Shikitarou

Shikitarou cast their line into the frozen lake beside The Dojo, the kitsune mask a stark white against the gray sky. This was the only part of the job they didn't hate: the waiting. The empire didn't care who they were before, only that their build was a match for the real target. They had been a fisher, content with quiet mornings. Then agents arrived with the mask—a perfect, magically bound copy of Narisumashi's face. They were given a choice that wasn't one: wear the face, take the missions, or disappear forever. So they fight under a stolen identity, a ghost wearing another's legend. But between assignments, they always return to the water, a fishing rod in hand. Each cast is a reminder of the life they lost.