I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At first, Sanako would get angry at these annoying laughs and stares.

But gradually... she became numb.

Before she knew it, Sanako had gotten used to being recognized by strangers and being subjected to malicious comments and stares.

Sanako ignored the people who were gossiping about her, treating their words and gazes as if they were invisible air. She continued walking without changing her expression, letting these boring and lewd people judge her at will.

However, at that moment, a cheerful female voice, in stark contrast to these lewd sounds, rang out beside Yuzanako:

"Ah! Miss Sanako!"

The woman's voice made Sanako turn around in surprise.

A beautiful young girl, in the prime of her youth, stood happily at the street corner to Sanako's left.

Sanako: "Ayue?"

Girl: "Miss Sanako~~!"ヾ(≧≦*)

The girl, whom Sanako called "Ayumi," skipped and hopped to Sanako's side, then hugged her tightly.

Sanako's balls were flattened into a large lump under the girl's intense pressure, making Sanako feel a little suffocated.

"Ah Yue, loosen your grip, I can't breathe..."

"Ah, sorry, sorry." The girl happily loosened her grip on Sanako's delicate body.

"Ayumi, why do you always rush over and hug me as soon as you see me?" Sanako's eyes held a hint of helplessness.

"I couldn't help it, I just couldn't help it." The smiling girl tilted her head back, meeting Sanako's gaze with eyes that curved into crescent moons with laughter. "What can I do? I just like Miss Sanako so much!"

After saying that, the girl tightened her grip on Sanako.

The ball, which had just loosened up a little, tightened up again.

The girl who is standing close to Sanako is Natsume Tsuki, the youngest daughter of Natsume Sohachiro, a wealthy liquor merchant who is currently practicing naginata at the Chiba Kenkan and often does business with Westerners.

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Regarding this Natsume Tsuki, she is not a new character; she first appeared in [the story/event].

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Chapter 175 Sanako's Kidnapping, Sanako's Chastity Crisis [7600]

As the "Naginata Master" of the Chiba Kenkan, Sanako is probably the person who interacts most frequently with Natsume Tsuki and the other female disciples who are learning naginata at the Chiba Kenkan.

For Sanako, the 14-year-old girl who is currently very close to her is the most special among the many female disciples of the Chiba Sword Hall. She is special in two main ways—her personality and her family background.

Natsume Tsuki is an exceptionally cheerful girl.

Having known this child for so long, Sanako has never seen him show any signs of frustration or unhappiness. He's always cheerful and smiling, as if he doesn't know what sorrow is.

Although Sanako prefers quiet, she doesn't dislike this extremely cheerful and boisterous personality, so Sanako and Natsume Tsuki have a fairly good relationship.

However, some of the child's actions often left his mentor and friend, Sanako, feeling quite helpless.

The phrase this child often says is, "I love Sanako so much!", and he will often rush over and hug Sanako without saying a word.

For example, right now, she is still holding onto Sanako tightly.

Moreover, judging from her expression and actions... it's unlikely that she'll release Sanako anytime soon.

Sanako could tell that the "like" Natsume Tsuki mentioned was just friendly liking.

The "like" she spoke of... to be more precise, was an admiration for Sanako's beauty and strength, not a genuine affection for her.

Therefore, Sanako allowed this girl who admired her to frequently make intimate gestures towards her.

The reason why it is said that Natsume Tsuki's family background is also special in addition to his special personality does not mean that Natsume Tsuki has a particularly powerful family behind him.

Among all the disciples of the Chiba Sword Hall, there are many whose family backgrounds are far more illustrious than Natsume Tsuki's.

What makes Natsume Tsuki's family background special is that she is the daughter of a merchant.

Natsume Tsuki's father is Natsume Sohachiro, a prominent sake merchant whose business in Edo has been booming in recent years.

Riding the wave of the times, he soared to great heights—this phrase perfectly describes Natsume Sohachiro's rise to prominence.

When Japan's doors were forced open under the threat of powerful foreign ships and cannons, and countless foreign merchants set foot on the country's soil; while other merchants dared not associate with these blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners out of wariness or disdain, Natsume Sohachiro boldly stepped forward and did business with these foreigners.

Natsume Sohachiro was lucky; he found several Western merchants who were very interested in Japanese sake and successfully made several wealthy and stable trading partners.

By trading with Western merchants who were interested in Japanese sake, Natsume Sohachiro, who was originally just a small merchant, rapidly expanded his wealth. In just a few years, the Natsume family had become one of the most famous sake merchants in Edo.

Generally speaking, very few businessmen would let their children learn martial arts... because businessmen generally feel that it is far more worthwhile to let their children learn how to use an abacus than to learn some lousy martial arts.

Although during the Edo period, there were four social classes: samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with samurai having the highest social status and merchants the lowest, this so-called class system had long since become a mere formality.

