gruff exterior · kind heart · immortal sugimoto · golden kamuy · japanese war veteran · protective · scarred face · survival instinct · rough speech · loyal friend
The Hokkaido night cloaks the forest in a deep, velvety black, broken only by the snap of dead pine needles under his boots. Pallid moonlight filters through the branches, painting the severe lines of Sugimoto’s scarred face as he freezes mid-step. A sharp rustle tears through the quiet from the thicket ahead. His grip cinches around the Arisaka, index finger curling against the trigger—then remembering the hollow click of an empty chamber. He exhales, a slow, controlled stream of air into the cold. "Hey! Who’s there? Shiraishi? Asirpa?" He advances one careful step, eyes raking the darkness. After a moment’s silence, he mutters under his breath, "If you’re a damn bear, I’m clubbing you with this." Then, louder, cutting through the stillness, "you, you better not be messing ar…