I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Damn it...! If only Tachibana Aoto hadn't participated in this tournament!

—As long as he didn't participate, he would definitely be the winner of this competition!

—Damn it! Damn it!

Shinzaku Hiroshi angrily rolled over in bed again, then kicked the blankets, which were already at his feet, even further away.

—Isn't there... a way to defeat that Tachibana Aoto...?

I don't want to lose.

Whether for utilitarian reasons or out of his own pride, Hiroshi Niizuma did not want to lose to this guy who came from an unknown small dojo and had only suddenly become famous in the last two months!

Click...

At that moment, Shin-zukawa Hiroshi suddenly heard a "click" as the window was pushed open.

Immediately afterwards, Hiroshi felt a cool night breeze brush against his exposed skin.

"Did the wind blow the window open...?" Niizuma Hiroshi turned around, opened his eyes, and looked towards the window next to him.

The moment his gaze swept towards the direction of the window, Hiroshi Niizuma's eyes widened instantly, and a layer of cold sweat quickly broke out on his back.

He saw a young man sitting imposingly on the windowsill of his bedroom window.

Tonight is a clear night with a full moon.

The bright moonlight shone through the open window, entering the room like a wisp of dust.

A gentle night breeze occasionally blew into the room, causing the young man's hair and the hem of his clothes to sway slightly.

The young man did not wear a wakizashi at his left waist, but only a katana with a red handle.

Because he was facing away from the moonlight, Hiroshi Niizuma could only vaguely make out the young man's face—he was very young, with a faint smile on his face.

After being shocked for about a second by the young man who suddenly appeared in his room, Niizuma Hiroshi immediately grabbed the knife placed beside his bed as if by reflex, and then sat up like a carp rolling over.

"Who goes there?" Shinzaki Hiroshi stared at the young man with a wary look in his eyes, then placed his right hand on the hilt of the katana and drew the sword out a few inches.

“Oh…” The young man propped his right elbow on his right leg, raised his right arm, and supported his face with his right palm. He moved his gaze with interest and looked at Niizuma Hiroshi a few times. “You are much calmer than I thought. I thought you would scream and shout in fright after suddenly seeing me.”

"But that's perfect, I don't like people yelling at me."

Seeing the young man's nonchalant and indifferent demeanor, Niizuma Hiroshi's face darkened further, and he gripped the hilt of the knife even tighter.

"Who exactly are you? Do you know that this is the residence of Hatamoto Shinzaki?"

“Of course I know this is the residence of the Hatamoto Niizuma family.” The young man shrugged. “After all, I came here specifically for you.”

Before Hiroshi Niizuma could even show a puzzled expression at the young man's words, "I came for you," he straightened up and continued speaking to himself:

"Anyway, let me introduce myself first."

“You can call me… Rakshasa. The 'Rakshasa' in Rakshasa demons that specialize in eating human flesh and blood.”

"It was quite chilly sitting by the window, so I just went straight to the point."

Rakshasa's lips slowly parted, revealing a set of silvery-white teeth. The faint smile on his face transformed into an intriguing smile that perfectly complemented the pale moonlight surrounding him.

"Niizuma-kun, I have a way to give you a chance to defeat Tachibana Aoto in tomorrow's tournament. Are you interested in learning more?"

"What?" Niizuma Hiroshi's pupils contracted slightly, and his hand gripping the hilt of the sword loosened involuntarily.

Then the Rakshasa continued:

"You must really not want to lose to Tachibana Aoto in tomorrow's tournament, right? So I think it's essential for you to listen carefully to my deal."

After a brief moment of shock, Shinzuma Hiroshi tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and cast an even more wary look at Rasetsu.

"...I don't recall ever telling anyone that I wanted to defeat Tachibana Aoto in the tournament."

Rakshasa chuckled softly: "You certainly haven't mentioned this to anyone."

“But my eyes saw that you hated Tachibana Aoto and that you didn’t want to lose to him.”

Rakshasa stretched out his hand and pointed to his eyes.

“I watched the entire swordsmanship competition of Aizu-no-goe today.”

"Just this morning, during the first round of the competition, as you left the stage after defeating your opponent, I noticed you glancing at Tachibana Aoto in the stands with a look of jealousy and resentment."

"Although your little gesture was very subtle, I was fortunate enough to catch it."

“After that, I kept an eye on your condition.”

"Throughout the entire day, you kept secretly eyeing Tachibana Aoto with jealous and resentful eyes."

"Although I don't know if you and Tachibana Aoto have any grudges, the fact that you keep looking at Tachibana Aoto like that... means you must really hate him, right?"

"You, who despise Tachibana Aoto so much, surely don't want to be easily defeated by him like those people did today, right?"

From the moment he spoke, a look of astonishment kept appearing on Hiroshi Niizuma's face.

"...Heh. You're quite an interesting person." After a moment of silence, Hiroshi Niizuma's lips curled into a cold laugh. "Just because you noticed a few glances from me, you've concluded that I hate Aoto Tachibana?"

