I ask you to defend me from those knaves on my way back?
Chancellor: Ahem! What are you saying! You haven't even swept the floor yet!
Townswoman: ...!
Chancellor: As you were, samurai. I'll see to the girl myself.
Shion: ...
Shion: No.
Chancellor: Huh?
Shion: Chancellor, the girl's expression is very telling.
Shion: Answer me truthfully. What happened in the room? What were your intentions for her?
Townswoman: Miss Samurai...
Chancellor: Humph...
Chancellor: Don't make me repeat myself. Return to your station.
Chancellor: Look, I couldn't care less about your samurai shtick, but you took on the job for money, yes?
Chancellor: I could fire you on a whim. If you expect to get paid, then go.
Shion: ...
Meanwhile, walking in the palace halls are (Captain) and company.
They snuck past security and are making their way to the inner chambers.
Vyrn: Huff... Huff... Looks like there's fewer guards the deeper in we go.
Lyria: This must be where the living quarters are... The chancellor's room should be coming up.
Vyrn: Let's hurry it up. No matter how much of a big shot this chancellor is, he's gonna pay for bullyin' our client's fiancee.
Lyria: Ah, Vyrn! That room by the corner has a fancy candlestand outside.
Vyrn: You're right! Ready to do this, (Captain)? His bodyguards might give us some trouble.
Lyria: Stay on the alert... Slow and steady now...
Shion's Voice: Bonsai Art...
Shion's Voice: Formless Blade!
Chancellor's Voice: Brgwaah!
Vyrn: Whoa! Something's flyin' our way!
Lyria: Yikes! It's the chancellor! He's fainted!
Shion: Forgive me... As a false samurai, I have trouble controlling my power.
Townswoman: I'm sorry you had to do this for me, miss!
Shion: It's fine. Samurai are meant to protect the weak.
Shion: Though I failed in my duty as a bodyguard, I am a samurai first and foremost.
Vyrn: Wow, you did a real number on the wall. Is "Formless Blade" what you call smackin' someone real hard?
Shion: Oh? And who might you be?
Vyrn: Just a skyfarer crew. We had business with the chancellor.
Shion: A crew! You must be the knaves roaming about earlier!
Lyria: I think we have a misunderstanding! We're here on assignment!
Vyrn: The client told us his fiancee's possibly bein' bullied again...
Townswoman: Fiancee? Could your client be...
Shion: Stand back.
Shion: A samurai is loyal above all else. Even when their lord is an evildoer, the domain must still be protected.
Shion: I take it you're the leader of this band of rogues. I challenge you to a duel.
- My blade is ready.
- Can't we talk it out?
Choose: My blade is ready.Shion: Do you tread the path of the samurai yourself? If only we'd met under different circumstances...
Choose: Can't we talk it out?Shion: My blade is a much better conversationalist than myself.
Continue 1Shion: To battle then! Bonsai Art: Sushi Buffet!
Shion swings her blade with the grace and ease of a trained sushi chef, not wasting a single movement.
But (Captain) immediately dodges the attack.
Shion: Rgh! Impressive footwork...
Shion: But every plate of sushi comes with two pieces!
Vyrn: Whoa, look at her go! She's got crazy skills!
Lyria: We need to break up this fight, but they're both moving so fast!
Shion: I have you cornered! Bonsai Secret Art: Tempura Flurry!
Shion launches into a flurry of rapid strikes, the sparks from the tip of her blade resembling the splashing hot oil in a tempura frying pan.
But like a seasoned chef who fears not fire, (Captain) meets the heat head-on.
Shion: You stopped me! What remarkable visual acuity...
Shion: But let's see you handle this! Bonsai Super Art: Tea Stalk Garden!
Chancellor: Ngh... Still hurts... Damn it, how I could let this happen...
Chancellor: Guards! Anyone! We have a traitor and knaves in the palace!
Vyrn: The rotten chancellor's making a run for it!
Lyria: (Captain)! Miss Bodyguard!
Turning away from Shion's incoming attack, the captain throws a sword at the chancellor, which lands right by his feet.
