Preview: Shuriken to Pleats [Chapter 5]

In school, Mikage is thinking of how she views Mahito. She thought that he is probably a despicable guy but she was mistaken.. but up to when will she wait for him to give his instruction, so that they’ll take the antidote. Someone is about to touch her from behind when she suddenly ducks down and prepares to attack. She asks Kotarou what he would suddenly. He tells her that he is passing the teaching materials from behind. While the others wonder what’s up with Mikage, the teacher tells her to go back to her seat. Mikage apologizes for that. Taking the papers from Kotarou, Mikage apologizes to him for she is still not used to a Japanese school. Kotarou smiles brightly and tells her that there’s no need for her to apologize for that. Mikage thinks that it is so shiny, that she couldn’t help but be muddled by it. During training, there is no such person like him there, and it is alright for the youth of this country to be so naïve and innocent. Perhaps, that is the inevitable radiance that youth have.

During PE, the students are doing the high jump. Some girls tell Mikage that she is interesting because of her actions. Mikage says that she doesn’t understand their meaning but it is good if she doesn’t annoy them. She performs a high jump and landed on her feet. The girls squeal that she’s so cool. Then, a girl holding some poles almost loses her balance since she is admiring Mikage. Mikage helps her from falling down which earned Mikage some more fangirls. Kotarou notices this and starts to also admire cool Mikage. While the girls are praising her, Mikage thinks of regardless when, she can only wait for instructions. She holds her cellphone in her pocket. At the rundown apartment, breathing hard Mahito is on his computer. He curses Ichinosuke for discovering the GPS that he had installed. Taking his cellphone, he mutters that he won’t be able to know Mako [formerly Masako] and the other ninjas’ movements. Mahito calls Mikage who shouts up to when does he plan to get the antidote, and didn’t he say that he still cannot die. She says that for him to be like that, why he would always drag things up to now.

Mahito says that he wants to take advantage of when Mako is left alone outside before moving into action. Mako really likes that Ichinosuke who is always staying at her side and he also doesn’t want Mako to see Mikage attacking Ichinosuke.. so it isn’t necessary to intentionally put her life in danger. While saying is that so, Mikage thinks that he doesn’t want to harm the rival who wanted to kill him, and even concerned about her [Mikage] safety, this is such a baffling indecision but he also believes that she can win against that butler-ninja. Mikage says but he is her new master, and she wants to help him so during this critical moment, when he needs to act, he will contact her, right,[so] please give the instruction. Then, she asks if he is alright for he seems to be having difficulty breathing. Mahito says that if Mako is like her who trust in him then, things wouldn’t be this complicated. He tells her that he’ll send over the data of the current movements of those guys to her and just now about his younger sister, forget about that, okay.

After the data was sent to her phone, Mikage starts acting in pain and asking the teacher to allow her to go home because she got a stomachache. She rushes off with Mahito asking her to take care. Reading her cellphone, if the Wakashimatsu family ninja are still not moving then, the one who got the antidote, Mako would only go back and forth from school, studies, and things at the residence. And the one who will always be with her is the ninja head, Ichinosuke. Mikage thinks, that up until now, the situation didn’t change much but that guy’s extra time is already gone. “You pity your sister? There’s a limit to being kindhearted, right. Are you an idiot! That is the enemy who poisoned you! What should I do. Relationships is quite complex. Please allow me to understand it later on. From now on, I’m quite busy. Mahito, I’ll save you.” She arrives at the Wakashimatsu residence. She sees the security camera on top of the wall’s roof. She passed by it passing through its blind spots. Using the topographic map of the mansion’s interiors, she moved in.

