My body feels like it's paralyzed.
It seemed as if her heart was being heavily compressed from the outside, making Isshikika feel that breathing had become difficult.
He blinked twice, confirming the appearance of the person in front of him.
You didn’t misjudge him.
I didn't recognize the wrong person.
Goose bumps started to appear all over my body.
There is a sense of relief as if the scattered puzzle pieces are instantly put back together.
It's like when you are about to drown, you successfully grab a piece of drifting wood on the river.
At this moment, Isshikika felt that the uneasiness, worry, sadness and other emotions that had been pent up in her chest suddenly burst out, and the blocked emotions instantly overflowed.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
Without any hesitation, she threw the cloth bag containing food, water, money and other things that Chu Guang had just given her to her feet, and then she jumped into the arms of the person in front of her.
…
…
Ogata looked at Isshikika, who was crying on his chest, with surprise.
He subconsciously wanted to open his mouth to ask Isshikika "What's wrong?" and "Why are you here?"
But after seeing Isshikika's shoulders shaking slightly and feeling the fabric on her chest being wetted by her warm tears, Ogata silently closed his already open lips.
After a long time, Isshikika's shoulders gradually stopped shaking.
"Master Ittosai..."
Isshikika slowly raised her head from Ogata's arms.
At this moment, she no longer looked like the cold and aloof female swordsman she used to be.
His eyes were red and there were still many tears accumulated in his eye sockets, like a helpless child.
"I'm so glad you're okay..."
"Ms. Isshiki..." Ogata didn't ask Isshiki until then, "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you here?"
"...Ittosai-sama..."
The tears in Isshika's eyes swayed slightly.
"Now...what should I do..."
…
…
Time goes back to just now——
Osaka, Isshikika's detention center——
Isika, who was tied to a wooden pillar with gentle techniques and had a cloth gagged in her mouth, slowly raised her little head and cast a worried and uneasy look towards the tightly closed window next to her.
Several days have passed since Chu Guang locked me up in this small room.
In the past few days, Isekaka has been taken good care of by an old woman who lives in the same room with her.
Every meal was sumptuous and delicious, and Isshiki was never hungry or thirsty. Everything was good except the lack of freedom.
But even so, Isshikika still felt that the days were long.
Worrying about her family made Isshikika feel like countless ants were crawling on her heart.
Chu Guang has never appeared since he sent her into this room.
She tried to ask the old lady who was taking care of her whether she knew about her family's current situation, but the old lady said she had no idea.
Worrying about her family had already made Isshiki very upset. But before one thing was resolved, another one arose - just now, she heard the sound of gunfire outside the house.
She asked the old woman, and the old woman said with a worried look on her face that she didn't know. She only said that it was very chaotic outside, with fires and people fleeing everywhere.
——What’s going on in Osaka now…?
——Grandpa...Mom and Dad...How are they doing now...?
These two worries made Yisehua's beautiful brows frowned since then.
After taking her eyes away from the tightly closed window next to her, Isshikika's head drooped in frustration and boredom.
After taking several deep breaths, Isshikika did what she had to do countless times every day in the past few days - silently reciting Buddhist scriptures, praying for Buddha's blessing so that her family would be safe.
As a devout Buddhist, this is the only thing she can do in these few days.
Isshikika wasn't just praying for her family.
In addition to her family, she was also praying for... the young man who was captured by a mysterious organization in order to find him and had her entire family captured.
——Grandpa…Mom and Dad…Master Ittosai…
——I hope you all will be safe...
Isshikika recited the Buddhist sutra in her mind once, and when she was about to recite it a second time—
Boom boom boom…
Outside the room, there was the sound of quick footsteps on the wooden corridor.
Isshikika was startled by the sound and just as she opened her eyes, the door in front of her was pulled open.
The one who opened the door was none other than Chu Guang, whom he had not seen since they parted a few days ago.
Behind Chu Guang stood a man who Yi Sehua always felt seemed familiar.
After thinking for a moment, I remembered that this man was the young man who greeted Ogata at the "Daisikao", and his name seemed to be Shibata.
"Long time no see, Miss Isshikika."
