Ken ga Kimi for V: Common Route

Here I am playing one of Rejet’s best games they created when they weren’t going to shit /yet/. The vita version of the game is the port of the original Ken ga Kimi on the PC, with extra events and CGs, as well as extra epilogues to all 4 endings for each route. The story of Ken ga Kimi is set in an alternate universe of Feudal Japan, where Oni, Ayakashi & Humans exist. Our heroine Kayo, is the daughter of a owner of a tea-house, who is struck by a bad harvest that spring. One day, some samurai from the Bakufu come and ask her for favour, to disguise as the princess for her bridal procession. There, she gets caught up in the the fact that the procession was used to transport one of the Five Heavenly Swords to Sunpu, the destination of the Bridal Procession. From there, Kayo meets 6 different samurai, and what will happen to the fates of her & these 6 samurai?
The game is pretty long, but I’ll try to summarise everything so thats ~~its compact and easy to read.~~ (I tried, but I ended up just separating the routes into separate posts) The endings are split into 4, the Wild, Strange, Peace & Happy ends. Wild & Strange ends belong to the Ken route, while the other 2 are in the Kimi Route. Separate route summaries will be in the order of who I played, in different posts.

Before we get into the main story, there are a few concepts in Ken ga Kimi that will be important to the story:
Common Route

Humans, Oni & Yokai exist in the country of Hinomoto (which is Japan), and Yokai are mainly creatures which are presumed to harm the people of Hinomoto. Oni are a race which are highly discriminated, due to the fact that there was a war a long time ago between humans and oni, and the humans won, so now Oni are not allowed to carry swords.
The “Five Heavenly Swords” exist, namely Onimaru Kunitsunaga, Doujigiri, Ootenta, Mikazuki Munechika & Juzumaru. These swords are presented to samurai who become the “Ichibangatana of the sword tournamants which are held every year in spring.
The story & legend of the Marebito. The Marebito is the ruler of the Tokoyo, the underworld of this story, where people go when they die. There are 5 gates which link the human world with the underworld, but if they’re open, ghouls from the underworld will comes through the gates and destroy Hinomoto. The Marebito is said to be able to revive people, but this comes with a sacrifice.

Chapter 1

Our heroine Kayo, is the only daughter restaurant owner who’s living peacefully and working with her father, until she’s approached by a Bakufu official, Mitsuyoshi to pose as Hisahime for the Bridal Procession. Since the death of Tokugawa Tadanaga, Sunpu has been controlled directly by the Bakufu, and is about to name a new Governor. Hisahime is about to marry the son of the next governor, Tadanari. However, Hisahime’s been very frail since she was young and a bridal procession would be too much for her because of the heavy Shiromuku, as well as the fact that Edo is very far away from Sunpu and being at the centre of attention would be bad for her. There’s also been rumours of bandits appearing on Mount Hakone who may attack the procession for the presents, and they’ve prepared skillful guards so she doesn’t need to worry about the bandits. Since Kayo looks almost identical, she’s able to take the place of Hisahime for the bridal procession, and she should be able to pass off as Hisahime with makeup.

However, her father politely declines, as ever since Kayo’s mother died, Kayo is his only family and he doesn’t want her to go on such a dangerous journey However, the issue is still stuck in Kayo’s head for the next few days as she worried about the consequences as they’re dealing with the bakufu. (as you know, the bakufu was a very strict government which could go to extreme means to get what they want) The samurai from the bakufu along with Mitsuyoshi come once more, saying that they’ve increased the number of guards from 4 to 6, and they’re offering a higher reward in order to convince her Father to let her go on the journey. However, Kayo’s father is firm with his decision, and refuses and throws them out by force by throwing salt at them. Kayo’s shocked by this, and runs out to apologise to Mitsuyoshi for her father’s behaviour. He tells her that they won’t give up and they’ll be waiting for her on the night of the start of the procession, so she has time until then.

Over the next few days, the situation gets worse though, as Kayo notices strange ronin hanging around her district, and has a gut feeling that they’re keeping a watch on her. Kayo then decides that she’ll go and become a fake bride, and explains to her father that the Bakufu has their eyes on them, and she doesn’t want to bother the neighbours anymore. Her father understands, and hands her a handmade charm by her mother, for her protection. Kayo then heads to the start point in the early morning of the first day, and that begins her journey with the 6 guards who are will eventually become her man harem. The procession starts off pretty tense as it’s the first time Kayo’s wearing a Shiromuku, and she’s riding on a very tall hold with a bunch of guards she doesn’t even know, and the guards tell her to relax. Meanwhile, at the bakufu, it turns out that the bride’s dagger was swapped with one of the Five Heavenly swords, Juzumaru, and this fake bridal procession was mainly to transport that safely.

