Ryozan was a bit disappointed, but not surprised, that chizuma hadn't known his mother, but even so he could tell that Chizuma seemed more uncomfortable talking about it than he did, so he decided not to bring it up around her again. He did wonder what exactly she was writing down in that book of hers, though. Or perhaps the more prominent question was "why?" Was she measuring what she perceived as his capabilities as a shinobi? His value as an entertainer? Or was she just keeping a record because she was bad at names. He was half tempted to take out his own notebook and begin making an esoteric evaluation of his own about Chizuma as retaliation, but then Kaede returned with Natsumi. His burning questions would have to remain unanswered for now. 

Natsumi's greeting was far less confrontational than his mother's, so hopefully he wouldn't screw up this first impression as well. "I'm Ryozan Tanzo," he said, returning her courteous bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Then Ryozan heard Chizuma mutter his score. Three stars? Well, whatever he was being rated for he certainly had room to improve. Natsumi seemed to object to her mother's behavior, but Ryozan just let out a small chuckle. He never minded being assigned an objective rating on a scale of any kind; those things were actually very helpful for him. Now, if only he knew what the scale was...

Chizuma led them all outside and served them all a nice barbecued meal, which Ryozan ate with relish since he hadn't eaten anything since that small bowl of ramen before the battle. And then came kaede's question about said battle. "No, I wasn't in hiding. I..." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of the best way to explain why he was not permitted to join his comrades. Telling these two girls that he had aided Imperial soldiers and had been stripped of his rank was just too much for him. He averted his eyes as he thought things over. Sure, Takeo had forgiven him and apparently thought well enough of him to invite him into his home, but as far as Ryozan was concerned it was the most shameful thing he had ever done. "I was hesitant to join the fight, so for that I was only able to play a small role," he said at last. "But the matter has since been settled, and I expect that you will see more of me in the future." He took another bite of food and decided that it would be a good time to change the subject. "This meal is delicious. Does your mother often cook like this Natsumi?"