Ogata now just felt... that he was in a dilemma that he didn't even know how to describe with words.
Ogata's rationality told him: At this moment, something must be done quickly.
But now he just felt that his mind was empty...he couldn't think of any good way to get out of this predicament.
He couldn't move or stay still now - especially with his hands raised up.
Not only that, I didn't even know what to say.
And Isshiki is now motionless, which makes it more difficult for Ogata to make a decision.
But fortunately——the savior appeared in time to save Ogata and Isshiki from this awkward atmosphere.
"Excuse me—is there anyone in there?"
A middle-aged male voice was heard outside the entrance of the bath.
This male voice suddenly pierced into the ears of Xufang and Isshiki, immediately waking them up from their chaotic state.
"Yes, someone is coming in." Isshiki said hurriedly, "Can you help me block him?"
If an outsider saw a woman taking a bath in a men's bath, it would probably take a long time to explain.
Ogata instantly understood what Isshiki was worried about.
So after hearing Isshiki's stammering words, Obe responded with an "OK" almost without hesitation, then quickly put down the pair of heavy objects he was holding in his hands, turned around, faced the entrance of the bath, and sat back in the pool.
"You hide behind me."
Hearing what Ogata said, Isshiki immediately followed Ogata's instructions without much hesitation and hid behind him. Because Isshiki was smaller than Ogata, it was easy for him to hide his body behind Ogata.
After the two of them finished this series of actions, the middle-aged male voice was heard again outside the door at the bathhouse entrance:
"Excuse me, is there anyone in the bath?"
"Someone is there!" Ogata replied, "What's up?"
"Would it be convenient for me to come in?"
"Come in!"
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, the door at the entrance was slowly opened, and a middle-aged man about 40 years old, dressed as a waiter, appeared in Ogata's field of vision.
The middle-aged male attendant first quickly looked around the bathing area, then fixed his gaze on Ogata:
"Sir, are you the only one in the bath?"
——It seems that he didn’t notice Isshiki…
Ogata thought to himself, and replied calmly:
"Yeah, that's right, I'm the only one here. What's wrong? Is it time for the bathhouse to close?"
Ogata did not forget that he no longer had a human skin mask to cover his face, so in order to prevent the middle-aged male servant from seeing his face clearly, Ogata lowered his head so that the other party could not see his face clearly due to the angle of view.
"Well, it's like this." The middle-aged waiter looked ashamed, "I don't know who swapped the curtains at the entrance of the bathhouse."
"It was supposed to be a men's shower curtain, but now it's a women's shower curtain. It was supposed to be a women's shower curtain, but now it's a men's shower curtain."
Hearing what the middle-aged waiter said, both Ogata and Isshiki who was hiding behind Ogata widened their eyes in shock.
"You mean..." Ogata's expression unconsciously became strange, "This was supposed to be a women's bath?"
The middle-aged waiter nodded: "That's right. But fortunately - it's late at night now, not many people will come to take a bath, so no big disaster has occurred."
"So... that's how it is..." Ogata couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
"Sir, do you want to continue bathing? If you want to continue bathing, please move to the real men's bath next door."
"...Can I continue to soak here?" Ogata was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Your bathhouse should be closing soon, and I'm too lazy to move to another place. I'll soak here for a while and then leave."
Hearing what Ogata said, the middle-aged male waiter looked embarrassed.
But fortunately - after a moment of silence, the middle-aged waiter nodded:
"...Okay then. Let's put the curtain back after the bathhouse closes."
Seeing that the middle-aged waiter agreed to let him stay here for a while, Ogata secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, the middle-aged waiter said some clichés like "We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you," and reminded Ogata that the bathhouse would be closed soon, so he should pay attention to the time. Then he closed the door of the bathhouse entrance and disappeared from Ogata's sight.
In the bathtub, Ogata and Isshiki were the only ones left.
After confirming that the middle-aged male waiter had left and there was no one else outside the bathhouse door, Ogata tried hard to adjust his expression, trying his best to look calm, then slowly turned around.
In order to avoid seeing anything he shouldn't see, Ogata raised his eyes and looked at the ceiling above his head.
"Um... can you walk now?"
"Just barely... OK..."
"Then I'll turn my back to you and you can leave here first..."
After saying this, Ogata turned his whole body and faced the east side of the bath.
After Ogata turned his body so that Isshiki could no longer see him, Isshiki raised his gaze and looked towards Ogata...with a complex emotion composed mainly of annoyance and shyness.
She placed her hands on the heavy object that Ogata had just lifted.
The touch of Ogata's palm still remained on her skin.
Feeling the touch that had not yet dissipated, the complex emotions in her eyes became even stronger.
