Isshikika now felt as if there were two "selves" in her heart yelling at her.
One of the "selves" was shouting at her -
This is a good opportunity! After parting with Ittosai this time, I really don't know when we will meet again! Why not take this opportunity to express your feelings to him? It's not like you want him to divorce his current wife and marry you instead! Just express your feelings, otherwise it will be so uncomfortable to keep it in your heart!
And the other "self" was shouting at her -
Don't do such a stupid thing! What's the point of telling him such a thing? It might just make Ittosai-sama embarrassed!
The two "selves" were arguing fiercely.
But despite the argument, the winner was quickly decided - the "self" who advised himself not to do such a stupid thing slowly gained the upper hand.
As the outcome of the battle gradually became clear, the light of thought and hesitation in Isshikika's eyes slowly faded away.
Isshikika is a girl with traditional ideas.
Even though there were no other pedestrians on the street where she and Ogata were now, Isshiki felt that she could not bring herself to do such a thing as saying "I have a crush on you" to a man on the street.
Besides, Isshikika didn't want to cause trouble to Ogata.
For some reason, she was afraid to see Ogata's troubled and embarrassed expression after hearing her say "I seem to have fallen in love with you without realizing it"...
After making up her mind, Isshikika paused and bowed slightly to Ogata.
"Although I don't know what you are going to do in the future, Master Itosai, I would like to wish you good luck in martial arts. When you have finished the important things on hand, you are welcome to come to Osaka again at any time."
Ogata nodded at her and smiled:
"Yes. I will. I quite like the city of Osaka. If I have the chance, I will definitely come to Osaka again... um...!"
Ogata suddenly cried out in pain and fell to one knee, which naturally scared Isshikika.
"Master Ittosai!" Isshikihua quickly squatted down and held Ogata's shoulders. "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
…
…
The level of pain this time is completely different from the pain caused by the spread of the undead poison the previous two times.
This time, the pain lasted only a moment, and it made Ogata sweat profusely.
——Damn it…!
Ogata gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
But at this moment——something happened that Ogata could not have expected.
This sudden severe pain lasted only about ten seconds before slowly receding like the ebbing tide.
After just one or two breaths, Ogata could no longer feel any pain.
A few seconds ago, the pain was so severe that Ogata didn't even have the strength to scream, but a few seconds later, everything returned to normal - this drastic contrast made Ogata stunned.
"Master Itosai." After seeing Ogata's face improve slightly, Isshiki asked again hurriedly, "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine..." Ogata supported himself on the ground and slowly stood up.
After standing up, Ogata realized that his clothes were sticky - they were all wet with the cold sweat he had just sweated on.
"This... is an old problem of mine." Ogata lied casually, "I occasionally feel severe pain in my head, and just now it was just a relapse of my illness."
"Sick?" After hearing what Ogata said, Isshikika's originally rosy cheeks gradually lost some of their color.
"Don't worry." Looking at Isshiki's frightened face, Ogata smiled and lied, "I have already seen a doctor and have been taking medicine on time. My condition has improved a lot now. If I continue to take the medicine for a while, I will be cured."
Ogata now really wanted to open his clothes immediately to see if the purple color on his left neck and left chest had "expanded".
Of course, he couldn't open his clothes in front of Isshikika, so he decided to continue lying -
He raised his right hand and rubbed both temples vigorously with his right thumb and middle finger.
"…I'm sorry, Miss Isshiki, I still feel a headache, I want to go back to my hotel and rest."
"Okay." Isshiki nodded immediately, "How do you feel now? Can you go back to the hotel by yourself?"
"It's still okay to go back to the hotel." Ogata nodded gently, "Then - I'll go back first."
"Well, let's meet again in the future..."
…
…
Isshikika watched Ogata leave.
Looking at Ogata's increasingly smaller figure, Isshikika sighed softly.
"I'll go home too..."
She muttered this and turned around silently.
He walked slowly in the direction where Ogata was not.
