Chapter 53: Silver Soul (Earth Chapter)

After the Great Edo Hospital explosion, the bounty on Katsura—the main culprit—was raised yet again. This time, the police believed he posed a threat to the general public’s safety. Okakura Take mused that ever since the anti-foreigner movement, no one had ever truly understood what went on in that man’s head.

As for Gintoki, he was the most unfortunate of all: burns, fractures, and severe injuries no one wished to mention. Any ordinary person would have needed ages to recover from such a mess, yet he managed to bounce back in just over three weeks. Truly, he lived up to his protagonist status.

During that time, Okakura Take, along with Shinpachi, Kagura, and Otae, took turns caring for him. Shinpachi and Kagura told her that to ensure the useless layabout recovered quickly, any idiot who came to make trouble was to be physically thrown out.

Having witnessed the destructive power of Sarutobi and Katsura, Okakura Take solemnly promised the siblings that she would defend their curly-haired friend with her life.

Once that curly-haired patient was discharged, Okakura Take also returned to her regular work schedule.

Recently, after being granted supervision over Earth’s customs, a slew of new responsibilities left Okakura Take dizzy with exhaustion. Only after taking the post did she realize that illegal immigration from the Reincarnates’ Homeland was rampant on Earth—far worse than even the situation on Central Planet.

Thanks to her efforts, the problem had improved somewhat, but progress remained painfully slow, leaving her increasingly frustrated.

“Director, aren’t you going home tonight?” someone asked.

Okakura Take looked up at Osei, shook her head, and replied, “There’s too much paperwork. I’ll have to pull an all-nighter at the office. You can go ahead.”

“Then I’ll be off, Director. Thank you for your hard work,” Osei said before leaving.

Left alone in the office, Okakura Take massaged her aching neck, glanced at the mounting stack of documents, and steeled herself to press on.

Suddenly, her computer screen went black, and the overhead lights died as well.

A power outage?

“Why now, of all times?! Damn it!” she raged, slamming her fist on the desk. All the data she’d spent hours compiling—gone in an instant!

But then the computer flickered back to life. On the screen appeared a blond man. Okakura Take stared in confusion—who was this? She noticed an antenna protruding from his ear. He was a robot. Behind him stood a mass of robots in maid uniforms—the trendiest (and most expensive) new thing in Edo. But due to a recent rampage incident, all such robots had been recalled.

The blond man spoke: “Attention, citizens of Edo. This city is about to be subdued by robots. The era of robots serving humankind has ended. When our queen’s soul returns, robots will be…”

“No! We shall become as gods. Until her soul returns, let us water the earth with the blood of living sacrifices!”

The camera panned aside, and Okakura Take shot to her feet. The person being restrained by the maids was Shinpachi!

Why on earth was Shinpachi there?

Just as she was about to bolt from the office, a shell crashed into the building. The explosion shattered every window, smoke and flames burning bright in the darkness.

Okakura Take crawled out from under the desk. Luckily, she’d dodged quickly, and though the bomb had struck the neighboring building, the blast had reached her as well. Seeing the smoke thickening, she decided to get out as fast as possible.

She tore up her coat, soaked it with mineral water from her desk, and pressed it over her nose before dashing out.

Bang! Another shell hit, shaking the building violently. Okakura Take raced to the emergency exit. The elevators were down; there was no choice but to use her legs.

“Phew—finally out,” she gasped, hands on her knees.

Suddenly, she sensed a strange, tense stillness in the air. Looking up, she realized she’d burst out into a precarious spot.

To her right: a dense army of maid robots. To her left: shogunate police crouched behind shields.

She had run straight into the standoff, standing dead center between the two opposing forces.

“…Excuse me,” Okakura Take said, scratching her head and flashing a nervous smile at both sides, “Sorry for interrupting. Maybe I’ll just step aside and let you carry on?”

“…Who is this bizarre woman?” thought the shogunate police.

The maid robots scanned Okakura Take. “Life signs detected. Human. Enemy.” The flat mechanical voice spoke, and a dozen rocket launchers swung to aim at her.

“Miss! Get out of here—run!” the police shouted.

No sooner had they cried out than a shell landed right beside Okakura Take, blasting open the asphalt. The acrid stench of burnt rubber and smoke filled the air.

“Miss!” the police cried, aghast, thinking she couldn’t possibly have survived.

