CHAPTER XX

In the middle of summer evening, the sky was dark and a little muggy.

Ao Ling was still thrown outside the village for exercise, and by the way, he was also assigned the task of collecting some game and coming back to add food - in the name of exercising his hunting instinct as a beast, in fact, it was the two mouths in Panasonic Village School, one big and one small, who were gluttonous, and let Ao Ling do a hard labor as soon as they were combined.

Of course, Yoshida Matsuyo didn't forget to hack the student who always grabbed disciples with him by the way.

At least when this matter came to Ao Ling's place, Teacher Songyang said this: "Yinshi has grown recently, he has eaten a little too much, and he doesn't have much food at home, so he has worked hard." ”

After all, children at this age are the time of the day, their bodies grow faster, and they naturally eat more.

So Ao Ling, who knew very well how sad it was to be hungry, set his sights on a wild boar after digging out countless rabbit nests and letting go of the not many fat rabbits.

Ao Ling's original form was now too large, and he controlled the original form to shrink to the size of a normal dog, dragging a wild boar twice the size of his current body all the way out of the forest with great ease.

The water vapor floats in the air, with an uncomfortable sticky feeling.

The rainstorm came suddenly.

The rain covered the whole world with a heavy curtain, and Ao Ling dragged the wild boar, and as soon as he came out of the forest, he was crackled by the raindrops the size of beans.

He bit the boar's neck and was stunned for a moment.

The fields were covered with rain and became cloudy.

Ao Ling's dark eyes looked around, sniffed the breath in the air that was covered by heavy water vapor, and after making sure that there were no humans nearby, he turned back to the original shape of a house, took today's trophies in his mouth, and galloped in the direction of Matsumoto Village.

……

As the rain became heavier and heavier, Shinsuke Takasugi wore a robe, took off the hat above his head, and stood under the eaves and looked up at the wooden sign of Matsushita Village School.

The courtyard lit up under the dark sky was like a peaceful harbor in the midst of this storm, and a trace of warmth came out of the orange-yellow light, which made the stiff body of the little boy who had left home and trudged in the torrential rain gradually relaxed.

But Takasugi still didn't ring the bell at the door.

- He didn't know how to face the division commander he longed for.

Originally, the family was still in a laissez-faire state, but some time ago I got news that there was a radical Choshu feudal king who sent someone to the shogunate's residence to assassinate him, although it was not successful, but the guest was really frightened.

The feudal lord was furious, and everyone in the clan was suddenly in danger, and Takasugi Shinsuke, who was in a stalemate with the family, learned that the feudal lord had asked the elders of the family to go to stop and kill a group of heroes, so he went directly to ask someone to send a letter to the group of heroes.

The head of the Takasugi family was angry, but in the end, he was an excellent eldest son, and it was impossible to punish him too harshly.

So Takasugi Shinsuke was locked up and confined to Katsura Kotaro, who had always had a good relationship, was not allowed to visit.

During the time that he was locked up in the courtyard, Takasugi Jinsuke pondered for a long time, and between the morality of his family, his partners, and the righteousness of his own body, he finally chose the latter two.

He can't choose to obey his family and interests when he knows that it is wrong and will hurt his partners who are fighting side by side.

So he fled from his home—taking his little knife, carrying his baggage, and putting on his robe, and set out on the road that had become so familiar in recent months.

But standing outside the familiar courtyard, Takasugi Jinsuke hesitated again.

- Even if Mr. Songyang said that he would come to him if he had something, the scope of this statement should not include taking him in at such a critical juncture.

Shinsuke Takasugi stood in the doorway, feeling that Matsuyo-sensei would not want to see him return.

Because Yoshida Matsuyo was also born as a samurai, in the end, because of a conflict with the feudal lord, he was stripped of his rank and became a ronin.

- So Matsuyo-sensei should still expect him to live as a samurai.

After all, although the ronin and the samurai are both sword-wielders, their status and prestige are very different.

Takasugi Shinsuke has always believed in his heart that Yoshida Matsuyo should not only exist as a ronin, such a dazzling person, let alone a samurai, even if it is the domain lord, it is not as good as a hair of Matsuyo Sensei.

But if he doesn't knock on the door now......

There is nowhere to go.