While Chu Guang greeted Isshikika softly, he rushed forward and untied the cloth that was blocking Isshikika's mouth.
Isshikika also reacted quickly.
As soon as the cloth on her mouth was removed, she immediately asked Chu Guang:
"How are my family members doing now?"
Chu Guang: “…”
In response to Isshikika's question, Chuguang did not answer.
After pursing her lips, she said in a calm tone:
"Ms. Isshikika, I'm here to set you free."
"Now those people in the Toyotomi army no longer need to extract information about Ogata Ittosai from the people of the Isshiki family... and now they don't have the energy to look for people from the Isshiki family."
"Almost all of our manpower is currently being used to hunt down Ogata Ittosai."
"You are safe now, so there is no need to keep you here any longer."
"Hurry up and take these things."
Hatsumitsu winked at Shibata behind him.
Shibata immediately and conspicuously took out a package from somewhere.
"This package contains food, water, a wakizashi, and some money."
"It won't be long before the fire spreads here, so leave here quickly."
"It's best to leave Osaka directly. Osaka is very dangerous now."
“Grandma, you should pack your bags and leave here!” Chu Guang turned and shouted to the old lady who was waiting outside the room and had been taking care of Isseka these days, “If you stay here any longer, you will be burned to death!”
"Escape?" Isshikika's beautiful eyes widened, "What about my family? How are my family now? Answer me now!"
"And what happened to Ittosai-sama? What did you mean by 'almost all the manpower was used to hunt down Ogata Ittosai'?"
Chu Guang: “…”
Chu Guang fell silent.
After a moment, she raised her eyes and looked at Isshikika with a complicated gaze that was difficult to describe in words.
His face was full of hesitation.
"…your family…was removed a few days ago."
Finally - Chu Guang seemed to have given up thinking and struggling, and the hesitation on his face turned into an apologetic helplessness.
She lowered her eyes and didn't meet Isshiki's gaze.
"I don't know where he was transferred to."
"I don't know where your family is, nor do I know what their current situation is..."
"I just know that they must not be in Osaka now."
"As for Ogata Ittosai... he is currently being hunted by the Toyotomi army and his whereabouts are unknown."
After saying all these words in one breath, Isshikika slowly raised his gaze and looked into Isshikika's eyes.
At this moment, Isshikihana... seemed to have lost her soul.
She stared with her beautiful eyes wide open, her expression dull.
"...I will do my best to find your family and ensure their safety."
After Chu Guang muttered this in a low voice , he silently untied the rope that tied Isshikika to the wooden pillar.
The rope was untied and the body was free again. The next moment, Isshikika pounced on Hatsumitsu like a hungry tiger, and pressed Hatsumitsu down on the tatami with Isshikika on top and Hatsumitsu on the bottom.
Shibata was frightened by the sudden attack of Isshikika and subconsciously wanted to push Isshikika away, but was stopped by Hatsukiri with his eyes.
"Who are those guys who kidnapped my family?! Why did my family have to suffer such a thing for no reason?!"
Isshikika roared at Chuguang with her red eyes.
With a calm face, Hatsukiri silently endured Isshikika's emotional outburst.
"...I will do my best to ensure the safety of your family and ensure that they can return to Osaka safely."
After repeating what he just said, Chu Guang continued:
"Hurry up and take this cloth bag and leave here."
"Don't go back to your home yet."
"I just saw the direction where your house is... there is a serious fire..."
"Your home... should no longer exist by now."
Isshikika seemed to have lost all her strength. She slowly loosened her hands that were pressing Hatsumitsu on the tatami, leaned back, and sat on the ground.
Chu Guang slowly stood up.
"Leave Osaka immediately. Come back later."
"We still have a lot of things to do next. So I'll take my leave now."
"I wish you... a safe journey."
After leaving these words and the cloth bag filled with food, water and money, Hatsumitsu led Shibata and strode away from Isshikika.
Inside the house, the only ones left were Isshikika, who was slumped on the ground, and the old woman who was busy packing her luggage.
…
…
"I can't... remember how I walked out of the house where I was locked up for several days."
The story of Isshikihana has not yet ended.
