E13 - Ravens Shouldn't Wear Kimono

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
SIGN    YATAGARASU
SIGN    The Raven
    Does Not
    Choose
    Its Master
[01:47] Nazukihiko
    Very well.
[01:49] Nazukihiko
    In that case, let me tell you...
SIGN    Kasuke
[01:52] Nazukihiko
    what your beloved lady has been up
     to while your eyes were turned.
[01:58] Masuho
    A letter?
SIGN    Kasuke
[02:02] Elderly Lady-in-waiting
    When you return to the Center, please tell
    His Highness we appreciate his concern.
[02:08] Nazukihiko
    Certainly. I promise to inform His Highness.
[02:21] Nazukihiko
    Shall I assist you?
[02:23] Kasuke
    Huh?
[02:25] Nazukihiko
    Then, you and the Second Lady
    must be quite close, Kasuke.
[02:30] Kasuke
    I wouldn't dare!
[02:30] Kasuke
    Servant of
    the Eastern House
    Kasuke
[02:33] Kasuke
    But her ladyship has a good heart.
[02:37] Kasuke
    She even has kind words for hill
    ravens with no family, like me.
[02:43] Kasuke
    I would do anything for her.
[02:48] Nazukihiko
    The next time I called on the Eastern
    House, Kasuke had gone missing.
[02:53] Nazukihiko
    Most assumed he had grown dissatisfied
    with his treatment and fled.
[02:58] Nazukihiko
    And just before that, an
    intruder caused a stir here.
[03:01] Nazukihiko
    I saved this letter from the
    fire in the nick of time.
[03:05] Ukogi
    Wh-What does it say?
[03:28] Yukiya
    "I'd like you to come see me
    without a word to anyone."
[03:32] Asebi
    I'll await you on the first
    moonless night after Tanabata.
[03:39] Asebi
    Come to the red kimono and—
[03:43] Shiratama
    A red kimono hangs outside the
    Autumn Hall, not the Spring Hall!
[03:47] Yukiya
    Huh?
[03:49] Masuho
    Asebi, you meant to
    send that man to me?!
[03:54] Asebi
    You misunderstand, Lady Masuho!
[03:56] Asebi
    I tried to put out a red kimono!
    Right in front of my room!
[04:00] Asebi
    But...
[04:01] Ukogi
    I... I bear the blame!
[04:04] Ukogi
    I took the kimono down, never
    dreaming what it was for.
[04:10] Ukogi
    My lady never meant to cause distress.
[04:13] Nazukihiko
    She should have had no difficulty
    foreseeing you would stop her.
[04:17] Ukogi
    That is but more speculation!
[04:20] Nazukihiko
    I see ladies-in-waiting
    are loyal to a fault.
[04:24] Nazukihiko
    I hear that Kasuke could not read.
[04:27] Asebi
    What? Is such a thing possible?
[04:31] Nazukihiko
    It's hardly unusual, especially
    among poor, rural hill ravens.
[04:37] Nazukihiko
    Samomo read your letter aloud to Kasuke
    and wrote out his reply for him.
[04:45] Nazukihiko
    You didn't realize? I thought as much.
[04:50] Asebi
    Thank you for going, Samomo.
[04:53] Asebi
    How did it go? Did you get an answer?
[04:57] Asebi
    Thank you!
[04:58] Asebi
    You must be tired. Take it easy today.
[05:15] Asebi
    Samomo doesn't seem like herself.
[05:18] Asebi
    I think she found out that I
    summoned a manservant here.
[05:22] Asebi
    Samomo won't tell anyone, will she?
[05:25] Asebi
    Will I need to leave the palace
    if this becomes public knowledge?
[05:34] Asebi
    Whatever shall I do,
[05:38] Asebi
    Princess Fujinami?!
[05:44] Nazukihiko
    Do I have that
    approximately right, Fujinami?
[05:47] Takimoto
    Her Highness is in ill health.
[05:51] Takimoto
    Even Your Highness has no right to...
[05:56] Nazukihiko
    Now, let's read one more letter.
[05:59] Asebi
    That's... the letter I wrote to you!
[06:03] Asebi
    Receiving my first
    letter from Your Highness
[06:06] Asebi
    made me so happy that I
    wrote back right away.
[06:08] Nazukihiko
    Yes. And I wrote identical
    letters to all four ladies.
[06:15] Nazukihiko
    But for some reason, I only
    received this single reply.
SIGN    His Highness
    the Prince
[06:24] Kikuno
    Only the Spring Hall received
    His Highness's letter?