Chancellor: Urgh!
Astonished to see (Captain) take such a bold move, Shion changes the trajectory of her blade away from the captain.
Shion: You gave up your means of defense in order to stop the chancellor...
Vyrn: We got him, guys! Let's skedaddle before the guards get here!
Lyria: There's a secret passage here! Our client should be waiting at the opposite end!
Shion: Understood!
The crew has returned the townswoman to her fiance and exposed the chancellor's wrongdoing.
With the sun rising on a new morning, Shion catches up with the crew as they return to their lodgings.
Shion: Your client explained everything to me... I must apologize for my behavior last night.
Vyrn: Nah, it's all good! We were glad to see you've got your own moral code too.
Lyria: I believe you called yourself a samurai? Is that how you learned to fight?
Shion: Indeed. Samurai culture hails from a nation far to the east.
Shion: Although I may be from there originally, I moved elsewhere at a young age.
Shion: That is why my mannerisms may not be entirely accurate to my birthplace, and why I consider myself a false samurai in many ways.
Vyrn: But you swung that sword like a pro. Not to mention you kicked butt as a bodyguard.
Shion: In order to better understand samurai culture, I was on my way to the far east.
Shion: But I lost my travel funds to a thief. I had saved up some money after that, only to lose it all again—this time to a swindler...
Shion: And now I've lost my job... How will I ever reach my homeland at this rate...
Lyria: I'm sorry to hear that!
Lyria: Hey, I know! Why don't you come with us on our airship?
Shion: You have an airship?
Lyria: You'll have plenty of chances to make money during assignments, and we might even drop by islands in the far east.
Lyria: Don't you think it'd be the perfect arrangement, (Captain)?
Shion: Thank you for the kind offer! I will certainly consider it.
Lyria: Hooray! Why don't we stop by the ship before returning to the inn? We'll introduce you to the rest of the crew—
Mirin: Gozaru! Hey, guys!
Mirin: I hope no one's hurt. I heard you finished the assignment and thought I'd drop by.
Shion: ...!
Mirin: Huh?
Shion: Mirin?
Mirin: Ah... Shion!
Continue 2???: Gozaru! Hey, guys!
???: I hope no one's hurt. I heard you finished the assignment and thought I'd drop by.
Shion: ...!
???: Huh?
Shion: Mirin?
Mirin: Ah... Shion!
Continue 3Shion will soon embark on an adventure across the skies.
Only time can tell what lies in store for this young woman who wishes to return to her samurai roots.
Salt's Best on Soba Too
Invited outside by Shion, (Captain) and company watch her interaction with Mirin. The two samurai have been apart from each other for over a decade. Because Mirin is acting extremely carefree, Shion takes a moment to recall that they're outside for a duel.
Shion: ...
Mirin: ...
Nice weather today, huh.
Shion: ...
Mirin: ...
It's like the sun's rays are smiling down on us.
Two samurai stand before each other on a beautiful afternoon.
One stands ready to draw her blade at a moment's notice, while the other is humming along as she plucks flowers.
No version of
Mirin in crew
Shion has her eyes trained on Mirin, a bona fide samurai hailing from the far east.She joined the crew to travel across various lands and expand her horizons.
The other crew members look back and forth between the two, unsure how to respond.
Vyrn: Er... Any idea what's goin' on, (Captain)?
Vyrn: Lyria, did you hear anything about why Shion called us out here?
Lyria: I was only told the place and time... All I can tell is that Shion seems really flustered with something.
Lyria: Although she did mention there's something she wants us to see...
Vyrn: Huh? What's there to see in the middle of nowhere?
Lyria: Ah! Shion's taken a step forward!
Shion: Mirin... Have you read my letter?
Mirin: Gozaru! I did, and I had the same thoughts. The clear spring weather lately was obviously a sign of good things to come.
Shion: So it wasn't just me... Perhaps our reunion was ordained by fate.
Mirin: Sure does seem that way! Even though I haven't seen you in over ten years, I knew it was you at a glance.