“That first light told me: My home is gone now.”
"I didn't expect that she was actually right."
Isshikiha gave a dry laugh that looked even more ugly than crying.
"How could I ignore my own family..."
"After leaving the house where I had been locked up for several days, I immediately went home."
"When I returned, I couldn't see my home anymore. All I could see were houses engulfed by the spreading fire..."
"I already... didn't know where to go, who to find, or what to do."
"The only thing I can think of that I can do is to pray to the Buddha..."
Isshikika's hands, which were originally placed quietly on her legs, slowly clenched, and then she slowly turned her gaze to the wooden Buddha statue next to her.
"I can't think of anything else I can do except pray to the Buddha and ask him to protect my family..."
“So I came to this temple that I often visit.”
"And then, I met you here."
"My family is missing, my house was burned down, and after going through so many bad things, I finally encountered something happy."
After saying that, Isshiki Hanaoki revealed a smile that finally looked better.
Ogata had been listening quietly as Isshikika described her experiences.
As Isshikika spoke, Ogata's expression changed several times.
After learning that Hatsumitsu and Shibata, with whom he had met once, were not ordinary musicians and guards, and that Isshiki's family were all captured by the Toyotomi army, and the reason they were captured was that the Toyotomi army knew that the Isshiki family had a relationship with Ogata, Ogata's expression changed suddenly several times.
——So… Miss Isshiki and the others were implicated by me…
——The Toyotomi Army and the Iga Ninjas...
The fog that had been shrouding Ogata's mind since tonight suddenly dissipated.
He finally knew who the enemies were who had been harassing him tonight.
"Ah, do you want some water?"
Isshikika said to Ogata while smiling.
"I see your lips are dry. There is a lot of water in the cloth bag that Chu Guang gave me. I'll give you some water."
After saying this, Isshikika stood up and prepared to pick up the cloth bag that she had just thrown aside.
"…Ms. Isshiki."
"Um?"
Isshikika stopped in her tracks when she was suddenly called by Ogata.
Ogata raised his gaze and looked directly into Isshikika's eyes——
"I will definitely rescue all your family members."
No complicated words were said.
Nor did he use a tone that was loud and clear.
All I have is a firmness like a rock.
Isshikika opened her eyes wide in surprise.
The smile on his face disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In an instant, his eyes were filled with tears.
Isshikika opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, as if she wanted to speak, but what she wanted to say could not be turned into words.
"You must be having a hard time these days, and feeling very uneasy."
"But it's all right now."
“No matter where your family is imprisoned now, I will rescue your family and make those who kidnapped your family pay the price they deserve.”
"I promise you."
With her family missing and her house consumed by fire, Isshikika, who had been alone and uneasy, let out all her accumulated anxiety in one breath.
Like a helpless child, she flew into Ogata's arms again and burst into tears in his arms.
Ogata lowered his eyes, looked at Isshikika in his arms with an apologetic look, and slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, a sharp light flashed in his pupils.
At this moment, neither Ogata nor Isshiki noticed that the purple skin on Ogata's left neck had become much smaller...
…
…
Osaka, somewhere——
"Osaka is really miserable right now..."
Shibata, who was standing on the roof of a house with Hatsumi, said this with emotion.
Looking up, there were flames all around.
"Fortunately, there is no strong wind tonight." Chu Guang said calmly, "If there is a strong wind tonight, the fire will take advantage of the wind and the wind will help the fire. The casualties in Osaka will be even more serious."
"But even so... now almost one-sixth of Osaka has been engulfed by the fire..." Shibata let out a long sigh, "Ms. Hatsumitsu, what should we do now?"
"There must be many citizens who haven't escaped from Osaka yet." Hatsutsu said, "Anyway - let's do our best to rescue as many Osaka citizens as possible."
"This is difficult..." Shibata said with a wry smile, "If people find out that we are not doing our job but are just saving people..."
Before Shibata could finish his words, Hatsumitsu smiled and interrupted him:
"So we have to be careful."
"Hasn't this been the way we have been all along? Carefully disguising ourselves so that no one would find out that we have always been thinking about how to make the Toyotomi clan and Iga disappear completely in the long river of history."