[06:27] Kikuno
    Ukogi, is that true?!
[06:30] Ukogi
    W-Well...
[06:31] Asebi
    Wait! Don't blame Ukogi.
[06:34] Asebi
    I felt so giddy that I didn't
    think things through.
[06:38] Cha-no-Hana
    You have some nerve,
    feigning innocence.
[06:41] Cha-no-Hana
    Don't tell me you and Hamayu
    stole those letters together?
[06:46] Yukiya
    I don't think Lady Hamayu
    was the letter thief.
[06:50] Cha-no-Hana
    What do you mean? Hamayu
    admitted to the theft herself!
[06:56] Masuho
    I believe in Hamayu's innocence as well.
[07:00] Masuho
    The letters were kept under strict watch.
[07:02] Masuho
    Messages to Cherry Blossom Palace
    are stopped at Wisteria Hall,
[07:07] Masuho
    from which each house's
    ladies-in-waiting retrieve them.
[07:11] Masuho
    The system allows no opportunity
    to take another house's letters.
[07:14] Masuho
    That goes for all of us, not only Hamayu.
[07:18] Cha-no-Hana
    But the letters were in fact—
[07:21] Shiratama
    You said all correspondence is stored
    in Wisteria Hall, didn't you?
[07:26] Shiratama
    Then, even if we couldn't
    take it, perhaps...
[07:36] Fujinami
    B-Brother, I...
[07:41] Fujinami
    Forgive me, Brother!
[07:45] Fujinami
    I've been a fool.
[07:47] Fujinami
    I merely wished for Lady Asebi
    to become your consort.
[07:52] Nazukihiko
    Hiding my letters is a trivial matter.
[07:55] Nazukihiko
    At least compared to your
    other crime, Fujinami.
[08:12] Fujinami
    I understand.
[08:14] Fujinami
    I'll speak with Samomo. She won't breathe
    a word of your manservant to anyone.
[08:19] Asebi
    But I can't help feeling uneasy.
[08:22] Asebi
    Samomo loves to chat. What
    if her tongue slips?
[08:25] Fujinami
    Surely you worry too much.
[08:28] Fujinami
    Samomo knows her duty, and she has
    a good head on her shoulders.
[08:38] Asebi
    That's true. No doubt you're right.
[08:43] Fujinami
    Sister, umm...
[08:45] Asebi
    Forgive me for intruding on
    you at such a busy time.
[08:59] Fujinami
    You've served me well all this time.
[09:01] Fujinami
    You may have this. Now, leave
    Cherry Blossom Palace at once.
[09:06] Samomo
    Is it Lady Asebi?
[09:08] Samomo
    She isn't the person Your
    Highness imagines her to be.
[09:12] Samomo
    Her ladyship—
[09:13] Fujinami
    Enough.
[09:14] Fujinami
    I told you to go. Now, go.
[09:15] Samomo
    She's trying to ensnare her
    rivals by underhanded—
[09:18] Fujinami
    I don't want to hear another word from you!
[09:20] Samomo
    Please! Please hear me out!
[09:28] Fujinami
    Dawn has broken.
[09:30] Fujinami
    Fly away this instant.
[09:32] Fujinami
    A hill raven like you must know how!
[09:34] Samomo
    Be care—
[10:06] Takimoto
    Worry not.
[10:08] Takimoto
    I, Takimoto, shall ensure
    Your Highness's safety.
[10:15] Fujinami
    I didn't know.
[10:17] Fujinami
    I thought hill ravens could
    fly whenever they want.
[10:20] Fujinami
    How could I know her kimono
    would get in the way?
[10:24] Fujinami
    I only wanted her to leave.
[10:27] Fujinami
    Lady Asebi was troubled.
[10:30] Fujinami
    I didn't want to lose
    Lady Asebi's affection!
[10:36] Nazukihiko
    You share her guilt, Takimoto.
[10:39] Nazukihiko
    You beheaded Kasuke while he merely
    ran in panic, branded him a thief,
[10:44] Nazukihiko
    and then twisted the truth to claim he
    killed Samomo after falling out with her.
[10:49] Nazukihiko
    All to shield your mistress.
[10:52] Yukiya
    Samomo's corpse was half human
    and half in raven shape.
[10:59] Yukiya
    She struggled frantically to
    fly until the bitter end.
[11:07] Fujinami
    S-Samomo!
[11:15] Fujinami
    I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
[11:23] Asebi
    Oh, poor Princess Fujinami.
[11:27] Nazukihiko
    You pity her?
