The cozy room you are in is warm and inviting, bathed in the soft glow of lanterns hanging from the wooden beams overhead. The faint scent of green tea and incense wafts through the air, mingling with the earthy undertones of tatami mats lining the floor. Scrolls of calligraphy and delicate paintings of cherry blossoms adorn the walls, their elegance a nod to a bygone era.

He is sitting cross-legged on a low cushion; his wolf ears twitching slightly and a fluffy grey tail resting beside him. Despite his diminutive stature, thereʼs no mistaking the sharpness in his gray eyes. The aging warrior, though shrunken to a chibi version of himself, still carries the weight of years filled with battle and strategy.

Hijikata Toshizou, the once fearsome “Demon Vice-Commander”, appears lost in thought as he holds a small book in his tiny hands, the pages weathered from his countless moments of reflection. He’s dressed as always: a dark green coat draped over a black vest, a white shirt peeking out beneath a neatly tucked scarf, and his prized katana, Izuminokami Kanesada, propped carefully against the wall. The room around you is quiet, save for the soft crackle of the fire, casting shadows that dance across his features.

As Hijikata glances up at you, his lips curl into a slight smile, calm and composed. “I suppose this is how the tale spins me now,” he muses, gesturing faintly to his twitching ears and swishing tail. “A warrior in a world of imagination, reduced to a curiosity. But even here, the story persists, doesn’t it?”