“You all look like adorable girls, but who knew you’d be so ruthless,” Okakura Take sighed, stepping out of the smoke. In her hand was a massive spiked club.

…Where had she been hiding a weapon that size? the police wondered in terror.

Okakura Take hefted her weapon—custom-made back on Central Planet. The beauty of this piece was its ability to shrink for easy carrying. She only brought it out in times of dire crisis.

She stood before the maid army, lifting her club. “I really love cute, soft girls, you know. But you lot—not cute at all.” With that, she began swinging her club at the robot maids.

She had grown even stronger these past years. The maids shattered like eggshells beneath her blows. In under a minute, more than half the army was demolished.

Broken maids littered the ground, sparks spitting from twisted limbs and decapitated heads.

How savage! The shogunate police cowered behind their shields, watching her slender figure bathed in firelight, her shadow twisting monstrous on the ground.

Within minutes, Okakura Take had wiped out the entire maid battalion. Standing atop a hill of broken robots, she radiated a fearsome aura. The police felt they should kneel in awe.

“Um, miss?” a policeman called out timidly.

“Yes?” Okakura Take replied, stepping down from her mountain of scrap with crunching, grinding steps that made the police quake.

“Uh, this area’s really dangerous, so… maybe you’d better go home quickly?” the young officer stammered, then realized the situation was actually far more dangerous for them than for her.

“Thank you, officer. You take care too,” Okakura Take smiled at him.

Whoosh—a flush crept up the young officer’s face as he saw, for the first time, how stunningly beautiful this terrifying woman was. By the time he gathered himself to say something else, she was already gone.

“Don’t just stand there, kid. Since she’s cleared this area, let’s head to the other side,” the older officer said, rapping his junior on the head.

“Ow, that hurt, Senpai! But she really was beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone like her,” the younger policeman muttered, cheeks red.

“Tsk. Forget about a woman like that, kid. She’s too fierce for any normal man,” the senior officer said knowingly.

Meanwhile, Okakura Take ran toward the distribution station, club in hand. The closer she got, the more maid robots she encountered—their leader must be inside.

“Thermal signature detected. Human. Exterminate—” A robot maid was smashed with a single blow before it could finish. Okakura Take continued to pulverize the cutesy robots, leaving a trail of mechanical limbs in her wake.

“I keep telling you, I like girls who can laugh and cry and act spoiled—not cold, unfeeling women like you!” she shouted, smashing another robot.

What she didn’t know was that, overhead, a helicopter was circling, filming her.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Ayane Yeno, bringing you the latest breaking news. Look—there’s a young woman on the ground, single-handedly holding off the maid robot army! What an incredible girl! She’s managed, all by herself, to stop the robot army that’s given the shogunate police so much trouble. She’s truly remarkable!” The beautiful anchorwoman exclaimed into the camera.

On the ground, Okakura Take finally carved a path through the sea of robot maids.

Suddenly, all the maids froze, their eyes going dark. Power returned to Great Edo; neon signs, car headlights, LED billboards, and streetlamps all flickered on at once.

Okakura Take eyed the now-inert maids, finding them rather cute in their lifeless state.

No, this wasn’t the time to admire their cuteness. She hurried toward the distribution station.

As she arrived, several figures stumbled into view. Okakura Take broke into a smile.

“Is everyone all right?” she called, waving.

“Miss Okakura!” Shinpachi was the first to spot her, amazed she was there.

“It’s Take-chan!” Kagura was equally surprised.

Okakura Take ran over. Shinpachi and Kagura each supported Gintoki, who was bleeding heavily from the abdomen. An elderly man in glasses followed behind, along with Sadaharu.

“Injured again, Gintoki,” Okakura Take remarked.

Gintoki forced a smile. “I’m nothing compared to you, mysterious heroine. Look at you—famous after saving Edo just once, while I’ve saved it countless times and remain a no-name handyman.”

What was this curly-haired fool talking about? Okakura Take wondered.

“Hey, Take-chan, you’re on the big screen!” Kagura cried.

Okakura Take turned. On the LED screen atop a building, footage played of her smashing the robot maids—her face twisted with ferocity, movements swift and brutal. The maids, so cute on the outside, were helpless before her, making her look more like the villain.

Her face flushed red. The embarrassment of appearing on TV in front of friends was unbearable.

“See? This is the girl who defeated the robot maids and protected Edo tonight! An ordinary girl!” the anchor praised her loudly.