…
…
After turning into a secluded alley and making sure that there were no outsiders around, Ogata couldn't wait to open the collar of his kimono and look at his left chest - the purple color did not expand.
Still only the skin from the left neck to the left chest was purple.
Then, Ogata opened his personal system interface.
All of my values ​​remain the same as before, neither getting higher nor lower.
Considering that the severe pain just now only lasted for about ten seconds, Ogata guessed that perhaps the severe pain just now was not the real immortal poison spreading again.
The Immortal Poison did not expand - this actually made Ogata feel even more depressed.
Because he had never experienced this kind of "sudden severe pain but quick return to normal" situation before.
——For now, don’t tell Atachi about what happened just now…
If he told Ating about the strange situation he just experienced, it would be of no use except making Ating worry about him.
"It really cannot be delayed..."
Ogata put his clothes on while muttering to himself.
"We have to hurry up... find a way to get our body back to normal..."
…
…
Late in the evening of the next day after the “big test” ended——
The hotel where Mamiya and the others stayed——
"My lord, Master Genichi, Shimada." Mamiya bowed to the small figure in front of him with a smile on his face, "You are finally here."
This tiny figure was Lin, who had been rushing to Osaka non-stop since leaving Nara and had finally arrived in Osaka.
Genichi and Shimada stood on Lin's left and right.
Because of the sudden appearance of Lin and the other three, the not-so-spacious room of Mamiya and the others immediately seemed more crowded.
"Jiulang, Yahachi, Shichibei." Lin, who looked exhausted, patted the shoulders of the three Mamiyas standing in front of her one by one, "Thank you for your hard work. During your time in Osaka, did anything happen that deserves your attention?"
Lin, who has the hidden attribute of being a "workaholic", had just reunited with Mamiya and the others. She didn't even have time to change her dirty clothes, but she was impatiently asking Mamiya to give her a report.
"My Lord, we have been here in Osaka for the past few days and have discovered quite a few things that might shock you if I tell you."
"Oh? Like?"
"For example, we met Ogata-kun."
"Ogata Ittosai?" Lin's eyes widened in surprise.
Genichi and Shimada also looked surprised.
Mamiya told Lin and the others about how they reunited with Ogata, exchanged information with Ogata, proposed an alliance with Ogata, but Ogata asked him to ask Lin two questions first before considering whether to cooperate with Huluya again.
The things that Ogata experienced in Ezo and the information he collected in Ezo were so many and so complicated that Mamiya talked about them for more than an hour.
It tells the story of Ogata's various encounters when he first entered Ezo , all the way to when he was on the pirate ship of Amitō, and encountered Miyabe and others who were suspected to be members of an organization researching "immortality" and had Xuanzheng's special poison rolling out of their bodies.
Lin's face remained gloomy until Mamiya reported everything.
There was a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
It seems that he is thinking about something.
Also having a thoughtful expression was Genichi.
Genichi usually looks carefree.
But at this moment, Yuanyi was in a rare state of deep thought...
"My lord," Mamiya continued, "I have made an appointment with Ogata-kun. When you arrive in Osaka, I will immediately inform him that he has questions for you. Do you want to ask him to come over now ?"
"...It's too late now." Lin said in a deep voice, "Besides, the way we look now...is not suitable for meeting people."
Lin stretched out her finger and lightly tapped her right shoulder - a small cloud of dust was lifted up.
"Let's go and inform Ogata Ittosai tomorrow morning. Have a good rest tonight and meet with Ogata Ittosai and the others tomorrow."
Lin's instructions were reasonable and there was no reason to refute them, so Mamiya nodded: "I understand."
…
…
The hotel where the group from Huluwu stayed was a high-end hotel with its own bathhouse.
It was almost 9pm when Lin, Genichi and Shimada arrived in Osaka.
It was already past 11 o'clock in the afternoon when I finished listening to Mamiya's report and prepared to take a shower.
At this time, the hotel's bathhouse had already closed.
But money can solve most of the problems in this world.
