In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Chapter 323 Warm Companions

After Samura recounted everything that had happened on Mount Kurokawa to everyone at the Shieikan, everyone fell silent.

Ms. Okita returned halfway through the journey, having finished packing, and provided supplementary explanations from the side.

"So, this is the truth hidden beneath the comments..." Kondo Shusuke sighed.

He had seen a lot, but hearing about such things still made him feel sad.

“She chose to end it all herself. We… just helped her find herself again.” Zuo Cun looked at the fire, his expression downcast.

"Speaking of which, when Hoshiguma was dying, she bowed to Samura. What did that bow mean...?" Okita thought to himself, recalling the beautiful white-clad Yukina.

"...Perhaps only Miss Hoshiguma herself knows the feelings involved." After a moment of silence, Samura smiled, feigning ease.

"However, you're still strong, Samura. You just said yourself that you cut off the head of Ten'inki twice, right?" Shimazaki Isamu chuckled and punched Samura on the shoulder.

“If it weren’t for the presence of the white-clad Hoshiguma and another friend, I estimate that I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Hoshiguma in that state.” Zamura shook his head.

Miss A-Long's existence could not be revealed, so he never mentioned her from beginning to end.

“Even so, Mr. Samura’s slash played a crucial role. If Mr. Samura hadn’t exhausted a lot of Tenkakuki’s strength, the white Hoshiguma-san wouldn’t have been able to awaken the true will of Hoshiguma Yukina.” Okita chuckled twice.

"Speaking of which, it's surprising that you two actually ran into each other." Hijikata Toshizo stroked his chin.

"Could this be considered a special kind of fate?" Shimazaki Isamu glanced back and forth between Samura and Okita with a strange look in his eyes.

The two people watching felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Hey, didn't we just say we were going to drink? Are you still going?" Zuo Cun interrupted the awkward conversation.

"No way, you'll really get crushed to death." Saito shrank back.

His eyes had been fixed on Zuocun from the very beginning.

He was interested in both the story told by Zuocun and Zuocun himself.

He lives a carefree life. Although he is a swordsmanship genius, he has no teacher or school and has formed his own system, similar to Zuo Cun.

And the story...

Slaying demons and such...

Honestly, I wish I had been there too. It's such an interesting thing that I didn't get to experience it myself.

His reason for drawing his sword was not at all heavy.

His reason was simply that he found it fun to draw the sword.

“Edo is indeed overcrowded these days. If you want to drink, you can go and buy some yourself,” Kondo Shusuke suggested. “However, only Shimazaki Hijikata, Samura, and the other two can drink. Okita and Saito are not allowed to drink!”

"Although I never intended to drink it..." Ms. Okita scratched the back of her head with a blank expression.

"Why can't I drink it? I'm not one of your Shieikan people," Saito Hajime complained.

"As a senior in kendo, my job is to guide you onto the right path, so no drinking means no drinking." Kondo Shusuke said this and left.

"Hehehe, Saito, you should wait until you're an adult before you drink." Shimazaki patted Saito Hajime on the shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Come on, Hijikata, Samura, let's have a good drink together today!"

"Oh, here they come!" Tsuchikata, a tall and strong man, stood up from the ground and stretched his body.

"I'll go put the luggage in the room."

“Okay, Hijikata and I will wait for you outside.” Shimazaki waved his hand.

Zuocun picked up his two swords and walked towards the end of the corridor.

But then I saw an unexpected figure.

"Mr. Kondo." Samura bowed slightly.

Kondo Shusuke looked a bit thin, but his gaze was just as sharp as the one that Samura had seen a long time ago, as if he could see right through people.

Kondo Shusuke seems a bit more docile than before, probably because of the addition of this brat Saito.

Although Okita is no longer here, any young person would be full of vigor, as if they possessed inexhaustible energy, constantly inspiring everyone around them.

"You've certainly made great progress." Kondo Shusuke nodded in satisfaction. "I heard that instead of seeking a teacher, you've tried to develop a new style on your own?"

"Yes." Zuo Cun nodded, humbly admitting, "Because I couldn't find a suitable teacher, I thought I would develop it myself. The sword technique is still very messy and needs to be improved."

There's no need to hide this, and the swordsmanship style of Zuocun has long been known by the name "Hagi-giri." Some people even want Zuocun to teach them swordsmanship after recognizing him.

Zuocun rejected them all without exception.

How can he become someone else's teacher when he hasn't even acknowledged his own abilities?