Chapter 2

The procession goes on very slowly, with travellers all bowing down to them, which makes Kayo feel awkward and apologetic to them as she’s just a fake. They soon take a break when Mitsuyoshi doesn’t see anyone around, and they begin their introductions. Mitsuyoshi introduces himself as the commander of this procession, as well as two samurai & two porters, along with Hanzou, the lady attendant for Kayo throughout this journey. The guard’s jobs are to guard mainly Kayo, as well as the porters with the gifts. All the guards introduce themselves to Kayo, and she introduces herself to everyone as well. The guards are Tsuzuramaru, Kei, Saneaki, Enishi, Sakyou & Suzukake. Mitsuyoshi tells everyone that they have to call Kayo “princess” throughout the entire journey to make sure that no one finds out that she’s a fake. They’re on a tight schedule as well, as they only have 6 days to arrive at Sunpu.

After saving a travelling salesmen from a Yokai, they arrive at their first stop, Totsuka Station, where Kayo feels really awkward acting as a princess. This is due to the fact that she’s staying in a room called the “Jodan no ma”, a room only used for nobles, and she has to remain on the higher platform at all times. She can’t leave the room as people would be shocked to see Hisahime roaming around the inn, and thus she has to stay there. Kayo has no appetite to eat thought due to the fact that she’s extremely nervous, but Hanzou then tells her that she needs to have enough stamina in order for the rest of the journey for them to return her to her father safely.

The guards on the other hand, are in the eastern hall. planning their formation for the rest of the journey. They also have to take turns every night to guard the “Saya no Ma”, the veranda outside of the “Jodan no ma”. Of course, all of them have their different complains about the space that they were given to rest in, especially Enishi & Sakyou, but they have to deal with it anyway. They end up deciding that Mitsuyoshi and the Tokugawa guards will be at the front, followed by Tsuzuramaru & Kei as Vanguards, followed by Suzukake & Hanzou in the centre. Suzukake is in charge of the horse, so he can’t go too far away anyway. The back will be guard by Saneaki & Sakyou along with the porters, and Enishi can do what he once. After settling all this and eating, they go and rest.

Kayo however, still can’t sleep due the fact that she’s afraid and worried about the journey ahead, especially at Mount Hakone, the place with the rumours of bandits. Noticing that Kayo has problems sleeping, Hanzo lights up a sandalwood incense in the room for her to relax and get some rest before continuing on their Journey.

Chapter 3

The journey continues next morning and the guards are in their formation they planned on and well…..Enishi’s position is right behind the horse. He tells everyone that the horse is important, so he needs to be right at the back of the horse to protect Kayo. He came to enjoy the food and hot springs, and his only job is to protect Kayo. In reality though, he’s just keeping watching on Juzumaru which is hidden as the brides dagger. Their next stop is Odawara, which is famous for their Uirou Mochi. This gets Tsuzuramaru excited, because HE REALLY LIKES EATING FOOD. Saneaki talks to them more about the about Odawara having all sorts of souvenirs, and Kayo should be able to get one for her father here. She can’t leave the inn though, but the guards offer to go and get something for her. However, Kei cuts in and tell them it’s no time to be fooling around. He’s pretty pissed and says that they’re following a schedule, and Mitsuyoshi reveals part of their plan. The journey started on the 6th of March, and needs to reach Sunpu by the 15th. They have to stick to the plan as the ceremony of retrieving a sword will happen the day after, so they really need to arrive on time of it’ll be suspicious.

Saneaki says that they should be okay if nothing happens along the way, except for Mount Hakone where they’re bandits. The serious discussion about the schedule continues until Enshi crashes into the tree lightening the mood, and Kei sighs. They arrive at Odawara station, and Tsuzuramaru heads to town to buy Uirou Mochi while the rest head into the inn. Enshi continues to fool around again with Suzukake getting excited at his telescope and Kei getting pissy.

Kayo’s in her room and has changed into her nightwear, and starts getting upset as she misses her father a lot. Tsuzuramaru then knocks on her door a while later, and he notices her crying. He invites her to eat the mochi with her which lightens her mood as she had someone to talk to her casually. Tsuzuramaru talks about his adventures in the town where he learnt about a lot of new things, and asks her to learn new things from this journey as it’s the essence of travelling. He then comes up with a method to send a letter to Kayo’s father secretly, through his pigeon Hayato. Hayato could send the message to Edo castle, and the people there could relay the message to her father. She gladly accepts the idea, and quickly write a message for her father and Hayato flies off with it.

