The chirping of cicadas and the chirping of birds mixed together, as if they were far away and yet nearby, blurry and clear.
A winding path winds across a spacious plain.
At a certain intersection of the trail, there is a simple teahouse.
I saw Makimura, Asai, and Shimada sitting neatly on the bench outside the tea house, each holding a glass of cold water in their hands.
"Is this the hometown of Ittosai..." Asai looked around, "It feels no different from the Satsuma clan... It's both in the summer, and it can be so hot that people want to peel off their skin."
After saying that, Asai drank all the cold water in the bowl in one gulp.
"This is my first time coming to Izumo." Shimada used his hand to make a fan to fan himself. "I heard that Izumo soba is very famous. I wonder if I have a chance to try it."
"Izumo soba is just so-so." Makimura on the side said, "I've eaten it once and it didn't taste great. But I can try the Izumo sake."
"Ah, I have no money..." Asai took out an empty money bag from his arms, "Makimura, treat me to a bunch of glutinous rice dumplings."
"Why can you be so confident that people treat you to food..." Although Makimura complained like this, he still silently took out his money bag.
"Shimada, do you want to eat?"
"Yeah."
"Mamiya! Mr. Minamoto!" Makimura asked loudly to the two people who were standing under a big tree not far away to enjoy the shade, "Do you want to eat glutinous rice dumplings?"
Mamiya and Yuan both shook their heads.
After seeing the two men shaking their heads, Makimura took out the money to buy three glutinous rice dumplings and bought one for himself, Asai, and Shimada.
While the three people in Makimura were munching on dumplings, Mamiya, who was standing under a tree not far away to enjoy the shade, continued to chat with Genichi next to him.
"How is it, Mr. Genichi?" Mamiya asked with a smile, "Have you successfully entered that state of blending with heaven and earth again recently?"
"No." Yuan Yi chuckled a few times and shook his head, "No matter how hard I try, I can't go back to the state I was in at that time. It's such a pity... That state should be the so-called hard-to-find state.
Bar."
During this time, Ogata, Genichi and the others often got together to discuss this magical state of "integrating with heaven and earth".
Thanks to Ogata's discussions, Mamiya and others learned that this strange realm still exists in this world.
"But - it's a good thing that I haven't been able to enter that magical state again." Yuan Yi grinned and smiled happily, "This shows that - I am still far away. There are still many things to do in the way of swordsmanship.
There’s a lot of ‘scenery’ I haven’t seen yet.”
"I still need to practice more."
Genichi, with his hands on his hips, was obviously an old man with white hair and beard, but his eyes still shone with a high-spirited fighting spirit that was not inferior to that of any young man.
"I don't know how long this old man like me can live."
Yuan Yi laughed heartily.
"It would be great if I could live more than a hundred years."
"In this way, I can practice swordsmanship for a while, hahahahaha."
"When I lived to be 64 years old, I met Ogata-kun, a swordsman who surpassed me."
"If I really live to be old... maybe I will have a chance to see some interesting people or things again."
"For example...a swordsman who has reached a level that neither Ogata-kun nor I have reached."
"I think this is unlikely." Mamiya smiled, "A swordsman who can surpass you and Ogata-kun... It is unlikely that such a person will appear, right?"
"Mamiya, this world is very big." Genichi laughed heartily again, "Maybe in a few years, or decades, there will be a sword that can surpass me and Ogata-kun.
Scholars are born into the world."
"By then, I just hope I can still be alive and be lucky enough to meet that person. Hahahaha!"
"Okay, are you almost rested?"
At this time, Lin's cold voice stabbed everyone.
Following the sound, Lin led Azuki, Hatsumi, and Shibata, and walked slowly towards Mamiya and the others.
"It's time to go." Lin said, "Get up quickly."
"Lord." Shimada patted his butt and stood up from the bench, "How long will we stay here in Izumo?"
"We won't stay long." Lin replied, "After all - we are just at Ogata-kun's request to stop by Izumo to see his hometown that he has not returned to for a long time before going to Nagasaki to take a boat to Ryukyu."
"Ogata-kun and Atachi-san should be waiting for us in front, so don't wait any longer and hurry up and set off."
Mamiya, Genichi and others stood up straight and gathered behind Lin.
