Artist's commentary
Master Akiyama
[What was it all for, Darjeeling? If Nishizumi-dono had some plan, what is it?]
[The real Miho-san is working separately from us, to create her new school.]
[New school...?]
[A military school above and apart from all - The true Nishizumi-ryuu. Something created to maintain sensha-do balance, independent of the struggles for supremacy, the cycles of revenge between schools. It'll be an army alright, but more. Miho-san is rebuilding sensha-do. But, until it's complete, we support the other Miho. The phantom carries on her legend, her meme. That is Miho-san' plan.]
[So that's the way it is? Two years ago, I thought everything had been taken from me. But now I really have lost it all. Nishizumi-dono, and the school we were building together.]
[One day, the age of Miho-san' daughters will arrive. They'll likely want to settle the score with her. We have to shape the sensha-do of that age, we'll each have roles to play; Building the foundation for a revolution led by both Nishizumi Miho - the true one and the phantom.]
[No... Miho can go to hell. I'll make Ooarai and her daughters stronger to send her there. For that, I'll keep playing my role.]
[Heh, do you know this saying? "If you can, meet with Triumph and Disaster, and greet those two Imposters just the same."]
[...]
[A quote from Rudyard Kipling. Sooner or later there will be only one Nishizumi Miho, there's only room for one Miho. Her daughters are fated to face each other someday too, as Miho-san and Maho-san did. If the day ever comes that you go back to MEXT, I'll aid the other daughter. And then you and I will be enemies, too. One of us will have to kill the other.]
[Fine by me. I'll be ready for the new age. Until then, you'd better get used to the Ankou dance.]