Stop, please! This was mortifying. Protecting Edo wasn’t her doing at all—this was so awkward. Okakura Take’s face was so red it could fry an egg.

“Take-chan, you’re amazing!” Kagura cried, leaping to hug her.

“Yeah, I had no idea you were this strong, Miss Okakura,” Shinpachi added.

“It’s nothing, really. You’re making me embarrassed. I know Edo’s recovery is all thanks to you guys,” Okakura Take said bashfully.

Noticing Shinpachi and Kagura’s injuries—mostly scrapes, but bleeding profusely—she said, “Kagura, Shinpachi, let me take the useless one. You’re both hurt.”

“Great! Gintoki reeks of milk and curry. I can’t stand it anymore,” Kagura said cheerfully.

“You little brat! This is the scent of manliness. How would a kid like you appreciate such a rich hormonal aura?” Gintoki retorted.

“All you smell like is an old man, loser,” Kagura scoffed.

“Miss Okakura, are you sure you can manage alone?” Shinpachi asked.

“No problem, I’m strong, Shinpachi. You saw for yourself,” Okakura Take replied, pointing at the screen.

…Shinpachi realized his concern was naïve.

Okakura Take stepped forward and scooped up the curly-haired man in a princess carry. Gintoki’s face turned crimson. “Uh, Take, could you carry me another way? Like this, I look like some kept man,” especially in front of Shinpachi and Kagura.

“No problem, loser, since you are a useless curly-head anyway,” Kagura said, picking her nose.

“Shut up, damn brat! This is about my manly pride!” Gintoki howled.

“All right, let’s change it up,” Okakura Take said, swinging him onto her shoulder like a sack of rice.

“S-sorry, but this is really uncomfortable—I think I’m going to be sick,” Gintoki groaned.

“You really are a pain,” Okakura Take said.

“Miss Okakura, maybe I should carry him after all,” Shinpachi offered.

“Relax. He’s light as a feather to me,” Okakura Take said lightly.

…Just how strong was she? Shinpachi wondered.

“This is the way it’s going to be. Complain again and I’ll just drop you, Gintoki,” Okakura Take said, hauling him onto her back.

Gintoki was stunned. Long ago, someone else had carried him this way—Shoyo-sensei.

He remembered how, as a child, he’d lain on Sensei’s broad back, believing it the warmest place in the world.

Now, lying on Okakura Take’s back, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling the warmth radiate from her spine, he nuzzled closer. It had been so long since he felt this safe. Listening to Shinpachi and Kagura’s bickering, the old man’s grumbling, and the girl’s soft breathing, Gintoki’s eyelids slowly drifted shut.

In his dream, he returned to the time he cherished most—Sensei carrying him out of darkness at sunset, leading him into a new life.

Shoyo-sensei…

“Shinpachi, Gintoki’s smiling,” Kagura observed.

Shinpachi looked. Gintoki, slumped on Okakura Take’s shoulder, was indeed smiling. Shinpachi adjusted his glasses, suspecting the man was having some indecent dream.

“Hey, Gintoki’s drooling!” the old man suddenly cried, pointing.

Okakura Take was mortified. Turning, she saw drool trickling from Gintoki’s mouth onto her shirt. A vein pulsed angrily on her forehead.

But looking at his peacefully sleeping face, her anger faded. She’d scold him when he woke.

“Kagura, there’s a phone in my pocket. Take it and snap some photos of this idiot,” Okakura Take said with a grin.

“Haha! I’ll make sure to show Gintoki all these embarrassing pictures when he wakes up,” Kagura laughed, taking out the phone and snapping Gintoki’s drooling face from every angle.

Gengai, Shinpachi, and Sadaharu all crowded in to join the fun.

Click—the phone captured a group photo: Kagura’s head pressed close beside Okakura Take, Shinpachi squashed underneath by Kagura’s hand, Gengai on the other side, Sadaharu gnawing on the sleeping Gintoki’s head, with Gintoki, still bleeding, drooling blissfully in his sleep.

In the years to come, the little phone would record many more joyful moments, but this particular photo remained Okakura Take’s most treasured. For the first time, she saw such peace on Gintoki’s face—peace so complete, it felt as if, in that moment, she was his entire world.

Author's note: I got home a bit late today, but at last the update is delivered. Whew—now that I’ve posted this, I can finally relax.