April in Kyoto always has a romantic beauty that calms the soul. The ancient buildings look very peaceful under the blooming cherry blossoms.
Unlike the bustling Edo, even if riots occurred frequently, there was still not much tension on the faces of passers-by, greetings from acquaintances, women traveling in costumes, and from time to time, a calm-voiced shakuhachi came from a shop on the street.
The sound of playing makes the city still seem to be in a leisurely and contented atmosphere.
Only when night falls, the sounds of fierce fights between assassins and the murdered are frequently heard from everywhere. It can be seen that even as a thousand-year capital, it is just a corner in the whirlpool of troubled times. If you close your eyes tightly and plug your ears, you will not hear the chaos in the world.
It’s just self-deception.
Kenshin sat on the bank with his sword in his arms, watching the petals of a cherry blossom swirling up and down in the Kamogawa River, and soon disappeared from sight. During the month of recuperation, he liked to find a secluded place alone like this.
In his wandering mind, what he was thinking about most was not the killings he had committed in the past year, but comparing himself with his masters, Hiko Seijuro and Sorayama Kazuha.
Kenshin has been very confused about one thing a long time ago. With the swordsmanship of these two people joining forces, it is simply magical. If he chooses to assist a faction to overthrow the shogunate, where will the current chaotic world be? The shogunate has long been overthrown, and the entire society will be in the Holy Sect.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, people are determined to reform and live a happy life without having to live in the current hell on earth. But why do they choose to avoid this road?
Katsura Kogoro once answered this question for him: inertia. They have been accustomed to solving problems on their own since they were growing up, and once they encounter a problem that cannot be solved, their only way is to continue to hone their swordsmanship until they can solve it.
However, personal power is sometimes limited, and the general trend of the world can be stirred up with a sword, but it cannot be calmed down with a sword. It may even be involved in this and become a tool used by others, power, and intentions. This has violated their consistent principles, so they choose to avoid it.
Opening is inevitable.
Kenshin felt that Katsura Kogoro was only half right, and his master Hiko was indeed like this. But Sorayama Kazuha was more indifferent and completely didn't care.
It can be seen from Kazuha Sorayama's words and deeds when he led himself and Katsura Kogoro to break through the Shinsengumi's obstruction that day. Although Kazuha Sorayama is cold-hearted towards those close to him, towards others,
Judging from Kenshin's reading of moves, he didn't see the slightest concern in Kazuyo Sorayama's eyes. Even if Kazuyo Sorayama didn't kill anyone and made the Shinsengumi lie all over the floor with just his fists and kicks, it wasn't because he was concerned about his life.
It's just a promise to Sister Sanai.
This is a person who truly lives only for himself, pure and unshakable.
What about me? I chose the latter between my master and the reform, am I just living for myself? If the reform fails and I die, then of course everything will not matter, but what happens after success?
I don’t have the perseverance of my master to stick to the flying swordsmanship of Ryuyama, and I won’t meet a woman like Sister Sana who can match Sorayama-senpai to spend his life. Maybe I am destined to wander for the rest of my life...
"Hey! Himura-san, didn't Mr. Katsura ask you to rest in peace and recuperate and not wander around? Why did you run out alone again?" Kenshin was already used to the fact that rice could always find him, so he stood up and stamped his feet.
: "It's okay now. Do you have a mission?" Fan touched his hair embarrassedly, and then sighed: "There is no mission anymore! Forget it... I just want to see you."
"Who is it? Where is it?" Kenshin inserted the knife into his belt and stared at him expressionlessly. Kenshin's eyes made him look a little unnatural, "Mr. Gui won't let me assign it to you for the time being..."
"
Seeing Kenshin's expression gradually turning cold, he waved his hand quickly: "Everyone in the organization has been sent out. My own martial arts skills are really... so I can only come to Feimura-san to solve the problem. Tonight, time
It’s still very early, let’s go back to Koogiya to discuss it first.”