……

When Ao Ling approached Matsumoto Village, he changed back to the size of an ordinary dog, and when he dragged the bleeding wild boar to the door, he saw Takasugi Shinsuke with a tangled face, and his hand was just stretched out and retracted, and he hesitated not to pull the bell.

Ao Ling stumbled all the way over and yelled at him.

Immersed in his own thoughts, Takasugi Jinsuke was completely unaware of the movement in the outside world for a moment, turned his head to look at Ao Ling, and then looked at the wild boar.

After a while, I vaguely recalled the first time we met, and the child directly turned into a milk dog.

"Ling Sakata?"

"Huh." Ao Ling looked left and right, and after realizing that there was no one, he nodded to Takasugi Shinsuke and opened his mouth, "Takasugi." ”

Takasugi Shinsuke, who almost thought that it was a dream for Sakata Ling to become a dog before, finally confirmed that his previous memories were not hallucinations after witnessing the black dog speak again.

He had always thought that maybe some of that day was some fantasy that he had added to himself, because he hadn't seen the little man turn into a dog again in months.

But now he was sure that everything he had seen before was reality.

Actually, here's the thing.

After Ao Ling came back that day, he was beaten on the ass by Yoshida Matsuyo, and he was strictly forbidden to change blindly in front of humans, his tone was particularly fierce, and his hands were particularly heavy, which made Ao Ling's monster's physique hurt and did not dare to touch the floor for a night.

Since then, Ao Ling has no courage to change in front of humans casually.

I didn't even dare to speak.

However, Takasugi Jinsuke knew his identity, so Ao Ling didn't hold back, and spoke directly.

"Why don't you go in? The door is unlocked. Ao Ling said, biting the neck of the Qi wild boar, pouting his ass and opening the door.

Takasugi Jinsuke looked at Ao Ling, who was wet, paused slightly, took off his coat, and covered the black dog's body.

Ao Ling was stunned, this cloak was a bit too big for him, he raised his head and looked at Takasugi Shinsuke, "Thank you." ”

The man who thanked him did not say a word, and he reached out and put the hat he had just taken off back on his head.

"I'm already wet, I don't need it." And even if it rains, he won't get sick, and Ao Ling feels that Takasugi Shinsuke doesn't need to do this.

The eldest young master of the rare and kind samurai family gave him a cold look.

Ao Ling was dazed for a moment, and then remembered what Sakata Gintoki had told him about the way to survive in the face of Takasugi Shinsuke.

- Follow the hair, you will listen to what Takasugi says, and if you don't want to listen, you just keep silent and stare at him.

So Ao Ling once again sincerely thanked Takasugi Shinsuke, and dragged the wild boar into the courtyard with Takasugi, "Matsuyo-sensei should be in the classroom, do you go to Matsuyo-sensei first or go to your room first?" ”

Shinsuke Takasugi paused, "My room? ”

"Yes, after you left that day, Mr. Songyang asked me and Yinshi to tidy up a room and come out." Ao Ling thought for a moment and reminded, "But you probably have to share a room with Gui." ”

Takasugi Shinsuke didn't care about his words at all, and after realizing that the division commander he longed for had already been ready to accept him, the eldest young master of the samurai family felt that the soles of his feet were fluttering, "Matsuyo-sensei knows that I will come back?" ”

"Of course I do." Ao Ling felt that Takasugi's question was very strange, but he still answered Takasugi Shinsuke's question very straightforwardly, "Mr. Matsuyo knows everything. ”

“…… Knowing everything. Takasugi Shinsuke lowered his eyes and looked at Ao Ling, his heart, which had always been full of gloom and coldness since he left home, seemed to be infected by warm water at this moment, and Shu Tai couldn't speak, "Thank you, Ling." ”

Ao Ling was stunned by this intimate title, thinking about the education he received on weekdays, so he opened his mouth and responded: "Jin Zhu ......?" ”

Being called by a dog still feels a little subtle.

Takasugi Shinsuke glanced at him, pressed the hat on his head, covered most of his face, didn't respond or object, just said, "I'll find Mr. Matsuyo first." ”

Ao Ling responded, and dragged the wild boar to disappear.

Takasugi Shinsuke stepped onto the doorway of the classroom, and saw a clog suddenly fly out of the rain.

In the sound of the rain, there was the roar of Sakata Gintoki.

"How many times have you said don't shake your hair in the house! Do you really think of yourself as a dog, Ling Sakata!! ”