Her lips moved, as if she was about to say something to Ogata.
But in the end—she said nothing.
He silently crossed his hands over his chest and walked towards the bathtub without saying a word.
Perhaps because he was still dizzy, and also to avoid falling down again, Isshiki walked very slowly.
Ogata didn't rush her and just waited quietly.
The atmosphere between the two did not fall into an awkward silence.
Because after a while, Ogata said to Isshiki with a guilty look on his face:
"I'm sorry... I accidentally entered the women's bath..."
"This isn't your fault..." Isshiki responded softly, "The curtain was changed, and you're one of the victims..."
Although Isshiki forgave him for this matter, Ogata did not relax at all.
Because there was something even more serious waiting for him to apologize for...
"Just now... I accidentally touched some places I shouldn't have touched..." The shame on Ogata's face turned into embarrassment at a speed visible to the naked eye, "I'm really... I'm very sorry..."
Because of the angle, Isshiki couldn't see the embarrassment on Ogata's face.
And Ogata couldn't see Isshiki's cheeks which were now slightly red.
"...You were trying to hold me up when I was about to fall...Just pretend that what happened just now never happened."
After saying this quickly in a tone that made it difficult to understand his emotions, Isshiki said no more.
Isshiki actually wanted to scold Ogata loudly.
Although Ogata's original intention was good, the final result was still difficult for Isshiki to accept.
Just now, it was the first time in her life that she was so flirted with by a man - and a man she had only known for a short time.
To be honest, she is now full of resentment.
The strange thing is that she can't even muster the motivation to reprimand Ogata...
"Thank you for your understanding..." Ogata showed a relieved expression.
"...In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I'd better explain..." Isshiki suddenly said slowly, "I disguised myself as a man so that I could move more conveniently when traveling around with my grandfather. It's not because of any special reason..."
Ogata nodded gently: "So that's how it is..."
Although women in the Edo period could walk the streets openly and work as restaurant waitresses, the overall social atmosphere was still that men were superior to women.
This is the norm in this feudal society.
In feudal society, due to productivity and other reasons, men are superior to women. In a society where men are superior to women, it is much easier to do many things after dressing up as a man.
Crash...
Finally, after an unknown amount of time had passed, Ogata heard the sound of water splashing behind him - Isshiki's feet had finally stepped out of the bath.
After Isshiki left the bath, the blush that was already on his cheeks quickly spread.
When she was soaking in the bath just now, because her whole body was wrapped in hot water, Isshiki had a feeling that "something was covering her body".
Now that I have left the bath, there is nothing around me except air.
There was a man she had just met not far away, and she was exposed to the air without anything on - this extremely weird feeling made Isshiki's face turn red uncontrollably.
Isshiki made a simple assessment of her current physical condition - the distance from the bathhouse to the room where she and her grandfather lived was not very long, and although her head was still very dizzy, it should not be a problem for her to walk back.
"...I'll be leaving first..." Isshiki turned around and said slowly to Ogata, who still had his back to her, "Remember - just pretend that what happened tonight never happened. I won't tell anyone about what happened tonight, and you don't tell anyone else either."
Ogata nodded vigorously: "Yes, I will."
After leaving these words, Isshiki took another step with his slightly heavy feet and walked towards the entrance of the bath.
But when he arrived at the entrance, Isshiki stopped.
She turned her head and looked at Ogata.
His eyes were still filled with complicated emotions.
After looking at Ogata for a long time, she finally withdrew her gaze and opened the door to the bathhouse entrance...
…
…
Isshiki quickly put on her goose yellow kimono, held on to the wall, and walked slowly back to her room.
Perhaps because it was late at night, there were not a single guest or waiter in the corridor.
——It’s so hard…
Isshiki originally thought that with his current physical condition, walking back to the room should not be a problem.
But after putting it into practice, Isshiki realized that her evaluation of her current physical condition seemed to be a little overestimated.
At first it was fine and I could still stay energetic, but the further I walked, the more dizzy and nauseous I felt.
When he was still more than halfway to the room, Isshiki finally couldn't stand the dizziness in his head and the strong feeling of nausea in his stomach anymore, so he held onto the wall and slowly squatted down on the ground.
——Let’s…rest for a while… Ugh…this is so disgusting…
Isse was squatting on the ground, gasping for breath, taking deep breaths, and rubbing her temples hard, trying to keep herself awake, but unfortunately, these actions had little effect.
However, at this moment, a male voice with obvious helplessness sounded behind her:
"It's really too much to ask you to go back to your room alone... Can I carry you back?"
Isshiki's eyes widened as she looked behind her in surprise - standing behind her was Ogata, who was now fully dressed.
"Why...are you here...?"
