Volume 5: Kyoto Summer Campaign Chapter 309 "Ayi! Beat me up!"
"Kondo, remember everything I say next."
Ogata said to Kondo seriously.
"If I follow my plan, I might be able to deal a fatal blow to these guys who don't know what they are planning to do in Kyoto."
"Once you arrive at the teahouse, go find a man named Kamiyama Kosuke or Hasegawa Heizo. Once you find either of them, tell them..."
…
…
"... Kondo, do you understand what I said?"
"I understand!" Kondo nodded solemnly.
"You once sent Master Fuma home after he sprained his back. You should still remember where Master Fuma's residence is, right?"
"Remember!"
"Well, then when we're done, you'll go to Fuuma-sama's mansion and wait for me."
"No problem, Master! We have a deal. We will meet at Kotaro-sama's residence later!"
"I won't break my promise."
"Then Master - I'll go first! The wife and daughter of the master of the Metaphysics Hall, follow me, I will take you to a safe place."
…
…
Kondo was holding Izayoi, who was wrapped in a piece of cloth, under his armpit, and on his back was the one-eyed man who was unable to walk normally on his own, and behind him were Inaba's wife and daughter.
Ating gave the one-eyed dragon a simple hemostatic treatment. As there was no damage to his vital parts, the one-eyed dragon would not be in any danger of life for the time being.
In order to prevent the one-eyed dragon from yelling and causing trouble when they sent him to the sacred mountain, Ogata knocked him unconscious.
After watching the energetic Kondo walk away quickly, Atachi turned her head and looked at Ogata beside her.
"Ayi, you asked Kondo to carry out this mission just to protect him and prevent him from getting involved in our mess again - am I right?"
Hearing this question from Atachi, Ogata smiled bitterly:
"A-Ming, since you already know the answer, there's no need to ask me this question again."
"Are you really going to give Kondo some swordsmanship instruction once he completes this mission?"
"If I don't promise him something sweet, how can he be as active and serious as he is now? If I want him to stop pestering me and leave this mess, I can only promise him something that he wants most right now."
A-Machi recalled how energetic Kondo was when he saw him off, and nodded slightly: "That's true..."
Ogata placed his left hand on the hilt of Daishikatsu.
"Although Kondo lacks experience in using real swords and actual combat experience, he is a talented person with great potential."
"At this age, being able to create a new sword style based on Katori Shinto-ryu is already an incredible talent."
"I have also been paying attention to Kondo's swordsmanship. Although it is still a bit crude, it is surprisingly suitable for actual combat."
"Once Kondo completes this mission and my affairs are settled, I would be happy to give him some guidance on swordsmanship."
"Huh?" Ating smiled, "Have you thought about what kind of guidance you will give him in the future?"
"I've thought about it." A meaningful smile flashed across Ogata's face at this moment.
Ogata slowly turned around and walked slowly towards the end of the deserted street.
"A-Ming, come with me."
"Now that Kondo has left, let's have a good chat."
Hearing Ogata's words, the light in Atachi's eyes flickered slightly.
After a moment of silence, A-machi followed Ogata's steps obediently.
…
…
Ogata finally stopped after walking all the way to a secluded place far away from the three-story building where Inaba's wife and daughter were imprisoned and where there was no one around.
"A-Ting..."
Ogata called A-machi's name softly and slowly turned around to look at A-machi behind him.
As Ogata turned around, Atachi suddenly shouted:
"Ayi! Hit me now!"
While shouting, Ating closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and clenched his hands tightly, letting them hang naturally.
Looking at Atachi who tensed every muscle in his body, Ogata's expression became strange.
“Beat you…?”
"I'm sorry, I lied to you." Ating said bluntly, "I don't have any mission at all. To show my apology, hit me hard!"
"Is it your custom in Omi to beat up people who lie?"
"No, this is not our Omi custom. It's just an impromptu way of apologizing that I came up with just now to show my sincere apology. Come on, hit me hard."
