I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

He pressed his hands on his knees to regulate his breathing, then turned to look behind him—all he could see was pitch black darkness, the lights of Yoshiwara long gone.

—You've escaped this far, you should be safe by now...

With this thought in mind, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed a glimmer of orange light—not far from him, a Night Hawk Noodles stall was open for business.

[Note: Night Hawk Noodle Stall: A noodle stall that operates specifically late at night, usually selling buckwheat noodles.]

Having run for so long, he felt thirsty, so he went up to the stall, lifted the curtain, and said to the owner:

"Boss, do you have any water? I'd like to have a glass of water."

The boss, with his back to him, was tidying up various kitchen utensils while asking without turning his head:

"Sir, what's wrong? Why are you out of breath? Are you being chased?"

Shikisaki smacked her lips:

"Sigh, don't ask anymore. I had a really bad day today, running into two weirdos."

The boss paused in his actions:

"Oh? The 'weirdo' you're talking about, does it look like me?"

After saying that, the boss... also known as Qing Deng, turned around slowly and looked at Shikisaki Kiyoshi with a smile.

In an instant, Shikisaki Kiyoshi froze, then, as if seeing a ghost, all the color drained from her cheeks, her expression dominated by intense terror.

"Aa ...

He screamed and retreated hastily, then started walking again, stumbling and tumbling as he fled Qingdeng.

Unfortunately... his body, already nearing its limit, simply couldn't allow him to run for any longer.

Before long, an indescribable weariness filled every corner of his body, and he could no longer take a single step.

Just then, he happened to see an izakaya (Japanese pub) with its lights still on by the roadside, so without thinking, he lifted the curtain and rushed inside.

"Welcome, sir. What would you like?"

An aged male voice came from the counter... It must be the owner of this izakaya, Shikisaki thought.

He didn't even bother to look at the shop owner; he plunged behind the counter, huddled up, and stammered:

"Help! Help! Help me!"

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"A strange man is chasing me! Please let me hide for a moment!"

"Oh? A weirdo? Does he look like me?"

Familiar dialogue... familiar sentence structure...

Shikisaki Kiyoshi froze again.

He turned his head with difficulty, looking in the direction of the sound—three steps away, Mr. Kiryu was smiling at him.

"Aa ...

This time, he simply couldn't run anymore, and could only scream in agony as he thrashed backward on all fours.

Seeing the other person's disheveled appearance, Kiryu smiled helplessly:

"Shikisaki, calm down. Look closely, it's me, Kiryu Kazuma from the Senjiya."

Upon hearing this, Shikisaki Kiyori was immediately stunned.

His eyes flickered as he raised his gaze and carefully examined Mr. Kiryu from head to toe.

"Kiryu... boss...?"

……

……

Edo, an izakaya (Japanese pub), a private room—

Aoto sat side by side with Mr. Kiryu.

Directly opposite them... on the other side of the low table, Shikisaki Kiyoshi grabbed the freshly warmed sake and took a huge gulp in a fit of rage:

"Seriously... Kiryu-sensei, aren't you guys being a bit too mean? Why are you scaring me like a 'faceless monster'?"

The faceless monster—a classic Japanese ghost story.

Simply put, it's about someone encountering a "faceless person" in the wild, running away in terror, and asking everyone they meet for help. The person they meet will say, "'Faceless person'? Does it look like me?" while showing their own faceless face—just like what Shikisaki Kiyoshi just experienced.

Mr. Kiryu smiled:

"Sorry, we scared you. We just wanted to prove to you that you can't escape."

Shikisaki Kiyoshi pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction with a resentful look in her eyes.

"As an apology, this drink is on you, okay?"

"Drink as much as you want, even if you don't say anything, I was already thinking of inviting you to drink. After all, we haven't seen each other for a while, and as an elder, it's only right that I treat you to a drink."

Upon hearing this, Shikisaki Kiyoshi no longer had any worries and picked up the freshly warmed sake again, drinking it heartily with gulps.

As he drank the beverage, his expression gradually brightened.

As he drank, Mr. Kiryu half-closed his eyes, observing his actions thoughtfully.

Suddenly, the old man spoke:

"Shikisaki, your life is... a bit too decadent, isn't it?"

"It's one thing to linger in the pleasure quarters, but to actually borrow money from the Yakuza is another."

Have you really thought about what will happen to you if you can't pay back the money?

Kiryu's words were utterly merciless.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Shikisaki Kiyoshi blushed and her expression changed several times.

Judging from his appearance, Qingdeng thought he would explode in anger and embarrassment on the spot.

Unexpectedly, he remained calm.

After a moment of silence, he sighed softly:

"Mr. Kiryu, although what you said is unpleasant to hear, I really have no room for rebuttal..."

"I understand. I will be more restrained in the future and try to pay off the debt as soon as possible."

Although Aoto was not clear about the specific relationship between Kiryu's boss and Shikisaki Kiyoshi, judging from the current situation, the latter held the former in considerable respect.

He was still willing to listen to the other party's good advice.

However, his "I understand" clearly failed to gain Kiryu's trust.

He straightened his face and said, slowly and deliberately, "..."

"Shikisaki, why do you have to do this?"

"With your skills, even if you couldn't become rich and powerful, you wouldn't have ended up in such a destitute state."

"As far as I know, you no longer take on knife-forging jobs and make a living by making hoes and sickles."

"What exactly happened?"

Why do you waste your talent?

"If you don't mind, could you tell me about it?"

"If you think I'm meddling, you can simply keep quiet."

"However, as someone who loves swords, I really can't bear to watch a talented and brilliant swordsmith fall into such a state."

Shikisaki Kiyoshi was expressionless.

But upon hearing the words "genius swordsmith," he suddenly grinned, a self-deprecating expression appearing on his face.

“'Genius swordsmith'... Heh, heh heh heh..."

Shikisaki touched her forehead with her hand, her expression a mixture of a smile and a sob.

"These days... is there still a place for swordsmiths to use their skills?"

Upon hearing this, Kiryu's expression changed slightly, as if he had realized something.

Shikisaki Kiyori took a sip of her drink, and with a tone filled with mixed emotions, began to speak:

"From as far back as I can remember, I started touching a hammer and learning how to forge iron and knives."

"If it weren't for a last resort, who would willingly give up a skill they've honed for most of their life?"

"While I dare not call myself a 'master craftsman,' I believe my skills surpass those of ordinary knife makers to an extraordinary degree."

"Alas... no matter how well a knife is forged, it can't compare to Western guns and cannons."

"Mr. Kiryu, with your abilities, you should have no trouble knowing how advanced Western guns and cannons have become."

At this point, the self-deprecating look on his face intensified.

"Let me think... It was probably about four years ago when I came into contact with Western guns and cannons by chance."

"To be honest... after witnessing firsthand how easily muskets pierced through iron armor and how easily cannons shattered bricks and tiles, I felt like the world was upside down."

"To be honest, before this, I always thought that swords would continue to exist forever as important companions of samurai."

"However... even though I am filled with resentment, I have to admit: this is no longer the age of swords."

"In the face of guns and cannons, swords and the like are nothing but toys."

"Whenever I think about this, I lose the motivation to forge knives, and I no longer feel like being a knife maker."

"When I came to my senses, I had become the kind of person I am now, just getting by."

"Swords and blades are destined to be phased out."

"Instead of continuing to be a knife maker who is destined to have no future, I might as well switch careers as soon as possible and become an ordinary blacksmith who specializes in making farm tools."

"Comparatively speaking, this one is more profitable."