07x29 - Afros of Life and Death
Posted: 09/23/22 13:18
Police,Sign: Special Police Shinsengumi
Sign: Shinsengumi Recruitment Exam
Exam ,Sign: Shinsengumi Recruitment Exam
Warning ,Sign: The Shinsengumi's request: Please watch this program in a bright room and at a safe distance from your TV.
G: P-Point! The match is over!
G: Wow, just who is that newcomer?
G: He's gone through thirty opponents now.
G: If he's that good, he'll be an immediate asset.
G: A real monster has arrived.
Kon: Looks like we've got ourselves a pretty spirited newcomer this time.
Kon: I can't believe there was still such a masterful free agent out there.
Kon: Toshi, who is he?
Hij: Uh, how is this read?
Hij: Hashira...
Kon: ...Afuro?
Hij: Nah, it's probably "Afro."
Kat: It's not Afro. It's Katsura!
Kat: Crap! I slipped!
Hij: "It's not Afro, it's Katsura," huh?
Hij: I feel like I've heard that phrase before.
Hij: Also, you look kinda familiar...
Kon: Stop it, Toshi.
Kon: He means that while his name's Afro,
Kon: that's a wig, a "katsura," on his head.
Kon: Don't pry too much.
Hij: But...
Oki: That aside,
Oki: mind if I take him on next?
Oki: It's about time we taught him how tough the Shinsengumi are.
Hij: Did you forget already, you sadistic instructor?
Hij: Just the other day, you rendered all our new recruits
Hij: useless in the name of training or whatever.
Hij: Instead, we should interview him and run a thorough background check...
Oki: Oh?
Oki: Now this is unusual.
Oki: Looks like this has fired up someone far scarier than me.
Oki: Rejoice, new guy.
Oki: He says he'll accept you into his squad without an interview...
Oki: If you can defeat Shinsengumi Third Squad Captain,
Oki: Saito Shimaru.
Saito,Sign: Shinsengumi Third Squad Captain Saito Shimaru
Wolf,: Wolf of Afro
Oki: Shimaru-niisan, the man feared as the Wolf of Afro, or "Wolfro."
Wolf,: Wolfro
Ep Title,Title: Afros of Life and Death
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Snack,Sign: Snack Otose
Gin: Huh? What are you doing?
Kat: Infiltrating the Shinsengumi to make them crumble from the inside...
Gin: ...was the plan, but they beat you up and threw you out?
Sugar,: Sugar Content
Gin: Zura, you should first realize that you're crumbling on the inside yourself.
Shin: Still, he beat up Katsura-san so badly.
Shin: Just who is this Third Squad Captain?
Kag: You lost the moment you resorted to cheap tricks like infiltration, Zura.
Kat: Leader...
Kat: I'm not Zura.
Kat: I'm the Special Vice Captain of the Third Squad,
Kat: Hashira Afuro!
Shin: Katsura-san?!
Kat: Did you really think I'd lose to a bakufu lapdog?
Kat: We exchanged blows for an hour,
Kat: but if Kondo hadn't stopped us, it wouldn't have ended in a draw.
Kat: I was exhausted due to fighting thirty straight battles before,
Kat: felt alienated in unfamiliar territory,
Kat: had the afro wig prickling me,
Kat: was wrought by anxieties about my future,
Kat: and irritated by a mouth ulcer.
Kat: Had it not been for those, I would've won for sure.
Gin: Just how many excuses have you got?
Gin: You barely escaped with a draw, didn't you?
Kat: That said, he was an opponent worthy of respect.
Kat: He was so skilled, even Okita had high praise for him.
Oki: I'm impressed that you fought Shimaru-niisan on equal footing.
Oki: While you didn't win, your abilities are on par with mine.
Oki: You pass.
Oki: And Shimaru-niisan said he wouldn't hold your stealing his afro gimmick against you.
Shin: He picked a fight for such a stupid reason?!
Kat: Most of all, he had a shockingly discerning eye.
Kat: He recognized my talents and made me his vice captain out of the blue.
Third,Sign: Third Squad Saito Shimaru Hashira Afuro
Kat: He's no ordinary man.
Shin: There are only two members!
Shin: Why was this captain the only person in the squad he's running?!
Kat: It's not that he was the only one,
Kat: but rather that he was the only one cut out for it.
Kat: Unlike other squads, to maintain Edo's public order is not the Third Squad's job.
Kat: Due to its special duties,
Kat: it's feared as the "Silent Squad."
Kat: Excuse me.
Kat: I'm Hashira Afuro, and I am part of the squad as of today.
Kat: It's a pleasure to work with you, Captain Saito.
Toilet,Sign: Toilet
Sai: Zed...
Sai: Zed...
Kat: S-So this is the Silent Squad?!
Shin: It just has nothing to do!
Kat: On top of being a man of few words, I believe he's also a foreigner.
Kat: All he ever said was "zed."
Shin: Those weren't zeds!
Shin: They were just the Zs of his snoring!
Shin: And all he did was take a dump and sleep!
Shin: Special duties, my foot!
