[Look, he trusted Hijikata enough to come here when on the run. Isn't that a good start??]

Just some weird guys. [Maybe he's not trying to be evasive here. Maybe he's just that bad at describing things...]

I've never seen 'em, but they look like the kinda people that hang out near the really sketchy parts of the entertainment district. Like I said, they probably just got me mixed up with someone else, but I didn't wanna deal with 'em.

[Read: he didn't want to risk ruining his outfit (or the outfit he was carrying) by kicking rando ass.]