I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"This is a real headache. If we keep drinking with Mr. Makimura like this, our plans for this afternoon's outing are probably ruined," Kinoshita Mai said to Aoto with her eyes and expression, while giving him a shy, wry smile.

The two exchanged glances very discreetly.

However, this "silent communication" was still discovered by others.

Moreover, the person who discovered it was the one with the worst eyesight at the scene.

Kiryu glanced at Aoto, then at Kinoshita Mai. His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, flickered slightly.

"...Makimura, I'll drink with you until you're satisfied. As for Tachibana-kun, let's not make him drink anymore."

Makimura: "Huh?"

Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, and Makimura all cast surprised glances at Kiryu with synchronized movements.

"The elderly have their own way of life, and the young have theirs. The weather is quite nice today. On such a fine day, it would be a waste to keep the young people indoors instead of letting them go out and release their energy."

After saying that, Kiryu smiled and looked at Aoto and Kinoshita Mai.

"If I'm not mistaken, you two have plans for this afternoon, right?"

His words were like a wake-up call. Upon hearing Kiryu's words, Makimura immediately showed an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh! I see! What's wrong, Ju? If you had a promise with the young master, you should have said so earlier! Hahaha!"

Kinoshita Mai's pretty face, already flushed from the alcohol, turned even redder.

As Kiryu and Makimura finished speaking, she reacted instinctively, quickly putting on an ostrich-like act, her small face buried low.

Kiryu had seen through everything... This feeling of being caught in the act by the girl's parents while he was being intimate with their daughter made Aoto extremely embarrassed.

However, the embarrassment was only temporary.

In the blink of an eye, Aoto composed himself and gave the understanding Kiryu a grateful look.

……

……

Thanks to Kiryu's intervention, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai were able to escape the endless drinking party.

Kinoshita Mai changed her outfit.

The outermost garment she wore was still the exquisite red kimono her grandmother had given her; underneath the kimono, she wore several scarves for warmth; a peach-pink scarf was wrapped around her pink neck; her small feet were covered with clean white cotton socks; she exuded the youthful energy unique to girls her age.

"Qingdeng, let's go..."

Kinoshita Mai uttered soft, breath-like words while tightly gripping the obi (sash) of her kimono.

A youthful smile appeared on her adorable face.

Although Aoto and Kinoshita Mai have a very good relationship, they have rarely gone on dates together so far.

As Kiryu and Makimura watched them go, the young man and woman disappeared at the street corner outside the Senjiya.

The two elderly people returned to the veranda of the courtyard.

Without Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's company, the place suddenly became much quieter.

"Young Master... has really grown up..."

Makimura channeled his deep emotions into a long, melancholy sigh.

"The older I get, the faster time seems to fly."

Makimura stretched out his hand and gestured to his thigh.

"Back then, when the lord picked up the young master, she was only this small, like a kitten, as if you could just pinch her and kill her."

"I never expected... In just the blink of an eye, the young master has grown into a perfectly married young woman. And she even has someone she loves... I'm afraid it won't be long before we see the young master wearing a white kimono."

Kiryu joked:

"Makimura, you seem unusually sentimental today."

“Melancholy? Hahaha! Perhaps!” Makimura crossed his arms, tilted his head back, and gazed at the distant horizon. “Melancholy, reminiscing about the past—these are the privileges of us old fogies, aren’t they?”

“Well…that makes sense,” Kiryu agreed.

Makimura continued:

"To be honest, I used to worry that the young master, with his weak personality, would be deceived by the sweet talk of an unreliable playboy."

“They did foolish things like ‘stubbornly offering money and sex’ and ‘eloping with someone without regard for anything’.”

"Fortunately, that worry did not come true. Overall, I am very satisfied with Tachibana. The last time I encountered such an outstanding talent... was 70 years ago on Butterfly Island."

“70 years ago… Butterfly Island…” Kiryu raised an eyebrow, “You mean… Ogata-kun?”

"Who else is there besides him?" Makimura grinned. "Ah, speaking of Ogata... Kuro, I have a question for you."

Since there were no outsiders around, Makimura switched back to calling Kiryu by his nickname that he had used for decades: Kuro.

Kiryu: "Hmm?"

"I only discovered this by chance when I was sparring with Tachibana just now. Don't you think Tachibana looks a lot like Ogata and Genichi?"

"..." Kiryu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly with a smile in his eyes, "I had already noticed this before I even took Tachibana-kun as my apprentice."

Seeing that Kiryu shared the same feelings, Makimura's smile deepened.

"Haha! You were thinking the same thing as me! Although at first glance, Tachibana and Ogata and Genichi have no similarity in appearance or temperament, they inexplicably give people the feeling that they are very similar."

"Especially when Tachibana is fighting, he occasionally shows that intoxicated look, as if he's engrossed in 'swinging the sword'... It's exactly like Genichi's!"

"Hey, Kuro, what do you think? Will Tachibana Mirai grow up to be a great swordsman like Ogata or Genichiro?"

No sooner had Makimura finished speaking than Kiryu, in a resolute tone, said without hesitation:

"No, I don't think so."