Mirin: Was it the same for you, Shion?
Shion: Of course.
Shion: A true katana... A true kimono... A true samurai stance...
Shion: It couldn't have been more apparent to me. I may be a false samurai...
Shion: But I have my honor.
Mirin: False? As in your outfit? I thought it was just a really fashionable kimono.
Shion: Oh?
Mirin: Where did you buy it? Mind if I ask how much it cost?
Shion: There was no price tag...
Shion: As I didn't exactly buy this... I had to make do with materials found in my new home after leaving the eastern lands.
Mirin: Materials?
Mirin: You mean you made the outfit yourself?
Mirin: That's so cool! Even up close, it looks like something you might find in a clothing store!
Shion: Y-you think so? I simply followed the instructions of the clothing's design from various books...
Mirin: I do a bit of sewing myself, but to make something this sophisticated is on the level of a pro. Think you can teach me sometime?
Shion: Haha... I'd be glad to. As soon as we've finished this duel—
Shion: Ah!
Mirin: Wha... Shion?
Shion: Cough... Enough for our last words.
Shion: Our blades shall do the talking now. As decreed in the letter, is it time for our duel.
Shion: By the samurai code, I, Shion of the Bonsai School, challenge you to combat!
Salt's Best on Soba Too: Scene 2
Days before the duel, Shion and Mirin talk about their past. The two lived next to each other, but Shion's family ended up moving away. Not wanting to stand out in her new hometown, Shion discarded all she knew about samurai culture. Now regretting that decision, she decides a duel with Mirin would allow her to test her resolve as a samurai.
The lead-up to the duel began days earlier.
Mirin had been tasked with seeing to the needs of the newly recruited Shion.
Shion: ...
Mirin: Over here, Shion. This is where we put the dishes after eating.
Shion: Mirin... I haven't washed my dishes yet...
Mirin: No, no, it's fine! We take turns doing the dishes—just like how we used to do things at the after-school abacus class!
Shion: The abacus class...
Mirin: I loved the smell of that classroom. You remember the cat that used to sleep by the porch?
Shion: Unfortunately, I do not...
Mirin: That's too bad. You know, we have cats on the ship too—
Vyrn: Hey, you guys. Reminiscin' about the good ol' days, huh?
Shion: Well, I don't know if I'd call it that...
Lyria: Mirin's told us about how you're from the same island.
Mirin: Gozaru! We were neighbors at the time.
Mirin: I'd forgotten about it since I was shorter than a stalk of susuki grass at the time. It's funny how all these memories are suddenly flooding back to me.
Shion: I have only vague memories of those days, but I clearly remember the great samurai estate that Mirin called home.
Shion: Whenever my merchant parents had to leave for long stretches of time for business, I stayed with Mirin.
Lyria: What a wonderful relationship you must have had. It's no wonder you immediately recognized each other after not having met for so long.
Shion: Well, a samurai's mannerisms can be quite particular. We each gave ourselves away.
Vyrn: Yeah, Mirin's quirks are pretty easy to catch—in more ways than one.
Mirin: Ahaha! I guess I come off as really unique to those not from the far east.
Lyria: I've always found you adorable, Mirin. Is the way you speak also samurai culture, Shion?
Shion: Yes. But because I go by what I learned in a foreign textbook, I cannot be certain of its authenticity.
Mirin: I think you're cool the way you are. Authenticity should be a secondary priority if you ask me.
Shion: Oh? You think so?
Mirin: Mm-hm! Samurai culture isn't constant, you know; it changes over time! Pride in yourself as a samurai is what matters most!
Shion: I see...
Shion: ...
Shion: But do I have the right to call myself a samurai to begin with?
Lyria: Shion?
Shion: Ah, it's nothing.
Shion: Please excuse me.
Vyrn: Huh? Well, off she goes.
Lyria: I hope all this talk about samurai culture hasn't gotten her down...
Mirin: That reminds me...
Mirin: She used to speak normally back when we were kids.