The Huluwu group, as well as Azhu, Chuguang and others walked together in the midsummer noon sunshine, walking farther and farther.
Yuan Yi suddenly stopped, as if saying something to Lin.
I saw him raising his hand and pointing to the tea house just now, as if begging Lin to let him make a pot of wine before leaving.
Linli also ignored Yuanyi.
After just waving to Lin, he continued to walk forward along the path at his feet.
Yuan hurriedly caught up with a bitter look on his face.
Laughter lingered around everyone.
Everyone marched straight towards the distant place, their figures sinking little by little into the horizon that became blurred under the blazing sun.
…
…
Izumo, Hirose Domain, Ryūya——
"Ah Fu! Help me put away the dishes on that table!"
"Okay!" Ah Fu casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, then took small steps and ran to the table where the guests had just left, and took away the dishes and chopsticks on it.
Liuwu's business is very good today.
Before noon, many guests came.
As a result, the hands and feet of Asaki, Afu, mother and daughter have not stopped since just now, and they are so busy that they often don't even bother to wipe the sweat on their heads.
When Ah Fu was meticulously putting away the dishes on the dining table and taking out a rag to wipe the table, she suddenly caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye - outside the house, there seemed to be a... very familiar figure flashing.
Pass.
"Huh?" Ah Fu, whose eyes were widened in shock, quickly stopped wiping the table with his hands and turned to look outside the store.
Outside the store... there is nothing but wind and sunshine.
"Yes...did I see it wrong..." Ah Fu blinked his eyes hard several times and murmured.
"Afu!" Mother Asaki's voice came again, "What are you doing? Please clear the table quickly! The guests are still waiting!"
"Ah, okay!" Ah Fu responded quickly, then gathered his mind and returned his attention to the work in front of him. He returned to the kitchen with the dishes and chopsticks he had packed away.
…
…
"Is this okay?" Amachi asked Ogata, who was walking beside her, "Why don't you go in and take a look at the mother and daughter?"
"No need." Ogata smiled slightly, "Seeing them living a good life is enough."
Ogata, wearing a bamboo hat with a brim so deep that it could cover his entire face, followed his memory and came to the entrance of the Ishikawa Sword Hall.
The door of the Ishikawa Sword Hall was closed because Ishikawa Hyōma went out to look for Itagaki and others.
The reason why Ogata came here was to tell Ishikawa Hyoge: Itagaki is dead...
Because he expected in advance that the Ishikawa soldiers and horses had not returned yet, he took out the envelope he had prepared in advance. The letter inside contained the general story of how he met and killed Itagaki, who did not choose to let go of his hatred in the end.
After Ogata dropped the envelope into the gap of the Ishikawa Kenkan's door, he had been looking at Ogata's hometown of Omachi with curious eyes since he entered Hirose Domain, and asked:
"Ayi, is there anywhere else you want to go?"
"...Well, there is another place...that I must go to."
After that, Ogata took a deep breath and led A-Machi onto a familiar path that he had walked countless times before.
Following this path until the end, a sword hall gradually came into view of Ogata and Omachi.
Sakakihara Sword Hall.
Looking at the plaque hanging at the entrance of the museum, nostalgia, regret, annoyance...all kinds of emotions came to Ogata's eyes.
Amachi, who knew what Sakakihara Kenkan meant to Ogata, looked at Ogata's expression at this moment, raised his left hand and wrapped it around Ogata's right fist that he had been holding since just now.
He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, opened his right fist, held A-Machi's left hand, and then raised his left palm to push open the heavy door.
Behind the museum gate...all the scenery is exactly the same as the scene in Ogata's memory.
As Ogata walked towards the museum, he looked at everything around him carefully as if he wanted to imprint all the scenery he saw into his mind.
After a while, the couple holding hands arrived at the dojo that was cleaned spotlessly.
When I met Ishikawa Hyōma by chance in Osaka before, Ishikawa Hyōma told Ogata: Sakakibara Kenkan is still there, and it has been carefully looked after by Asaki, Afu and others.
Now it seems that it is true.
Compared with the past, the only difference in the dojo... is that there are no wooden swords placed on the edge of the dojo, and there are no people who should be practicing swordsmanship there.