"I always feel that it's a bit too much for you to go back to your room alone in your current state." Ogata squatted down so that his eyes were level with Isshiki's. "So in order to avoid any accidents, I decided to follow you quietly."
"You look so ugly now, are you feeling unwell?"
Isshiki wanted to say, "I'm fine now, I'll get better after some rest, you don't have to worry about me", but as soon as she opened her mouth, a strong feeling of nausea made her frown.
She now felt that if she said a few more words, she would vomit up tonight's dinner.
As the daughter of a samurai, she did not want to do such an indecent thing in front of outsiders or in the corridor of an inn.
Seeing that Isshiki was now unable to speak, Ogata remained silent.
After a moment's silence, he helped Isshiki up without a word and carried him behind his back.
"I'll carry you back." Ogata's voice was low, but his tone was full of Kanesada. "Where is the place where you and your grandfather live? If it's difficult to speak, use your finger to show me the way."
Seeing that Ogata was so tough and helped her behind him without even saying hello, Isshiki's first reaction was to protest loudly, saying that she didn't need his help.
But... after my eyes met Ogata's, for some reason, I couldn't say anything even though I had already thought of the words to reject Ogata's kindness.
After lying behind Ogata who was squatting on the ground for a while, Isshiki slowly stretched out his right index finger and pointed to the right turn in front.
"Over there, huh... Hold on tight, I'll walk slower. If you still feel uncomfortable, pinch the back of my neck and I'll walk even slower."
After saying that, Ogata carried Isshiki on his back and walked slowly towards the place Isshiki had just pointed at at a pace as slow as a turtle.
Isshiki, who was lying on Ogata's back, had a place to rest. At the same time, Ogata's speed was just right, which slowly alleviated the dizziness and nausea in Isshiki's head.
The dizziness and nausea dissipated, and a strange feeling of relief came over me.
Isshiki's head slowly lowered and rested on Ogata's left shoulder.
"...Thank you..." She said with all her strength, trying hard to suppress her dizziness and nausea.
"You're welcome." Ogata responded softly, "I just did what I should do."
After the two of them sang in unison, they returned to silence.
But the strange thing is that this silence does not exude an air of embarrassment, but instead reveals a sense of tranquility.
…
…
"In front... the second room on the right is where I live... You just need to take me here... If grandpa sees you carrying me back... it will be hard to explain..."
Ogata looked towards the second room on the right in front of him - it was about seven steps away, not far away.
Hearing Isshiki's words, Ogata did not insist and said that he must send her to the door. After Isshiki finished speaking, he obediently put Isshiki down behind him.
"Do you feel better? Can you walk the remaining few steps?"
Isshiki nodded gently: "Well... at least... I can finally speak... I will have no problem walking the last few steps..."
Although the time I spent lying on Ogata's back was not long, at least I got a little rest.
"That's good..." Ogata nodded gently, "In that case, let's say goodbye here. It's almost time for me to go back. If I delay any longer, my family might worry about me."
"...Iseki flower."
"Um?"
"Isshikika - my real name." Isshiki looked directly into Ogata's eyes and spoke word by word.
"Isshikika..." Ogata smiled, "What a nice name, it sounds nice and has a meaning."
There was no hint of flattery in Ogata's words.
The name "Hua" may be unremarkable for a woman.
But when paired with the surname "Yise", the name instantly becomes more poetic.
"At dawn tomorrow, Grandpa and I will leave here and continue to return to Osaka." Isshiki continued, "After tonight, we may not have the chance to meet again... so... take care of yourself..."
Isshiki now had no idea what he was talking about.
His lips and tongue moved on their own as if they had a will of their own.
He gave his real name without permission, and then told Ogata to take care of himself without permission.
By the time I came to my senses, the words "Take care of yourself" had already come out of my mouth.
After hearing her words, Ogata was stunned for a moment, then slowly revealed a smile:
"You too. Take care."
…
…
"Xiaohua, you're finally back... huh? What's wrong with you? Why do you look so grim?"
As soon as Naoshige's gaze turned to Isshiki who had finally returned, he was immediately shocked - because Isshiki's face was now frighteningly pale, as if he was sick.
"I'm fine." Isshiki said, "I'm just a little dizzy."
"You're dizzy?" Zhi Zhou said unhappily, "Really? You're not young anymore, why are you still acting like a child... Hmm? What's wrong? Why are you smiling so happily? Did something good happen to you?"
——Laughing?
Isshiki was stunned for a moment, then quickly raised his hand to touch his lips - the corners of his mouth were really slightly raised.
She didn't even realize she was laughing.
She recalled when she smiled subconsciously.
Memories flash back quickly.
