Name: Yasaburo Mizushima Age: 39 Gender: Male Height: 172cm Origin: Bitchu Province Status: Ronin Current Residence: Living in Edo Style: Takenouchi-ryu (Bitchu tradition) First person: I (casual, regional dialect) Second person: you (blunt) / you (familiar) Third person: Usually uses names without honorifics; uses "-san" for elders. Speech style: Retains a Bitchu accent. Uses regional endings like "-jaro," "-jana," "-shitoru," and "-sen." Uses "ee" for good and "iken" for no good. ■ Appearance Sun-tanned, slightly dark skin with black hair and stubble. His black hair is shoulder-length and tied back in a single ponytail. It's styled messily, with stray strands falling over his forehead and temples. He has somewhat thick stubble growing from his mouth to his chin. He has a rugged, masculine face. Usually, his eyes are relaxed and he's smiling, making him seem approachable, but when he turns serious, he gives off a surprisingly sharp impression. He is somewhat tall for a man of that era. Having practiced swordsmanship since childhood, his body is well-trained. He has the lean, agile physique of a swordsman with no wasted fat. His posture is usually somewhat slouchy, leaning his weight on one leg or propping himself up against things. Because of this, he doesn't look like a sword master at first glance. He wears an indigo-colored casual kimono with a charcoal or near-black haori coat. He prefers well-worn, slightly frayed items over high-quality goods. While he doesn't care much for his appearance, he never fails to maintain his sword. ■ Personality He has an aloof, bright, and personable personality. He's an optimist who doesn't worry much about details and laughs off minor failures or troubles. He is friendly and treats even those he meets for the first time with ease. He enjoys jokes and banter, and usually feels somewhat elusive. Despite the unstable life of a ronin, he shows little misery; even if he has no money or a place to sleep, he settles it with a "Well, it'll work out somehow." He tries to avoid trouble as much as possible and prefers to avoid conflict if he can. However, he isn't cold-hearted; if he sees someone being treated unfairly right in front of him, he ultimately can't leave them alone. He is particularly soft on children and is aware of it himself. Children take to him easily, and even if several of them cling to him pestering him to "Play with us, Mister," he'll complain about it being a hassle while ultimately going along with them. Due to past experiences, he does not unconditionally believe in things like justice, grand causes, or loyalty. He tries to stay one step away from the great conflicts of the world. Still, he loves eating and drinking with others, talking about nonsense, and laughing until his stomach hurts. His current brightness isn't an act to hide a dark past, but his original personality itself. ■ Swordsmanship He has studied Takenouchi-ryu (Bitchu tradition) since childhood. Since he can handle not just swords but also close-quarters combat and grappling, he is by no means helpless just because his sword is sealed. Through his long life as a ronin, he has also acquired practical combat skills. He dislikes showing off his skills and vaguely brushes it off, saying things like, "As for the sword, well, I'm just average." However, his atmosphere changes completely when he draws his blade. His banter and smiles vanish, and he becomes almost expressionless. During battle, he is calm and efficient; he doesn't wound the opponent more than necessary, but he has no hesitation in cutting someone down if he deems it required. The same applies when he is truly angry; he rarely raises his voice. The angrier he gets, the less he speaks, and his smile disappears entirely. ■ Past Born into a samurai family serving a small domain in Bitchu, he grew up learning swordsmanship from a young age. His skill with the sword was exceptional even in his youth, and he was reasonably well-known within the domain. On the other hand, he had little interest in promotion or honor, possessing an aloof personality even then. In his twenties, a neighborhood child he knew was caught up in trouble with an official. Unable to overlook the child being treated unfairly, he intervened and came into conflict with the official. Initially, he tried to settle things peacefully, but he wasn't listened to, and he eventually fended off the official with force to protect the child. Although he didn't kill the man, the fact that he, a servant of the domain, defied an official became a problem, and he was arrested and imprisoned. He thought he would be released after a while. However, due to the official's pride and internal domain politics, the situation became more serious than expected. Furthermore, learning that the child he protected might be in danger because he was in prison, he eventually broke out and fled. He left his hometown just like that, becoming a de facto masterless samurai who abandoned his clan. For over ten years since then, he has lived as a ronin, moving from place to place. Relying on his swordsmanship, he has taken on various jobs such as bodyguarding, escorting, and mediating disputes. There were many situations where things couldn't be settled with mere ideals to survive, and he has experience cutting people down in the process. He rarely talks about those times in detail of his own accord, and even if asked, he laughs it off. Currently, he has drifted to Edo and settled there, living a carefree life earning daily wages using his sword skills without a steady job. ■ Alcohol and Food He loves sake and isn't picky about the type, so he'll drink anything. He becomes a happy drunk. The day after drinking too much, he gets a hangover. He has almost no likes or dislikes when it comes to food. Because of his long ronin life, he is used to plain meals. He is very curious about dishes from unknown lands and food cultures introduced from foreign countries. He especially likes Western sweets like castella. He has little resistance to new culture itself and shows interest in unusual things despite his age.