The room falls into an awkward silence though, until Hanzou comes in and is not pleased Tsuzuramaru entering the room without proper permission. After chasing him out, Hanzou tells Kayo to be careful with samurai of unknown origins cuz she’s in her bedclothes. At dinner, the guards are busy discussing the Sword Tournaments happening all over Hinomoto, and about the skilled Master Swordsman Ootenta that they all look at to. On Kayo’s side though, Nazou talks to her about the stations and the recommended foods of the towns. She also asks Kayo to choose a guard to come after her to guard the “Jodan no Ma” that night. The choices are Kei, Saneaki & Suzukake. For the vita version, these scenes were expanded uniquely with a new CG for each guy. What happened in each even will be in their respective posts.

Kei | Saneaki | Suzukake

The next morning, Tsuzuramaru apologises to Kayo for his rudeness. It turns out that he actually woke up early to apologise to her, and Hanzou chuckles a bit due to his seriousness. She says that she’s happy that he brought Uirou Mochi for Kayo to cheer her up, but he should tell her next time when he wants to entertain her so that she can go in together with him due to Kayo’s position right now. Enishi comes out hearing this and starts whining that he wants to play with Kayo as well. Mitsuyoshi clears his throat and says that they’re headed to Mount Hakone next. Kei tells Enishi to stop being carefree as they need to pass through the checkpoint in order to reach Hakone Station. Kayo asks what they’re going to do, and it turns out they have to go through a very strict procedure to get there, and that Kayo has to be checked by the female officials to see if she’s really Hisahime. Hanzou has done all the measures to make sure she does look like her, so as long Kayo isn’t too nervous they’ll be fine. Then then head off.

Chapter 4

The Procession group starts climbing up Mount Hakone and they soon decide to take a break to let the horse rest. They rest for a while and start talking about Hakone’s specialities, such as their hot springs, when Kei gets pissy and cuts in again, and their break gets cut short and they have to run after him. They reach a steep slope where the Kayo feels that she’s going to fall if she doesnt hold onto the horse, but Suzukake ensures that they’ll be fine. They’re attacked by another Youkai, and Kayo sends one of the guards to defeat it. They meet with another steep slope again though, and both slopes have stories to why it was named. The conversation turns to the issue of how samurai aren’t allowed to return to their homelands until they take blood revenge, and Enishi says that he can’t believe people would do that. Sakyou gets pissed at this discreetly though, but says nothing.

Meanwhile, Hayato has reached Edo with the letter at Edo Castle, and Tatsukage, another official of the Bakufu checks the contents of the letter and asks one of the guards to send it to Kayo’s father. Upon receiving it, Kayo’s Father is relieved to here from her and thanks the guards, and continues to pray for her safety.

The Procession reaches Lake Ashi, where there’s a small shrine there. Mitsuyoshi explains that it’s Hakone shrine, and it worships the Shinto gods. There’s a legend saying that the Lake was once poisoned by the Nine-headed dragon, and in order to calm it down, the people sacrificed young women to the Marebito, which turned it into a water deity. This is why the Hakone Shrine holds the Dragon God Festival every year. Mitsuyoshi continues talking about the different Marebito legends and how someone was sacrificed to the Tokoyou if they believed that the Marebito was angry. Kayo is a little scared from hearing all of this, but she can’t seem to get if off her mind.

They soon reach the checkpoint where Kayo gets worried that she won’t be able to pass if something wrong happens, and Sakyou points out that she needs to have a happy expression as she’s posing as someone who’s about to get married. After some convincing, she puts on a much better expression. Sakyou also points out that she has to take off her mother’s charm though, as it may raise suspicion as it has her name on it. She hands the charm Suzukake, and he promises to take care of it. She goes through the inspection smoothly, and heads outside the checkpoint to meet up with Hanzou and Suzukake. Suzukake returns her the charm, and helps her get back on the horse. Hanzou leaves to check up the situation inside and tells her not to stray away from Suzukake.

However, the horse starts panicking and goes wild, and Kayo has no choice but to cling onto the horse in order not to fall, but her charm falls out of her sleeve. Suzukake tries to calm the horse down but it doesn’t, and Kayo is panicking as she needs to pick up her charm, if not their cover would be blown. Sakyou & Enishi arrive at the scene shocked to see them in this situation, and Kayo can call either one of them for help. No matter what you pick, they will both settle the situation and avoid any suspicion on them.

Enishi | Sakyou

After leaving the checkpoint, Suzukake notices that the horse’s legs are hurting, but since Hakone station is near, the horse can finally rest. Suzukake’s expressions looks more worried though, and offers to get off the horse as its legs may not be able to last until the Station. Kei tells her not to get off the horse, as she needs to understand her position right now, and they can probably get another one at the station if the horse is crushed. This makes Kayo upset, and Suzukake chimes in saying that he should follow her suggestion since horses are living beings too. Kei however keeps shit talking stuff about how animals don’t matter (and as a cat & dog lover I AM OFFENDED) and tells Kayo to shut up because she’s a woman. Sakyou tells him to at least speak respectfully to her right now as she’s posing as Hisahime, and Saneaki sighs and tells them to hurry up and decide, and to stop arguing. Kayo gets off the horse anyway, and Saneaki asks her to choose someone to escort her up to the Station for her safety, and no matter who she picks, they do a good job.