Kat: That's not all.
Oki: Don't take it the wrong way.
Oki: Shimaru-niisan may have flashy hair, but he's extraordinarily shy.
Oki: I'm closer to him than most, but the last time I heard his voice was two years ago,
Oki: when he was holding up the line at a convenience store.
Oki: Sorry about that, everyone.
Oki: Please heat up the lunch box.
Oki: Is that okay, Shimaru-niisan?
Sai: Zed...
Kat: ...was his only reply, apparently.
Shin: In the end, he didn't say anything at all!
Shin: He can't even buy a lunch box! Of course a captain so quiet would end up alone!
Shin: Everyone else must've run away 'cause they couldn't deal with him!
Kat: That's not it.
Kat: As things stood, my infiltration would've been for naught.
Kat: So I started making contact with him in a bid to gain influence in the third squad...
Kat: Zed?
Sai: Zed.
Kat: Zed!
Sai: Zed...
Kat: But no matter what I said, I only got Zs in reply.
Shin: All you said was Zs, too!
Kat: Captain Wolfro doesn't just take dumps all day.
Kat: He was always working on some sort of document.
Kat: When he was in the toilet, I checked it out...
Shin: A diary?
Shin: That silent guy was writing a diary?
Kat: "Today, a new recruit joined my Third Squad.
Kat: The Shinsengumi doesn't have room for two afroz.
Kat: I considered eliminating him,
Kat: but it's a fact that the Third Squad needs more memberz."
Shin: What's with the Zs?
Shin: Does he end every sentence with Zs?!
Kat: "I have no choice but to let him join...
Kat: ...zzzzzzzzzz."
Shin: He dozed off!
Shin: Even in his diary, he wraps things up with Zs?!
Kat: All it took was one look to realize that I could use this.
Shin: Oh, an exchange diary?
Shin: Even if he gets tongue-tied easily, you might still be able to communicate on paper.
Red,Sign: Write this part with more flourish. - Afuro-sensei
Kat: "Write this part with more flourish."
Shin: Who are you, a teacher with a red pen?!
Shin: Why are you criticizing his Zs?!
Kat: Starting an exchange diary out of nowhere is scary.
Shin: Playing a teacher with a red pen should be scarier!
Kat: After that, I found this entry.
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Shin: Huh? What is this?
Shin: What does it mean?
Kat: When I replied to that as such...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Shin: What the hell are you writing down in someone's diary?!
Kat: ...I found this written the next day.
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Kat: And the day after that...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro z
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Shin: Wait a second.
Shin: This thing under your name...
Shin: He's trying to write "Z," isn't he?
Shin: What happens once it's complete?
Kat: When I took a closer look at the diary, I found this...
Shin: What the hell?!
Shin: You found something totally terrifying!
Kat: I checked,
Kat: and the names written there belonged to former members of the Third Squad.
Kat: They had all broken the Shinsengumi Code,
Kat: and were suspected of having shady links with Joi Rebels.
Kat: In other words, they were men who'd betrayed the Shinsengumi in some way.
Kat: And as is obvious from looking at the Third Squad now,
Kat: their names are all gone from the roster.
Kat: You get it by now, right?
Kat: Basically, the reason the Third Squad has no members
Kat: is because they were all purged by that man.
Kat: He deliberately recruited traitors into his squad and punished them in secret.
Kat: That's the secret behind the "Silent Squad," Shinsengumi Third Squad.
Shin: That means...
Shin: He knows who you are already!
Shin: Doesn't that mean he let you join so he could k*ll you?!
Shin: Doesn't that mean you'll be dead when the Z in the diary is completed?!
Kat: If he knew who I was, the Z would've been completed by now.
Kat: He probably only suspects me at the moment.
Gin: Zura.
Gin: You're free to be purged or become an afro,
Gin: but could you not bring me trouble?
Gin: I'll k*ll you, seriously.
Kat: What are you saying, Gintoki?
Kat: Sure, it's risky, but if I play my cards right,
Kat: I could use the Third Squad to purge the Shinsengumi brass in one fell swoop!
Gin: Hey, could this be...
Shin: It's already too late?!
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Kat: That silhouette which resembles a younger Tsurube II...
Kat: No doubt about it. It's Captain Wolfro.
Kag: Did he finally figure out who you are and come to k*ll you?
Gin: Do something about this.
Gin: At this rate, we'll be mistaken for t*rrorists, too.
Kat: What are you saying, Gintoki?
Kat: Aren't we afro bros, bound by frizzy hair?
Gin: Whose hair are you calling an afro?!
: Huh?
Shin: The afro silhouette's gone—
Shin: Eek! He broke in from the back?!
Gin: Hide Zura! Hide Zura!
: Wh-Who is you?!
: How dare you barge into someone's house with an afro?
: D-Don't you think you're being rude?!
: Hey! What do you think you're doing?
: Take off your afro first!
: We're not cultivating any shady afros here!
: Hey, hold up!
Gin: Give it a rest.
Shin: Gin-san!
Gin: I don't care if you're a cop or whatever.
