10 days later——
Osaka——
"Hey! Send some more planks over here!"
"We want this too!"
"Get out of the way! The truck carrying the wooden planks is coming! If you don't want to be hit, get out of the way!"
…
It is now around 11 o'clock in the morning.
Because it was close to noon, a scorching sun was already hanging high in the sky. The sunlight flowed across the sky and the earth, melting everything in its golden red glory.
Since around the 6th, the weather around Osaka has become exceptionally good.
There was no continuous rain, and the sun was not too scorching. Even at noon, the sun did not feel hot at all when it hit the human body.
This perfect weather, neither too hot nor too cold, is naturally a great benefit to the "Osaka reconstruction work" that has been in full swing in recent days.
The Toyotomi army's surprise attack on Osaka nearly half a month ago caused Osaka to suffer extremely serious damage.
That night, huge fires broke out in various places in Osaka, lighting up the night as bright as day.
But fortunately, the night when the Toyotomi army raided Osaka was a windless night.
Due to the lack of wind, the fire did not spread on a large scale.
According to post-disaster statistics, about 40% of the houses were burned down.
This number may seem scary at first glance, but compared with the disasters suffered by other major cities of the same level: Edo and Kyoto, this number seems insignificant.
[Note: In 1657, Edo suffered the "Meireki Fire", and two-thirds of Edo was reduced to ashes. The "Tenmei Fire" in 1788 burned down 80% of Kyoto's buildings.]
The citizens who had scattered to the outskirts of Osaka to escape the Toyotomi army and the power of Zhurong have now returned to Osaka one after another and started to rebuild their homes.
In the past few days, in the streets and alleys of Osaka, the most common voices heard are the townspeople's shouts for the reconstruction of Osaka, and the most common figures seen are the townspeople running around and busying themselves with the reconstruction of Osaka.
The entire Osaka was not hit particularly hard by the disaster, but the government office in Osaka suffered severe damage.
All official facilities in Osaka were the main targets of the Toyotomi army.
The magistrate's office, prison, Dojima rice market...all government-related facilities suffered devastating damage, forcing the officials who were transferred to organize the reconstruction of Osaka to work in various simple and dilapidated houses these days.
…
…
At this moment, in a large mansion in an inconspicuous place in Osaka—
Gulp... Gulp... Gulp...
In the kitchen, Fuma heard that the miso soup had been boiled and hurried to the pot, lifted the lid, took out a small bowl, scooped out a little soup, and tasted it.
"Hmm..." Feng Mo frowned, "The taste seems to be a little bland..."
"Master Fuma. Let me help you."
At this moment, Ating's voice suddenly sounded from the kitchen door.
After so many days of rest, A-Ming had made great recovery both physically and mentally. Her cheeks were glowing again and her eyes became bright.
"Oh, it's Komachi." Fuma smiled at the sudden arrival of Atachi, "You're just in time."
"The miso soup is too bland. I'm going to increase the heat. Can you add more firewood to the stove?"
After saying that, Fengmo smiled bitterly and pounded his waist.
"Although my back pain has eased a lot, every time I bend over, I still feel very uncomfortable. I can't bend over to add firewood to the stove."
Ating naturally agreed to Fengma's request.
A-Cheng added firewood into the stove with skillful techniques, then took out a bamboo tube for blowing air and blew air into the stove.
Only after Fuma shouted "It's done" did Atachi put down the bamboo tube in his hand, stood up, and looked around the kitchen, which he had rarely visited because he had been concentrating on recuperation these days.
"This is the first time I've seen such a luxurious kitchen... It's no wonder that Miss Lin rented this mansion for 5 taels of gold a month..."
After returning to Osaka from Kii, Lin once again used her money ability to provide everyone with the most suitable environment for healing.
Through his own connections, he borrowed this secluded and luxurious mansion for a monthly rent of 5 taels of gold.
These days, Ogata and others have been staying in this mansion to heal their wounds and recuperate.
While everyone was recuperating here, Fengmo came over spontaneously to help.
These days, Fengmo is mainly responsible for helping with cooking and making medicine.
Feng Mo’s cooking skills are quite good and the meals he makes are praised by everyone.
Today's lunch was almost ready, and Fuma, who had nothing else to do except waiting for the miso soup to be cooked, began to chat with Atachi in a random manner.
"Komachi, I heard that Genichi came to Azuki last night and asked Azuki to help buy him a bottle of wine outside. Is this true?" asked Fuma.