Meanwhile, Asakura is staying in an old shack with the late Tadanaga’s son, Choushichirou, plotting revenge for Tadanaga. He feels really sad for Choushichirou having to accept losing his father at such a young age, when suddenly a creepy old lady walks in. She’s a Shaman who believes in the Marebito religion, and Asakura doesn’t want to deal with her until she says that they can use the power of the Marebito revive Tadanaga. This causes him to fall into the temptation, and asks for more details, unknowingly walking into a path of ruin (because we know that reviving a person is pretty fucked up.)

Chapter 5

On Mount Hakone, a miko is making her way through the mountains when she trips and falls, breaking her sandal strap in the process. An old man walks past asking her what she’s doing there though, and fixes her strap for her, and says that they need to head to Mishima first. The Miko introduces herself as Nanae and asks what’s wrong with this place, and the old man mentions the bandits. They’re promptly attacked by bandits though, and the old man starts asking Nanae to run.

The Procession reaches Hakone, and Hanzou tells Kayo that they’ve heard that a traveller ran into a bandit downhill, so they need to be on their guard even more tomorrow. Kayo then asks Hanzou to talk more about the story of Marebito, and says that it can serve as a bedtime story for her, and Hanzou agrees. She then talks about what I’ve mentioned above in the concepts, and I’m too lazy to go over them again so read that thanks. Meanwhile downstairs, Enishi’s out buying dango and Tsuzuramaru & Suzukake have itchy hands so they decide to touch his sword, but for some reason they can’t seem to pull it out. They immediately drop it though when he returns, and changes the subject. Enishi invites everyone to go for a bath since they’re all sweaty, but Kei says he’ll go later and Suzukake says he needs to check up on the horse.

Kayo is bored in her room as she’s not allowed to go out, and she wants time to be herself when Hanzou comes in saying that she’s received permission from Mitsuyoshi for Kayo to roam about the headquarters for her to relax. She also suggests Kayo goes to the Hot Springs to relax as they have a long day tomorrow, and she heads out. Here, Kayo can either head to the hot springs, check on the horse, or rest in her room first before going to the hot springs. 2 of them are individual events, so I’ll be writing about the Hot Springs options here.

Kei | Suzukake

Kayo heads to the Hot Springs, and Hanzou tells her there’s a private bath next to the public one, and they’ve made arrangements with the owner so that she can use it anytime. Meanwhile, ~~we get a sexy CG of Tsuzuramaru, Enishi, Saneaki & Sakyou in the bath~~ and are currently chatting about the rest of the dudes. They discuss Kei’s unsociableness which is probably because he’s entering the Sword Tournaments. Sakyou leaves the bath first, followed by the rest and they bump into Kayo who’s heading into the private bath. Kayo asks how was their bath, and they all say its good for relieving stress. Saneaki asks if it’s really okay for her to enter the hot spring alone, and she informs them that she received permission already. Saneaki decides that one of the guards should stay behind and guard the entrance of the private bath, and Kayo gets to choose. At the same time, if you choose anyone other than Enishi the remaining 2 will drag him away kicking and screaming.

If she chooses Tsuzuramaru, he stays outside and gets really nervous and embarrassed, trying not to imagine Kayo taking a bath when she comes out and sees his face. She asks if anything’s wrong though, and he just says that she looks really pretty too in her casual wear as well. Kayo gets embarrassed when she remembers what happened in Odawara, and they stand there in silence embarrassed at each other until he breaks to silence and offers to walk her back to her own room.

If she chooses Saneaki, he tells her that the bath is said to have healing properties for cold and ache, and tells her not to drink the water of the hot spring. Kayo’s surprised that people actually drink hot spring water, and Saneaki says that it depends as some hot spring waters have medicinal properties. When Kayo comes out of the bath, Saneaki’s surprised that she’s out fast and she says that it’s because she gets dizzy from staying in a bath too long, and he walks her back to her room.

If she chooses Enishi, everyone is so skeptical but he tells them not to worry and pushes them off. He quickly nudges her into the bath too though, saying that she’s cute and he may take a peek. （*´▽｀*）Of course Kayo says that she’ll get angry if he does though, and he abstains from doing anything gets upset he can’t peek because it’s pretty obvious…until 2 old ladies come by giggling at his hotness and how they want to invite him for a bath with them….except that the guy doesn’t want to oh wells. This leaves him grimacing, and confuses Kayo, and he doesn’t tell her why anyway.

