My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 133 - 85: Aoto’s True Name: [Minamoto Tachibana Aoto Moriharu]

Edo, Little Ishikawa Hoshimura Willow Street, Shiwei Hall—

"Shuuzo, I’ve just gone through our ’apprentice book’. "

In the hall, Kondo Shuuzo sits cross-legged on the floor, holding a cup of steaming hot tea in both hands, blowing cooling air into the cup.

His wife, Kondo Bi, kneels beside Kondo Shuuzo with a posture as standard as can be, reporting on the recent business situation of their Shiwei Hall in a tone devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Since the New Year, it’s been a whole month and our Shiwei Hall has only gained 2 new apprentices."

"In a month, only 2 new people... This has been the bleakest month of business for our Shiwei Hall in nearly 5 years."

"Not only are newcomers dwindling, but old members are also reducing."

"By the end of this month, 3 more apprentices who haven’t come to practice sword art or paid tuition fees for half a year..."

"Ah." Shuuzo, who had been quietly listening to Bi’s report, took a sip from his cup and then let out a low cry of delight, "Wife, is this a new tea you’ve brewed?"

Bi paused, then showed a faint smile.

"Oh? You noticed? Your tongue is quite sharp."

"This is new tea sent by my family, does it taste good?"

Shuuzo nodded vigorously: "Delicious. It tastes refreshing."

"As long as you like it."

With that, Bi cleared her throat and reverted to a severe expression without any emotion.

"Alright, back to business."

"Now in our Shiwei Hall’s ’apprentice book,’ the contents are so miserable that I almost can’t bear to look."

"Counting thoroughly, only 28 apprentices regularly come and pay tuition fees..."

"Ah!" Shuuzo suddenly let out another shout.

He extended his cup towards Bi.

"Wife, look, the tea stem is standing upright."

Shuuzo beamed, revealing a joyful smile.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen tea stems stand upright while drinking tea!"

"It seems something good is going to happen!"

In Japan, there’s a superstition that "if the tea stem in a cup stands upright, it symbolizes that good things will happen."

Bi glanced at the tea stem in the cup and then looked at Shuuzo.

"Huh!"

Bi blew strongly at the tea stem in the cup.

After swirling a few times in the tea, the tea stem sank to the bottom.

"Ah! My tea stem!" Shuuzo cried out in grievance.

"’Tea stems standing upright mean something good will happen’—that’s just silly superstition." Bi said coldly, "As an honorable samurai, how can you believe such absurd superstition?"

After simply admonishing Shuuzo, Bi directed the topic back to "Shiwei Hall’s business issues."

"The business of Shiwei Hall is getting more and more bleak, and the prices of staple commodities are rising."

"Our family is quite large."

"You, me, Yong, Toshisuke, and Gen, count 5 mouths to feed."

"If this continues, we’ll soon have trouble even eating..."

"Ah." Shuuzo suddenly exclaimed again, "Speaking of which... why haven’t Yong and Toshisuke come back yet..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bi raised her hand and forcefully slapped the tatami beside her several times.

"Stop changing the subject!!"

Shuuzo shuddered a few times, his body shaking, and withdrew his neck.

"I’m discussing very serious matters with you! Stop breaking the flow over and over again!"

Bi’s slender phoenix eyes, with lifted corners, made her look quite intimidating at this moment.

Shuuzo trembled a few more times.

He looked up cautiously at his wife beside him.

"Wife... On topics like this... I’ve heard them so much, my ears are getting calloused..."

"The current operation status of our Shiwei Hall is bad... Of course, I know that."

"But improving the current condition of the Sword Dojo is not an overnight achievement."

"Yong and I are trying very hard to improve the current economic situation of Shiwei Hall, but..."

"Trying very hard?" Bi’s eyebrows raised even higher, interrupting Shuuzo before he finished speaking, "What’s the use of just trying hard?"

Bi slammed the tatami beside her a few more times.

"If trying hard was effective, wouldn’t those farmers working from dawn to dusk become millionaires?"

"The most important thing is ’results’, right?"

"Trying hard but never having results—what’s the difference from not trying hard?"

"Wife, you’re saying..." Shuuzo, shoulders drooping and neck hanging, weakly said.

"Too what?!" Bi cast her sharp gaze, like a knife, towards Shuuzo.

"Nothing..." Shuuzo silently withdrew his gaze from Bi.

Just then—

Whoosh...

From the direction of the entrance, there came the sound of the door being pushed open.

"We’re back!"

It’s Chokata’s voice.

Hearing this voice, Shuuzo, stifled by the suffocating atmosphere, quickly seized this lifeline and said to Bi:

"Ah, Yong and Toshisuke are back... Hmm?"

But before he finished, Shuuzo froze for a moment.

Bi also froze.

They both realized—the footsteps... were they too many...

This large string of footsteps moved from the entrance to outside the hall door.

Whoosh—the hall door was opened.

Shuuzo and Bi stared in amazement at the door being pushed open by Kondo and Chokata... and behind them, Aoto, Saito, and