unawares

Although heavy rain had been battering the area for hours, many, like Guillermo Serrano Pérez and his family, were caught unawares by the force of the floods.

“I...I failed. I was not aware of the Huntsman’s approach. I sought to hide my presence from the Red Hood, cloaked as a man. But in man form, I cannot use as many of my senses as I can as a wolf. I was taken unawares, and reverted to my regular form when I lost conscious control over my aspect.”

The entire plot is driven by Blackthorne’s revelation that even the Christian lords’ European allies are secretly building an army with which they intend to take all of Japan unawares.

Yet despite his image being widely publicised, neighbours were seemingly caught unawares when his identity was revealed last month, with one describing him to Mainichi newspaper as a "calm and serious" man - albeit with a tendency to play guitar in his room after a few drinks.

That the government is always caught unawares shows a depressing underinvestment in the waterworks of its cities and its rural areas.