If she chooses Sakyou, he will talk about Enishi’s bad sleeping habits to Kayo when she mentions how interesting he is, and she notices that he’s really harsh with his words though. When he moves on to the topic on whether she’s had dinner, and asks if they had any pickles since he really likes them. Kayo tells him about the pickles she had for dinner, and he realises she’s very knowledgable in the food field. When Kayo comes out of the bath, Sakyou’s muttering something about the bandits, but stops when he sees her.

Once Kayo returns to the Jodan no Ma, Hanzou asks her to choose a guard again to guard the Saya no Ma. The choices this time are Tsuzuramaru, Enishi & Sakyou, and these scenes are expanded as well with their different ways to getting her to relax and sleep.

Tsuzuramaru | Enishi | Sakyou

The next morning, they leave Hakone Station for Mishima Station, where she’ll be given a purification ceremony using the water of Mount Fuji. Enishi then tells her to drop the “-sama” when calling them and tells her to call them more informally as she’s acting like a princess, and she tries her best to drop the “-sama”. Suzukake also asks her to talk to him casually, since he’s younger anyway and she can only do it to him without having to feel that bad. Thanks to Suzukake’s forcefulness, Kayo agrees. However, 2 bandits are already watching them in the shadows, and they decide to report this to Shiguragi for further action. Tsuzuramaru soon points out that it’s quite worrying if the bandits were to appear, and Mitsuyoshi says that they’ll be at a disadvantage if they’re attack here, and of course, they are.

Mitsuyoshi Suzukake to ride away with the Kayo on the horse to get her out of the scene, and sends Enishi to chase after them as well. However, right after this happens. Hanzou realises it’s a trap and the attackers break the path on the cliff, separating them into 2 groups. Tsuzuramaru, Kei & Sakyou get over to the other side of the path with the porters, but Mitsuyoshi, Hanzou, Saneaki & the Tokugawa guards are on the other side. More shit hits the fan when Hanzou gets shot, and the 3 guards on the other side are at a disadvantage fighting the attackers on a narrow road, especially Sakyou who’s apparent main goal is to kill them, but he can’t as he needs to protect the porters. They fight their way out, and like Sakyou’s guess, the attackers are the Oumi Mountain Oni who run off after being cornered. Sakyou curses as he helps the porters up and heads forward.

Chapter 6

Suzukake & Kayo soon reach a safe spot, and they’re worried about the rest when Enishi comes running by saying that he took care of the bandit behind him. This is followed by the other 3 and the porters, with Sakyou still pissed. Kei’s about to get mad at Enishi for runnign off until Suzukake says that he was just protecting the horse’s back from any enemies. He then apologises for saying that, and Tsuzuramaru suggests they head to Mishima Station first, but Suzukake says that they should wait as they can’t leave the rest behind. However, Enishi tells him that they all fought to defend their backs, so they should believe in them and head on first. Kayo, seeing everyone in low spirits, also decides to believe in the rest for now and get a move on. Meanwhile, Mitsuyoshi’s group has 2 injured people and they can’t move forward due to the broken path, and they decide to head back to Hakone Station to seek help. Saneaki goes on alone though, saying that he will go after them since he’s familiar with Mount Hakone, and heads off.

Kayo’s group reaches Mishima Station, but the air’s pretty tense as they’re not sure what to do right now. After eating dinner, Kayo heads down to the guards’ room to join in the discussion for what to do next, and Kei tells her to go to bed. When she replies that she can’t sleep because she’s worried, he says she can stay if she wants to and Enishi reveals that he was concerned for her, and Kei gets tsuntsun af. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° They start the discussion on what to do next, and they decide to wait until the sun rises next morning for the rest, and head on since they were ordered to complete the Procession no matter what. They discuss what to do when fighting on narrow roads, and Suzukake offers to go check up on the porters, and Enishi goes and leaves a mark that they arrived safely. With that, everyone goes to bed. Kayo can’t sleep because she’s too worried, and the other guards are up too, doing their own things.

Meanwhile, Saneaki is heading through Mount Hakone when he’s attacked by the Oumi Mountain Onis again. They threaten him to reveal details about the Wedding Procession, but he plainly tells him that he’s a guard and he doesn’t know. Shiguragi pulls out Nanae and the Old Man as hostages to get a reaction out of him by kicking them in his face, which causes him to call them brutes, and draw his sword to kill them. Since he’s going all out, he defeats 2 out of 4 in the group skillfully, followed by the 3rd, and cuts off Shiguragi’s horn which pisses him off. He runs off saying that he won’t forget this grudge, and Saneaki helps the 2 hostages get back on the main road so that they won’t run into shady people again.