"Yes, it's true." A-Ming smiled helplessly, "Last night, Master Genichi secretly found A-Tsuki and asked A-Tsuki to go outside and bring him a bottle of wine."
"But just as Genichirō found Azhu, Mamiya showed up and captured Genichirō again."
"Alas, that fellow Genichi..." Fuma sighed lightly, smiled bitterly and shook his head, "He's already so old, but he's still like when he was young. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't drink for a day. He's already so badly injured, but he still wants to drink..."
"What do you know... I just want to drink a little bit of wine to satisfy my craving. Drinking a little bit of wine won't have any negative impact on the recovery of my injuries."
Genichi's voice suddenly sounded from behind Atachi and Fuma.
The two raised their eyebrows and turned their heads to look back at the same time - Yuanyi, whose entire upper body was wrapped in thick linen, was holding the door frame of the kitchen door with both hands.
"Drink a little bit of wine?" Feng Mo raised the corner of his mouth, with a hint of teasing, "You used to say this to me: 'I only drink a little bit', 'I'll stop after just one glass'."
"But when did I not come to my senses and find myself drinking heavily?"
"Nonsense... As far as I can remember, there were a few times when I only drank a little."
"Yeah, maybe once or twice out of 100, miraculously, I only drank a little."
"Master Genichi." At this time, Atachi tilted his head towards Genichi, "Why are you here?"
Hearing Atachi's question, Genichi looked around him with a vigilant gaze, then stepped slowly into the kitchen with a stealthy look.
"A-machi." Genichi lowered his voice and asked , "Is there any wine hidden in the kitchen? Sake, rice wine, any kind of wine will do."
After asking, Yuan Yi, whose eyes were bloodshot, glanced at everything in the kitchen, swallowed hard, and his eyes flashed with a fiery light like a wild beast.
"No." As soon as Genichi finished speaking, Fuma immediately said directly, "Before you moved in here, Xiaolin had already thoroughly 'checked' this mansion to make sure there was no bottle of alcohol in the mansion."
"Tsk..." Yuan Yi smacked his lips hard, "Do you really need to be so thorough? Do you really not trust your uncle..."
Just as Yuan Yi finished speaking, a young man's voice that made him look stunned suddenly sounded from the kitchen door.
"It is because she trusts you too much and knows that you will definitely go looking for wine to drink, that the master cleared out all the wine in the mansion in advance."
"Mamiya..." Genichi turned his head and looked at Mamiya, who was standing at the kitchen door and looking at him expressionlessly, and forced an expression as if he had eaten bitter herbs.
Mamiya, who was hardly injured, had his main job these days to monitor Genichi to prevent him, who was still recovering from his injuries, from secretly drinking.
Mamiya completed this job perfectly.
Whenever Genichirō tried to get alcohol to drink using various methods, Mamiya would immediately "teleport" to Genichirō's side and drag him back to the room.
"Okay, Master Genichi, let's go back quickly." Mamiya waved to Genichi.
"Mamiya..." Genichi was about to say something.
But just as he called out Mamiya's name, Mamiya interrupted him immediately:
"It's useless even if you beg me. No matter what, I won't let you drink . Just give up on this idea."
"Come back to your room with me. If you stay here for too long, and the master finds out that you sneaked out to drink again, you will be scolded again."
"...Mamiya. I find more and more that you are very suitable to be a nanny..." Genichi dragged his feet and dragged his body out of the kitchen with his shoulders drooping. He smiled bitterly at Mamiya and said, "If Xiaolin has her own offspring in the future, I will definitely recommend you to be the nanny of Xiaolin's children."
"It's my honor." Mamiya smiled elegantly, "I quite like working with children and education."
"Okay, stop talking nonsense. Come back to my room with me."
Genichi, with a gloomy face, clung to Mamiya's butt like a duckling following its mother duck, and left the kitchen, which had become much happier because of their arrival, one after the other.
After watching Mamiya and Genichi leave, Fuma gave Atachi a helpless smile:
"I really hope Genichi doesn't do anything stupid again just for drinking."
Gulp... Gulp... Gulp...
The sound of soup boiling could be heard again.
Fengma opened the lid of the pot, glanced at the color of the soup, and said quickly to Ating:
"Komachi, can you help me get that box of salt over there?"
"good."
Atachi helped Fuma and worked together with Fuma to make lunch.
