My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 149 - 88: Holding a "Swordsmanship Battle" with the Little Chiba Sword Dojo!

However, what detracts from the overall impression is... this "Miss" seems not to be the kind of person that’s easy to get along with...

If the aura Mr. Shigetarou exudes is "bold" and "passionate," reminiscent of "flames," then the aura that Sazanoko exudes is "cold" and "distant," reminiscent of "ice."

Aoto had observed that since he entered the hall with Kondo and Chokata, Sazanoko’s expression... has not changed at all—it’s been expressionless all this time...

Her expressionless face seemed to cool the air around her by several degrees.

—Just like Saito, unsmiling and serious?

Sazanoko’s aloof demeanor prompted Aoto to think of his bodyguard, who probably wouldn’t say more than ten sentences all day...

After Aoto introduced himself, he saw Chiba Shigetarou first freeze in surprise, and then hurriedly move his eyes up and down, quickly sizing up Aoto.

"Oh? So you are that Tachibana Aoto?" A joyful gleam suddenly burst forth from Chiba Shigetarou’s eyes.

And after Aoto’s self-introduction, Sazanoko also turned her gaze back to Aoto, her eyes glinting with surprise.

However—just like before, Sazanoko only scrutinized Aoto briefly before withdrawing her gaze, never glancing at him again.

"Hahaha." Chiba Shigetarou slapped his thigh with a moderate force, "Mr. Tachibana, I’ve been wanting to meet you for quite a while now!"

"When you first joined Shiwei Hall, Mr. Isami told me: They gained a promising talent at Shiwei Hall."

"Back then, I wanted to visit Shiwei Hall to see what kind of youth could earn such praise from Mr. Isami, to see if it’s true that he is such an extraordinary talent."

"But before I could visit Shiwei Hall, I heard about your ’overcoming a strong enemy on a snowy night’ feat."

"When I first heard the rumor, I wondered if I heard it wrong."

"Only after confirming with many others did I finally verify: The one who accomplished such an extraordinary feat is indeed the newcomer from Shiwei Hall."

"At our Little Chiba Sword Dojo, the apprentices often gather to discuss this so-called ’monster newcomer’ from Shiwei Hall these days."

As Chiba Shigetarou spoke, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and paused for a moment.

Following that... he slightly narrowed his eyes. With a... meaningful gaze, he carefully scrutinized Aoto.

Since Chiba Shigetarou’s gaze was rather obscure, none of the people present noticed him examining Aoto with an odd look.

He was staring intently at Aoto, mumbling in a volume only he could hear:

"Hmm... quite tall... about as tall as I am..."

"Age is quite young..."

"Appearance... quite handsome..."

"The only flaw is that he hasn’t kept a neat Tsukushi Haircut... has a Topknot Hairstyle that looks hard to manage..."

After mumbling this quietly, Chiba Shigetarou subconsciously... slightly angled his eyes, glancing sidelong at his sister beside him.

Chiba Shigetarou’s glance at his sister was swift and fleeting.

After glancing at Sazanoko, Chiba Shigetarou swiftly retracted his gaze, and none of the people present, including Sazanoko, noticed his little action.

Having finished his secret assessment of Aoto, Chiba Shigetarou turned his gaze to Zhouzhu and Kondo.

"Zhouzhu, Mr. Isami." Chiba Shigetarou sighed wistfully, "I’m truly envious of you. You’ve gained an extraordinary young talent at Shiwei Hall this time."

"Hahaha." Zhouzhu chuckled, "’Envious of us’... Mr. Shigetarou, you’re being a bit dramatic."

"It’s not exaggerated, I genuinely envy you." Chiba Shigetarou shook his head and sighed, showing a hint of helplessness, "Recently, the situation at our Little Chiba Sword Dojo... hasn’t been too good."

"Both my father and I are worried about not being able to recruit quality, promising newcomers for quite some time."

"Ah, by the way... Zhouzhu, Mr. Isami, why is Mr. Tachibana still here at this hour?"

It was only at this moment that Shigetarou realized: Why, when it’s already nighttime, is a Sword Dojo apprentice like Aoto at Kondo’s house?

"Ah, the thing is..." Kondo briefly explained the whole process of them "sheltering" Aoto and the others to Shigetarou.

After learning the detailed reason why Aoto appeared here at this time, Chiba Shigetarou frowned: "I see..."

His face showed regret and pity as he slapped his thigh: "Those brutes from the ’Anti-foreigner Faction’ are becoming more and more despicable...!"

"They would even commit such vile acts as setting fire to others’ homes."

"If the fire were to accidentally get out of control, countless people might lose their lives and homes...!"

"Do they not care at all about the lives of innocent people..."

With a heavy sigh, Chiba Shigetarou lifted his gaze, offering basic condolences to Aoto like "Your family wasn’t injured, were they?"

...

...

Chiba Shigetarou seemed very interested in Aoto’s "Snowy Night Chaos."