"Ah! That''s what I just said! You copied me!" Katsura complained immediately.


    But no one paid him any attention.


    "This is a small hill, perfect for observing the surroundings and easy to spot," Hijikata continued. "Keep the fire burning to maintain the smoke. This will be our base of operations. First, let''s set up a place to keep warm, and the rest will search for the Shogun. We must find him today."


    "But about searching," Shinpachi interjected, "the snow is getting heavier. It''s dangerous to venture out recklessly."


    "Precisely because of that, we must go," Hijikata sighed. "Just use the smoke as a marker to return."


    "But..." Shinpachi looked serious and objected, "It''s still too dangerous. What if there are more casualties?"


    "For fairness'' sake, let''s decide with rock-paper-scissors. Ready?"


    "Rock—paper—scissors...!!" ×9 And so...


    Watching the shivering back of Kondo, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, Hijikata and Okita waved goodbye, "Take care—"


    "Kondo-san, be careful," Hijikata called out again kindly.


    Kondo stopped, shivering, and replied, "No, I can''t be careful. I''m not wearing anything..."


    "Huh? What?" Gintoki looked confused, hands in his pockets, "Did you say something?"


    "No... um," Kondo tried again, pleading, "Didn''t you forget something?"


    "Forget what? What do you mean?" Shinpachi asked, puzzled, looking at Okita.


    "Who knows..." Okita also looked clueless.


    Tears already frozen on his face, Kondo trembled as he said, "No, it''s very cold... um..."


    Suddenly, Kondo thought of something and raised his voice: "Ah! The Shogun must be cold, too! He probably needs something warm, like clothes!"


    "Hey, get a grip," Kawaki reminded him.


    "Huh?" Kondo was taken aback.


    "You have clothes, don''t you?" Gintoki pointed at Kondo.


    "Huh?" Kondo blinked, confused.


    "Right there, on your waist." ×2 Looking at his shorts, Kondo doubted his life choices.


    "Kondo-san, you''re such a klutz~" Otae smiled sweetly, her eyes closed.


    "Hahaha..." Kondo scratched the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly, "I totally forgot~"


    "Make sure to warm them up before giving them to the Shogun~" Otae kindly reminded him.


    "Well... I''m off then." Kondo turned around again, his face turning into an even more pitiful expression once he was facing away.


    Watching Kondo''s back, Hijikata suddenly noticed something and called, "Wait! On closer inspection, Kondo-san isn''t wearing anything!"


    After the sound of kunai cutting through the air, Kawaki, now a pincushion, still smiled as he fell.


    "Feeling warmer?" Tsukuyo asked, pulling out more kunai. "Want more?"


    Kawaki only responded with the sound of him falling unconscious into the snow.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Gintoki''s group continued through the forest.


    "The snow is getting heavier, aru," Kagura stopped and looked up.


    "Looks like there''ll be a blizzard tonight," Gintoki replied casually, hands in his pockets.


    "Aren''t Kondo-san and the Shogun in danger?" Shinpachi worried.


    "Worry about yourself first," Gintoki snapped. "Isn''t there a hut around here?"


    He resumed walking, and Shinpachi and Kagura quickly followed.


    "If there was, we wouldn''t be in trouble," Shinpachi replied. "This place is deserted, that''s why."


    As they walked, Kagura spotted something and stopped. "What are they doing?" she asked, watching Okita and Hijikata digging in the snow.


    She ran over, calling out to Tsukuyo and Kawaki, who were helping the injured Kawaki.


    "Uncle, Tsukuyo! What happened to him?"


    "Nothing," Tsukuyo turned away. "He just got tangled in kunai while warming up."


    "What does ''tangled in kunai'' mean? Do you want to fight?" Kawaki grumbled.


    "But it worked, didn''t it? You said you felt warmer," Tsukuyo replied nonchalantly.


    "I don''t remember saying that..." Kawaki muttered through gritted teeth.


    "Never mind that..." Kagura approached Okita and asked, "Hey, what are you doing? Looking for food, dog?"


    "Don''t compare me to you. I don''t eat off the ground," Okita retorted.


    "You never would, right?" Kagura teased, dropping a box of pickled seaweed.


    Gintoki and Shinpachi dived for it.


    Watching them fight over the seaweed, Kagura scolded, "Why did you take the bait? Stop it!"


    "It''s already on the ground! It''s mine now!" Gintoki argued.


    "No, it''s mine!"


    Kagura... joined the fight too.


    "It''s not my fault," Kawaki sighed, seeing Tsukuyo''s look. "Their upbringing has nothing to do with me..."