While making lunch with Ating, Feng Mo seemed to be worried about something and kept looking up at Ating from time to time.
Atachi noticed Fuma's gaze and asked in confusion:
"Master Fuma, what's wrong? Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Indeed... I have something to tell you." Fuma pursed his lips, hesitated for a while, and sighed, "Komachi, I want to tell you about that Isshiki flower."
"Ms. Isshiki?" Atachi raised her eyebrows as if she knew what Fuma wanted to say to her.
"Komachi, I think you... need to pay more attention to Isshikika." When saying the word "pay attention", Fuma emphasized the tone.
"Look, it seems like the relationship between Ogata-san and Isshikika is pretty good."
"Isshiki has been coming to take care of us every day these days... She mainly comes to take care of Brother Ogata."
"I remember hearing you say that when you were fighting the Toyotomi army in Osaka, you, brother Ogata, held Isshiki Hana tightly in your arms while fighting with others."
"I see that you don't seem to care about Isshikika. You turn a blind eye to all the intimate behaviors between Ogata-san and Isshikika... and you often talk and laugh with Isshikika."
"I don't doubt that Brother Ogata will abandon you and turn to another woman."
Feng Mo sighed softly.
"I just want to remind you that you need to be more careful when facing things like this."
As soon as Fengma finished speaking, A-Ming chuckled a few times.
"Master Fengma, you worry too much."
Ating laughed.
"I know Ayi's personality best."
The smile on Ating's face had a strange look to it.
"Regarding Ayi and Miss Isshiki... I have only been worried about one thing from the beginning to the end: Will Ayi say something too harsh to others and hurt them..."
…
…
Another room -
“Aaaaaaaa——!”
Asai, who was lying on the bed, screamed like a pig being slaughtered at Makumura, who was sitting next to him and applying medicine on his waist and abdomen.
"What is this?!" Asai gasped wildly, "Are you rubbing chili oil on my wound?!"
"Don't move." Makimura said to Asai expressionlessly, "This is a new medicine, it has a slight irritating effect on the wound. Just bear with it."
Makimura, who also did not suffer any serious injuries in the decisive battle against Toyotomi, has been mainly responsible for taking care of the brothers Asai and Shimada in recent days.
Although Mucun looks big and strong, he is a man with a delicate mind. When it comes to taking care of people, he is quite good at it.
The gentle and meticulous care techniques would make even some professional nannies feel ashamed.
However, because he had worked in Kyoto before, he would occasionally reveal his ruthless and selfless side, saying "it's useless to plead for mercy."
After saying "be patient" to Asai indifferently, Makimura grabbed a large amount of ointment again and applied it on Asai's wound.
“Aaaaaaaa——!”
Shimada, who lived in the same room with Asai, looked at his roommate who kept howling like a pig being slaughtered, and was extremely grateful that he had no wounds on his body that needed to be applied with this ointment.
"Um... Asai-senpai..." Shimada showed a helpless expression and reminded softly, "Miss Hatsumitsu's room is right next door, please speak softly, or you will disturb others."
…
…
Next room -
“Ahhhhhh…”
Listening to the pig-slaughtering screams coming from the next room, Chu Guang, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes.
——What’s going on next door…
She frowned and cast a puzzled look at the wall adjacent to Asai and Shimada's room.
Wow...
Just then, Chu Guang heard the sound of the door being opened.
Looking up, I saw Azhu walking into the room cautiously, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.
"Ah." After seeing Chu Guang looking at her, Azhu looked delighted, "You're awake?"
"Sorry." Chu Guang gave Azhu a polite, apologetic smile, "I'm sorry to bother you to bring me medicine again..."
After saying that, Chu Guang supported himself on the bed with his arms and slowly raised his upper body.
"Ah, do you want to get up?" Azhu took a few quick steps, put the potion in his hand on the table beside him, and helped Chuguang up.
"Thank you..." Chu Guang gave Azhu another apologetic smile.
If we were to ask who among all people was most seriously injured, it would naturally be Chu Guang.
Since returning to Osaka, Chu Guang, who was covered in wounds, unfortunately developed a high fever due to inflammation of the wounds.
In this era before the invention of antibiotics, wound inflammation is quite terrible and the mortality rate is extremely high.
Throughout the ages, how many heroes did not die on the battlefield, but died from minor inflammations of wounds.
In order to treat Chu Guang, Lin invited all the famous doctors she could.