Gin: The Sakata house is governed by its own laws.
Gin: If you keep dropping your filthy, frizzy hair all over the place,
Gin: you'll have to pay with more than your pubes, boss.
Gin: He just took a dump and left!
Shin: What did he even come here to do?!
Kag: We didn't get it because he was silent,
Kag: but it looks like he simply wanted to use the toilet.
Shin: Could he have been any more misleading?!
Gin: Guess it's true that he's a man of exceedingly few words.
Gin: He was going around searching for a toilet, not Zura, huh?
Gin: Just how close was he to soiling himself?
Gin: What kind of cop takes a dump and leaves without saying a word?
Kag: It wasn't just nuggets he left behind.
Application,Sign: Application To Odd Jobs
Shin: He was here with a job request?!
Gin: H-Hey...
Gin: Zura, this...
Gin: Wait, where'd Zura go?!
Kat: If I don't strike first, I'll be exposed and purged before long.
Kat: I must k*ll before I'm k*lled.
Gin: "To Odd Jobs,
Gin: I apologize for this sudden letter."
Sai: I'm Z, a civil servant working in Edo.
Sai: I seek your help to resolve a long-standing problem of mine,
Sai: which is why I'm writing an anonymous letter to you folkz.
Shin: Uh, it may be anonymous, but it couldn't be more obvious.
Shin: A bunch of things are totally exposed here.
Sai: I've always been called a silent, cool person,
Sai: but that's not true.
Sai: What if my small talk falls flat?
Sai: What if I stutter?
Sai: What if they find my voice weird?
Sai: What if they think I'm getting cocky because
Sai: I suddenly speak up after staying silent for so long?
Sai: I have all these negative thoughts before I speak, so I stay silent out of fear.
Sai: But in truth, I'm just a normal guy who wants to have fun conversationz.
Shin: He was troubled by it!
Shin: Captain Wolfro is surprisingly timid!
Sai: But whenever I try to talk to people, I get nervous and my tummy aches,
Sai: so I always end up in toiletz.
Shin: That's why he's always taking dumps?
Sai: What if they think I do nothing but take dumps?
Sai: What if they think my lower mouth's awfully talkative even though I'm so silent?
Sai: What if they think, though my name means "end," my own end doesn't work so well?
Sai: Thinking about all that put me at an even greater loss for wordz.
Shin: Just how delicate is he?!
Sai: Ironically, the higher-ups liked my silent nature
Sai: and put me in charge of secret investigations.
Sai: Before long, I could only speak in diary entriez.
Sai: And one day,
Sai: my men found my "Prospective Friendz" list,
Sai: the Z List in short, which I'd been compiling in secret.
Shin: That's what the Z stood for?!
Sai: They read too much into it and fled,
Sai: and even though I'd finally found people I might be able to talk to,
Sai: I ended up having to punish them with my own handz.
Shin: He has an innate ability to fish out shady people!
Shin: I feel for the guy, but he's perfectly suited for secret investigations!
Sai: I didn't want to k*ll my comrades anymore, even if they had broken the Code.
Sai: So I gave up on talking and was living my life in solitude
Sai: when that man suddenly appeared in front of my eyez.
Sai: I kept silent, but he didn't let that faze him.
Sai: He kept talking to me frankly multiple timez.
Sai: Looking at his brazen yet resolute figure
Sai: cleared my mind of all doubtz.
Sai: The one who would be my friend...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro z
Sai: ...was Hashira Afuro, and no one elz.
Shin: Uh, that guy should be at the top of your hit-list!
Sai: "But as for how to talk to him, I'm completely out of ideaz.
Sai: I'd be forever grateful if you could offer me some advice."
Shin: Oh my God!
Shin: Never mind purging Katsura-san,
Shin: he's trying to make friends with him without realizing he's an enemy!
Kag: We should tell him that
Kag: the moron has infiltrated the Shinsengumi with evil intentions in mind.
Shin: But then Katsura-san will get purged.
Shin: Gin-san, what do we do?
Gin: Man, this has turned into a pain in the ass.
Gin: We ended up accepting a lot of money, too.
Gin: But he's saying he doesn't want to k*ll his friends anymore,
Gin: so we can't make him k*ll Zura.
Gin: In which case, having them truly become friends
Gin: might be the easiest way out of this mess.
Gin: They're enemies, but if Zura gets attached to him,
Gin: he might withdraw.
Shin: Is that even possible?
Shin: The two of them are Shinsengumi and Joi Rebel, you know.
Gin: Who the hell do you think I am?
Gin: I was born through a pair of smooth-talking lips...
Gin: Down there, that is.
Shin: That goes for everyone.
Gin: I'm well aware of Zura's quirks.
Gin: Bring me a pen and paper.
Gin: Z-san, I understand your long-standing loneliness so much, it hurts.
Gin: But don't you think you're being a bit overeager?
Gin: You've been silent for years,
Gin: so it's impossible for you to become talkative overnight.
Gin: Besides, Zura—
Gin: People don't pay too much attention to what others say.
Gin: Why don't you start off with listening to them?