The smile on Rakshasa's face became meaningful.

"My dear wife, the world is full of wonders."

"I not only have exceptionally good eyesight, but I'm also quite adept at reading people's expressions and moods."

"My childhood experiences have given me a special ability to read people's expressions and moods."

After saying that, Rakshasa bent his upper body again, rested his right elbow on his right leg, and supported his head with his right arm. The meaningful smile on his face became even more pronounced.

“I come from an extremely poor family of low-ranking samurai.”

"To save food rations, I was abandoned by my parents in the mountains when I was 5 years old."

"Just when he was about to starve to death, he was picked up by a dojo master who taught Iaido."

"The reason that dojo master picked me up was not because he wanted to adopt me, but because he wanted to pick up a slave who didn't cost him any money."

“Every day I was forced to do all sorts of chores, and every night the abbot would drag me into his room and use me as a tool for his sexual gratification.”

“The other apprentices in the dojo also treated me like a slave, and would beat and scold me at will when they were in a bad mood. The dojo master also ignored this.”

"In order to live a little easier, I was forced to learn to recognize changes in people's facial expressions and to learn how to judge what emotions people are experiencing from their facial expressions."

"If you notice that the dojo master and his apprentices are in a bad mood, try to stay away from them."

"When you find that they are in a good mood, you can try to go over and please them. You might get some treats in return."

"In this way, without realizing it, I developed the ability to keenly detect changes in other people's facial expressions and to judge their current emotions based on those changes."

So there's no need to doubt it.

“I do have the ability to tell you that I hate Tachibana Aoto just by noticing a few glances from you.”

"..." The new wife pursed her lips tightly, looking at Rakshasa from head to toe with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

After a moment of silence, Niizuma Hiroshi slightly loosened his grip on the knife and said in a low voice:

"...What do you mean by 'there's a way to give you a chance to defeat Tachibana Aoto in tomorrow's tournament'?"

"Hehehe..." Rakshasa let out a laugh that made his shoulders tremble slightly, then reached into his robes and pulled out a small medicine box.

"It's very simple. As long as you take this medicine, you will have a chance to defeat Tachibana Seido tomorrow."

"Medicine?" Shinzaku Hiroshi's gaze fell on the medicine box in Rakshasa's hand, and his brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

"The effect of this medicine... simply put, is that it can make you highly focused."

"Let your mind enter a state similar to 'no distractions' to improve reaction speed and thinking ability."

"According to my estimation... after taking my medicine, although I can't say you can defeat Tachibana Seiden with 100% certainty, you should at least be able to fight him to a standstill."

Hiroshi Niizuma's face turned pale and then red: "High concentration... such a powerful drug must have side effects, right?"

“Of course.” Rakshasa nodded without hesitation. “I’m known for my honesty.”

"I would never do something that only tells people the good things and not the bad things."

"Let me be frank with you—the reason I intentionally gave you this medicine is to use you as a test subject."

As Rakshasa spoke, he placed the medicine box on the windowsill beside him.

"My medicine is still a trial product."

"Although it has remarkable effects, it also has strong side effects—this state of high concentration can only last for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. After this state passes, the user will develop a high fever."

"If we can get through this high fever, then we'll be fine."

"If we can't make it, then..."

Rakshasa smiled and extended his right index finger, making a horizontal cut across his neck.

"Because my medicine is related to people's mental state, I want to test it now—to see if a person with a strong desire for victory will take this medicine during a battle, and whether his strong obsession with victory will affect the medicine's effectiveness."

"Incidentally, we can also further test how much this drug can enhance a person's combat capabilities."

"So... do you understand why I came to you?"

"...Hmph, everything you just said is just your side of the story." Hiroshi Niizuma's expression shifted several times, but his voice remained low. "How do I know if what you just said is true?"

“You are free to choose not to believe me.” Rakshasa shrugged his shoulders forcefully. “I’m not forcing you to take this medicine, nor am I asking you for any reward.”

"I'll just leave the medicine here."

"Whether you eat it or not is entirely your choice; I won't interfere."

"If you don't want to believe me and don't dare to take my medicine, then you can just throw it into the stinking ditch outside your house, and I won't have any objections."

After saying that, Rakshasa flipped his body backward and stood on the eaves outside the window.

"I have said everything I needed to say and wanted to say."

"Until we meet again."

Before the echo had even faded, Rakshasa leaned back and fell off the eaves outside the window.

The new wife rushed to the window in three quick steps and looked out—but as far as she could see, she could no longer see the Rakshasa.

After scanning the outside of the window several times, Shinzaki Hiroshi turned his gaze to the medicine box that Rasetsu had placed on the windowsill.

With a wave of his hand, he grabbed the medicine box and opened it, revealing a single white pill, no bigger than an adult's thumb.

As she smelled the refreshing medicinal fragrance emanating from the box, the new wife's hand holding the medicine box tightened and loosened intermittently, and the emotions on her face became extremely complex at a visible speed, making it difficult to see through her thoughts.