■■ Day, ■■ Month I got this shield from him. Unusual form, extremely sharp, but feels good to hold. Hannya, he says its name is. I don't know what scripture was on his mind when he named it, or who he was thinking of, or what mistake, but I like the name. Hannya. I'll take it with me. From here on, it's my partner. ■■ Day, ■■ Month Before I left, Hannya's good old 'father' said he had something else to give me. I thought it'd be something important, but it was just a hunk of scrap metal. He said any handle paired with Hannya, I'd need to polish myself. It's a strange ask, but if that's part of the craft, it's not like I can't do it. Hannya already has a front that terrifies people, and an edge sharp enough to chop through enemies, so me personally making an inside to match might be the proper way. ■■ Day, ■■ Month Apparently, I've got to polish this to the point I can fight holding Hannya barehanded without chafing my hands, or feeling any sort of discomfort. As in, I've just got to polish all the edges flat? Alright, looks like this is going to be a very long process. ■■ Day, ■■ Month I feel like I've been polishing for long enough, but it still chafes. It looks smooth and flat already. Is this still not enough? ■■ Day, ■■ Month It's been... some time since I left Higashi. Lungmen's a complex place. There's good parts, and bad parts. I've taught lessons to plenty who needed them, and run across plenty of interesting folk. I think I like it here. There's no part of Hannya's handle for me to polish any further. After using it so long, even the curve's run flat. But it's still a metal block in the end, and no matter what, it won't reach the point where people can use it without any discomfort. It seems like it was all an impossible task from the beginning. I guess my craft isn't perfected enough. Even if I force myself to polish all the edges flat, it still can't hide itself. An iron chunk's an iron chunk, and it won't get any softer. Even if it looks smooth and slick, its nature won't change. As of today, I think I've understood his intent a little. ■■ Day, ■■ Month I got this gift from my friends. Maybe it's bad of me to say this, but I definitely didn't expect those two ladies to put so much care into thinking up a suitable present for me. A latest-model soft-strap shield handle... it sure is something I've been in need of. I appreciate the consideration. You know what they say about kind gestures from friends. Let's try using it tomorrow.