Kat: Captain Saito.
Kat: I made you tea.
Kat: It's about time for a break, wouldn't you say?
Kat: I must get rid of this man at once
Kat: and gain control of the Third Squad, no matter what.
Kat: While it pains me to use such a dirty trick, I poisoned this tea.
Kat: It is for a just cause.
Kat: I cannot be picky about my methods.
Kat: Help yourself.
Gin: Even if you can't speak, you can listen to others, nod, and smile.
Gin: That's all it takes to have a successful conversation.
Gin: A smile, especially, can be used in any situation,
Gin: making it an excellent communication tool.
Gin: If you're at a loss, smile.
Gin: Please keep that in mind.
Kat: Wh-What's with that smile?!
Kat: Don't tell me... He realized?!
Kat: Impossible!
Kat: This poison has no taste or odor!
Kat: It should be impossible to notice with the naked eye!
Kat: But this smile practically screams that he's realized!
Kat: He's totally realized!
Kat: Is he telling me he'll accept my challenge head-on with a smile?
Kat: No, it can't be. I must be imagining things.
Kat: A smile this creepy couldn't possibly exist!
Kat: His face is probably just twitching out of exhaustion!
Kat: This is the end, Wolfro!
Gin: When you're the listener, there may be times when the other person stops talking.
Gin: At such times,
Gin: try causing a minor "accident" of sorts.
Gin: Mishaps are a far superior conversation topic than mere words.
Kat: F-Forgive me!
Kat: That tea was too hot!
Kat: I'll go make some more!
Gin: His smile is way too scary!
Shin: That was a total bust.
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Shin: Instead of making him Wolfro's friend, it only made Katsura-san more cautious!
Gin: I thought it'd be better than making him talk unnaturally,
Gin: but even his smile was unnatural, huh?
Kag: What now? He sent us a letter to complain.
Letter,Sign: I've been doing as you said and smiling since then, but people are keeping their distance even more now. Even my diarrhea's gotten worse. Did I do something wrong? Did my assh*le do something wrong? Please respond. - Civil Servant Z
Shin: This is bad.
Shin: He's dropping that smile all over the place.
Shin: He's growing more and more isolated!
Gin: Man, screw it.
Gin: Z-san, let's move on to the next step.
Gin: Small talk might make you self-conscious, but making necessary conversation is easy.
Gin: Among those, conversations about work are most effective.
Gin: Try taking him along for work and answering any questions he may have.
Shin: Well, he managed to bring him along all right,
Shin: but Katsura-san's being super wary!
Shin: He's not going to ask any questions!
Gin: Now, now.
Gin: Once they get to work, they'll have to talk, whether they like it or not.
Shin: Now he's speechless!
Shin: This sucks! Unknown to us, Elizabeth-san was captured!
Shin: What's worse, Saito-san is also in charge of t*rture!
Gin: Wait, why is he wearing a Shinsengumi uniform, too?
Gin: Was he trying to sneak in with that? Did he really think they wouldn't find out?!
Shin: A conversation's out of the question now.
Shin: Katsura-san's going to explode for sure this time!
Eliza,Sign: K-Katsura-san!
Kat: This is a great sandbag!
Shin: He cast him aside without a moment's hesitation!
Kat: Where'd you find this?
Kat: I'd love to have one at home, too.
Kat: Damn you, Wolfro!
Kat: Did you think you could trap me with this?
Kat: Elizabeth, now is the time to endure.
Kat: I promise to avenge you—
Kat: Elizabeth...
Schedule,Sign: Feeding Zabeth Rotation Mon - Saito Tue - Hashira Wed - Saito Thu - Saito Fri - Hashira
Shin: He domesticated him?!
Shin: I thought he caught and tortured him, but he was just keeping Elizabeth-san as a pet!
Eliza ,Sign: There, there.
Eliza,Sign: Purr, purr.
Gin: He's really taken a liking to him! The two silent types have made a connection!
Kat: H-How could this be?!
Kat: In such a short time, he tamed Elizabeth even more than I did?!
Kat: Say it isn't so, Elizabe—
Kat: I can't believe it.
Kat: I don't believe it!
Shin: What is he doing?!
Shin: Never mind throwing the Shinsengumi into a panic, he's the one who's panicking most!
Gin: But this might be for the best.
Gin: A Shinsengumi officer and a Joi Rebel becoming friends was impossible to begin with.
Gin: Zura will surely learn his lesson and withdraw.
Gin: This was for the best. It really was.
Saito,Sign: One Month Later
Kat: Let's go,
Kat: Shinsengumi Third Squad!
Kat: Afro Squad, charge in!
All: Yeah!
Tsuzuku,Sign: To Be Continued
Ep Title,Title: Afuro and Wolfro
Sai: Next week, "Afuro and Wolfro" airz.
text r: We thought this story would end in one episode,
text l: but in the Third Squad, for some reason Hashira Afuro's in charge of thingz?
text r: The strategy used by Katsura (currently Hashira) puts Saito Shimaru in a real predicament.
text l: What will happen to the Shinsengumi and Shimaruzzzz...
