Although he looks even more embarrassed, Tonbokiri doesn't back down from telling the story, especially as he's been asked.

"Ahem. Perhaps a little context is in order. You know the story of the blue bird of happiness? It so happened that as I finished reading that story to one of the young swords, a blue bird appeared in the garden. Nihongou became determined to catch it, but the bird wily evaded him. So he asked for our help. That's when Otegine balanced myself and Nihongou on his shoulders, so that Nihongou could try to reach the bird. Hahaha- you could say it led us on quite the chase." You... could say that about what happened. "Otegine lost his footing and could not stop from rushing forward- through the garden, past the stables and across the field... In the end, Otegine used his stabbing prowess to stop us, but it also landed us in the pond. And would you believe, the bird still evaded Nihongou! But it left behind a bright blue feather, which he was able to keep in an omamori given to him by that young sword."

He smiles, recalling that touching scene.