| Sakura's mother was a nine-tailed fox, but despite all her efforts she has grown only eight and one-fifth of them. She arrives in Shinjiku hungry and penniless, but likes the way the city has plenty of monsters whose powers she might be able to steal in order to complete her ninth tail. But "small fry monsters", like the two that try to shake her down, won't do the trick. After picking Batanen's pocket, she senses amazingly strong powers when Natsuki comes along, and recognizes her from the fight she witnessed in the last episode. Natsuki has come to ask for Batanen's advice about the broken sword she found and used during the fight, and he takes her to an expert swordsmith. The swordsmith is amazed, and says it is made of "Orihalcon", a remarkable alloy. Natsuki asks him to convert the broken sword into a dagger, but the cost is steep. To raise the money she needs, Natsuki decides to go after a wanted criminal on her own. But she has a strange feeling that she's being watched... |
