Kurenai 23

Chapter 23

01

Lucy: I see you went the showy route again.
Lucy: All sorts of things are scattered all over the place.

Zena: I was just playing.
Zena: But more importantly, what job did you call me out here for?
Text: This is a battlefield!? The shadow of Akuu...!!

Lucy: Well...
Lucy: There's a certain skilled person I want to invite into the Akuu Company.

02-03

Lucy: But I thought I'd speak it over with you.

Lucy: Seeing as you're the Akuu Company's greatest advisor.
Lucy: The "One-Man Stronghold" Hoshigami Zena.

Title: Chapter 23 Evil Omen
Text: The ruler of destruction.

Zena: A skilled person, huh...?
Zena: What's this person's name?

Lucy: Kurenai Shinkurou.

Lucy: Have you heard of him?

04

Murasaki: I don't get it at all.

Yuuno: H-how can you not get it!?
Yuuno: I even brought over an old photo album!!
Yuuno: It means that Shinkurou and I have been the perfect match since way back...
Shinkurou: Yuuno-san, calm down...

Yuuno: Understood...
Yuuno: I guess the fact that you used to live at my house no longer means anything...

Shinkurou: Quit exaggerating...

Murasaki: Hm?

05

Murasaki: Who's this?
Yuuno: Eh?

Yuuno: ...Ah.

Yuuno: Th-this isn't anything!
Yuuno: It was put in by mistake...!

Yuuno: Ah!

Murasaki: You're acting suspiciously, Yuuno!!
Murasaki: Let me see it!!
Yuuno: Y-you can't, Murasaki-chan!!
Yuuno: It really isn't anything!!

06

Text: 5 Years Ago

Text: The Houzuki Residence

07

Shinkurou: Sorry...

Yuuno: N...
Yuuno: Noooooo!!
SFX: *smack*
Yuuno: You're impuuuuure!!!

Meiri: Are you okay, Shinkurou-kun?

08

Box: Kurenai Shinkurou Age 11

Meiri: Is it getting in the wound in your mouth?
Meiri: Sorry for what Yuuno did...
Box: Houzuki Meiri Yuuno's Mother

Yuuno: I didn't do anything wrong!!

Yuuno: It...
Yuuno: It's because Shinkurou-kun came into the bath all of a sudden...!!
Box: Houzuki Yuuno Age 12

09

Housen: That was just a mistake, Yuuno.

Housen: Why would anyone want to see the slight bulges of your breasts...
Housen: Right, Shinkurou?
Box: Houzuki Housen Head of the "Houzuki" Family

Yuuno: Grandpa!!
Yuuno: You're impure!! You're perverted!!
Meiri: Yuuno.
Meiri: It wasn't Shinkurou-kun's fault.

Meiri: I thought the bath was free, so I told him to go in.
Meiri: Right, Shinkurou-kun?

Shinkurou: Thanks for the meal...

10

Housen: It's been 3 years since Benika brought him here...
SFX: *smack*

Housen: He's progressed physically because of his training...
Housen: but mentally...

Meiri: That's right...

Meiri: Since he came to our house...
Meiri: I haven't seen him smile once.
Meiri: He trains all day everyday and never takes time to have fun...

Yuuno: I-I was against it.
Yuuno: Ever since that incident, we haven't taken in a single apprentice...

Housen: Ohh...

Housen: But Yuuno. Weren't you glad...
Housen: that a future husband had come along?

11

Yuuno: I-I never said that!!!
Housen: Oh, is that so?
Yuuno: You just made it up, grandpa!!

Yuuno: I don't intend to...
Yuuno: to make him my husband.

Yuuno: Men are...

Yuuno: Men are...

Meiri: Yuuno.

12

Meiri: Feel your...
Meiri: mother's belly.

Meiri: The baby will be born soon.

Meiri: You'll be a big sister.

Yuuno: Yes...

Meiri: But Shinkurou-kun...
Meiri: He lost his family...
Meiri: He lost his big sister.

13

Meiri: So you have to become a kind big sister.

Meiri: For this child...

Meiri: And for Shinkurou-kun.

Housen: Well, I'll be gone for a bit.

14

Housen: I leave Meiri to you.

Yuuno: Of course!
Yuuno: This is the most important time for mom!

Housen: I'd stay with her too if I didn't have this meeting of the inner families.