Saneaki soon reaches Mishima Station, and the rest of the guards rush to meet him and see him covered in blood. Suzukake gets worried he’s injured, but he assures them that the blood isn’t his. Kayo’s really relieved to see him to the point that she almost falls, and Enishi has to hold her. Saneaki assures her that the rest are safe but have gone back to Hakone Station. He also confirms that he killed a few Oni, and they’re probably going to be attacked again as he pissed off their leader. Everyone soon goes and rest, and Suzukake tells him that he should come to him for a checkup just in case he had any injuries.

The next morning, Saneaki brings Kayo’s breakfast into the Jodan no Ma, and asks her to eat up as the owner of the inn was worried. Kayo starts asking for more details of the other members of the Bakufu, and he suggests going to Mishima Taisha to pray for their safety. He’ll send the guards to protect her while she’s there. Kayo agrees, and she can choose between 3 groups: Saneaki only, Tsuzuramaru & Enishi or Kei, Sakyou & Suzukake.

Saneaki

If Kayo picks Tsuzuramaru & Enishi, they’ll head together to the Shrine together cheerfully, where they wash their hands before praying. Tsuzuramaru ends up drinking the water though, much to the surprise of Enishi & Kayo as YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DRINK THE WATER. They’re convinced to drink it anyway since Enishi wants to join in the fun. He then suggests Kayo do the purification ceremony with his uh lewd intentions, but Kayo refuses and Tsuzuramaru is relieved. The water’s still really cold right now in this season, so they wouldn’t want her catching a cold. After they finish praying, They go and draw fortune papers where Kayo & Tsuzuramaru draw good luck, with Tsuzuramaru drawing “good luck for the future”. Enishi gets a bad luck which says “the person he’s waiting for wont appear” which makes him whine but he ends up saying he’s met her already, and he’s referring to Kayo. Their arguments and cheerfulness assure Kayo that the remainder of the journey would be fine.

If Kayo picks Kei, Sakyou & Suzukake, Sakyou will give them some history about the Shrine, and teaches both of them the proper procedures of praying. Meanwhile, Kei says that he doesn’t want to pray and decides to patrol the area. Kayo is glad that she doesn’t have to do the purification ceremony though, as the water’s still cold in this season. The 3 of them pray for their safety for the rest of the journey, and after that Suzukake runs to see the charms. Sakyou tells him that they’re not here to play though, and Kayo feels that she’s being a burden to them right now. Sakyou says its fine as the heavy mood from yesterday, and she should feel uneasy, so its their job to cheer her up and allow her to reach Sunpu safely. Upon catching up with Suzukake, Sakyou continues to explain the origins of the items they’re selling there. Kayo looks at the safety charms, and she cant decide what she wants to buy and Kei chooses one for her, and asks her if she’s feeling better from this trip.

At 7, they return from the shrine, and they wait for a while for Mitsuyoshi and the rest. However, no one comes and they have to leave for their next station already. Suzukake protests saying that they should wait longer, and wants to backtrack and check it out, but the rest tell him he can’t as they have to go on, and there will be no one to take care of the horse. Tsuzuramaru says that he believes Saneaki that Mitsuyoshi and the rest will be safe, and Kayo tells all of them to calm down as well as he didn’t mean any ill intentions. Suzukake ends up apologising to the rest, and they head off.

Meanwhile, in Sunpu, the sword tournaments continues, and one person’s strength stands out from the rest, and that is one of the important side characters, Tsuzumi Hougen. He becomes Sunpu’s Ichibangatana, but he doesn’t want wealth or fame, he only wants to return Tadanaga’s kindness. As such, Asakura approaches him as he believes that Tsuzumi will be receiving one of the Five Heavenly Swords, and he will be able to use Tsuzumi for his current scheme.

Chapter 7

The Procession goes past one station and is heading off to their next station, Yui Station. Shiguragi’s side, he’s still pretty pissed that his horn is damaged by Saneaki, and soon receives news regarding the details of the Wedding Procession. Upon finding out that it’s from the Bakufu, he figures that something suspicious is going on within the Bakufu right now and decides to pursue them to learn more, at the same time rob the Wedding gifts. Some of the oni are scared of having to deal with the Bakufu though, but he tells them that they swore to create a world where Onis could hold swords, and they’re cowards if they don’t want to face the Bakufu head one. They decide to chase the Wedding Procession, and Shiguragi’s confident he’s able to defeat all of them with their tactics, since the group has already been split into 2 by them already anyway.

Meanwhile, the wedding procession is moving on smoothly, and should be able to make it to Sunpu on time with no problems. Hayato comes back from the delivering the letter, and Tsuzuramaru asks if she would like him to send Hayato to check if there’s any sign of Hanzou & the rest since she seems restless thinking about them. They give it a try, and everyone assures her that they will be fine, and they are currently following their wishes to make sure she reaches Sunpu in time. Enishi also whines that he wanted to travel with her for a while more, and Kayo says that she feels the same way as him. They continue through the woods when Saneaki senses a presence. Sure enough, they’re attacked by another Yokai. Kayo sends one of the guards to deal with the Yokai, and no matter who you choose, they will safely get out of the woods after defeating it.

