Harano was momentarily stunned. He quickly tried to recall Hoyoshimaru's appearance, but no matter how hard he thought about it, the kid always looked pretty pleasant—could even be called handsome in a way. He certainly didn't have arms that reached past his knees, nor a hairy face, and definitely not big protruding ears. There was nothing monkey-like about him at all.
Maeda Toshie saw him staring there blankly, and got even more puzzled. He cautiously asked, "What's wrong, Saburo?"
Harano snapped back to himself, thought for a second, then laughed, "It's nothing. I just think giving people nicknames isn't very nice."
Maeda Toshie didn't quite agree, but Harano was a few years older than him, and supposedly a "legendary character." So he nodded obediently, "Guess I was being rude."
"It's not that serious," Harano replied vaguely, then promptly asked, "Who gave him that nickname, anyway? And why do they call him 'Monkey'?"
