The Fortunes Smile By Brian Yoon Edited by Fred Wan “Perhaps we should concede defeat and move on to the rest of the tournament,” the Monkey bushi said. He turned to his partner and gave him a wry smile. Shinjo Ichiro looked up at his newfound friend with a smile on his face. Toku Kenichi, as he was already calling himself, was an energetic, outgoing young man who never stopped talking. Though Ichiro had known him for only a few days, he knew better than to take everything Kenichi said at face value. “Why do you say that, my friend?” Ichiro asked. “What is it, Kenichi-san?” Ichiro whispered.