"If there's a chance, let me see your swordsmanship." Kondo Shusuke smiled slightly. "Not being able to carve this sword blank of yours by hand is a regret of my life, but I'm still glad that you've found your own path."

"I've arranged your room. It's the same guest room as before. You shouldn't have trouble finding it, right?"

"Mm." Zuo Cun nodded.

Kondo Shusuke patted Samura on the shoulder, walked past Samura, and went on his way.

Samura turned around and looked at Kondo Shusuke's back.

"Mr. Kondo!" he suddenly called out.

"Hmm? Samura, is there anything else?" Kondo Shusuke tilted his head slightly.

"Thank you... for your guidance to me a few years ago." Samura bowed deeply to Kondo Shusuke.

.....

"Ah, Saito is absolutely right. Edo is overflowing with people right now." Hijikata said, looking displeased.

There were just too many people on the streets, especially in the shopping street where the three of them were; all you could see were heads.

"Hurry back after you buy what you need," Shimazaki said, frowning.

Zuocun rolled his eyes.

All three of them carried swords, and their status as samurai should have had a certain deterrent effect on commoners, but now everyone was pushing and shoving.

Hilarious, you can't even see the knife.

After much effort, the group finally managed to buy wine and meat to go with it. Then, with great difficulty, they squeezed out of the shopping street and headed towards the Imperial Guard Hall.

"I'm freezing! Let's go back and have some drinks!" Shimazaki Isamu shivered and ran like a penguin, carrying a can of beer.

"Hey, Shimazaki, wait for me!" Hijikata shouted as he chased after him.

Zuocun, carrying two pieces of cooked meat, followed behind the two men with a smile.

This kind of life with companions is so pleasant and warm; it makes you want to stay here forever...

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Chapter 324 The Miraculous Leap

Samura, Hijikata Toshizo, and Shimazaki Isamu drank and chatted for a long time.

"What! The real drunkard!" Shimazaki Yu's face was flushed from drinking. He swayed as he held his glass, his eyes glazed over. "In my opinion, those who fall asleep or act crazy after drinking are not drunkards!"

"That was just him being drunk and acting crazy." Hijikata Toshizo held up his sake cup, took a sip, and exhaled a breath that smelled of alcohol.

"I believe that only someone who quietly drinks sake alone deserves to be called a sakebearer!"

Zuo Cun stared at the table with a blank expression.

He drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, and then—

pat.

He collapsed on the ground, drunk.

"Huh?" Hijikata and Shimazaki's attention was drawn to it.

"What? Zuocun got drunk so easily?"

"Huh? Where's the sake?" Hijikata picked up the sake jar and found that there wasn't a single drop left.

"Something's not right. I remember, hiccup, there was a whole jar full of it before," Shimazaki said, swaying his head drunkenly.

pat, pat.

Isamu Shimazaki and Toshizo Hijikata also got drunk.

A short while later, the door to the room where the three of them were drinking was opened.

Kondo Shusuke looked at the three young men who were drunk as dead dogs and sighed.

“I knew it would turn out like this…” He shook his head with a smile. “But it’s not bad either. The greatest friendship between men is forged over drinks and swords.”

"Are the three of them drunk?" Miss Okita's head peeked out from behind Kondo Shusuke.

"Ugh, the smell of alcohol is overwhelming." Saito pinched his nose, looking disgusted.

The three of them drank a total of five jars of wine.

“Saito, you drag Hijikata back to his room, I’ll drag Shimazaki. Okita, you… take that brat Samura to his room too.”

"Huh? Me?" Ms. Okita pointed to herself.

Kondo Shusuke nodded: "It's cold now. If Saito and I take Hijikata and Shimazaki back and then come back to take Samura, Samura will probably catch a cold. So, I'm asking you for help."

"All right......"

Miss Okita grabbed one of Samura's hands and lifted him up.

Samura has a well-proportioned build, only slightly taller than Okita, just over 1.7 meters tall, and is also relatively thin.

Okita could easily lift Samura up.

"Honestly, Master and the others just want to slack off, don't they?" Muttering to herself, Miss Okita carefully pulled Samura toward his room.

Zuocun was genuinely drunk and didn't say a word the whole way, which relieved the somewhat apprehensive Ms. Okita.

Ms. Okita placed Samura on the mattress that had been laid out beforehand, simply covered him with a blanket, and looked at Samura in the dim moonlight.

His eyes dimmed slightly.

Mr. Samura, how exactly did you get to where you are today?

From the moment she first learned about the background of Anno Samura, Ms. Okita felt that this man was somewhat unbelievable.