Wound inflammation is indeed a hopeless disease in this era.
Chu Guang, who had a high fever and was bedridden, once fell into a coma, causing the attending doctor to shake his head and say that "he might not make it."
But fortunately - perhaps because Chuguang's physical condition was good enough, or perhaps it was just luck, Chuguang miraculously survived the infection.
Since three days ago, Chu Guang's physical condition has improved a lot.
Yesterday, Chu Guang's body temperature returned to normal, and he was able to sit up and eat normally.
After being helped up by Azuki, Hatsumitsu, who had not seen Shibata since a while ago, asked curiously:
"Have you seen where Shibata is?"
"He is helping to clean the corridor of the mansion now." Azhu smiled and replied, "He told me yesterday that your recovery is largely due to the shelter, food and doctors provided by Ms. Kinoshita."
"So he wants to repay Miss Kinoshita and the others as much as he can."
“Ha…” Chu Guang showed a helpless but somewhat relieved expression and shook his head, “Repay?… Well, let him be.”
"This is the freshly boiled medicine." Ah Zhu pointed to the medicine soup beside him, "It's still a little hot. Wait until it cools down a bit before drinking it."
After saying that, Azhu began to help Chuguang tidy up her bedding.
Looking at Azhu, who had been taking care of her meticulously together with Shibata these days, a complicated expression appeared on Chuguang's cheek.
"...Um...thank you so much..."
Chu Guang gave Azhu another apologetic smile.
Looking at the smile on Chu Guang's face, Azhu was stunned.
After a long while, Azhu slowly came back to his senses.
Smiling, he continued to help Chu Guang tidy up the bedding, and said softly and nonchalantly:
"No need to be so polite to me."
"After all…we are sisters, aren't we?"
Just like throwing a stone into a calm lake, ripples appeared on the surface of the lake.
Chu Guang opened her beautiful eyes wide and her red lips slightly parted.
Surprised, confused, delighted...
In Chu Guang's eyes, it seems that one can see all kinds of human emotions.
"When I first saw you...I recognized you."
Although Azhu tried her best to speak in a calm tone, her voice still trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"I am your sister after all."
"It's impossible for a sister to not recognize her sister."
"Even though you insisted you didn't know me when I approached you."
"But I am also sure that I will not recognize the wrong person."
"I firmly believe that you are my sister: Ajiu."
A hint of loneliness gradually emerged in Azhu's tone.
"My brain isn't smart."
"I don't know why you said you didn't know me when I came to you to meet me."
"But I believe that my sister, who has always been smarter than me, if she hasn't lost her memory, then she must be pretending not to know me for some important reason."
Having said this, Azhu raised his eyes.
He gave Chu Guang a look filled with complicated emotions.
"...Before, I never mentioned this to you because there were often outsiders present."
"And now... there are only you and me in the room."
"So, can you tell me: do you...remember me?"
This time, it was Azhu's eyes that flashed with all kinds of human emotions.
There was a hint of fear in Azhu's eyes.
He looked as if he wanted to listen to Chu Guang's next answer, but didn't dare to listen carefully.
call……
At this moment, a breeze blew in from the window, blowing up the hair of Azhu and Chuguang.
Amid the gently fluttering black hair, a hint of... a strange smile appeared on Chu Guang's cheeks.
"...No wonder...Sis, you looked eager to try and seemed to have something to say to me since you came into the room just now."
"So... it's because Shibata is rarely with me, so I can come and question him properly..."
Azhu didn't hear what Chuguang said next.
Because when Azhu heard the word "sister", she seemed to be frozen, her expression and movements were all frozen.
"I……"
Chu Guang opened his mouth and was about to say something else——
call!
A gust of wind blew towards her - Azhu rushed towards Chuguang, opened her arms, and hugged Chuguang tightly...or rather, she hugged her sister: Ajiu.
Azhu rested her chin on Chuguang's shoulder, so that Chuguang couldn't see Azhu's current expression.
But Chu Guang could see that Azhu's two thin shoulders were trembling slightly.
I heard a soft sniffling sound in my ear.
With a gentle smile on her face, Chu Guang raised her hands, gently hugged Azhu, and then patted Azhu's back with gentle movements as if she was comforting a cat.
"I'm sorry... I must have made you feel bad for pretending not to know you..."
"Why..." Azhu whispered at my shoulder, "Why do you pretend not to know me...?"