Looking at the spotlessly clean dojo, voices that could only exist in Ogata's mind sounded in Ogata's mind.
(Ogata-senpai! He is having a sword duel! Why are you so dazed!)
(Ogata, feel free to accept the certificate of exemption.)
(Ogata-kun, congratulations!)
(Waiting for the underworld... I don’t know what kind of expression I should use to face everyone...)
…
With the corners of his mouth drooping, Ogata let go of Omachi's hand that he was holding, and walked slowly to the center of the dojo alone.
Atachi did not follow him, but stood silently at the edge of the dojo, quietly watching Ogata return to the place where he once practiced swordsmanship.
Standing in the center of the dojo, Ogata held up his sword and glanced around.
"This...is the starting point of a long journey..."
Ogata, with an ugly smile on his face, slowly pulled out the Daishiten.
He held the knife in both hands and assumed a mid-section stance.
At this moment, Ogata's figure overlaps with the young figure who was still practicing his sword carefreely with a wooden sword.
Two figures standing in the same position slowly raised their swords above their heads at the same moment, and then slashed forward with force, performing the most basic swordsmanship training: Su Zhen.
Ogata, who no longer held the wooden sword, was alone in the dojo where he was the only one left, practicing swordsmanship as before.
The breeze blows.
It is the accompaniment of the lonely sound of sword swinging in the dojo and the sound of wind.
…
…
Ogata held hands with Omachi and walked on a spacious country dirt road.
Looking at the dirt road under his feet, that ugly smile appeared on Ogata's face again.
Back then...he left Hirose Domain along this road under the auspices of Ka Laonaga.
After a while, he recognized the place where he said goodbye to Kurunaga.
The loyal minister who sacrificed his life for the Hirose Domain was no longer seen on the roadside where Kuronaga stood watching him.
After a long time, he once again set foot on this dirt road leaving Hirose Domain.
But compared with last time, he was no longer a lonely listener.
By his side, he has a partner with whom he can share weal and woe.
In front of him, there are many friends who have lived and died with him, waiting for him.
The ugly smile on his face slowly turned into a plain smile. Ogata silently tightened the hand held by Omachi in his right palm, then raised his left hand and placed his left palm on his left waist.
On top of the great heavenly sword of heaven.
"The journey is still long..."
Ogata muttered again.
This time, his tone was no longer as sad as it was in the sword hall just now, but instead contained a bit of excitement and expectation.
After meeting up with Lin and others, they will go to Nagasaki in Kyushu to take a boat to Ryukyu.
Another long journey.
And from then on, there should be countless trips waiting for him.
When will his journey end? Ogata doesn't know.
All he knew was: walk straight forward.
As long as there is a knife on his waist and A-Machi is by his side, he is not afraid of any danger.
Ogata slightly pushed up the edge of the bamboo hat on his head and looked into the distance.
Ogata's steps became brisk little by little, and the drive that once flashed in his eyes when he left Hirose Domain shone in his eyes.
Atachi, who had been watching Ogata's expression carefully since just now, bit his lower lip.
"Ayi..."
As if Machi had made up his mind, he took several deep breaths.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Um... I felt uncomfortable all the time some time ago. After I saw a doctor, the doctor said that I... said that I..."
At this point, Ating suddenly stopped talking.
Ating, who had two red patches on his cheeks, lowered his eyes and looked at his slender waist and abdomen.
"What did you say about you?" Ogata, who didn't notice this little gesture from Atachi, asked in confusion.
"...The two of us can already think about what to name our child..."
Atachi's cheeks were as red as if they were about to bleed, and his voice was as soft as a mosquito's moan.
But Ogata heard it clearly.
On the winding country dirt road, the sunlight pouring down from the sky shone on Ogata, who was frozen in place, and Omachi, who was showing him a gentle smile.
The weather is sunny and sunny.
Cloudless.
…
…
The final volume of "Ittosai" - the end!
The legend of Shura - the end!
**********
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【Complete book】
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
The author will post 2 extra chapters tomorrow, as well as his final remarks.
When typing the three words "complete book", the author felt empty in his heart...
I feel like crying.
We finally accompanied Ogata and completed his legendary journey.