Kyuden Shika

"I lost a stick fight to a bureaucrat. So."

"I'd trade you, really. Too late for that though."

"Hey, we Phoenix are known to like a little immolation, you know..."

Raizo smiled, and then exhaled.

"But I hope that's the last time you go through it..."

"Cept it was a Lion." They deadpanned. "But I get what you mean. It's definitely something not fun. Hope you don't get beat up by nerds again though."

"Oh, I expect to get beaten up a great deal in the days ahead."

For once, Unsei wasn't the diviner in their conversation...

"...Why? What are you doing?" They asked, a bit worried about their friend now.

"I'm a bushi, Unsei-sama. Getting beaten up is part of the job. And I might be serving as yojimbo, which only increases the amount of abuse you absorb on others' behalf..."

They frowned at that. "Yeah... you guys are always getting in harm's way..." They didn't even want to think about their potential future yojimbo.

"Assuming you're going to be the yojimbo for Aimi-san?"

"Actually, no. Until she weds, she has no standing and therefore no real ability to request a yojimbo. Kaikoga Koi is my probable charge. Have you met?"

"Don't need to request it really. I've got myself a future yojimbo and that's only because she told me that she was going to be my yojimbo and that was that. Granted, she's also still got about 5 years until her gempukku, but she seemed quite forward with wanting to guard me later on in life. I assumed you did the same for Aimi-san, but it appears not."

And they completely and utterly ignored who he was guarding. Better for their blood pressure.