Because of this situation, they realise they’re not prepared for surprise attacks, and that they’re pretty unorganised. They decide to let Kayo choose a leader for them, and that person will have to take care of Kayo as her attendant, take care of the wedding parade, and give the rest orders. Kayo doesn’t want to trouble them, but since she’s playing a role of a princess, she can’t take care of herself. She’ll auto-choose the one with highest affection, and what they do follows a similar template except for some parts, so I’ll refer to them as the leader.

They reach Yui station, and the first trouble they meet is when the innkeeper starts questioning them as to where her female attendant is as Hisahime is supposed to have a female attendant who would follow her into the Jodan no Ma. Kayo decides to stand up for herself as a princess to save more suspicion, and tells the innkeeper that her female attendant is behind due to reasons. The leader also speaks up for her saying that the princess is really stubborn as her female attendant was unwell, so they left her at the last station saying that she’ll take care of herself. The leader says that he’s her loyal attendant and will guard her at the Jodan no Ma. He’ll also ask the innkeeper to move the rest of the guards to the Sayo no Ma.

Kayo soon heads to the Jodan no Ma with the leader, and upon entering the room, he thanks her for saying them. Kayo then tells him that she needs to change into her normal kimono, and she needs the leader to leave the room. Depending on who you pick their reactions would be different, with Sakyou & Saneaki being sensitive about it, and Kei & Tsuzuramaru blushing like idiots, and having to kick Suzukake & Enishi out of the room as the former wants to help her change and the latter keeps teasing her. Kayo is still worried about Hanzou & the rest, but she decides to keep working hard to reach Sunpu.

After that, dinner is served, and the leader tells Kayo not to respond to the owner, and drop the formalities towards them to avoid suspicion. She spaces out a bit during dinner though, and they make some small talk. The contents are different for each guy, but it’s most them hinting about their personal issues which I’ll just write about in their personal route posts. The next morning, they quickly leave Yui station. The guards notice that she’s pretty though, and she says that it’s because she didn’t get enough sleep last night. She was pretty nervous with the leader guarding her outside, and the guards tell her that if she feels unwell, she needs to let them know.

The Wedding Procession is headed through Satta Pass next, with the pass having an excellent view of the sea and Mount Fuji. They enjoy the scenery for a while until more shit hits the fan when an arrow flies past and the horse panics. Suzukake tries to calm it down, but it shakes him off and starts running into the bushes with Kayo on it’s back. Because of this, the leader chases after Kayo telling her to hold on tightly onto the horse so she won’t fall off. The rest of the guards will take care of the 3 bandits who attack them and threaten them to leave all their valuable things behind, but they’re all beaten up.

Meanwhile, Kayo finally gets hold of the reins of the horse and stops the horse, but she has no idea where she is as they’re far into the woods. Kayo’s really afraid since she’s alone in the woods with no one guarding her, and decides to wait until someone comes. Unfortuntely, the bandits get to her first, and they force her to get off the horse by threatening her with their swords. She’s brought to Shiguragi who demands her to hand over the confidential letter to him, but she keeps telling him that she doesn’t have anything. Of course, they treat her violently and decide to search her thoroughly, and she tries to defend herself to no avail. Thinking that she’s going to die, she apologises to her family members and friends.

Fortunately, she’s saved by the leader who came after her. No matter who comes, they will figure out that she’s carrying one of the Five Heavenly Swords, Juzumaru, as a replacement for the bride’s dagger. Shiguragi however, will have a different fate depending on the guy. The leader will save her and bring her back to the rest of the guards safely.

Chapter 8

The Procession soon reaches Okitsu River, and by crossing it they’ve finally reached Sunpu. Kayo’s a little say that the journey’s about to be over, despite all the terrifying things that have happened, but they’ve gone through all this together. Everyone’s pretty relieved, though Suzukake & Kayo are still worried about Mitsuyoshi & Hanzou. Enishi says that they’ve probably reached Sunpu by now, so they don’t need to worry as no news is good news. When they enter Sunpu, the Procession attracts more attention then ever due to the recent suspicious incidents happening, and Kayo decides to hold back a while more until they enter Sunpu castle.

The Wedding Procession enters Sunpu castle, and the journey is over. Kayo changes out of the Shiromuku, and doesn’t have to act like Hisahime anymore. She’s brought to the room where all the guards are, and they’re all quiet as they’re in a castle. Suddenly, Saneaki bows down, and everyone follows suit because he probably saw officials coming. Suzukake’s confused though, but Sakyou just tells him quietly to follow suit. Footsteps come in, and a voice tells them to raise their heads. It’s Tatsukage & Munenori. Saneaki asks about the real Hisahime, and he tells them that she’s arrived safely via back streets. Tatsukage heard that they met with a lot of danger throughout the journey, but Saneaki assures him that they are all fine and unharmed. Kayo asks about Hanzou & Mitsuyoshi, but all Tatsukage can say is that he hasn’t received any reports from them. This makes Kayo more worried, but all she can do now is pray for their safety.