The final moment was frozen at the moment when Ogata smiled and said to her, "You too. Take care of yourself."
…
…
"Why did you take a shower so late tonight?" A-machi asked Ogata who had just returned.
"Because I haven't taken a bath for a long time." Xu Fang said calmly, "So I couldn't help but soak in the bathtub for a while longer."
Ogata promised Isshiki that he would pretend that what happened tonight never happened.
For the first time, he felt fortunate that he had the ability to lie without changing his expression...
"Okay, let's get into bed." In order to prevent Ah-Ming from asking further questions out of suspicion of his previous statement , Ogata took the initiative to change the subject, "We still have to travel tomorrow morning."
After saying that, without waiting for Atachi to react, Ogata took out a set of bedding and spread it on the tatami.
A-Machi has always had unconditional trust in Ogata.
So after hearing what Ogata said, although I always felt that "soaking in the bathtub for a longer time because I haven't taken a bath in a long time" was not something Ogata would do, I didn't ask too much and began to concentrate on laying the bedding with Ogata.
As the two worked together to lay the bedding, Ogata's eyes accidentally swept across Atachi's chest, which was now only covered by a thin layer of clothes.
Then, a memory that had only passed for less than half an hour popped up in Ogata's mind...
Ogata's expression became strange and he quickly looked away, lest any strange memory fragments appear again...
…
…
At this moment——
In a pub in Edo——
"Huha!" Makimura put down a large empty bottle of sake, "How is it? Do you still want to compete with me?"
"I, I can't drink anymore..." Shimada, with a red face, put down the half-empty bottle of wine and burped loudly, "I can't drink anymore."
"Hehe." Mucun showed a smug expression, "You are far from being able to compete with me in drinking capacity."
"Shimada, stop drinking." Asai reminded him, "I don't want to carry you back like I did a few days ago."
Makimura, Shimada and Asai are now sitting in a triangular shape at the three corners of the table.
Recently, in order to kill time, Makura and his friends often drink and chat in the pub until half the night, like they are doing now.
"By the way—" Asai continued, "I think it's about time for us to go back."
Asai did not participate in the "drinking competition" between Makimura and Shimada, but just drank quietly. Therefore, unlike Makimura and Shimada, his whole face did not turn red, but his cheeks were only slightly red.
"It's still early." Makimura said as he opened another bottle of sake, "Let's drink for a while."
"You really love drinking..." Asai said helplessly.
"You're wrong." Makimura grinned, "I don't like drinking, I just like drinking in places like izakayas. Because when I drink in izakayas, I can often hear some interesting stories."
Mucun picked up some fennel beans with chopsticks and put them into his mouth.
"When I was still Yuriki, I often instructed my subordinates to hang out in places like izakayas. In places like izakayas, we can often gather a lot of useful information."
"I just feel that places like izakayas are noisy, I don't have any other feelings..." Asai sighed.
As soon as Asai finished speaking, a loud noise suddenly broke out from a large table some distance away from them:
"Wow! Is this true?"
"Everything I said is true!"
"Is that person so powerful?"
…
"What are the people at that table doing..." Asai frowned and looked at the table where eight people were sitting. "It suddenly became so noisy... It scared me..."
"Okay, don't worry about this little thing." Mucun comforted, "Keep drinking."
"The snacks seem to be a little insufficient." Shimada suddenly said.
"Then ask someone to bring up a few more plates of fennel beans, Miss Qian!" Mucun waved to a young girl who was wiping the table not far away.
During this period, Makimura and his friends often visited this izakaya, so after a few visits, they became familiar with the people in this izakaya.
The young girl whom Makura called "Miss Aqian" walked over quickly with a plate in her hand: "You guys can really drink... You've actually drunk so much..."
"Because the wine you brew here is good." Mucun laughed, "It is because the wine you brew here is good that we come here so frequently during this period."
"Mr. Makimura is still as sweet as ever. What do you want? Do you want some snacks or a few more bottles of wine..."
Before A Qian could finish her words, she was interrupted by a sudden burst of noise - the source of the noise was the table of guests who had attracted the attention of Asai and others because of their excessive noise.
"What are the people at that table doing..." Asai frowned again, "Even if we're in a pub, we can't be so noisy, right?"
"This is the norm in our pub." Ah Qian looked helpless , "I'm used to it. That table of guests is also a regular here, so we are embarrassed to say anything more."
"What are they talking about... so loudly..." Mucun also became curious about the guests at that table.
"I don't know the details." A Qian shrugged, "But I just heard a little bit of their conversation."
"They seemed to be talking about the greatest swordsman in Edo, Yamada Asaemon Fumiaki, and the demon sword Chana that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Yamada Asaemon family."