[11:30] Nazukihiko
    You must have realized she harbored
    special feelings for you,
[11:35] Nazukihiko
    that she'd hidden my letters to
    the other ladies for your sake.
[11:38] Asebi
    I did, and it pained me.
[11:42] Asebi
    I felt so guilty toward Lady Shiratama
    and Lady Masuho-no-Susuki.
[11:46] Asebi
    But Princess Fujinami acted
    out of affection for me.
[11:52] Asebi
    I couldn't possibly fault her for it.
[11:55] Nazukihiko
    And what about Samomo?
[11:57] Nazukihiko
    Did you never stop to think
    what Fujinami would do
[12:02] Nazukihiko
    if you mentioned leaving the
    palace and begged her for help?
[12:06] Asebi
    You don't mean...
[12:08] Asebi
    the Princess misunderstood me?!
[12:14] Asebi
    Oh, how awful!
[12:17] Asebi
    I failed to make myself clear,
[12:20] Asebi
    but I never dreamed she would
    do anything so frightful!
[12:26] Asebi
    I bear all the blame.
[12:29] Asebi
    If only I hadn't presumed on
    Princess Fujinami's affection.
[12:33] Asebi
    Please forgive me, Princess Fujinami.
[12:39] Asebi
    Samono and Kasuke should
    never have had to die.
[12:44] Asebi
    What a tragic twist of fate.
[13:14] Nazukihiko
    I can't prove your malice.
[13:21] Asebi
    Your Highness, for so long,
    I've felt drawn to—
[13:26] Nazukihiko
    But I'm sorry to say I loathe you.
[13:37] Fujinami
    Sister...
[13:47] Fujinami
    Brother...!
[14:26] Nazukihiko
    I've kept you waiting, Sumi.
[14:28] Yukiya
    "Sumi"?
[14:30] Nazukihiko
    Hey. Face facts already.
[14:32] Nazukihiko
    Did you forget your old name?
[14:34] Nazukihiko
    Or did falling off a cliff on your
    rump knock it out of your head?
[14:39] Hamayu
    You... pasty-faced wimp!
[14:42] Shiratama
    L-Lady Hamayu?!
[14:46] Masuho
    Honestly! You had me worried sick!
[14:58] Hamayu
    So, when did you
    figure out I was Sumi?
[15:02] Nazukihiko
    When I sounded out the Southern House.
[15:05] Nazukihiko
    It turned out my old partner-in-crime
    had entered the palace as a lady.
[15:09] Nazukihiko
    I assume you sent me that warning.
[15:12] Nazukihiko
    Not many people would
    take my side, after all.
[15:17] Hamayu
    I guess nothing gets past you.
[15:23] Nazukihiko
    I got a letter from Masuho-no-Susuki.
[15:26] Nazukihiko
    She wrote that she was harboring you,
[15:29] Nazukihiko
    and that you'd confessed to stealing
    letters you never touched.
[15:33] Hamayu
    Why, that—
[15:34] Nazukihiko
    You didn't shield Fujinami.
[15:37] Nazukihiko
    You tried to protect her
    kin in the Western House.
[15:41] Nazukihiko
    A stain on their reputation would get
    in the way of my marrying Masuho.
[15:45] Hamayu
    You're too clever by half.
[15:48] Hamayu
    I put my money
    on Masuho-no-Susuki.
[15:51] Hamayu
    If anyone has what it takes
    to be your consort, she does.
[15:55] Nazukihiko
    Well, you have a point.
[15:58] Hamayu
    Then, why did you goad her into
    giving you the cold shoulder?
[16:02] Nazukihiko
    You could tell?
[16:03] Hamayu
    Ask for Masuho-no-Susuki's hand again.
[16:06] Nazukihiko
    Masuho just took holy vows.
[16:07] Hamayu
    It's not too late. I'll talk to her.
[16:10] Hamayu
    Of the Four Houses, only the West
    can protect you going forward.
[16:14] Hamayu
    You know that, right?
[16:18] Hamayu
    This isn't funny!
[16:20] Hamayu
    Your life is on the line!
[16:23] Nazukihiko
    Thank you, Sumi.
[16:32] Nazukihiko
    I want to change the status quo.
[16:35] Nazukihiko
    The Empress and the Kin'u have warped
    imperial relations with the Four Houses.
[16:39] Nazukihiko
    I want to set them right.
[16:42] Nazukihiko
    To do that, the Royal House
    must have neutrality.
[16:45] Nazukihiko
    For my consort, I need a
    woman who can do her duty
[16:49] Nazukihiko
    but who won't tip the power
    balance of the Four Houses.