Hiding behind the bushes, she thinks that Mahito already gave her all sorts of information and to sum it up, it is when she is in the bathroom when Mako is alone. She watches Mako passes by the corridor with Ichinosuke. Mako tells Ichinosuke to warn her if something is up. He says okay. She blushes and tells him not to look. Ichinosuke says that he won’t peek, and if he were to do that kind of thing, he won’t have a face to see Wakashimatsu’s first generation master [/lord] who had saved the life of their ancestor. Smiling Mako blushes and says yes. At the rundown apartment, Mahito is lying on the floor when his cellphone is ringing. The other party says that they are from a certain hospital regarding his father’s hospitalization.. Back at the Wakashimatsu residence, crawling underneath the floorings of the mansion, Mikage had gagged and tied up someone. Using a small crowbar-like tool, she removes the nail and pushes up one of the planks of the floor. She finds herself at the storage room. She wonders, 500 years huh..THEY, the Kiriu family ninja also started to engage in this business starting from 500 years ago. Accumulating all sorts of things seems troublesome, Mahito..

She goes back below and crawls some more. Then, she opens up another plank and finds herself in the bathroom. On top of the towel by the cabinet beside a small pouch, she spots the necklace which has the antidote. Just then, Mako comes back since she forgot it. She takes the pouch but Mikage already points her tool by her neck and warns her not to make a sound. She tells Mako that she came here for Mahito’s life so can she not make him a target anymore. Facing her, Mako asks if she’s kidding, when obviously it isn’t just because of the seed. She tells Mikage that from birth, Mahito views her, the one with the family’s lineage, as a hindrance. He always wanted to kill her and didn’t she hear about that. Mikage bluntly tells her that kind of thing is impossible. Why won’t that guy go tooth for a tooth against the main culprit, don’t she know? Mako says that Mahito killed her mother and if it is found out, he’ll be in trouble [/be inconvenienced]. Mikage says that guy is so kindhearted so he absolutely cannot kill a person. Before Mako can protest, Mikage covers her mouth. They overhear people outside calling out to the master not to force himself to..

Mahito is pushing the wheelchair of a bandaged guy with the help of a nurse [I presume]. Ichinosuke says that the master is awake. The father says that he has heard about everything, and he didn’t imagine that Ichinosuke hated this family up to that degree. Not only is he putting up the seed for foreign sales, he would even pretend to be him to push all the accusation on to Mahito. Before walking past him, Mahito tells Ichinosuke to move aside. Mahito opens the door and tells Mikage not to do things that will harm Mako. And he promptly faints. Mikage goes to him and asks if he is alright, she already got the antidote. Mako uses this chance to escape. She goes out and starts to scold Ichinosuke about not warning her.. She stops and is surprised to see her father. Ichinosuke quickly grabs her and uses her as a hostage by pointing a blade on her. While Mako is still surprised by that, he already jumps on to the roof with her. The father tells him to wait, not only is he going to take away their family seed, he would even steal away Mako. Ichinosuke says that he doesn’t have that kind of interest [/hobby] and it is only until he can safely leave then, he’ll give her back to him.

Mikage has already given the antidote pills to Mahito. Mahito tells her that he is okay, go save Mako. So, she chases after Ichinosuke to a playground where there is a helicopter. Ichinosuke grabs the helicopter’s landing skid. Mikage wanted to attack him but with Mako as hostage, she cannot rashly make a move. The pilot asks them what’s up. Pointing the blade at Mako, Ichinosuke tells him to listen to him and fly off. Makoto uses a kaginawa [grappling hook] on to the landing skid and clings tightly on the rope as the helicopter flies off. Mikage complains that just with a command, she has to do some troublesome work, and this isn’t part of the agreement. Geez..it cannot be helped! Then, the helicopter landed at the outskirts of the city. Ichinosuke tells Mako that this is where they will part and until today, he was indebted to her care. Mako asks if it is all a lie. He asks instead why she would believe him. She only believes those lies that are advantageous to her. Hating her older brother who had indirectly killed [/caused] her own mother[’s death]. Wakashimatsu’s family ancestor collected the seed to help people..today, he [<- I think it is a typo since it said ‘I’ but he seems to be referring to the current master] is going to expand that selfish desire. He doesn’t want to sympathize other people again that he wasn’t even aware of the traitor beside him.

