I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Yes, it's done! Even more perfect than I expected! What kind of expressions will those traitors of the 'Northern Dynasty' make when they see this? Hehe, I really look forward to it."

As he spoke, he placed the brocade box beside his legs in front of his knees, then slowly opened the lid—the contents were a red and white flag embroidered with a sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum in the center…

……

……

May 4, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Kyoto, Ogata's wagashi shop—

The shop, which is usually bustling with business, is deserted today—simply because a "Closed" sign hangs at the door.

This sign has been hanging there for three days.

What happened to this approachable couple? Their business was doing very well, so why did they suddenly close down? And why did they stay closed for several days? This has become the most frequently discussed topic among the neighbors recently.

Some say they are sick.

Some say that they fled to the countryside to avoid disaster because they felt that the decisive battle between the Northern and Southern Dynasties was approaching.

The most prevalent and widely circulated rumor is that they are moving. As for where they are moving to, no one knows.

……

……

Ogata craned his neck and shouted towards the second floor:

"A-Machi, are you taking these kitchen utensils with you?"

He had barely finished speaking when Atachi's response drifted in from the second floor:

"Just keep that small pot and that long spoon! As long as you have a pot and a spoon, you'll never have to worry about not having hot food!"

Accompanied by light footsteps approaching from afar, Atachi carried a small red cloth bag down to the first-floor hall.

"All the clothes I wanted to bring are here."

As she spoke, she placed the red cloth bag she was holding onto the table in front of her.

On the other side of the table was a blue cloth bag—Ogata's luggage, containing his change of clothes.

A moment later, Ogata walked out of the kitchen, holding a delicate long-handled spoon in his left hand and a sturdy small pot in his right.

"Ah Yi, are all the necessities we need here?"

As she spoke, Atachi turned her gaze and scanned the entire room—the once tidy tatami mats were now covered with a pile of odds and ends.

From kitchen utensils to dry food, from bowls and chopsticks to water bottles, everything is available.

"Okay, let's pack them up. Hopefully, they won't be too heavy."

Atachi winked at Ogata and teased:

"If it's too heavy, I'll trouble you to carry it on the way to Europe."

Ogata chimed in jokingly:

"Then we need to further reduce the weight of our luggage."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the two tacitly organized their luggage, first categorizing it, and then packing it all into black cloth bags they had prepared beforehand.

After securing all the necessities, the black cloth bag that finally appeared before the two was much smaller than they had expected, about 50 centimeters in diameter, and not very heavy.

Two cloth bags for clothes (one red, one blue), and one black cloth bag for necessities—that was all the luggage the two of them had, just enough for the couple to easily carry.

Looking at the three cloth bags placed side by side, Atachi sighed to herself:

"We have surprisingly little luggage."

Ogata smiled:

"After all, we're used to traveling. We know exactly what to bring and what not to bring."

Because they age slowly, they move every so often to entirely new environments where no one knows them.

Decades of moving have made them accustomed to a "minimalist" lifestyle.

Whether it's furniture or clothes, avoid buying them if possible, always preparing for the move.

Today, it's obvious that they're moving again.

However, unlike before, this time they are moving to a very far place—they are heading to Europe.

Our first stop will be France.

Kinoshita Rin (the head of the Gourd House) has several French friends who can offer some assistance to Ogata and Atachi.

After returning to Kyoto from Goryokaku, Ogata immediately put his plan to "go to Europe and America" ​​into action.

His first task was to persuade Atachi—which was no challenge at all.

Atachi, who has a fondness for firearms, clocks, and other precision instruments, was already filled with curiosity about the technologically advanced Europe and America.

Therefore, when Ogata suggested, "Let's go to Europe!" the couple immediately agreed.

If they had been willing, they could have set off as early as the end of last year.

However, none of them wanted to brave the freezing cold to travel far.

Therefore, they decided to wait until spring arrived and the weather improved before making further plans.

And so, after months of waiting, this scene has finally arrived: packing luggage and making final preparations for traveling to Europe.

At that moment, Ogata suddenly remembered something and turned to Atachi, asking:

"Oh, right, Atachi, where's my sword?"

"Isn't the Great Buddha and the Great Freedom right there?"

Atachi pointed to a niche not far away—inside the niche was a sword rack, on which were placed Ogata's two swords.

"It wasn't Da Shitian or Da Zizai, it was more than ten years ago... or how many years ago was it? It was the sword that guy who practiced swordsmanship to the point of going mad gave me after he lost to me."

Atachi blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, then her expression suddenly dawned on her:

"Oh, that knife? I'd completely forgotten about it. I remember you put it in the attic. Are you taking it with you?"

"Of course, this knife is quite valuable, we can't just sell it."

"Can't we entrust it to someone else? How about entrusting it to Tachibana-kun? I think he is the most suitable person for that sword."

Ogata smiled helplessly:

"Tachibana-kun already possesses an unparalleled black sword."

After saying that, he turned and left the hall, taking three steps at a time to climb the stairs and head straight for the attic.

After opening the partition leading to the attic, countless specks of dust were visible to the naked eye as they floated down.

Ogata and Atachi stuffed all sorts of odds and ends, things they didn't usually need, into the attic.

Because I rarely come here, all I see when I look up is dust and cobwebs.

Ogata held his breath, squinted, and slipped into the attic. He parted the cobwebs around him and searched for the knife.

In no time, he found it in an inconspicuous corner—a katana tightly wrapped in a white cloth strip.

Because of its age, the outer white cloth strips have become dark and yellowed.

Ogata reached out and grabbed the knife, holding it up to his face, lost in thought:

"Thinking about it, you've actually been staying with me for quite a while now..."

"Today, after so long, I hold your hand again. In a way, it might be a sign from heaven—perhaps a sign that you have returned to the world."

"I hope to find you a suitable owner before you leave Japan."

After speaking, Ogata gripped the knife tightly and left the attic.

When he returned to the first floor, he was surprised to find Atachi standing in the lobby—the area for receiving customers—looking around with a complicated expression.

"A-Machi, what's wrong? Why are you standing there?"

Atachi smiled slightly.

"It's nothing, I'm just... a little sentimental."

As she spoke, she continued to shift her gaze.

She glanced at the entrance hall—where countless customers passed by every day.

Then I glanced at the counter not far away—my husband, who used to be a lowly accountant in the Hirose Domain, sat there every day tapping and calculating.

Then I looked at the shop window next to me—freshly baked wagashi (Japanese sweets) were being sold there.

Gradually, a look of deep emotion filled her face.

"I feel a little reluctant for some reason... In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed... We've been selling wagashi (Japanese sweets) for almost ten years."

Ogata moved to his side and smiled as he echoed:

"Yes, that's right. If it were seventy years ago, I would never have imagined that I would make a living by selling wagashi (Japanese sweets), and that I would have been doing it for ten years."

A-Machi smiled and curled her lips:

"Without Xiaolin's help, we wouldn't even have had the start-up capital to open the shop."

This wagashi shop was arranged for them by Kinoshita Rin.

They not only helped them secure a shop, but also lent them a large sum of money.

Otherwise, with their meager savings, it would have been impossible for them to open a shop in a prime location in Kyoto.

Atachi said softly:

"Before heading to Europe, I need to say goodbye to Xiaolin and Jiulang properly."

Ogata nodded:

"That's natural."

Just then, a bright pink color caught the couple's eye.

Ogata subconsciously reached out to touch it—a delicate cherry blossom petal rested on his fingertip.

"Oh, it's cherry blossoms. They're blooming quite late this year."