Mokutarou Kikuta/Story

Overview
**Story**
Gallery

## Background

Kikuta was born in Saitama prefecture.

In Meiji 35 (1902), Kikuta, Hajime Tsukishima, and Hyakunosuke Ogata were among the Imperial Japanese Army soldiers dispatched to Fort Goryokaku in Hakodate to assist with the Koito kidnapping case. As the three soldiers removed the bodies of the dead Russian kidnappers, they stared sombrely at Tsurumi joking around with Heiji Koito and his 16 years old son Otonoshin Koito.

Kikuta fought in the Russo-Japanese War where he killed many Russian Army soldiers and took their guns as war trophies.

At some point in time, Kikuta got injured and underwent treatment for it.

## Plot

### Return to Karafuto Arc

Kikuta came to Noboribetsu where he decided to relax in the hot springs there. He approaches Private First Class Kouhei Nikaidou and Superior Private Usami at the waterfall bath, asking if they just got here that day. When Usami asks him about the treatment to his injuries, Kikuta is interested that First Lieutenant Tsurumi is wondering about him and if he had sent the two of them here. Kikuta turns to Nikaidou and tells him about a story that Private First Class Ariko had been telling about a strange man wearing getas in the middle of night on a snowy mountain, calling it an odd story.

Nikaidou and Usami are skeptical about the story and so Kikuta says that they would be better off hearing more about the story from the main source, as Ariko joins them. Ariko explains that he heard the sound of geta but found the tracks left behind to be from straw boots. Kikuta prompts him to reveal more and Ariko reveals that the strange man was wearing clothing with odd patterns on them, but was unable to make them out. Nikaidou says that since they have been relaxing in Noboribetsu since the war ended, their minds have gotten soft and Usami playfully scolds him.

Once they had finished their bath and gotten dressed, Kikuta has an anma massage him as they talk more about the story with Ariko revealing that he as an Ainu knew about a secret hot spring. Usami wonders if the strange man may have also been an Ainu but Ariko says that he did not recognize the pattern on his clothing. Kikuta admits that he found himself strangely intrigued by the story but thinks that he may have been overthinking it before asking the anma if he knew anything about it. The anma responds that he does not know anything but if he sees a strange man wearing clothing with strange Ainu pattern, he would be sure to tell them.

Kikuta and Nikaidou jumps back into the hot springs where they goof around until Kikuta asks Nikaidou about the design of the tattoos inked onto the Abashiri convicts but Nikaidou shakes his head, saying that he has never seen one. Later, Kikuta speaks with Ariko and tells him to go back to his village to see if there is anyone else who has seen the strange man. Ariko confirms his objective just as a couple of other soldiers walk by pass them and Kikuta grows frustrated at being treated like a fool by Usami and the others, hoping to get back into Tsurumi's favour.

In *Penkeyu*, Kikuta scouts the area, hoping to find the geta man and he sees a bright light off in the distance followed by clicking sounds. Confirming his target, Kikuta aims his gun at the man and tells him to take his coat off slowly. However, the man puts his lantern out and prepares to shoot him. Kikuta is able to react quickly enough to take his eyepatch off and dodge the man's shot, firing back and grazing his shoulder, much to his surprise. Kikuta realizes that more people has shown up, and takes out another gun, proclaiming that he can see them all now that his eyepatch is off.

Kikuta fires off a couple more shots at his foe who warns his allies about Kikuta's advantage and they flee to the Hell Valley with Kikuta following them. In the Hell Valley, Kikuta's vision is limited by the cloud of sulfur all around him but he hears a stone tumbling nearby and fires in that general distance. However, the sound of Kikuta's guns gives away his position and he is attacked by a blind man with a spiked stick. The blind man raises him into the air where Kikuta is shot by the original blind man. Despite this, Kikuta was able to turn on the blind man who had attacked him and reveals that his entire torso is covered by multiple holsters all carrying guns, rendering the shot on his body ineffective.

Kikuta notices another blind man approaching him from behind and turns around to find that Usami had impaled him with his bayonet while begging Kikuta not to shoot him. The blind man screams a warning that Kikuta's allies have arrived before Kikuta shoots him down. Nikaidou, who had been sniping from a distance shouts that the original blind man had ran deep into the mountains. Ariko comes up to Kikuta and says that what he saw was a tattoo and Kikuta says that they are going after their enemy and tells Ariko and Usami to come with him.

As they chase after the blind man, Kikuta turns to Usami, noting that his timing to come and help him was a little too good and realizes that he and Nikaidou had known all along that they were dealing with a tattooed convict. When Usami confirms it, Kikuta can only stare at Usami in silence until Ariko questions why a tattooed convict would put himself in so much danger just to hide out at a resort used by the 7th Division. They follow and shoot at the blind man until they reach an old mine that Ariko recognizes. Kikuta tells them not to light a match and to stay silent until Usami knocks over an ice stalagmite, prompting the blind man to shoot at them. Kikuta then realizes that there are numerous ice stalagmites on the ground and that one wrong move would give their position away.

Kikuta reaches out for an ice stalagmite and quietly snaps it, realizing that the convict has a very keen sense of hearing. Just then, Ariko accidently knocks down another stalagmite, causing the convict to shoot at them again and Kikuta and Usami fires back at him. Kikuta notices that the convict is moving around the cave quickly and without breaking any ice. He thinks about his encounter with the group in the Hell Valley and takes off his jacket to create a torch with a piece of cloth and saber, revealing the convict in the light. Kikuta shoots at him but runs out of ammo, while recognizing the man as Anji Toni, the blind anma who had massaged him. Toni runs out of the mines and Ariko questions Kikuta's words. Kikuta reveals the secret behind Toni's way of movement before they run outside as well.

They hear Toni clicking in the distance and prepares to chase after him once more, but Usami plaeds for Kikuta not to leave him behind since he had been shot in the leg by Toni. Kikuta notes that Usami pisses him off before turning to Ariko, telling him to not let Toni get away. As he helps Usami, Usami wonders if Ariko will be alright by himself and Kikuta gets annoyed with him before revealing that Ariko was one of the members of the search and rescue groups on Mount Hakkoda and that they had to endure harsh weather conditions to complete their objective. Furthermore, he states that to Ariko, Noboribetsu is like his "backyard" and that on these mountains, it would be absolutely impossible to escape Rikimatsu Ariko.

For four days since the tattooed convict ordeal, Kikuta went to the mountains to search for Ariko who has disppeared. He eventually comes across an Ainu village where an elderly Ainu woman leads him to Ariko and Kikuta playfully scolds him, saying that he should've told him that he was still alive and had gotten him worried. Ariko apologizes for keeping him waiting, and then shows Kikuta the tattooed skin that he had skinned off of the convict and Kikuta asks why he had done so. Ariko explains that he had checked the tattoo on the corpse and realizes that it was mean to be skinned like an animal would.

He also explains that since they were so deep in the mountains, it would be difficult for him to carry the body down and that there is also a possibility that Usami might steal their prize so he decided to wait in the village for Kikuta to find him. Kikuta then asks about the convict's gun, and Ariko says that since he knew that Kikuta would ask about it, he attempted to search for it but he was unable to retrieve it and that they would have to settle for just the skin. Despite not getting the gun, Kikuta praises Ariko for his smart thinking and says that they can now make up for all the time they wasted in Noboribetsu since they have the best possible present for Tsurumi.

## References

1. ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook