Rikinosuke

Should a traveler ask who is the sharpest guardian along the city’s lower tiers, they would be pointed toward two Chimps. One is Rikinosuke. For years, their days were defined by a ceaseless, joyful competition with their counterpart. Who could scale the wet rock stairs to the main plaza fastest? Who could spot a smuggler’s boat from furthest away? When the ancient teacher Shujin visited, many expected the games to end. Instead, Shujin watched them for a week, saying nothing. On the final day, Shujin simply smiled. “This is a blade sharpening itself,” they said, deeming their rivalry a perfect, self-sustaining form of training. The competition never stopped, but something shifted. The grin Rikinosuke wears is no longer just for winning.