Sign: Shinsengumi Recruitment Exam
Exam ,Sign: Shinsengumi Recruitment Exam
Warning ,Sign: The Shinsengumi's request: Please watch this program in a bright room and at a safe distance from your TV.
G: P-Point! The match is over!
G: Wow, just who is that newcomer?
G: He's gone through thirty opponents now.
G: If he's that good, he'll be an immediate asset.
G: A real monster has arrived.
Kon: Looks like we've got ourselves a pretty spirited newcomer this time.
Kon: I can't believe there was still such a masterful free agent out there.
Kon: Toshi, who is he?
Hij: Uh, how is this read?
Hij: Hashira...
Kon: ...Afuro?
Hij: Nah, it's probably "Afro."
Kat: It's not Afro. It's Katsura!
Kat: Crap! I slipped!
Hij: "It's not Afro, it's Katsura," huh?
Hij: I feel like I've heard that phrase before.
Hij: Also, you look kinda familiar...
Kon: Stop it, Toshi.
Kon: He means that while his name's Afro,
Kon: that's a wig, a "katsura," on his head.
Kon: Don't pry too much.
Hij: But...
Oki: That aside,
Oki: mind if I take him on next?
Oki: It's about time we taught him how tough the Shinsengumi are.
Hij: Did you forget already, you sadistic instructor?
Hij: Just the other day, you rendered all our new recruits
Hij: useless in the name of training or whatever.
Hij: Instead, we should interview him and run a thorough background check...
Oki: Oh?
Oki: Now this is unusual.
Oki: Looks like this has fired up someone far scarier than me.
Oki: Rejoice, new guy.
Oki: He says he'll accept you into his squad without an interview...
Oki: If you can defeat Shinsengumi Third Squad Captain,
Oki: Saito Shimaru.
Saito,Sign: Shinsengumi Third Squad Captain Saito Shimaru
Wolf,: Wolf of Afro
Oki: Shimaru-niisan, the man feared as the Wolf of Afro, or "Wolfro."
Wolf,: Wolfro
Ep Title,Title: Afros of Life and Death
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Snack,Sign: Snack Otose
Gin: Huh? What are you doing?
Kat: Infiltrating the Shinsengumi to make them crumble from the inside...
Gin: ...was the plan, but they beat you up and threw you out?
Sugar,: Sugar Content
Gin: Zura, you should first realize that you're crumbling on the inside yourself.
Shin: Still, he beat up Katsura-san so badly.
Shin: Just who is this Third Squad Captain?
Kag: You lost the moment you resorted to cheap tricks like infiltration, Zura.
Kat: Leader...
Kat: I'm not Zura.
Kat: I'm the Special Vice Captain of the Third Squad,
Kat: Hashira Afuro!
Shin: Katsura-san?!
Kat: Did you really think I'd lose to a bakufu lapdog?
Kat: We exchanged blows for an hour,
Kat: but if Kondo hadn't stopped us, it wouldn't have ended in a draw.
Kat: I was exhausted due to fighting thirty straight battles before,
Kat: felt alienated in unfamiliar territory,
Kat: had the afro wig prickling me,
Kat: was wrought by anxieties about my future,
Kat: and irritated by a mouth ulcer.
Kat: Had it not been for those, I would've won for sure.
Gin: Just how many excuses have you got?
Gin: You barely escaped with a draw, didn't you?
Kat: That said, he was an opponent worthy of respect.
Kat: He was so skilled, even Okita had high praise for him.
Oki: I'm impressed that you fought Shimaru-niisan on equal footing.
Oki: While you didn't win, your abilities are on par with mine.
Oki: You pass.
Oki: And Shimaru-niisan said he wouldn't hold your stealing his afro gimmick against you.
Shin: He picked a fight for such a stupid reason?!
Kat: Most of all, he had a shockingly discerning eye.
Kat: He recognized my talents and made me his vice captain out of the blue.
Third,Sign: Third Squad Saito Shimaru Hashira Afuro
Kat: He's no ordinary man.
Shin: There are only two members!
Shin: Why was this captain the only person in the squad he's running?!
Kat: It's not that he was the only one,
Kat: but rather that he was the only one cut out for it.
Kat: Unlike other squads, to maintain Edo's public order is not the Third Squad's job.
Kat: Due to its special duties,
Kat: it's feared as the "Silent Squad."
Kat: Excuse me.
Kat: I'm Hashira Afuro, and I am part of the squad as of today.
Kat: It's a pleasure to work with you, Captain Saito.
Toilet,Sign: Toilet
Sai: Zed...
Sai: Zed...
Kat: S-So this is the Silent Squad?!
Shin: It just has nothing to do!
Kat: On top of being a man of few words, I believe he's also a foreigner.
Kat: All he ever said was "zed."
Shin: Those weren't zeds!
Shin: They were just the Zs of his snoring!
Shin: And all he did was take a dump and sleep!
Shin: Special duties, my foot!
Kat: That's not all.
Oki: Don't take it the wrong way.
Oki: Shimaru-niisan may have flashy hair, but he's extraordinarily shy.