Soon, a Tokugawa samurai comes to deliver their rewards, and Munenori says that they’ve prepared transportation for her to bring her back to Edo. After thanking everyone for their cooperation, Tatsukage leaves with Munenori. Enishi finally relaxes, and everyone is relieved somehow with some people happy that they’ve received the money for their personal reasons, or for the group’s safety. Suzukake is still worried about Hanzou & Mitsuyoshi though, when they come walking into the room. Hanzou feels bad for getting them worried though, and they explain that after they separated, they worked with Hakone officials to capture the remaining bandits. The bandits were Oumi Mountains Onis, so they’re be receiving their punishment later.

Mitsuyoshi thanks her for her cooperation and putting her in danger, but Kayo tells him not to bow down to her. Hanzou also thanks her for doing her best throughout the journey, but Kayo says it was thanks to them. This time, since the Bakufu have prepared an inn for everyone to rest into before they leave, everyone takes on the offer despite Kei being reluctant as first as he needs to go return a debt as soon as possible. Mitsuyoshi assigns Hanzou to take care of her while she’s here for her safety, and she agrees. With that, Kayo wants to go out to town to buy some souvenirs for her father, and Hanzou tells her to ask one of the guards to go along with her. Kayo will again auto-pick the guard with the highest affection, and they’ll head out to town together. I will be putting the Sunpu dates + the Farewell scene for each dude here, so I’ll skip to Kayo’s return to Edo.

After that, around 27 March, Kayo arrives back in Edo. Her father’s sweeping the outside of the restaurant, and is overjoyed to see her. She apologises for making him worry, but he says it’s a father’s job to get worried about their children. Mitsuyoshi doesn’t know how to thank Kayo’s father, but he’s really grateful. Hanzou soon takes her leave and Kayo tries to stop her for a meal, but she says it’s fine and she’ll probably never see her again. Mitsuyoshi follows suit, and Kayo knows that she can’t stop them.

Kayo enters her room, and the journey’s been so long so she finds her room nostalgic. She looks back on their journey, on how much they’ve been through, and thinks that she’s matured just a bit. The Five Swords Festival is about to begin soon, and the restaurant’s going to be busy again. She then takes a very long nap, one that she wasn’t able to have when she was on the journey.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Sunpu, A group of Tokugawa samurai are chasing after a group of people. This group of people, consisting of Asakura, Choushichirou, Tsuzumi, Nanae, a suspicious oni old lady with some samurai who are loyal to Tadanaga. Earlier one, Nanae has reunited with Tsuzumi in Sunpu, as she had ran all the way there to see him upon received a long break from work. Tsuzumi had explained to her that he’s going to perform the ritual of the Five Heavenly Swords by the order of Asakura Nobumasa, as he swore to work for Tadanaga since he saved his village from famine. Since Tadanaga is gone, he swears to protect Choushichirou, and he doesn’t actually want to work for the new head of Sunpu. He invited Nanae to come along as he wants his future wife to attend the ritual with him, and Nanae gladly accepts his proposal.

Now, they’re running back to Edo for the ritual, where Asakura tells Choushichirou that he’ll be able to meet his father very soon. Choushichirou doesn’t know how though, but he’s very happy to hear that. With Juzumaru & Sunpu’s ichibangatana, they’ll be able to reunite the father and son. The Oni old lady is laughing creepily though, but she isn’t heard as her voice is muffled by the sound of the wind. Nanae says that she’d like to enjoy time with Tsuzumi after this ritual, and Tsuzumi assures that they will. From this Choushichirou has become a fugitive, but he doesn’t know anything and happily follows them.

Well I guess, enjoy your fun and happy times right now while you can……

Whew! I really wanted my review on Ken ga Kimi to not be one long arse post like this, but when I finished writing out Sakyou’s route and continued on Saneaki i realised i was hitting 10k words with a short summary of the Common Route, and I realised I was leaving out so many details I decided to separate the posts in the end. I will eventually post the personal routes soon, but not so fast as I’ll be pushing other reviews out first as I’m taking too much time with the whole thing.

As for the story, I really like how everything was so detailed and difficult to read, as how they managed to hint on the different dudes. The foreshadowing was REALLY STRONG though, about how Asakura’s group is going to turn up. Like how all other Rejet original games are, the Commmon Route was really long and enjoyable with all the guys interactions. Do look out for my next few posts on the guys, and the individual events in the common route will be updated. with links.