Thanks to Lin's financial ability, the hotel staff excitedly reopened the bathhouse specifically for Lin and the other two, and quickly boiled hot water.
Genichi and Shimada are enjoying the spacious bath.
Shimada is the kind of person who doesn't spend too much time bathing.
After soaking in the bath for about ten minutes, Shimada said to Genichi, "I'm going back first," then he dressed and left the bathhouse.
Shimada, who hurried back to his room, did not notice that in the shadows outside the bathhouse, a petite figure was secretly observing the men bathing.
After seeing Shimada leave, the petite figure quickly slipped into the men's bath.
In the men's bath, Yuan Yi was the only one left.
Genichi closed his eyes, leaned against the wall of the bathtub, and enjoyed soaking in the hot water.
But at this moment——outside the door connecting the bathhouse to the outside world, a female voice sounded:
"Uncle."
It was Lin's voice.
Genichi seemed to have expected Lin to come. His expression was calm and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Xiao Lin, you broke into the men's bathhouse without permission. If someone catches you, they will think you are a pervert." Yuan Yi said this in a joking tone.
Lin ignored Yuan Yi's joke just now -
"Master, what do you think about Kinoshita who gave away muskets to the Red Moon Fortress for free and cooperated with the pirate named Ant-tsu?"
Lin asked in a serious tone.
The teasing look on Yuan Yi's face due to the joke he had just made slowly faded away.
"...Based on the physical features that Mamiya described...that 'Kinoshita' is most likely Nobuhide..."
"I... think so too." Lin, who was separated from Genichir by a door, gradually had a gloomy expression on her face.
"The Gongbu on the Yitong ship has a poison specially made by Xuanzheng on him."
"And Xuan Zheng is working for an organization that studies 'immortality'."
"And that Yi Tong said: Gong Bu is that guy's subordinate..."
"Researching 'immortality' in order to defeat the Edo Shogunate... It's possible that this guy would do that..."
"Damn...that lunatic...!"
Genichi heard the sound of hammering on the wall.
"...Xiao Lin." Yuan Yi asked softly, "What are you...going to do now?"
Behind the door, it became unusually quiet following Genichi's question.
After a long while, Genichi finally heard——
"……have no idea."
Then, Genichi heard footsteps slowly leaving.
…
…
After taking part in the "Daishikage" in accordance with his agreement with Naoshige, Ogata's life returned to peace.
Ogata was worried that this strange phenomenon of "contractions coming suddenly and disappearing quickly" would happen again - but fortunately, since the first time this strange phenomenon occurred, Ogata's body has not shown any abnormalities.
Although I am anxious to find a way to restore my body to normal, I cannot act rashly no matter how anxious I am.
Without waiting for his sword to be repaired, he took two cheap swords he bought at random to go to Koyasan to look for clues - no matter how you look at it, this behavior was a reckless act that was seeking death.
Therefore, despite being anxious, Ogata decided to act according to the original plan - to recuperate and gather strength before Daishikōten and Daishizāi recovered.
After the "Grand Test" was over, Ogata went sightseeing and sightseeing in various places in Osaka with A-machi and A-tsuki, just like he had done in the previous few days.
This peaceful time, in which Ogata didn't have to worry about anything, lasted only a little over a day.
The morning after the "Big Test" was held - Makimura knocked on the door of Ogata Ryokan.
After reuniting with Mamiya, Makimura and others, Ogata informed them of his current address in Osaka to make it easier for Mamiya, Makimura and others to contact him.
After knocking on the door of Ogata's hotel and meeting Ogata, Makimura told him directly the reason why Ogata suddenly came to him - Lin and Genichi had arrived in Osaka.
…
…
Osaka, the hotel where Huluya and others stayed——
Because of this meeting with Lin, Ogata wanted to tell Lin and the others something that was better not to be heard by Azhu, so Ogata did not bring Azhu with him. He gave Azhu some money and let Azhu go to the streets of Osaka alone to play and kill time.
Led by Makimura, Ogata and Atachi came to the room where Mamiya, Makimura and others lived, which they had visited before.