Oki: I'm closer to him than most, but the last time I heard his voice was two years ago,
Oki: when he was holding up the line at a convenience store.
Oki: Sorry about that, everyone.
Oki: Please heat up the lunch box.
Oki: Is that okay, Shimaru-niisan?
Sai: Zed...
Kat: ...was his only reply, apparently.
Shin: In the end, he didn't say anything at all!
Shin: He can't even buy a lunch box! Of course a captain so quiet would end up alone!
Shin: Everyone else must've run away 'cause they couldn't deal with him!
Kat: That's not it.
Kat: As things stood, my infiltration would've been for naught.
Kat: So I started making contact with him in a bid to gain influence in the third squad...
Kat: Zed?
Sai: Zed.
Kat: Zed!
Sai: Zed...
Kat: But no matter what I said, I only got Zs in reply.
Shin: All you said was Zs, too!
Kat: Captain Wolfro doesn't just take dumps all day.
Kat: He was always working on some sort of document.
Kat: When he was in the toilet, I checked it out...
Shin: A diary?
Shin: That silent guy was writing a diary?
Kat: "Today, a new recruit joined my Third Squad.
Kat: The Shinsengumi doesn't have room for two afroz.
Kat: I considered eliminating him,
Kat: but it's a fact that the Third Squad needs more memberz."
Shin: What's with the Zs?
Shin: Does he end every sentence with Zs?!
Kat: "I have no choice but to let him join...
Kat: ...zzzzzzzzzz."
Shin: He dozed off!
Shin: Even in his diary, he wraps things up with Zs?!
Kat: All it took was one look to realize that I could use this.
Shin: Oh, an exchange diary?
Shin: Even if he gets tongue-tied easily, you might still be able to communicate on paper.
Red,Sign: Write this part with more flourish. - Afuro-sensei
Kat: "Write this part with more flourish."
Shin: Who are you, a teacher with a red pen?!
Shin: Why are you criticizing his Zs?!
Kat: Starting an exchange diary out of nowhere is scary.
Shin: Playing a teacher with a red pen should be scarier!
Kat: After that, I found this entry.
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Shin: Huh? What is this?
Shin: What does it mean?
Kat: When I replied to that as such...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Shin: What the hell are you writing down in someone's diary?!
Kat: ...I found this written the next day.
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Kat: And the day after that...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro z
Diary,Sign: Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
Shin: Wait a second.
Shin: This thing under your name...
Shin: He's trying to write "Z," isn't he?
Shin: What happens once it's complete?
Kat: When I took a closer look at the diary, I found this...
Shin: What the hell?!
Shin: You found something totally terrifying!
Kat: I checked,
Kat: and the names written there belonged to former members of the Third Squad.
Kat: They had all broken the Shinsengumi Code,
Kat: and were suspected of having shady links with Joi Rebels.
Kat: In other words, they were men who'd betrayed the Shinsengumi in some way.
Kat: And as is obvious from looking at the Third Squad now,
Kat: their names are all gone from the roster.
Kat: You get it by now, right?
Kat: Basically, the reason the Third Squad has no members
Kat: is because they were all purged by that man.
Kat: He deliberately recruited traitors into his squad and punished them in secret.
Kat: That's the secret behind the "Silent Squad," Shinsengumi Third Squad.
Shin: That means...
Shin: He knows who you are already!
Shin: Doesn't that mean he let you join so he could k*ll you?!
Shin: Doesn't that mean you'll be dead when the Z in the diary is completed?!
Kat: If he knew who I was, the Z would've been completed by now.
Kat: He probably only suspects me at the moment.
Gin: Zura.
Gin: You're free to be purged or become an afro,
Gin: but could you not bring me trouble?
Gin: I'll k*ll you, seriously.
Kat: What are you saying, Gintoki?
Kat: Sure, it's risky, but if I play my cards right,
Kat: I could use the Third Squad to purge the Shinsengumi brass in one fell swoop!
Gin: Hey, could this be...
Shin: It's already too late?!
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Kat: That silhouette which resembles a younger Tsurube II...
Kat: No doubt about it. It's Captain Wolfro.
Kag: Did he finally figure out who you are and come to k*ll you?
Gin: Do something about this.
Gin: At this rate, we'll be mistaken for t*rrorists, too.
Kat: What are you saying, Gintoki?
Kat: Aren't we afro bros, bound by frizzy hair?
Gin: Whose hair are you calling an afro?!
: Huh?
Shin: The afro silhouette's gone—
Shin: Eek! He broke in from the back?!
Gin: Hide Zura! Hide Zura!
: Wh-Who is you?!
: How dare you barge into someone's house with an afro?
: D-Don't you think you're being rude?!
: Hey! What do you think you're doing?
: Take off your afro first!
: We're not cultivating any shady afros here!
: Hey, hold up!
Gin: Give it a rest.
Shin: Gin-san!
Gin: I don't care if you're a cop or whatever.
Gin: The Sakata house is governed by its own laws.
