There are two floors in the house. The first floor is the izakaya where Asaki and the others live, and the second floor is where they live.
Ah Fu just got up from the bed and saw Asaki leaning on the desk, drawing something.
"Miss Asaki..." Ah Fu asked Asaki while walking towards her, "What are you writing?"
After pressing his chest against Asaki's back and pressing his chin on Asaki's right shoulder, so that his eyes could see across Asaki's back and shoulders, Ah Fu realized that Asaki was not writing anything.
.
But I am painting a picture.
Although Asaki's painting skills were not very good, Ah Fu could barely recognize that Asaki was drawing a young samurai with double swords at his waist and long hair.
"I am painting Ogata-sama." Asaki said, "With Ogata-sama's portrait, it should be much easier to find him..."
Asaki's simple words immediately made the atmosphere in the whole room feel heavy.
Ah Fu lowered his eyes: "Where did Mr. Ogata go..."
One month ago, not long after Ogata "disappeared", Asaki and Afu learned a shocking news: something had happened to the Sakakihara Kenkan where Ogata usually practiced swordsmanship.
Although the news of this incident was blocked, Asaki and the others learned through various channels that the masters and apprentices of the Sakakibara Sword Hall were massacred for unknown reasons...
This news undoubtedly made Asaki and the others even more uneasy...
But what makes Asaki and the others feel fortunate is that Ogata is probably still alive. But we just don’t know where he went.
Because after the incident at Sakakihara Kenkan, Ogata sent them a farewell letter to Riya.
"alright!"
Asaki dried all the ink stains on the paper, then raised the paper in her hand and looked up and down several times with satisfaction.
"Afu! What do you think of my painting?"
"Hmm... not bad..." Ah Fu almost squeezed out all the words in this sentence from between his teeth.
After all, in this painting Asaki painted, except for the three points of having a sword at the waist, having long hair, and a relatively well-proportioned figure that match Ogata, there is nothing that resembles Ogata...
Looking at the portrait that Asaki had worked so hard to draw, Ah Fu pursed his lips.
"Miss Asaki...if we never find Ogata-sama...what should we do?"
"Of course we will keep looking." Asaki said without thinking, "No matter how long it takes, we will keep looking."
"Lord Ogata is the only samurai willing to help us."
A faint look of memory appeared on Asaki's face.
"Before Ogata-sama appeared, I found countless samurai... I hope these samurai can help us guard the house."
"But these warriors are all extremely arrogant."
"They all despise that my ryuya is just a shabby and small izakaya. Guarding such a shabby izakaya undermines their status as samurai. They would rather work as thugs in some casinos than come to our ryuya."
"Only Ogata-sama is willing to come."
"And only Ogata-sama has no airs of a samurai at all, and will not discriminate against us because of our status as civilians."
"His character alone is worth my efforts to find him back."
"What's more, he is still kind to us."
Asaki looked at Ah Fu with a smile.
"At that time, after the people from the Ishikawa Sword Hall came to cause trouble for us, Ogata-sama went to the Ishikawa Sword Hall alone and beat up many of the disciples of the Ishikawa Sword Hall, which helped us vent our bad temper."
"Just for the sake of Mr. Ogata helping us vent our anger, we have to repay Mr. Ogata well. Afu, are you right?"
"Yeah!" After listening to what Asaki said just now, the dark clouds that originally covered Ah Fu's face gradually dissipated, and a bright smile gradually appeared on Ah Fu's cheeks.
Just then——
"Is anyone here?"
A strange male voice suddenly sounded outside the door on the first floor.
Hearing this male voice, Asaki and Afu both frowned.
"Who is it..." Asaki muttered, getting up and walking towards the first floor.
The sun is just shining now.
For all the years Asaki has been running the house, a guest comes to visit at dawn - this is the first time Asaki has encountered this kind of thing.
Slowly open the door of the flow house.
Standing outside the gate of the house was a young samurai with a clean shaven head, decent clothes, and two swords at his waist.
When the young samurai saw Asaki, he immediately asked Asaki:
"Excuse me - are you Miss Asaki?"
"Well, I'm..." Asaki can guarantee that she definitely doesn't know this person. "Who are you?"
"I'm here to give you something."
After that, the young samurai took out a small cloth bag from his arms and handed it to Asaki.
After taking the small cloth bag from the young samurai's hand with full of questions, a familiar sound and touch passed from the bag to Asaki's palm.
"This is...?!" Asaki's eyes widened.
Asaki quickly opened the small cloth bag.
Sure enough - there was a large amount of large sums of money inside.
"This is what Ogata Ise-kun asked me to give you." The young samurai said, "He also asked me to bring you a message - use the money to buy a new Wufu for Afu, and hire a
A more reliable warrior than him."
"Then - I'll take my leave."
The samurai who successfully completed the two tasks of sending money and delivering messages turned around and wanted to leave.
However - as soon as he turned around, Asaki and Afu both rushed to him and opened their arms.
"Wait a minute! You just said that this money was given to us by Ogata-sama, right?" Asaki said urgently, "Let me ask you - where is Ogata-sama now?"
"Ami..." The young samurai smiled bitterly, "You are trying to make things difficult for me... I don't know where Ogata Issei-kun is now... I'm just a person who came to send money and bring a message...
"
…
…
The young warrior wasn't lying.
He really didn't know where Ogata was now.
Kuronaga gave Ogata and others a large amount of money.
This money can be regarded as settlement expenses and... pensions for Ogata and others.
Ogata has no relatives, his master and his brothers have all passed away. Now the only people in the world who can be considered as relatives and friends of Ogata are Asaki and Afu.
Therefore, Ogata asked Kuranagi to arrange for someone to help him deliver the money to the house, and to help him bring a message to Asaki and the others.
While the young samurai entrusted by Ogata was being entangled by Asaki and Afu, Ogata was in the cemetery in the backyard of Xuanzhen Temple.
Together with Kurunaga and other patriots, they put incense in front of a new tombstone in the Xuanzhen Temple Cemetery.
"Please rest in peace..." Kuranagi, who was the last to finish the incense, closed his eyes tightly and clasped his hands together.
Ogata and others standing behind Kurunaga put their hands together and murmured "Please rest in peace."
Under this new tombstone, the poor women of Myojo Temple who were brutally poisoned by Matsudaira Gennai are buried.