At this moment, the room was particularly crowded - because there were three more people in the room compared to the first time Ogata came here.
It was Lin, Genichi, and Shimada.
Lin and Genichi sat side by side in the middle of the room. After seeing Ogata, whom she hadn't seen for nearly half a year, Lin, who was not good at expressing herself, rarely showed a faint smile:
"Long time no see, Ogata Ittosai."
"Yes." Ogata nodded with a smile, "Ms. Lin, Master Genichi, Shimada. Long time no see. You finally arrived in Osaka."
"We actually arrived in Osaka last night," Lin said, "but considering it was so late, and considering the long journey, Shimada and I were a little tired, so we decided to wait until this morning to tell you that we have arrived in Osaka."
After not seeing each other for half a year, there was no significant change in the appearance of Lin and the others.
Especially Genichi - he is still so energetic and doesn't look old at all.
"Ogata-kun." Genichi held his katana Yangshen and grinned. "It just occurred to me that every time I see you after a long separation, you have just accomplished something unprecedented... and perhaps unparalleled."
"The last time I met you was at our base in Huluwu, when you had just conquered Nijo Castle in Kyoto."
"And this time is even more incredible. This time we met again, you just defeated 10,000 shogunate troops in Ezo."
"I'm suddenly looking forward to when I can meet you again after such a long time."
Genichi changed his tone to a joking one.
"By then, I wonder if you will have accomplished something extraordinary?"
"Actually, if possible, I hope my life will be a little more peaceful in the future." Ogata responded to Genichi in the same joking tone.
Ogata and Atachi sat side by side opposite Lin, Genichi and the others, while Mamiya, Makimura, Asai, and Shimada sat casually in the remaining empty seats in the room.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Lin cleared her throat and slowly turned the topic to the serious topic:
"I have heard from Kuro, Yahachi and others about what happened between you and Ms. A-machi in Ezo and the discussion of 'mutual cooperation' after meeting with Kuro and others in Osaka."
"Personally, I would welcome the opportunity to work with you and Ms. A-machi, just as we did before to deal with Shiranui, and then investigate Koyasan and other places together to collect information and clues about the 'immortality'."
"Although our ultimate goals are slightly different, you want to restore your body to normal, and we want to investigate 'immortality', but our goals are generally the same. If we cooperate, we will achieve a win-win situation."
"But I heard from Jiulang that you have two questions for me. You have to ask those two questions clearly before you can consider whether to cooperate with our Huluwu."
"Now that I'm here, feel free to ask any questions you have."
Lin has always been a person who does things without procrastination.
Seeing that she was so happy to tell Ogata to "ask as you like", Ogata did not hesitate either -
"Ms. Lin, my first question...is also a question that has troubled me for a long time."
"At the beginning, when I was recovering from my injuries in the Red Moon Fortress after the battle with the shogunate army, the commander of the Red Moon Fortress, Chanup, told me that the muskets they used were sold to them by a young man who passed by the Red Moon Fortress three years ago. He wore a purple-handled katana on his waist and called himself 'Kinoshita'. He sold them at a low price that was almost like giving them away for free."
"Then, when I returned to mainland Japan, I ran into the pirates who made a living by trafficking in people."
"According to them, they started working with a young man named Kinoshita in Ezo four years ago. The pirates were responsible for kidnapping people and handing them over to Kinoshita, who then paid them accordingly."
"Based on the physical features described by Chanup and the ant, the 'Kinoshita' they were talking about... should be the same person."
"Although the surname Kinoshita is not a very rare surname in Japan."
"But... they both have the same last name, Kinoshita, and both have amazing wealth... I can't help but think of you, Miss Lin..."
"After learning that the man who sent the muskets to the Red Moon Fortress was also named Kinoshita and was also very rich, I couldn't help but wonder - could this 'Kinoshita' be a relative of yours, Miss Lin?"
"Regarding this matter, I want to confirm it no matter what."
Ogata looked directly into Lin's eyes with a sharp gaze that seemed to penetrate her entire body.