Gin: If you keep dropping your filthy, frizzy hair all over the place,
Gin: you'll have to pay with more than your pubes, boss.
Gin: He just took a dump and left!
Shin: What did he even come here to do?!
Kag: We didn't get it because he was silent,
Kag: but it looks like he simply wanted to use the toilet.
Shin: Could he have been any more misleading?!
Gin: Guess it's true that he's a man of exceedingly few words.
Gin: He was going around searching for a toilet, not Zura, huh?
Gin: Just how close was he to soiling himself?
Gin: What kind of cop takes a dump and leaves without saying a word?
Kag: It wasn't just nuggets he left behind.
Application,Sign: Application To Odd Jobs
Shin: He was here with a job request?!
Gin: H-Hey...
Gin: Zura, this...
Gin: Wait, where'd Zura go?!
Kat: If I don't strike first, I'll be exposed and purged before long.
Kat: I must k*ll before I'm k*lled.
Gin: "To Odd Jobs,
Gin: I apologize for this sudden letter."
Sai: I'm Z, a civil servant working in Edo.
Sai: I seek your help to resolve a long-standing problem of mine,
Sai: which is why I'm writing an anonymous letter to you folkz.
Shin: Uh, it may be anonymous, but it couldn't be more obvious.
Shin: A bunch of things are totally exposed here.
Sai: I've always been called a silent, cool person,
Sai: but that's not true.
Sai: What if my small talk falls flat?
Sai: What if I stutter?
Sai: What if they find my voice weird?
Sai: What if they think I'm getting cocky because
Sai: I suddenly speak up after staying silent for so long?
Sai: I have all these negative thoughts before I speak, so I stay silent out of fear.
Sai: But in truth, I'm just a normal guy who wants to have fun conversationz.
Shin: He was troubled by it!
Shin: Captain Wolfro is surprisingly timid!
Sai: But whenever I try to talk to people, I get nervous and my tummy aches,
Sai: so I always end up in toiletz.
Shin: That's why he's always taking dumps?
Sai: What if they think I do nothing but take dumps?
Sai: What if they think my lower mouth's awfully talkative even though I'm so silent?
Sai: What if they think, though my name means "end," my own end doesn't work so well?
Sai: Thinking about all that put me at an even greater loss for wordz.
Shin: Just how delicate is he?!
Sai: Ironically, the higher-ups liked my silent nature
Sai: and put me in charge of secret investigations.
Sai: Before long, I could only speak in diary entriez.
Sai: And one day,
Sai: my men found my "Prospective Friendz" list,
Sai: the Z List in short, which I'd been compiling in secret.
Shin: That's what the Z stood for?!
Sai: They read too much into it and fled,
Sai: and even though I'd finally found people I might be able to talk to,
Sai: I ended up having to punish them with my own handz.
Shin: He has an innate ability to fish out shady people!
Shin: I feel for the guy, but he's perfectly suited for secret investigations!
Sai: I didn't want to k*ll my comrades anymore, even if they had broken the Code.
Sai: So I gave up on talking and was living my life in solitude
Sai: when that man suddenly appeared in front of my eyez.
Sai: I kept silent, but he didn't let that faze him.
Sai: He kept talking to me frankly multiple timez.
Sai: Looking at his brazen yet resolute figure
Sai: cleared my mind of all doubtz.
Sai: The one who would be my friend...
Afuro,Sign: Hashira Afuro z
Sai: ...was Hashira Afuro, and no one elz.
Shin: Uh, that guy should be at the top of your hit-list!
Sai: "But as for how to talk to him, I'm completely out of ideaz.
Sai: I'd be forever grateful if you could offer me some advice."
Shin: Oh my God!
Shin: Never mind purging Katsura-san,
Shin: he's trying to make friends with him without realizing he's an enemy!
Kag: We should tell him that
Kag: the moron has infiltrated the Shinsengumi with evil intentions in mind.
Shin: But then Katsura-san will get purged.
Shin: Gin-san, what do we do?
Gin: Man, this has turned into a pain in the ass.
Gin: We ended up accepting a lot of money, too.
Gin: But he's saying he doesn't want to k*ll his friends anymore,
Gin: so we can't make him k*ll Zura.
Gin: In which case, having them truly become friends
Gin: might be the easiest way out of this mess.
Gin: They're enemies, but if Zura gets attached to him,
Gin: he might withdraw.
Shin: Is that even possible?
Shin: The two of them are Shinsengumi and Joi Rebel, you know.
Gin: Who the hell do you think I am?
Gin: I was born through a pair of smooth-talking lips...
Gin: Down there, that is.
Shin: That goes for everyone.
Gin: I'm well aware of Zura's quirks.
Gin: Bring me a pen and paper.
Gin: Z-san, I understand your long-standing loneliness so much, it hurts.
Gin: But don't you think you're being a bit overeager?
Gin: You've been silent for years,
Gin: so it's impossible for you to become talkative overnight.
Gin: Besides, Zura—
Gin: People don't pay too much attention to what others say.
Gin: Why don't you start off with listening to them?
Kat: Captain Saito.
Kat: I made you tea.