Vyrn: Wha? She spoke like a non-samurai while in the far east, but then started talking like a samurai after moving elsewhere?
Lyria: Hm... I wonder how that happened.
Shion: Sigh...
Back in her room, Shion sits on her futon and stares at the ceiling.
She recalls the time she first set foot in a foreign land.
Because of her particular mannerisms, she caught the attention of all the children at the port town.
Though the children were simply playing out their curiosity, the girl feared being suddenly put in the spotlight.
She tossed her chopsticks and abacus and stuck her katana behind a bookshelf. Conforming to life in this new land was now everything to her.
Shion had abandoned her samurai ways.
Shion: I was so desperate to conform... I didn't want to worry my family either.
Shion: Even as pangs of guilt washed over me, I just tried not to think too hard about it.
Shion: Before I knew it, over a decade had passed... But one day, something happened that gave me cause to remember my samurai roots.
The town fell into panic when a horde of monsters came attacking one day.
Shion returned to her room to prepare for evacuation, where a monster happened to be lying in wait.
Though prepared to meet her fate, she noticed her katana—which she thought she'd put away—lying on the ground.
Shion picked up the blade as if it was the most natural thing to do and proceeded to fell the monster in the blink of an eye.
Shion: I abandoned the way of the samurai, but the katana did not abandon me...
Shion: Exactly a year after that day, I took it upon myself to retrace my roots.
Shion: Mirin... What is a true samurai?
Shion: Have all my efforts been fruitless? Is my attempt to reclaim my legacy an impossible dream?
Shion: ...
Shion: I have to find out for myself... I may be a false samurai, but I have my pride.
Shion: My blade shall provide the answer I seek.
Salt's Best on Soba Too: Scene 3
Having sent a duel proposal to Mirin and calling the crew as witnesses, Shion readies her blade. However, it turns out Mirin couldn't read Shion's cursive writing and simply interpreted it to be an invitation for an outing. They decide to enjoy their time together instead. That is, until a winged monster tries to carry off Lyria.
From sending the letter to calling witnesses, Shion has set up this duel.
She raises her blade, ready to test her worth against a true samurai.
Shion: By the samurai code, I, Shion of the Bonsai School, challenge you to combat!
Vyrn: Whoa! Shion looks pretty set on strikin' down Mirin!
Lyria: This can't be real! Mirin's still crouching and doesn't realize what's happening!
Lyria: Stand up, Mirin!
Shion: Wide open! Bonsai Master Art: Chilled Tofu Rush!
Mirin: Gozaru!
Mirin: Wow, get a load of this! The butterfly's about to emerge from its cocoon!
Shion: ...?
Mirin: Look at it spread its beautiful, translucent wings. Are you still okay with critters like insects and snakes, Shion?
Shion: Huh? Ah, yeah, sure...
Mirin: You remember that time we went looking for a tsuchinoko?
Mirin: We searched all over the wilderness and got lost on our way back that night. My dad knocked me over the head for it.
Shion: Yes... That does ring a bell...
Shion: I didn't care for the tsuchinoko, but I somehow really got into it anyway.
Mirin: Ahaha. Thinking back on it now, it might've been because you were about to move out soon.
Shion: Oh? The specific timeline's a bit hazy to me...
Shion: I can't recall what I was thinking at the time, but there was a part of me that knew we'd never meet each other ag—
Mirin: Except we did meet again! Not only that, but we even got to eat together, and here we are observing nature!
Mirin: And we made a promise to do some sewing together! Come with me to town later—I'm pretty sure we can find all the materials we'll need there!
Shion: Mirin...
Shion: Haha... I'd be glad to. As soon as we've finished this duel—
Shion: Ah!
Mirin: Wha... Shion?
Shion: Cough... Enough for our last words.
Shion: Our blades shall do the talking now. As decreed in the letter, it is time for our duel.
Vyrn: So, uh... Did you call us out here just to watch you two hang out? 'Cause we've other stuff to do, ya know...
Shion: H-hold it, we are most certainly not here to just hang out, as you say...