Shibata smiled and scratched his head: "That's right..."
At this time, Shibata paused.
"Then...what about Ogata Ittosai? Should we try to find him?"
"...If possible, I would also like to help that Ogata Ittosai." Hatsukimi said slowly, "But Osaka is so big, and we have nowhere to find him."
"Let's make saving lives our top priority now."
"While rescuing people, look for Ogata Ittosai as well."
"Maybe I'll find him by chance while rescuing someone."
"If you find him, help him as much as you can."
"If we can't find him... we can only hope that he will fend for himself."
"Okay..." Shibata nodded, "I understand."
"Let's go check out the fire scene over there first." Chu Guang turned his gaze to a block not far away that had been mostly engulfed by fire, "There might be citizens trapped by the flames over there..."
Woo——!
boom!!
The roar and the faint air waves made the hem of Chu Guang's skirt-like dress flutter slightly.
Woo——!
Woo——!
Woo——!
…
boom!
boom!
boom!
…
The sharp sound of breaking wind and the loud sound of explosion came one after another.
"What happened?" Shibata panicked.
After a brief shock, Chu Guang looked gloomily in the direction where the sound came from - Osaka Port.
"Naval guns?" Chu Guang bit her teeth.
…
…
Osaka, Osaka Port, on the sea outside the port——
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…
A streak of red light flickered on the sea outside Osaka Port.
This is the light of a cannon firing.
The dark sea was churning and roaring.
Two British-made sailing battleships were arranged in a neat "long snake" and fired at Osaka Port.
Huge shells flew out of the barrel, drawing a beautiful parabola and landing on Osaka Port or the ships docked in Osaka Port.
In the blink of an eye, Osaka Port was engulfed in flames.
The flames from the exploding shells illuminated the entire Osaka Port and the surrounding area. The buildings in the port and the ships in the port disappeared, smashed, ground, and torn into pieces by the artillery fire.
"Ahh... what a beautiful night view..."
Toyotomi Nobuhide stood on the side of a warship, holding the purple-handled katana hanging on his left waist with his left hand and the railing of the side with his right hand. He looked intoxicatedly at the Osaka in front of him, which had become even more fiery and "red" after the Osaka Port was engulfed in flames.
Round after round of artillery fire filled the battleship's deck with thick cannon smoke and heavy fog, the air became pungent and the gunpowder smoke gave his mouth a strange taste, but Toyotomi Nobuhide remained calm.
"Mr. Smith."
Toyotomi Nobuhide turned his head and smiled at a blond and blue-eyed white man standing behind him:
"Thank you so much."
Toyotomi Nobuhide patted the railing of the ship.
"You helped us get such great stuff. You're the best arms dealer I've ever met!"
"Hahaha." Smith bowed to Toyotomi Nobuhide in a Western-style manner, "This is mainly because Lord Toyotomi has amazing financial resources!"
"But there is one thing I don't understand." Toyotomi Nobuhide shrugged and moved his right hand away from the railing.
There was a red crescent moon painted on the place where his right hand had just been resting.
"It's fine if you paint a red crescent moon on guns and cannons, but why do you have to carve a red crescent moon on ships as well?"
"Oh! Lord Toyotomi , the red moon is our family crest, similar to your family crest."
"It is my custom and my insistence to engrave my family crest on all the weapons I sell."
"Please forgive and tolerate this little habit of mine."
After saying this, Smith bowed to Toyotomi Nobuhide again.
"All right." Toyotomi Nobuhide put his hands on the railing again, "As long as the weapon is useful, it's fine."
"Lord Toyotomi!"
A petite young man was running towards Toyotomi at this time.
"Osaka Port and all ships in Osaka Port have been completely destroyed!"
"Very good." Toyotomi Nobuhide nodded, then raised his hand and patted the petite young man on the shoulder, "Kasu Bee, well done. I was worried that you might not be able to bring the warship here before tonight."
"It seems I was worrying too much."
"Osaka is so lively tonight." Kasu Bee's face was flushed with excitement. "How can I and my two battleships be absent?"