"… Ever since Shibata and I decided to kill Yoshihisa and destroy Iga Village, I have been living a cautious and careful life every day."
Chu Guang's expression showed a hint of helplessness, as if he was recalling some bad memories.
"My words and actions not only affect my life and death, but also Shibata's safety."
"Sister, if it were you, what would you think after seeing your sister, whom you haven't seen for a long time, having a very close relationship with a group of people with unknown identities and purposes?"
"At that time, I didn't know Miss Kinoshita and the others, I didn't know Mr. Ogata and the others, I didn't know their identities, their purpose in opposing the Toyotomi clan, I didn't even know... whether the sister in front of me was still the sister I knew before..."
"In this situation where I know nothing... If I rashly recognize you, it would be irresponsible to me and to Shibata who was also captured by Mr. Kinoshita Genichi and his men at the time."
"I'd rather die than let this happen to the only friend I've had since I joined Iga-no-Sato."
"So I pretended not to know you."
"Continue to observe and collect intelligence as an outsider for the time being."
Having said this, Chu Guang tightened his arms around Azhu.
"Feel sorry……"
The gentle smile on Chu Guang's face slowly turned back into a smile full of apology.
"So that's how it is..." Chu Guang heard the voice that broke into laughter, "Ajiu, you also... recognized me the first time you saw me?"
"...I am your sister." Chu Guang closed his eyes slightly and imitated Azhu, resting his chin on Azhu's shoulder. "Isn't it natural for you to recognize your sister?"
Hatsukiri, who had seen countless storms in Iga-no-Sato and whose body and mind were far superior to those of his peers, did not cry like a child like Azuku.
But the strength from her arms that were holding Azhu silently declared that her heart at the moment was not as calm as her face showed.
"At that time... I thought you had lost your memory and didn't recognize me... I was even thinking about whether I should find a way to restore your memory..."
"Sister, although you are not very smart, you do have a rich imagination."
The sisters' laughter, along with the sound of the wind, spread to every corner of the room.
…
…
I felt a dim yellow warmth on my eyelids.
After being abruptly awakened by the sunlight shining through the open window, Ogata slowly opened his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing that caught Ogata's eye was the open window on the left and the beams of sunlight shining in through the window.
What came into view after the window and the sunlight was a hazy and beautiful figure kneeling on Ogata's right hand side.
"Ah, Master Ittosai, are you awake? Sorry, did I wake you up?"
The beautiful figure turned around and faced Ogata.
Because he had just woken up, Ogata's vision was still a little blurry, so he blinked hard several times.
The beautiful silhouette slowly took on a concrete form - it was Isshikika who had spontaneously come to take care of everyone these days, just like Fuma.
"It's Miss Isshiki..." Ogata slowly sat up from the bed, "No need to apologize, you didn't wake me up, I woke up naturally."
After saying that, Ogata turned his head and looked out the window.
"What time is it now?"
"It's almost noon." Isshikika said softly, "Ms. A-machi and Mr. Fu are cooking in the kitchen now. We will be able to have lunch in a little while."
"Have you slept until noon again..." Ogata said with a wry smile as he massaged his neck, which was a little stiff from sleeping too much.
These days, Ogata's main method of recuperation is sleeping.
Possessing the "immortal power", he does not need to seek medical treatment. As long as he rests every day, his body will recover quickly.
"How are you feeling today?" Isshikika asked with concern.
"Yeah. It's getting better every day." Ogata grasped his right hand, which had turned back to normal skin color. "Just rest for another ten days or so, and it should be back to normal."
These days, Ogata, who had been living a life of "sleeping until noon" every day, has finally recovered his body, which had become extremely weak due to entering the "Yaksha realm" and the "no-self realm" at the same time, and is able to carry out simple daily activities.
"That's good..." Isshikika smiled gently, then put on a serious face, "Really... Thank you so much for saving my family."
After saying that, Isshikika bent down and bowed deeply to Ogata so deeply that her fair neck could be clearly seen.
Looking closely at Isshikika's face, you can see that her eyes are still a little red and swollen - this is because she cried after seeing her family return safely.
Because Isshikika was so excited that she cried so hard, her eyes have not fully recovered until now.
"These days, I can hear you thank me every day." Ogata smiled helplessly, "No need to thank me."
"To be honest, I didn't play any role in the rescue of your family."
"The person you should thank the most is Mr. Hasegawa."
