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Settler: You will bow to me… Stupid bamboo.
Atsu: That sword wasn’t made for you.
Settler: Who cares—it’s mine now.
Atsu: You may hold it, but it’s not yours.
Settler: What does that mean?
Atsu: My father was a swordsmith. He taught me that the bamboo is a barrier, separating warrior from spirit. A clean cut connects the warrior with their sword. Strengthening their spirit, until they are one.
Settler: What a pile of horse shit.
Atsu: Want to bet?
Settler: No way! You—You cheated!
Atsu: Drop the sword before you hurt yourself.
Settler: Fine. It’s not even mine anyway.
Atsu: Where did you get it?
Settler: Stole it from one of Lord Saito’s recruits. Why?
Atsu: Did you hear them say anything? About the Yōtei Six?
Settler: What do you want to know if I did?
Atsu: What have you heard about the Kitsune?
Settler: Only that he’s in Teshio Ridge. Only the brave or foolish go there. Just the other day, a man told me he was going to Sakuru Woods to find a story. Something about yuki mushi and a kimono.
Atsu: Sounds like Ugetsu.
Ugetsu: Come, listen to the story of the Crimson Kimono.
Atsu: The snow bugs seem drawn to the clapping of your hyoshigi.
Ugetsu: Yuko mushi are messengers. Each year, they arrive before the first snowfall to signal the changing of seasons. But I have sought them out for a different reason. Allow me to tell you the tale of the Crimson Kimono.
Ugetsu: Long, long ago a woman married a cruel man and birthed a daughter. Every year, the mother wove a special kimono to hide her child from the father’s gaze, for he was prone to drink and violence. On the daughter’s 14th birthday, the mother crafted a kimono so incredible that whoever wore it would be obscured from hostile eyes. That same day the father overdrank, and the mother sent her daughter into the forest to hide. When the daughter returned, she found her mother dead, the imprint of her father’s hands still around the mother’s neck. Hidden by her kimono, the daughter took her mother’s shears and slit the father’s throat. Word of his death reached his clan, and they sent their best warriors to avenge him. None returned. Infuriated, the clan sent more men. Weeks turned to months, then years, until the daughter’s kimono was stained crimson with blood and the father’s clan was vanquished. With her enemies gone, the daughter spent her final days living alone, crafting snow sculptures of her beloved mother who she missed so dearly.
Ugetsu: It is said that only someone who knows the daughter’s pain may find the Crimson Kimono.
Atsu: If it exists.
Ugetsu: Gaze upon the snow sculptures and should red yuki mushi appear, they will lead you to where it’s hidden. The Nine Tails have tried, but so far… no luck.
Atsu: Even little bugs know the shinobi can’t be trusted.
Ugetsu: But they might feel differently about you. Just beware. If you seek out the Crimson Kimono, the Nine Tails will not be far behind.
Atsu: A Mother Daughter tree right by the snow sculpture. How fitting. You can see how much they loved each other… Even carved in snow, it’s clear how much she missed her mother. Back again, little friend?
Atsu: They’re gone now. Don’t worry — I won’t let them have the Crimson Kimono.
Atsu: Someone stayed here for months, maybe even years. They’re long gone now, though. Someone was learning how to sew… Before she came here she was hiding out somewhere in Sakuru Woods. Maybe there’s another note from her there.
Atsu: Yuki mushi… They’re everywhere. The daughter is just a little girl here. Red yuki mushi, just like in Ugetsu’s story. An old campsite… The daughter from Ugetsu’s story was here, but didn’t stay very long. There’s a note here too. All that’s left now is to find the daughter’s home.
Atsu: There’s something… lonely about them. So red… Do you want me to follow, little snow bugs? How do I get to you, little snow bugs? Need to follow the yuki mushi. (Shaky inhale) This place feels like my home, choking with memories… and death.
Atsu: Sketches of Teshio Ridge. Bloody shears. Still left here after all these years. These kimono… Even in the south, I’ve never seen such detail.
Atsu: It’s another note. There’s one last snow sculpture. Maybe it’ll lead me to the Crimson Kimono.
Atsu: I should go to the last snow sculpture. This must be the daughter’s unfinished snow sculpture. There’s the mother… But the daughter’s missing… There… Reunited at last. I see you’re back again. Where to this time? I’ve never seen so many yuki mushi. The mother’s grave… The Crimson Kimono. It’s real. I want you to know that I understand what it means to lose a mother. I hope you’re at peace. And thank you for the kimono.