"Makino, the interesting news you mentioned is that you found a beautiful woman somewhere again, right?" A senior brother sitting next to Makino said in a half-joking tone.
"How is that possible?" Makino patted the senior brother's shoulder angrily, "The interesting news I want to tell you is not such a boring thing."
"Makino-senpai!" Sawamura said urgently, "Then you should tell me quickly what this interesting news of yours is."
"Hmph, the news I want to tell you is related to the shogunate."
Makino lowered his voice. He was so evil that he paused when he spoke to whet the appetite of Zecun and the others.
And Makino's little trick was quite successful - Sawamura and others, who were growing in anticipation, unconsciously pointed their necks in the direction of Makino and stretched them forward slightly.
Seeing that he had successfully aroused the interest of Sawamura and others, Makino stopped causing trouble, cleared his throat, and then——
"The shogunate recently... seems to be summoning serious criminals across the country."
"Calling serious criminals?" Sawamura frowned and muttered.
The same frowning people were among the others sitting around Makino.
"I have a friend who works in the prison." Makino continued, "He told me that the shogunate recently issued an order to the feudal clans, requiring them to escort the serious prisoners in their respective prisons to Kii.
"
"Ki...?" Sawamura's frown deepened, "The more I listened, the more confused I became...Why did the shogunate summon all the serious criminals from all over the country for no reason? And why did they take Kii away?"
"How do I know?" Makino smiled bitterly and shrugged, "We can't guess what the big shots in the shogunate are thinking."
"Then do we have any serious criminals in Hirose Domain now?" Another junior brother of Makino asked.
"According to my friend who works in the prison - no." Makino said, "So they are very free now, and they don't need to be busy taking those heinous and serious criminals to prison like people in other feudal lords.
Yi...ah, Ogata-senpai is here!"
Makino's face was facing the door of the dojo.
So he could clearly see who was entering and leaving the dojo.
Makino, who was chatting with Sawamura and others, caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the gate of the dojo.
He quickly raised his head and looked towards the dojo gate.
The person who appeared at the gate of the dojo was none other than Ogata Issei.
Makino only noticed Ogata's arrival.
But he didn't notice the expression on Ogata's face at this time, which looked a little strange.
Makino quickly stood up and led Sawamura and others towards Ogata.
"Ogata-senpai! Good evening!" Makino was the first to say hello to Ogata.
"Well. Good evening to you too." Ogata smiled.
After exchanging pleasantries with Makino and others, the smile disappeared from Ogata's face.
"Sorry, everyone, I suddenly have something urgent to deal with, so I will be late for the banquet tonight."
"Huh?" Makino cast a puzzled look at Ogata, "Urgent? What's the urgent matter?"
"...I'm sorry, I can't say. Makino, please tell others for me later."
"Because I may arrive later, you can hold the banquet according to the scheduled time without waiting for my return."
"Makino, please."
After saying that, Oumi quickly left from the gate of the dojo without making any stop.
Makino and the others were left looking at each other with doubts on their faces.
…
…
Waiting for Ogata outside the dojo were the two retainers who had just approached Kuranazaemon of the Ogata family.
"I've kept you waiting for a long time." Ogata said to the two of them in a neither salty nor indifferent tone, "Let's go."
"Yes. Ogata Ise-kun, please come with us."
…
…
These two young samurai led Ogata to turn left and right in the castle town.
Finally, we stopped in front of a magnificent mansion.
Looking at the generous house door in front of him, Ogata asked the two people in front of him:
"Do you need me to hand over my saber?"
"Need not."
"That's it..."
Ogata pulled out the katana from his left waist, and then held the sword sheathed with his right hand.
After one of the two young warriors whispered a few words to the two servants guarding the door, the two servants pushed open the generous door of the house.
"Ogata Ise-kun, please."
"Yes." After nodding to the two young warriors, they slowly walked into the elder's mansion under the leadership of these two men.
After Ogata and others entered Kurunaga's mansion, the two servants who looked after the door closed the door again.
The slowly closing door of the house once again isolates the house from the outside world.
…
…
"Ogata Ise-kun, please sit down."
After the leading young samurai led Ogata into a clean and tidy room, he once again made the gesture of "please" towards the tatami in the center of the room.
After Ogata nodded to the young samurai again, he knelt down where the young samurai had just pointed and placed the katana he had been holding in his right hand on the tatami on the right side of his body.
Then straighten your waist and place your hands flat on your legs.
In front of Ogata are two paper sliding doors that can be opened to the left and right respectively.
These two paper sliding doors together formed a huge paper wall, blocking Ogata's sight.
After Ogata knelt on the ground, the two young samurai who were responsible for bringing Ogata all the way here walked towards the two ends of the two huge paper sliding doors, one on the left and the other on the right.
A person is kneeling and sitting on the edge of the sliding paper door on the left.
The other person is kneeling and sitting on the edge of the paper sliding door on the right.
As if they had rehearsed in advance, the two of them reached out at the same time and opened the paper sliding doors on the left and right sides.
The paper wall blocking Ogata's sight was suddenly divided into two halves.
Ogata's vision suddenly became brighter.
Behind this paper wall composed of two sliding paper doors, there is an old man who is also sitting upright.
Ogata was very familiar with this old man.
After all, we just met at the God Sacrifice Competition more than a month ago.
This old man is none other than the patriarch of their Hirose Domain—Kuraagazaemon.
Kuronaga looked at Ogata.
Then he said in a calm tone to the two young samurai who were responsible for bringing Ogata here, and then helped open the paper sliding door that separated Ogata and Kuronaga:
"You two, please step back first."
"Yes!"*2
The two young warriors responded in unison, stood up in unison, and left the room.
In this space, only Ogata and Kurunaga are left.
"I haven't seen you for more than a month, Ogata-kun." Kuronaga smiled at Ogata.
"Good evening, my lord." Ogata tried his best to give Kuranagi a polite smile, "I wonder why my lord invited me into the house late at night?"
Ogata was actually a little unhappy that Kurunaga invited him into the house at this time.
Because the time chosen by Kuronaga is too difficult to describe.
According to the original plan, Ogata should have been drinking happily with his fellow apprentices at the Sakakibara Sword Hall.
As a result, Ogata's original plan was completely disrupted because of Kurunaga's sudden "invitation".