Lyria: It sure doesn't look that way. From pretending to fight to watching butterflies—it's like two children playing in a park.
Shion: Y-you misunderstand my intentions! I invited you all to watch our duel.
Mirin: Duel?
Shion: Indeed. Why do you look surprised? The letter should have mentioned as much.
Mirin: Gozaru?
Mirin: Ah, gozaru!
Mirin: You mean to say that profoundly well-written letter mentioned a duel?
Shion: Huh?
Mirin: Sorry! Thing is, I can't really read the cursive handwriting you used to pen the letter!
Mirin: It's just that the weather's been so nice lately and I wanted to play with you, so I simply took it to be an invitation for a day out together.
Mirin: I'm really sorry!
Shion: ...
Vyrn: Ahaha! That explains why you two are on completely different wavelengths today!
Lyria: I'm glad everyone's on the same page now! We came out here too without knowing what to expect! So we'll get to see a duel, huh...
Lyria: Wait, a duel? But then that means...
Mirin: Gozaru? What type of duel are you thinking? Footrace, maybe? Will everyone be joining in?
Shion: ...
Shion: Haha... Hahahaha!
Vyrn: What's happenin' now? It's like Shion's in her own world again.
Shion: Ah, forgive me.
Shion: The bit about the duel was a jest. I simply needed an excuse to invite everyone out for some fresh air and to clear my head.
Mirin: Well? Is your head feeling clear yet?
Shion: Yes, thanks to you. I was too stuck in my own head.
Lyria: Um... Is it okay if I join the footrace duel? I could really use the exercise after being stuck on the ship for so long—
Monster: Grooaar...
Lyria: Eek!
Vyrn: Lyria!
Vyrn: Crud! The monster's carryin' her away fast!
Shion: Bonsai Reverse Art: Leaping Soba Sauce!
Monster: Gwaaar...
Shion: She's falling! (Captain), please catch Lyria!
Shion: Mirin! Join me!
Mirin: Gozaru!
Salt's Best on Soba Too: Scene 4
Back on the Grandcypher, Shion is shocked to learn from Mirin that even in the far east, samurai culture is a thing of the past. Mirin's parents were samurai fanatics who moved to the far east to further their appreciation of the old ways. And Shion had spent so much time with Mirin as a child that she'd thought it was the norm. She hopes to reconnect with Mirin's parents one day while learning what she can from other samurai in the crew.
After the "dueling" incident at the plains, the crew returns to the Grandcypher.
As lighthearted banter fills the air, something Mirin says in particular catches Shion's attention.
Shion: Samurai culture is a thing of the past even in the far east?
Mirin: Mm-hm. Their language and customs are no different from anywhere else nowadays. You don't see kimonos that often anymore either.
Mirin: Thing is though, samurai culture was already going out of fashion when you lived there, Shion.
Shion: R-really? But as I remember it...
Lyria: Um... Aren't your memories mostly tied to the time you spent at Mirin's house?
Lyria: Her parents loved samurai culture so much that they moved from elsewhere to settle in the far east. I guess they left a really strong impression on you.
Shion: It's as if I've twisted my own memories, filling in the blanks with whatever made the most sense...
Mirin: Ahaha... Sorry about that. My parents really are one of a kind.
Vyrn: Hey, no one's playin' the blame game here. Besides, it's not like anyone stands to lose from whatever happens to samurai culture.
Lyria: But, Shion, weren't you headed to the far east to learn more about your roots?
Shion: Yes, that was the plan... in order to eliminate the falsehoods in my perception of the samurai way.
Mirin: Falsehoods, huh... Why don't you start by talking to my parents?
Lyria: We have other samurai and plenty of crew members knowledgeable in that field!
Vyrn: Yep, I'm sure they'll be more than glad to help ya! Consider it part of your training.
Shion: You are too kind...
Shion: I couldn't be more glad I chose to join you on this journey across the skies.
Shion: May our travels be safe!
After a long, winding road, Shion has reaffirmed her conviction to continue down the path of the samurai.
Shion's quest to rediscover herself has only just begun.
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