Kenshin nodded and took the lead to move forward. He didn't see the flickering eyes of the rice behind him, which contained perhaps... murderous intent?
In a house in Kiyamachi, the candlelight is warm and yellow, and the wine is warm. Coupled with the gentle and watery beauty Kusatsu playing the gentle shamisen, the room is filled with a tranquil atmosphere.
"Kenshin... Over the past year, although my appearance has become more mature and my demeanor has become calmer, my heart is still the same and spotless." Katsura Kogoro said thoughtfully as he took a sip from the wine glass in his hand.
"Then you can rest assured." His companion Otaka Chubei breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and said with a smile.
As one of the managers of this group of assassins, he needs to constantly evaluate the minds of these people who have been soaked in blood. Once someone has an abnormality, if it is not serious, he will send someone to use money, women, etc. to guide it; if it is slightly serious,
To be transferred to the rear, or more seriously, the organization must be cleaned up secretly to avoid getting into greater trouble.
Although the system is cruel, the weaker party is not allowed to make any flaws, otherwise the whole army will be annihilated.
Regarding the origin of Kenshin, although Katsura Kogoro did not say it clearly, anyone with a discerning eye can see the unusually close relationship between this young man and the leader. He even took great risks to personally rescue him a month ago and was said to be injured and trapped.
Kenshin at a restaurant, which is extremely rare for the leader known as "Escaped Kogoro", shows how much he cares about this boy.
Therefore, from his own point of view, he never hopes that Kenshin will have any problems, not to mention that Kenshin's own swordsmanship is almost unmatched by anyone in the Choshu Domain. At this moment when force is urgently needed, whether he is sent to the rear or eliminated
, are huge losses to the organization.
Thinking of another guy named Shishio Makoto who had similar martial arts skills to Kenshin but had always been ambitious and wanted to rise to the top, Otaka Tadashi felt a blockage in his heart.
"No," Katsura Kogoro said to himself, "precisely because his heart is always pure, there is a huge gap between the life of constant killing, swinging between the executioner and the true self. This feeling is too cruel for him.
Already."
"Oh, this world is cruel to all living people!" Odaka Chubei drank the wine in his glass, stood up and said, "Then I'll take my leave first, Mr. Miyabe, I will try my best to delay it." "Please.
Oh, and be careful of the Shinsengumi." "Ha!"
Ikatsu watched Odaka Chubei go away, gently closed the paper door, looked at the depressed Katsura Kogoro and asked: "What's going on tonight? Do you want some more wine?" He spoke with a soft Kyoto accent and couldn't bear it.
Staying here is refreshing.
"The country is in danger, and Changshu is in danger! No matter how good the wine is, it has no taste at all." Katsura Kogoro shook his head and gritted his teeth and said: "Miyabe and these bastards plan to burn Kyoto!"
Jisong exclaimed, covered his mouth and whispered: "Do you want to stop them?"
"It can't be stopped... There is too much pressure on the conservatives. Many people in the organization believe that if nothing is done to tie them to the chariot of the Restoration, perhaps all of us with lofty ideals will be driven out of the domain, and the Restoration will disappear at any time. And
Those radicals are eager to welcome the Holy Emperor back to the Choshu Domain immediately, and plan to attack Kyoto with force. The two have the same purpose, and even if Mori Jinqin comes forward, there is nothing they can do! This is why Takasugi is still struggling to persist despite his illness."
"Then what should we do?" Ikamatsu looked at his lover with a sad face. No matter when the other person was penniless but wanted to settle down for him, or when he was about to draw his sword and fight in the face of the shogunate's master roundup, what was in front of him was
The man always looks confident and has never been as melancholy as he is today.
Katsura Kogoro remained silent, holding the hilt of the sword and stroking it. After a moment, he hugged Isatsu tightly, and his eyes were full of determination again: "There are Shinsengumi hunting and arresting outside, and there are incompetent people inside who are blocking everything, what can we do now?"