After hearing this, Isshikika sighed and continued with a bitter face: "Mr. Hasegawa left in such a hurry... I didn't even have time to thank him properly. I don't know if I will have time to thank him in the future..."
At the beginning, after splitting up with Ogata and others and leading his subordinates and Isshiki Naoshige and others back to Osaka, Hasegawa did not leave immediately.
He asked his subordinates to return to Edo first, and report safety to the camp of the fire thief Kai. At the same time, he informed the Edo shogunate that an unknown enemy was planning to raid Edo by boat, and to strengthen the security of Edo Bay and inside and outside Edo.
Hasegawa stayed alone in Osaka, waiting for Ogata and the others to return.
Only after seeing Ogata and others return and knowing that the battleship had been destroyed and Toyotomi Nobuhide had been executed, Hasegawa left with satisfaction.
Because Hasegawa left in a hurry, Ogata did not have the time to thank Hasegawa for his help in the expedition against Toyotomi . This made Ogata feel a little regretful.
"Oh, right." Isshikika's beautiful voice sounded again, "Grandpa told me that he wants to meet you in person again and apologize once again for his despicable act of betraying you."
After saying this, a look of shame and apology appeared between Isshikika's brows.
"No need." Ogata smiled carefreely, "I've already said it, right? It's not his fault, it's Toyotomi Nobuhide's fault. Now that the main culprit has been killed, let's just let this matter go."
After Ogata and his companions returned to Osaka, Isshiki Naoshige, who had always been brooding over his "betrayal", informed Ogata of the important information that he, his son, and his daughter-in-law were captured by Toyotomi's men, "when Ogata would go to Yoji to get the sword".
At that time, he directly said that he was willing to commit seppuku to apologize, and even took out the knife. Fortunately, Ating, who happened to be present at the scene, stopped him in time.
Who forced Isshiki Naoki to betray Ogata? It was the Toyotomi clan who kidnapped his family and used them as a threat.
In other words, the Toyotomi clan is the one who should be held accountable.
Ogata, who did not think that Isshiki Naoaki needed to commit seppuku to apologize, chose without hesitation - to let the matter go.
Not wanting to dwell on this somewhat heavy topic for too long, Ogata looked around and took the initiative to change the subject:
"Were you helping me clean the tatami just now?" Ogata looked at the bucket and rag placed next to Isshiki Ka.
"Yeah." Isshikika nodded gently with a gentle smile on her face again, "Because I saw that the tatami on the floor of your room was a little dirty, so I fetched some water to clean it."
"This is my first time doing this kind of housework."
"Because we have servants at home, these houseworks have basically been done by the servants since I was a child."
"I thought it would be easy to clean the tatami, but it turned out to be surprisingly difficult. I accidentally got the whole tatami wet."
After saying that, Isshikika lowered her head slightly and smiled shyly.
This was the first time that Ogata saw this expression on Isshikika's face, who usually had a stern face.
At this moment, there were rays of soft sunlight like light dust shining on Yisehua's face from the window.
Isshikika's already fair skin was covered with a layer of dreamy color under the sunlight.
Looking at Isshiki Ka's beautiful smile, a smile involuntarily appeared on Ogata's face.
However... as soon as a smile appeared on Ogata's cheeks, it suddenly froze.
Then, this smile slowly turned into a strange expression.
The reason for such a drastic change in expression was because... Ogata suddenly recalled an important event... related to Isshikika.
"…Um, Miss Isshiki." Ogata's eyes flickered slightly.
"Hmm?" Isshikika noticed Ogata's change in expression and slowly put away her shy smile.
"I...have something important to tell you."
"Important...things?"
"Yes..." Having said this, Ogata's voice suddenly stopped.
I saw a hint of hesitation between his brows.
After a look of hesitation appeared on Ogata's face for a moment, Ogata took a deep breath and relied on "brute force" to suppress the hesitation between his brows.
"That night...your response to what I said." Ogata looked straight into Isshikika's eyes and said seriously.
Ogata spoke cryptically.
But even with such a vague answer, Isshikika immediately realized... What did Ogata mean by that sentence just now...
Looking at Ogata who was now looking at her seriously, Isshikika's eyes widened slightly and she stared blankly... at Ogata.
(Master Ittosai... I like you.)
Even though so many days have passed... That night, Isshikika, who thought she would die together with Ogata in the encirclement of Soemon and others, said these words to Ogata, Ogata still remembers them clearly...