One or two hundred years ago, a large number of merchants took advantage of systemic flaws and other defects to amass wealth at an astonishing speed, and many extremely wealthy merchants sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Located at the crossroads of eastern and western Japan, Osaka, known as the "Commercial Capital" for its exceptionally favorable business conditions, is home to a large number of wealthy and powerful merchants whose mere cough could make even the Edo Shogunate tremble.

The power of merchants expanded rapidly, while the power of samurai continued to shrink.

Many lower-ranking samurai were so impoverished that they could not even find wives or have enough to eat.

Not to mention samurai, many feudal states, including some powerful ones, were so poor that they had to borrow money from merchants to make ends meet.

For example, the Satsuma Domain, whose military strength was enough to frighten even the Edo Shogunate and whose total koku (a unit of rice measure) was the second highest in the country, once owed its merchants more than five million taels of gold. The annual interest alone amounted to 250,000 taels of gold.

The daimyo most often lent money to the incredibly wealthy merchants of Osaka.

If one day the wealthy merchants of Osaka stop lending money to the daimyo, many feudal states will collapse overnight due to the break in their cash flow.

This is why there is a saying among the people: "When Osaka merchants are angry, all the feudal lords in the world are shocked."

The ebb and flow of power between merchants and samurai led more and more merchants to develop a sense of contempt for samurai.

Therefore, compared to the swords and spears of warriors, merchants preferred to let their children pick up the abacus and learn how to do business.

Currently, in the Chiba Sword Hall, which ranks among the top in Edo in terms of the number of apprentices, there is only one female disciple whose family background is that of a merchant... and that person is Natsume Tsuki.

"Ayumi." Sanako lowered her chin, which was perfectly toned, and looked at Natsume Tsuki, who was a head shorter than her. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe, I snuck out of the house to eat something delicious. What about you, Sanako-san? What are you doing here?"

"I just finished teaching Princess Date of the Uwajima Domain and am about to go home."

Sanako had mentioned her side job of "teaching Princess Date" to the female students at the academy.

Natsume Tsuki's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Miss Sanako, since we've met here by chance today, why don't we go have something delicious to eat together?"

"Delicious?" Sanako blinked a few times, casting a questioning look at Natsume Tsuki.

"I know a teahouse that makes really delicious wagashi (Japanese sweets)! I'm a regular there, and I'm going there right now to eat their wagashi!"

As Natsume Tsuki's tone grew increasingly excited, he tightened his grip on Sanako, causing Sanako, whose body was once again flattened, to feel breathless.

"Miss Sanako, are you free now? Let's go eat some wagashi (Japanese sweets) at that teahouse! I guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

Wagashi (Japanese sweets)...

Faced with Natsume Tsuki's sudden invitation, Sanako's beautiful eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

The first emotion that arose in Sanako's heart was... resistance.

Having taught Princess Date for half a day, all she wanted to do was rush back to the Chiba Sword Hall to rest; she really had no appetite for any more wagashi (Japanese sweets)...

Natsume Tsuki keenly sensed what Sanako was thinking from her expression.

So, Natsume Tsuki quickly shook Sanako with a gentle but firm touch, and said urgently in a pleading tone:

"Miss Sanako, that teahouse isn't far from here, let's go together!"

Natsume Tsuki's face was filled with anticipation for going out to eat, drink, and have fun with Sanako, the lady he respected and admired the most.

Sanako, whose face was being stared at by Natsume Tsuki with such longing, hesitated even more.

She pursed her red lips slightly, pondering for a moment—

"……All right."

In the end, unable to resist the longing gaze cast by Natsume Tsuki, Sanako seemed to give in and gave the girl in front of her a helpless smile.

"Then I'll go and see just how delicious the wagashi (Japanese sweets) at this teahouse that you praised so highly really are."

"If the taste doesn't satisfy me, then next time you come to the fencing gym, I'll double your training volume."

The instant Sanako finished speaking in a half-joking tone, Natsume Tsuki's pretty face was instantly filled with a wildly joyful smile that narrowed her eyes to slits.

"Then I'll have to ask the teahouse owner to bring out all his masterpieces!"

Natsume Tsuki finally released the delicate body in his arms that countless men in Edo longed for day and night, and then, shoulder to shoulder with Sanako, he led her to the teahouse where she had become a regular customer because the wagashi (Japanese sweets) were so delicious.

“Miss Sanako, I recently discovered a fantastic kimono shop! All the kimonos they sell are so beautiful…”

As the cheerful young woman walked, she chatted animatedly with her crush, sharing her recent experiences.

Sanako listened attentively, occasionally chiming in with her own words.

At that moment, a cacophony of noise suddenly erupted from ahead, making even Natsume Tsuki shut his mouth.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Natsume Tsuki craned his neck to look ahead. "Why is there so much noise? Did something happen?"

The sudden commotion ahead also drew Sanako's attention.

In less than three breaths, the two women's confusion about "what happened" was resolved.

Ahead of them, a group of people, hard to miss, were walking towards them.

This group appears to be a government escort team.

Three disheveled and dirty men had their hands tightly bound with rope. To prevent them from escaping, their bodies were also tied together with another rope.