Teary-eyed Mako asks so, he became a spy..? She is surprised and says behind him.. Mikage is already pointing her kunai at Ichinosuke’s throat. She tells him to sincerely put up his hands and be captured. Ichinosuke smiles and says that there is a gun pointing at her. Mikage sees the shape of a gun’s muzzle on his coat that she immediately backs away. Ichinosuke holds up his blade and pushes Mako behind him. Mikage mutters that it is a feint. She throws some shurikens at him. Ichinosuke blocks them with his blade. He taunts her for being seemingly stupid to gamble her own life just because of a master’s command. Continuing to attack him, Mikage asks how would he understand since he betrayed his master. “With the masters’ trust on us, I’ll only use trust to respond back and that’s all there is to it!” While continuing to block her attacks, Ichinosuke says that he already did that.

When he hits away Mikage’s kunai, it flies near Mako before hitting the ground. Ichinosuke was distracted by that and Mikage uses that opportunity to kick him off the cliff. He manages to cling on at the edge with one hand. Mako calls out to him. Mikage takes his hand and says that if he falls off from here, she’ll see her new master becoming sad. Soon, Mahito and the others arrive. Ichinosuke seems to be handcuffed at the back. He stands near the helicopter with Mahito holding Mako’s head. Sitting by the fence at the cliff, Mikage mutters that he’s such a kindhearted person. She closes her eyes and smile for today, her last mission has ended. Today, is the last time she’ll act as a ninja. Mahito stands in front of her and puts an adhesive plaster on her face’s wound. He bends down to her and thanks her. He says that it is great that she is safe and sound. Touching the bandage, she blushes and thinks that afterwards, starting tomorrow--..

Comment: I was about to wonder why Mikage is going to school when they should be looking for the antidote. It turns out that Mahito is too nice to his sister who hates and wants to kill him that he wants to spare her from some bad memories of Mikage attacking her beloved butler-ninja. ^^; Mahito is really risking a lot there. What if Mikage didn’t make it in time, it is game over for him. Or, he trust Mikage can do it in the nick of time? Anyway, with Mahito being really nice like that, it could have somewhat reminded her of Rod. I guess she ought to be glad that she chose him to be her new master. But then, from what she is saying at the end of the chapter, it seems that the contract is over. So, she’ll probably concentrate with her school life in the succeeding chapters. Mikage already has a lot of fans and admirers at school thanks to her ninja skills and ninja reactions. Apparently, Mako hates Mahito for killing/causing her mother’s death that she thinks that he wants to kill her for having the lineage/bloodline. I think the family is like this, the couple thought they could not have any children so they had adopted Mahito but later on, had Mako. So, Mako presumes that Mahito thinks of her as a hindrance to be heir.

Ichinosuke probably told lies to Mako which he had somewhat admitted. And even with that betrayal, I won’t be surprised if Mako still thinks highly of Ichinosuke than Mahito. ^^; I think Ichinosuke’s main problem with the current master is about the seed. Rather than hoarding it, he wants to share the seed to others. Hehe, if I understood it right. So, it makes me wonder why he would frame Mahito for it when their goal seems to be similar. Why not get Mahito to help out. Maybe, he also plans to get rid of Mahito for Mako. He seems to be quite close to the girl and because of that, he lost that fight with Mikage. She is his weakness and I guess he better go back to ninja school for having feelings which can hinder his actions/mission. ^^; If this is the feudal era, Ichinosuke would have let go of the cliff because betrayal usually mean torture and death. Hm..I hope Mikage wears shorts under that skirt..for her to be kicking like that, won’t her underwear be seen? ^^;; I also wonder what happened to the father for him to have injuries like that. I thought he was just sick. ^^; Anyway, after five chapters, it seems that we are still in the prologue. The plot is so-so. The ninja stuff is okay though I don’t find it quite impressive. The characters are also so-so, too. So, what do you think of the series so far? Scans by all★wink汉化组

Quote of the day:

You never have to chase people down and beg for their loyalty and respect. It's either they're with you or they're not. ~ Author Unknown