"……I see."
Because her eyes were closed, Atachi could not see Ogata's expression. She only heard Ogata say "I understand" in a serious tone.
After hearing what Ogata said, A-Machi couldn't help swallowing.
“…Um…I just said ‘hit me hard’, but please don’t really hit me with all your strength…”
"Also, don't hit my face... ah! It hurts!"
Before Ating could finish his words, he felt a sharp pain on both sides of his cheeks.
Ogata raised his hands, grabbed both of Atachi's cheeks and pulled them apart with a force that was neither light nor heavy.
Only after Atachi screamed in pain did Ogata let go of Atachi's cheek.
"Okay, I've already beaten you up." Ogata said seriously, "Tell me what's going on."
"That guy just now kept calling you a traitor... Could it be that you have already defected to Shiranui?"
"..." A-Ming rubbed his cheeks on both sides and remained silent.
After a long silence, Ating said softly:
“…Actually, it’s not that complicated.”
"After leaving Butterfly Island and parting with you, I was excited on my way back to Shiranui, thinking that I could avoid being reduced to dirt by doing this mission."
"When we entered Omi and were about to return to Shiranui, an acquaintance of mine came to tell me the news."
"His name is Qing Tailang. He is my father's best friend. The relationship between him and me is like that of uncle and nephew. I have always called him 'Uncle Qing'."
"Uncle Qing found me and told me that the leaders had already conspired to reduce me to a filth."
"Thanks to Uncle Qing, I know the truth."
When he said this, a hint of self-mockery flashed across Ating's face.
"It turns out that the leader never intended to give me another chance."
"No matter how well I complete my mission to land on Butterfly Island, he will demote me to 'dirty'."
"Uncle Qing is the only person in Shiranui besides me who knows about the existence of Suying and Kasumi after my father passed away, and knows where they are placed in my house."
"Uncle Qing not only came to inform me, but also brought out Suying and Kasumi, as well as their special bullets and the money I have been saving all these years. He told me to take these and leave Omi quickly and betray Shiranui."
"After returning to Shiranui, I was demoted to 'dirty' and was either sent to Hanaya or given as a prize to some meritorious male ninja as a wife."
"So there is no good choice for this option. After taking Suying and Xia Nagi that Uncle Qing brought out for me, as well as some money that Uncle Qing gave me, I started to flee."
"Besides Shiranui, I have no other place to go, so I can only flee westward aimlessly."
"When I fled to the outskirts of Kyoto, I learned from passers-by that Kyoto was holding the Gion Festival."
“It has always been my dream to attend the Gion Festival in Kyoto.”
"So I entered Kyoto, bought this yukata that I'm wearing now, and started wandering around Kyoto."
“And then I met you.”
"Ayi, you know what happened next."
After listening to Atachi's explanation quietly, Ogata nodded slightly:
"I see... Then how is your uncle Qing doing? Did he defect with you to Shiranui?"
"No." Ating shook his head. "After Uncle Qing told me the secret, he went back to Shiranui by himself."
"I also tried to persuade him to leave Shiranui with me..." A-Ming's face was bitter, "But I couldn't persuade him... He insisted on returning to Shiranui, and I don't know why..."
"…Why did you lie to me and say that you were on a mission in Kyoto…" Ogata sighed softly.
"If I tell you the truth , will you still be able to travel around Kyoto with me calmly?"
"...You are really carefree." Ogata smiled bitterly, "Even when you are being hunted, you can still leisurely travel in Kyoto."
"Yeah." Ating smiled, "I think so too... From some perspectives, I'm really brave..."
After this emotional speech, Ating fell silent.
After a long while, Ating let out a long sigh:
“This is really too much…”
"Shiranui's strength was already strong enough, and now she has joined forces with the shogunate..."
"Teaming up with the shogunate... that's really too much... that's really cheating..."
"How can I possibly... handle the Shogunate..."
"Sorry, Ayi, I want to find a place to sit and rest for a while, is that ok?"
