He did! That's the last time I was treated properly, so of course I remember. He was from a prominent samurai clan, so they all start their training super early.

[ true, tsurumaru recalls training, but he also recalls far more important things, like pranks! and whichever games that children spend their days playing... anyway, what happened to all of them is a fate that hijikata had seen, so he refrains from going into detail there.

he wouldn't mind swallowing ten thousand needles — while it'd hurt a whole lot, but it wouldn't kill him. still, it's not as if he's inclined towards finding out what that would feel like, because either way... ouch. ]

When a human asks me to have faith in them... I'd usually laugh, see?

You're different, so I wouldn't laugh and I'd at least try — but it's still kind of... difficult.

[ it's not because of you, it's because of me! or something like that. ]