Lin usually always has a poker face.
Until now, she still had no expression on her face.
Genichi, who usually had a very expressive face and emotions and was not good at hiding his feelings, had a change of expression when he heard what Ogata had just said. After hearing the words "purple-handled katana" and "a young man who called himself 'Kinoshita'" from Ogata's mouth, Genichi's eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of his eyes twitched.
Ogata’s words were not yet finished.
"I can now basically confirm—"
Ogata continued.
"That 'Kinoshita' is the important planner, organizer, and even...mastermind of this series of events related to 'immortality'."
After hearing what Ogata said, Rinna's expression, which had been motionless until now, finally showed some changes.
"Ms. Lin, since you have already learned from Mamiya about the series of things that A-machi and I experienced in Ezo, you should also understand that Kinoshita, who gave away the Red Moon Fortress muskets for free and cooperated with Yitong, is extremely suspicious."
"On the pirate ship of Yitong, that Gongbu had a poison specially made by Xuanzheng on him."
"According to Xuanzhi, this poison is his master's unique secret recipe. Only he, Xuanzhi, and his master, Xuanzheng, can make this medicine."
"Xuan Zhi has already gone into hiding, so where did the poison in Gong Bu's body come from... It's already obvious."
"Xuan Zheng is still working for the mysterious organization that studies 'immortality'. That Gong Bu is a member of this mysterious organization."
"Then Kinoshita is an important member of this organization... or even the highest leader of this organization."
"He probably cooperated with that Yitong in order to have enough experimental subjects to conduct research on 'immortality'."
"The instigator of the 'disappearance incident' in Qina Village is probably that 'Kinoshita'."
"According to the information I extracted from Yi Tong, the 'disappearance incident' in Qina Village occurred before 'Kinoshita' approached Yi Tong for cooperation."
"I speculate that 'Kinoshita' wanted to capture the experimental subjects by his own strength, and the young and middle-aged people of Qina Village became the tragic victims."
“After trying to capture experimental subjects on my own, I found that I was really not good at kidnapping people, so I found professionals like Yitong and started working with them.”
"Ms. Lin."
Ogata's gaze was now extremely sharp.
"If you know anything about that 'Kinoshita'... please tell me and my wife."
After saying this, Ogata closed his mouth and said no more, just looking at Lin straightly.
For a long time after Ogata finished speaking, one could hear a pin drop in this not very spacious room.
Ogata and Atachi, as well as Mamiya, Makimura and others... including Genichi, are now looking at Lin, waiting for Lin's answer.
Lin pursed her lips and remained silent.
She remained silent for a long time, and then Lin's tightly closed red lips finally opened slightly.
"...A purple handle, and a young man calling himself 'Kinoshita'... Haha, these are exactly the characteristics of that guy."
"Xiao Lin." Hearing Lin's words, Genichi's expression changed slightly, "Are you... going to tell Ogata-kun about that person?"
"Ogata Ittosai and Ms. A-Machi are both important companions who have been through thick and thin with our Huluya." Lin said calmly, "I don't think there is anything wrong with telling them about our family's affairs."
"And just as Ogata Ittosai said, that guy... is now very likely the mastermind behind this series of 'immortality' incidents..."
"If it was that person, he might really do something like that..."
"Ogata Ittosai is also being troubled by 'immortality'. I think it is necessary to tell him this important information even out of friendship and moral considerations."
After saying that, Lin paused.
After a pause, Lin met Ogata's gaze.
"...That 'Kinoshita'... is probably my brother, Toyotomi Nobuhide."
"Toyotomi... Nobuhide...?" Ogata's eyes widened slightly.
A-Machi, who was sitting next to Ogata, also showed a look of surprise on her face at a speed visible to the naked eye. She asked, "Toyotomi...?"
"Kinoshita... is not my or my uncle's real surname." Lin said calmly, as if she was just talking about something boring. "My real name is Toyotomi Lin. And my uncle's real name is Toyotomi Genichi."