Before Makimura could respond, Kiryu continued on his own:

"I believe that Tachibana will surpass Ogata-kun and Genichi."

Kiryu's words were delivered with such unwavering conviction that they were like a sharp sword suddenly drawn from its sheath, piercing the surrounding air with a hissing sound.

Makimura stared at Kiryu in disbelief.

"Uh... well, Kuro, Tachibana's swordsmanship talent is indeed outstanding, but..."

Before Makimura could finish speaking, Kiryu interrupted him.

“Makimura, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t mean that Tachibana-kun’s swordsmanship surpasses that of Ogata and Genichi.”

"What I mean is: Tachibana-kun has the potential to leave a significant mark in future history books, one that even Ogata-kun and Genichiro can't match."

Makimura looked up, his eyes, hidden beneath layers of wrinkles, suddenly widening.

"Jiulang, you, you..."

His tongue seemed to be tied in knots; he mumbled for a long time without uttering a single coherent sentence.

Do you think I'm exaggerating?

Kiryu asked in a joking tone.

Makimura nodded seriously.

“You may find it incredible, but everything I just said came from the bottom of my heart.”

"I sincerely believe that Tachibana-kun's future identity and achievements will not be limited to swordsman and kendo."

Kiryu filled his small porcelain cup to the brim with wine.

"Makimura, can you hear the roaring sound of the times?"

"Overseas, Western countries are eyeing us covetously."

"Within the country, the various vassal states of the West are poised to launch their attack."

"At the same time, there are also independent forces such as the Fazhu Party and the remnants of Ōshio Heihachirō's party lurking in the undercurrents, ready to act and plan at the right time."

“I used to have some doubts. But now I’m convinced—a new Warring States period is coming.”

"Warring States...?!" Makimura was dumbfounded.

He had intended to say, "No matter how chaotic the current national situation is, it can't possibly repeat the Warring States period, can it?" However, upon seeing Kiryu's serious expression, and considering his understanding of Kiryu and what he had seen and heard in recent years... Makimura gradually suppressed his smile and adopted a focused expression.

"Although the Edo Shogunate is in decline, it is still not completely crippled."

"From my observation, the current shogun of the shogunate, Tokugawa Iemochi, is a rare and wise ruler."

"With the strong support of powerful domains such as the Aizu Domain and the Kuwana Domain, and with an enlightened ruler at the helm, the Edo Shogunate could very well achieve a revival and restore the glory of the 'Mitsuba Himawari'."

“The Western countries are all harboring their own ulterior motives, yet they should not be underestimated.”

"The Choshu Domain possessed immense wealth due to its control of the Shimonoseki Strait. Furthermore, the Choshu Domain had the deepest historical grudges with the Edo Shogunate."

"The Satsuma Domain is ambitious, and its samurai are all brave and skilled in battle. Most importantly, under the reforms of the former lord Shimazu Nariakira, the Satsuma Domain has completed a rudimentary industrialization and possesses advanced industries such as iron smelting furnaces, ore melting furnaces, forging plants, steam engine manufacturing plants, shipyards, and gun factories."

"Under the leadership of Yoshida Toyo, the Tosa Domain also began reforms to break down class barriers, promote industry and commerce, and enrich the country and strengthen its military."

"The Saga Domain has always been quietly accumulating wealth. Even before the 'Black Ships Incident,' the Saga Domain had already taken advantage of its favorable geographical location near Nagasaki to conduct in-depth research on Western knowledge and embark on large-scale Westernization. After decades of accumulation and development, the Saga Domain is now a leader in many fields, including medicine, industry, military, and technology."

"Whether it's Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, or Saga, no single domain among the western provinces could possibly shake the authority of the Edo Shogunate."

"However, if they unite, the situation will be very different."

"If the Choshu, Satsuma and other domains form an alliance to create a 'Western Allied Forces'... then unless the Edo Shogunate gathers supporters such as the Aizu and Kuwana domains to form an 'Eastern Allied Forces' to counter it, the Edo Shogunate will be in grave danger."

“Makimura, I can assure you with my bare hands: in the not-too-distant future, there will be a war between East and West Japan.”

"At that time, the Kyosaka area, sandwiched between the eastern and western countries, will inevitably become the front line battlefield for fierce battles between the two armies."

"Therefore, the place where we can now establish our rule is not in Edo, but in Kyoto."

“Kyoto…Osaka…” Makimura clicked his tongue, “Isn’t this our base of operations…”

"Yes." Kiryu smiled slightly. "So, Makimura, be prepared to be caught up in the flames of war in the future."

“Heh…” Makimura gave a wry smile, “'War'…what a terrifying word. I never thought that at my age, I would still have the chance to witness such a massive war sweeping across the entire country…”

Kiryu smiled wryly at Makimura for a while.

"Yes, that's right... For people like us who have personally experienced countless bloodshed and turmoil, just saying the word 'war' makes our teeth ache."

"Times create heroes. Once the war between East and West Japan begins, countless heroes will surely rise up."