Chapter 37

## Rivals

**Chapter 37** is titled "Rivals".

## Short Summary

Hanaichi summons Hachimaru and company aboard his Holder. Before Sen can arrest him, Daruma awakens from his sleep mode and intervenes. The two Samurai reveal how they know each other as rivals. Hanaichi explains his mission and makes a surprising offer to Daruma. Meanwhile, Ata finishes his preparations to go after Hachimaru.

## Long Summary

Hachimaru and company realize that they are no longer aboard Yoken, and Sen draws his Soul when he spots Goku on guard. Hanaichi asks to see Daruma, but he then sees that he is asleep, then turns his attention to Hachimaru and Ryu. Sen demands to know who he is, so Hanaichi introduces himself and apologizes for teleporting them, exposing himself as the Cat Samurai Sen is hunting. Sanda recognizes Hanaichi's parallels to Daruma, and Hachimaru realizes that he belongs to Ata's school. Sen places Hanaichi under arrest, and Goku prepares to defend his master. Before the two can clash, Daruma awakens from his sleep mode and stops them.

Daruma recognizes Hanaichi's voice, and Sen asks how they know each other. He explains that the two of them are rivals: they are both pursuing the same goal on behalf of their opposing schools. Daruma recognizes Goku and Ichigo as two of the Seven Keys. Hachimaru is confused that Ichigo is a Key, as she wasn't on his map. Daruma explains that even though she's not a Samurai, her gravity is almost as strong as his. Daruma asks Hanaichi why he is still after the keys. The Cat Samurai explains that when his associates sealed Daruma in his current body, he was caught in the sealing and trapped in a robot dog body. When that happened, Kala fired him and gave his mission to Ata. Despite being abandoned, he still looks for the Seven Keys.

Sen refuses to cut Hanaichi slack: he cannot let an Ususama roam free. Understanding Sen's feelings, he asks to explains himself. He explains that he learned about Ata's use of the Spare Key Project, which confuses Daruma: he can't understand why Hanaichi is searching for the Keys when his school has the duplicate Keys. Hanaichi explains that he left his school after Kala discarded him. He now seeks to find the Keys and use the power in the boxes to defeat his old school.

While Daruma and Hanaichi talk, Hachimaru and Sanda watch Goku and Ann interact. Seeing Goku preparing tea, Ann offers to do it for him so he can listen to the conversation, considering it to be her job as a Princess-in-training. Goku politely refuses, as he believes Samurai should serve Princesses instead of letting the latter do it all the time. He then asks for her name, and patiently waits as she stutters her name out. He compliments her name and her thoughtful nature, which makes Ann smile. Sanda notes that Goku is better at dealing with girls, and Hachimaru becomes visibly jealous about it. Goku finishes the tea, and Daruma compliments his handiwork, comparing him to Hachimaru, which makes his student more upset. Sanda tells Ryu that Goku will become a complication, but Ichigo hears this and tells them that they won't be a problem.

Hanaichi offers to team up with Daruma and find the remaining Keys together. Daruma is hesitant to trust a former enemy. As a gesture of trust, he offers to let Daruma take his Samurai Soul. Goku is upset at his master's willingness to give up his Samurai Soul. He reminds his student that he is merely exercising *Bushido*, and that they need Daruma to gather the Keys. he also explains that he has made stopping Kala his Samurai Calling. Using his mind's eye, Daruma judges that Hanaichi is being honest, so the two link their Keys to exchange intel. Hanaichi expresses gratitude for his rivals' willingness to work with him. Ann tells Hachimaru that she has found their new allies to be good people, but he hasn't warmed to Goku.

At the same time, Ata is battling two Samurai in space, destroying them with a Soroken powered **Kongo-Yasha Style: Crosscut**. Sending his armor back to his Dragon holder, he has [[Ikkaku
]]] give a status report. Satisfied with their progress, he tells them that his going after Hachimaru once he has collected his foe's Samurai Souls.

## Trivia

* The chapter name in japanese **Koutekishuu** (好 (こう) 敵 (てき) 手 (しゅ) , ***Koutekishuu***?) means "Worthy Opponent" or "Worthy Rival" but the furigana reading is simply "Rival".