"Just now I was chasing the murderer who sniped Inaba, and then I followed you here. My legs are tired..."
Ogata lowered his head and glanced at Atachi's legs which were trembling slightly.
"...Yeah." Ogata raised his eyes, no longer looking at A-Ming's legs, looked directly into A-Ming's eyes, and smiled slightly, "Let's take a break together."
…
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Kyoto, Gion area.
"Wow……"
Looking at everything around him, Shimada couldn't help but open his mouth and let out an exclamation.
"Senior Makimura, where is this place?"
Makimura and Shimada were now walking one after the other on a very street.
The ground beneath their feet was no longer covered in dust.
The entire street is paved with neatly laid bricks. The mere fact that it has a brick road is enough to show how extraordinary this place is.
Men and women dressed in fancy clothes kept passing by Shimada.
Both sides of the street were filled with street performers performing various talents.
There were acrobatic performances, animal shows, and everything else.
There are no longer any houses where ordinary people live on both sides of the street, but only tea houses, huts and other places for entertainment.
Next to Shimada stood a small hut. Outside the hut was a large flag with four big Chinese characters written on it: Onoue Shirakura.
Outside the gate of this small house was a man soliciting customers.
Perhaps because of his rich work experience, this person could tell at a glance that Shimada was the kind of person who was visiting Gion District for the first time or who rarely came to Gion District.
When he saw Shimada, the man's eyes lit up immediately. He stood in front of Shimada and shouted to him:
"Mr. Samurai! Are you interested in watching a Kabuki performance?"
"Our performance is about to begin! Tonight's play is "Chushingura"!"
"The performer is the Sandaime Onoue Shirakura!"
The man raised his hand and pointed at the flag on the roof of the small house with the four big Chinese characters "Onoue Shirakura" written on it.
"Sama Onoue Shirazakura Sandaime is the most precious treasure of our Gion District!"
"Look! Even though the 'Yamaboko Parade' is about to start, there are still many people who come to watch our Kabuki performance tonight. I assure you that more than 70% of these people who come to watch tonight's performance are here to see the Third Daime Onoue Shirazakura!"
Shimada looked in the direction the man's finger was pointing - there were indeed quite a lot of people coming in and out of their hut, and the flow of people far exceeded that of other huts around it.
But Shimada now has the important task of "assisting Makimura", so he could only shake his head to refuse.
After sending the soliciting man away, Makimura turned around and smiled at Shimada behind him:
“Welcome to Gion, one of the most prosperous areas in Kyoto.”
"Gion District is the largest entertainment district in Kyoto, with jugglers and kabuki actors everywhere."
"That's amazing..." Shimada nodded seriously, "This area is almost as prosperous as Edo..."
Hearing Shimada's words, Makimura shrugged:
"Shimada, I have a piece of advice for you: Don't let the people of Kyoto hear what you just said. People in Kyoto are generally very arrogant and think they are residents living in the king's land. If they hear what you just said, they will be angry. Ah, we are here."
Mucun stopped in front of a perfume and powder shop with a plaque that read "Jingkouwu".
"Geisha and Kabuki can be seen everywhere in the Gion area, so the demand for perfume is quite high. Only Iguchiya, which is located in the Gion area, has the largest number and the most complete variety of perfume."
Makimura introduced Shimada behind him.
"Only Iguchiya sells the rare incense powder 'Wakasa incense'."
After saying that, Mucun strode towards the wellhead house in front of him.
Before Mucun could open the door of the well-mouth house, the door of the well-mouth house was opened by itself with a "whoosh".
It turned out that a customer in Iguchiya was coming out of the store.
The customer was a short, bald man.
After the bald man opened the door of the store, he saw Makimura and Shimada who were about to enter the store.
The bald man glanced at Makimura and Shimada, then tightened his collar and strode out of the store.
Makimura didn't care about the bald man. After glancing at him, he led Shimada into the wellhead house through the shop door that had just been opened by the bald man.