Lips... Even now I can still recall the feeling of being covered by soft petals.
After Ogata and Isshikika both escaped from the encirclement of the Toyotomi army, the reason why Ogata did not immediately respond to what Isshikika had said to him was because Toyotomi Nobuhide had not been executed at that time, and Ogata did not have the spare time to take care of other things.
However... after Toyotomi Nobuhide was executed and his body disappeared into the vast ocean, Ogata still did not respond to Isshiki Hana about this matter.
It’s not because Ogata didn’t care about Isshiki’s confession that he ignored it.
It's more like the opposite - Ogata cared a lot about Isshiki's confession, so he didn't know what to do, and just kept putting it off.
It has been delayed until now...
Ogata even thought about it - just dragging it out like this and pretending that Isshikika's confession didn't exist.
But as soon as this thought came into Ogata's mind, he dismissed it himself.
He really couldn't let this matter remain unclear...
Now, Ating and others are not in the room.
At this time and place, there were only him and Isshikika.
There is no better time than now to deal with this matter...
Having made up his mind not to let this matter drag on any longer, Ogata, who responded to Isshikika's original confession now, took a deep breath.
"Ms. Isshiki, I like you very much, too."
Ogata tried hard to force a smile towards Isshikika.
"I love your beautiful face."
"I also like your strong character."
"but……"
Ogata just changed the subject -
"...Ittosai-sama."
Ogata felt a gentle touch on his lips—Isshikika raised the index finger of her right hand and pressed it against his lips.
“…No need to say more.” Isshiki Hana lowered her head, leaving Ogata with only the swirl of her hair. “At that time…the reason I said ‘I like you’ was not because I wanted to get any kind of answer from you.”
"It's not to make you like me."
"Just because... I wanted to tell you that."
"I have opened my heart to you, and you have known my heart... that is enough."
"Ever since I met you, I have been observing the bond between you and Ms. A-Machi."
"So I know very well what the only answer you can give me is..."
"So... don't say anything further..."
"If you keep talking, I might cry."
Isshikika changed her tone to a joking one.
"If I start crying, it will be hard to comfort me."
After saying that, Isshikika raised her head.
She showed Ogata an expression that was... one that made people feel heartbroken and as if they were about to cry at any moment.
"Ms. Isshiki..." Looking at Isshiki's expression, Ogata's brows gradually showed a bit of guilt and sadness.
"Master Ittosai." Isshikika took back the finger that was pressing on Ogata's lips, "Can I... ask you a question?"
Isshikika's voice began to tremble slightly.
She pretended to be strong, but her voice was still trembling, just like the various emotions she could not hide.
"If... I could meet you before Miss A-Ming, would you accept me as your wife?"
Ogata: “…”
Ogata was silent for a while, then suppressed all the emotions on his face, looked at Isshikika, and nodded firmly.
“Hahaha…” Isshikika, who still had an expression that looked like she was about to cry at any moment, laughed happily, “Is that so… Thank you for choosing me… This way, I have no regrets.”
After saying that, Isshikika fell on top of Ogata and buried her face in the hollow of Ogata's right shoulder.
"Master Ittosai... can you allow me... to be willful for the last time?"
"Let me lean on you for a while... please..."
Ogata didn't say anything in response.
He just continued to straighten his back silently... and let Isshikika lean on his arms.
"Master Ittosai..."
A soft but firm lightness floats in my arms.
"I like you……"
Countless messages came from her body curled up in Ogata's arms.
It wasn't just trembling, there were other... countless things that were transmitted into Ogata's body.
After a long time... a long time... Isshiki finally left Ogata's arms.
"It's almost time for lunch."
Isshikika's expression has returned to its original state.
She smiled gently at Ogata and slowly stood up.
"Master Ittosai, please go wash up quickly and get ready for lunch."
After saying that, Isshikika no longer stayed in the room. As if she was eager to leave, she pushed the door open and left without looking back.
Ogata did not go after Isshikika.
After watching Isshikika leave with complicated eyes, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh...
After leaving Ogata's room, Isshiki Ka did not leave the door immediately.
She stood outside the room, looking down at the index finger of her right hand that had just been used to press Ogata's lips.
In the spacious and deserted corridor, Isshikika closed her eyes and drooped her head. She slowly raised the index finger of her right hand and pressed it against her lips.