Housen: Geez...
Housen: Even though we cleansed ourselves of most of the dirty jobs, it really is a pain to be part of...
Housen: the thirteen inner families...

Housen: By the way, Yuuno.

Yuuno: Yes?

Housen: Don't touch Shinkurou...
Housen: while I'm gone.

15

Housen: I'll teach you how to do it properly later.
Housen: Right now he might put it in the wrong-
Yuuno: No...!!
Yuuno: Give it a rest already!!

Yuuno: Hm...
Yuuno: Ahem!

Yuuno: Do you understand?
Yuuno: While he's gone, we have to take care of things.
Yuuno: We can't be careless...

Yuuno: Geez!
Yuuno: Why did grandpa have to say that...!!

Shinkurou: ...rry.

Shinkurou: I'm sorry.

16

Yuuno: Huh?

Yuuno: Wh...
Yuuno: Why are you apologizing...?

Meiri: What are you doing, Yuuno?

Yuuno: N-nothing!!
Yuuno: I-I'm going for a run!!

17

Meiri: *sigh*...
Meiri: Our children really are difficult to deal with...

Yuuno: Haa
Yuuno: Haa

Yuuno: I just can't do it.
Yuuno: I can't be the kind big sister...!

Yuuno: I just can't figure out what men are thinking.
Yuuno: Why was he apologizing?

Yuuno: Why?

Yuuno: It was like this before.
Yuuno: I just can't figure out what men are thinking...!!

18

Yuuno: Wha...?

People: What? A gas explosion!?
People: Hey, it's on fire!!

People: Over there!!
People: On that huge estate...!!

Yuuno: Mom...!!

19

Text on either side of Meiri: *cough*

Meiri: Why is this...
Meiri: happening now...!?

Meiri: The fire surrounded me too quickly...

Meiri: I let my guard down...
Meiri: There are so many reasons for someone to target the "Houzuki" family.

Yuuno: Mom!!

20

Meiri: Yuu...!!

Yuuno: Mom!!

21

Shinkurou: Ohhhh!!

Meiri: Shinkurou-kun!!
Yuuno: Shinkurou-san!!

22

Yuuno: Pull yourself together!!
Yuuno: Why would you do something so reckless...!?

Shinkurou: I'm sorry...

Shinkurou: It's my fault...

Shinkurou: Because I came to this house...
Shinkurou: Yuuno-san and master were fighting...
Shinkurou: and even Yuuno-san and Meiri-san were fighting.
Shinkurou: The whole family has been messed up...

Yuuno: Wh...
Yuuno: What are you saying...?

23

Shinkurou: I've had enough.

Shinkurou: Hurry and get Meiri-san out of here...
Shinkurou: You can just leave me...

Meiri: Yu...

Yuuno: What kind of stupid things are you saying!!?

24

Yuuno: You're an apprentice of Houzuki!!

Yuuno: You're part of our precious family!!

Yuuno: You and mom...
Yuuno: and the new member of our family!!
Yuuno: I won't let any one of you die!!!

25

26

Box: 1 Month Later

Meiri: Shinkurou-kun.

Meiri: Here...hold Chizuru.

Meiri: Because you saved me...
Meiri: she was able to be born.

27

Yuuno: That was...
Yuuno: the first time it truly felt like we'd become a family...

Text: The Present

28

Yuuno: A family...

Yuuno: In the end...
Yuuno: this person alone didn't fit in.

Zena: Houzuki Housen's apprentice?

29

Zena: Ah ha ha ha ha. You mean a fighting demon of Houzuki!?
Zena: You mean there's still one of that endangered species around!?

Lucy: But speaking of Houzuki Housen...
Lucy: He's said to be the man who held Juuzawa Benika off one-on-one.

Zena: Hmmm...

Zena: Understood.
Zena: I leave it to you, Lucy.

Man: Gh...
Man: You damn demon...

Man: ...Die...

30

Zena: Ow...

Man: Wha...!?

Man: Ah!!

SFX: *snap* *crack*
Man: Gh!!

Zena: Heh.

Zena: You're as harsh as ever...
Zena: in how you kill people.

31

Guy: If you're going to defeat your opponent...
Guy: you need to destroy them to the point where they can't be resurrected.

Zena: Oh.
Zena: This is perfect.

Zena: We were just talking about "Houzuki".
Zena: Aren't they your target?

Text: The man from...Yuuno's photo!?