Kat: It's about time for a break, wouldn't you say?
Kat: I must get rid of this man at once
Kat: and gain control of the Third Squad, no matter what.
Kat: While it pains me to use such a dirty trick, I poisoned this tea.
Kat: It is for a just cause.
Kat: I cannot be picky about my methods.
Kat: Help yourself.
Gin: Even if you can't speak, you can listen to others, nod, and smile.
Gin: That's all it takes to have a successful conversation.
Gin: A smile, especially, can be used in any situation,
Gin: making it an excellent communication tool.
Gin: If you're at a loss, smile.
Gin: Please keep that in mind.
Kat: Wh-What's with that smile?!
Kat: Don't tell me... He realized?!
Kat: Impossible!
Kat: This poison has no taste or odor!
Kat: It should be impossible to notice with the naked eye!
Kat: But this smile practically screams that he's realized!
Kat: He's totally realized!
Kat: Is he telling me he'll accept my challenge head-on with a smile?
Kat: No, it can't be. I must be imagining things.
Kat: A smile this creepy couldn't possibly exist!
Kat: His face is probably just twitching out of exhaustion!
Kat: This is the end, Wolfro!
Gin: When you're the listener, there may be times when the other person stops talking.
Gin: At such times,
Gin: try causing a minor "accident" of sorts.
Gin: Mishaps are a far superior conversation topic than mere words.
Kat: F-Forgive me!
Kat: That tea was too hot!
Kat: I'll go make some more!
Gin: His smile is way too scary!
Shin: That was a total bust.
Sign: Odd Jobs Gin-chan
Shin: Instead of making him Wolfro's friend, it only made Katsura-san more cautious!
Gin: I thought it'd be better than making him talk unnaturally,
Gin: but even his smile was unnatural, huh?
Kag: What now? He sent us a letter to complain.
Letter,Sign: I've been doing as you said and smiling since then, but people are keeping their distance even more now. Even my diarrhea's gotten worse. Did I do something wrong? Did my assh*le do something wrong? Please respond. - Civil Servant Z
Shin: This is bad.
Shin: He's dropping that smile all over the place.
Shin: He's growing more and more isolated!
Gin: Man, screw it.
Gin: Z-san, let's move on to the next step.
Gin: Small talk might make you self-conscious, but making necessary conversation is easy.
Gin: Among those, conversations about work are most effective.
Gin: Try taking him along for work and answering any questions he may have.
Shin: Well, he managed to bring him along all right,
Shin: but Katsura-san's being super wary!
Shin: He's not going to ask any questions!
Gin: Now, now.
Gin: Once they get to work, they'll have to talk, whether they like it or not.
Shin: Now he's speechless!
Shin: This sucks! Unknown to us, Elizabeth-san was captured!
Shin: What's worse, Saito-san is also in charge of t*rture!
Gin: Wait, why is he wearing a Shinsengumi uniform, too?
Gin: Was he trying to sneak in with that? Did he really think they wouldn't find out?!
Shin: A conversation's out of the question now.
Shin: Katsura-san's going to explode for sure this time!
Eliza,Sign: K-Katsura-san!
Kat: This is a great sandbag!
Shin: He cast him aside without a moment's hesitation!
Kat: Where'd you find this?
Kat: I'd love to have one at home, too.
Kat: Damn you, Wolfro!
Kat: Did you think you could trap me with this?
Kat: Elizabeth, now is the time to endure.
Kat: I promise to avenge you—
Kat: Elizabeth...
Schedule,Sign: Feeding Zabeth Rotation Mon - Saito Tue - Hashira Wed - Saito Thu - Saito Fri - Hashira
Shin: He domesticated him?!
Shin: I thought he caught and tortured him, but he was just keeping Elizabeth-san as a pet!
Eliza ,Sign: There, there.
Eliza,Sign: Purr, purr.
Gin: He's really taken a liking to him! The two silent types have made a connection!
Kat: H-How could this be?!
Kat: In such a short time, he tamed Elizabeth even more than I did?!
Kat: Say it isn't so, Elizabe—
Kat: I can't believe it.
Kat: I don't believe it!
Shin: What is he doing?!
Shin: Never mind throwing the Shinsengumi into a panic, he's the one who's panicking most!
Gin: But this might be for the best.
Gin: A Shinsengumi officer and a Joi Rebel becoming friends was impossible to begin with.
Gin: Zura will surely learn his lesson and withdraw.
Gin: This was for the best. It really was.
Saito,Sign: One Month Later
Kat: Let's go,
Kat: Shinsengumi Third Squad!
Kat: Afro Squad, charge in!
All: Yeah!
Tsuzuku,Sign: To Be Continued
Ep Title,Title: Afuro and Wolfro
Sai: Next week, "Afuro and Wolfro" airz.
text r: We thought this story would end in one episode,
text l: but in the Third Squad, for some reason Hashira Afuro's in charge of thingz?
text r: The strategy used by Katsura (currently Hashira) puts Saito Shimaru in a real predicament.
text l: What will happen to the Shinsengumi and Shimaruzzzz...