[16:53] Hamayu
    I see where you're coming from,
[16:55] Hamayu
    but where will you find a woman like—
[16:59] Nazukihiko
    Hamayu.
[17:01] Nazukihiko
    I do not find you particularly special,
    and I do not love you, either.
[17:07] Nazukihiko
    That will not change if I marry you.
[17:11] Nazukihiko
    I will take any number of
    concubines if the need arises.
[17:14] Nazukihiko
    Given the right circumstances,
    I may even abandon you.
[17:19] Nazukihiko
    But I will not allow you to complain or
    to become intimate with any other man.
[17:26] Nazukihiko
    You must stifle yourself
    and live only for me.
[17:30] Nazukihiko
    If you are prepared to accept all of that,
     would you consent to become my wife?
[17:38] Hamayu
    So, that's how it is.
[17:41] Nazukihiko
    You belong to none of the Four Houses.
[17:43] Nazukihiko
    I couldn't ask for a more perfect consort.
[17:47] Hamayu
    You don't mind making enemies
    of all four houses?
[17:50] Nazukihiko
    I'm counting on it.
[17:52] Hamayu
    Your mother was murdered by—
[17:54] Nazukihiko
    I know, but it doesn't matter.
[18:06] Hamayu
    I have one condition.
[18:09] Hamayu
    Let me tend to you on your deathbed.
[18:14] Nazukihiko
    Very well. You have my word.
[18:25] Nazukihiko
    What was that for? I thought you'd
    fallen head over heels for me.
[18:31] Hamayu
    I suggest you study up on women's feelings.
[18:39] Sumi
    Ow.
[18:41] Sumi
    Damn it. I slipped.
[18:47] Nazukihiko
    Let's go,
[18:48] Nazukihiko
    Sumi.
[19:26] ---
    Castle Town Center
[19:29] Girl
    See you later.
[19:53] Sumio
    So, you're going back
    to Taruhi after all?
[19:55] Yukiya
    Sorry, but I guess the Center
    just doesn't suit me.
[19:59] Sumio
    And you're letting him go, Nazukihiko?
[20:01] Yukiya
    I'm grateful to Your Highness.
[20:03] Yukiya
    You saw me for myself, not
    my birth or breeding.
[20:08] Yukiya
    No one's ever done that before.
[20:10] Nazukihiko
    I don't deserve your thanks,
    but I appreciate them.
[20:32] Sumio
    Well, take care.
[20:34] Yukiya
    I will. You too, Sumio.
[20:37] Nazukihiko
    We'll meet again someday.
[20:39] Yukiya
    Er, I don't plan on coming back.
[20:42] Nazukihiko
    My kin'u instinct tells me.
[20:44] Yukiya
    That again?
[20:49] Yukiya
    I might as well ask you
    while I have the chance.
[20:52] Yukiya
    Why are you so
    obsessed with the throne?
[20:55] Yukiya
    I've been with you for a year now,
    watching court power struggles.
[21:02] Yukiya
    They were a total farce.
[21:06] Yukiya
    The court wants Lord Natsuka
    to succeed, right?
[21:10] Yukiya
    So, why not just let him?
[21:12] Yukiya
    You could get involved in
    government through Lord Natsuka.
[21:16] Yukiya
    Why risk your life just
    to become kin'u yourself?
[21:20] Sumio
    You've got it wrong, Yukiya. He—
[21:22] Nazukihiko
    Sumio.
[21:23] Yukiya
    I'm saying this because
    I don't want to let you die!
[21:34] Yukiya
    Please give up on the throne.
[21:39] Yukiya
    I'll stay here if you do.
[21:42] Yukiya
    If you become just another
    court raven, not a golden one,
[21:46] Yukiya
    I'll serve you.
[21:53] Nazukihiko
    If you take being the kin'u from
    me, I'll have nothing left.
[22:01] Yukiya
    Then get yourself killed without me.
[22:04] Yukiya
    And out of my sight, if you please.
[22:21] Sumio
    Nazukihiko, do you see something?
[24:30] Narrator
    Having finished his service as
    aide, Yukiya lingers in Taruhi
[24:35] Narrator
    when a raven lands before him.
[24:39] Narrator
    New encounters bring new enemies.
[24:43] Narrator
    Yukiya has yet to learn of the
    threat creeping toward Yamauchi.
SIGN    The
    Taboo
    Elixir
[24:50] Narrator
    Next time: "The Taboo Elixir"
SIGN    YATAGARASU:
    The Raven
    Does Not
    Choose
    Its Master
SIGN    Illustration: Natsuki