The next day, early in the morning—

Hirose Domain, Ryukaya –

There are two floors in the drift house, the first floor is the izakaya where Asaki and the others live, and the second floor is where they live.

Ah Fu, who had just gotten up from the bed, saw Misaki crouching between the tables, scribbling and drawing something.

"Miss Misaki......" Ah Fu asked Aki as he walked towards Misaki, "What are you writing about?" ”

After resting his chest against Aki's back and pressing his chin against Aki's right shoulder so that his gaze could pass over Aki's back and shoulders, Ah Fu realized that Aki wasn't writing anything.

It's about drawing a picture.

Although Misaki's drawing skills were not very good, Afu could barely recognize Misaki drawing a young samurai with two swords stuck at his waist and a total hair.

"I'm drawing Ogata-sama." Aki said, "With Ogata-sama's portrait, it should be much easier to find him......"

Misaki's simple words made the atmosphere of the whole room immediately heavy.

Ah Fu lowered his eyes: "Ogata-sama, where the hell has he been......"

1 month ago, not long after Ogata's "disappearance", Misaki and Afuku learned a shocking news: something happened to the Sakakiwara Sword Pavilion where Ogata usually practiced swords.

Although the news of this incident was blocked, Aki and the others still learned from various sources that the masters and apprentices of the Sakakibara Sword Hall were slaughtered for unknown reasons......

This news undoubtedly made Misaki and the others even more uneasy......

But to Aki's thankfulness, Ogata should still be alive. But I just don't know where he went

Because after the accident at the Sakakibara Sword Pavilion, Ogata also sent a farewell letter to them in the flow house.

"That's it!"

Aki blew dry all the ink on the paper, then lifted the paper in her hand and looked it up and down several times in satisfaction.

"Ah Fu! What do you think of my drawing? ”

"Hmm...... It's okay......" all the words of this sentence, Ah Fu almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

After all, the painting painted by Asaki is not similar to Ogata, except for the three points of a saber at his waist, a total hair, and a well-proportioned body......

Looking at the portrait that Misaki had painstakingly drawn, Ah Fu pursed his lips.

"Miss Aki...... If we can't find Ogata-sama all the time...... What should we do? ”

"Of course, I've been looking for it." Misaki said without thinking, "No matter how long it takes, we'll keep looking." ”

"Ogata-sama is the only samurai willing to help us."

A faint look of memory appeared on Aki's face.

"Before Ogata-sama appeared, I sought out countless samurai...... I hope these samurai can help us guard the ryuya. ”

"But these samurai are all arrogant."

"They all dislike that my drift house is just a small and dilapidated izakaya, and to guard such a dilapidated izakaya is detrimental to their status as a samurai, and they would rather go to some casinos as thugs than come to our drift house."

"Only Osgata-sama wants to come."

"And only Lord Ogata doesn't have a samurai frame at all, and he won't discriminate against us because of our civilian status."

"His character alone is worth my efforts to get him back."

"What's more—he's kind to us."

Misaki looked at Ah Fu with a smile.

"At that time, after the people from the Ishikawa Sword Pavilion came to trouble us, Ogata-sama went to the Ishikawa Sword Pavilion alone, beat up many of the disciples of the Ishikawa Sword Pavilion, and helped us out of our bad breath."

"Just for Ogata-sama's sake, we have to repay Ogata-kun well. Ah Fu, you're right? ”

"Hmm!" After listening to Misaki's words just now, the dark clouds that were originally dense on Ah Fu's face gradually dissipated, and a bright smile gradually hung on Ah Fu's cheeks.

That's when —

"Is anyone there, please?"

An unfamiliar male voice suddenly sounded outside the gate on the first floor.

Hearing this male voice, Misaki and Ah Fu both frowned.

"Who is it......" Aki muttered as she got up and walked towards the first floor.

It's just dawn now.

Misaki has been running a drift house for so many years, and there are guests visiting just after dawn - this is the first time Misaki has encountered this kind of thing.

Slowly open the door of the drift house.

Standing outside the gate of the stream house was a young samurai with a cleanly shaved Tsukiyo head, dressed in modest clothes, and two swords stuck in his waist.

When the young samurai saw Aki, he immediately asked Aki:

"Excuse me—are you Miss Aki?"

"Well, I'm ......," Misaki assured—she never knew this person, "may I ask who you are?" ”

"I'm here to deliver something to you."

With that, the young samurai took out a small cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Aki.

After receiving the small cloth bag from the young samurai's hand with a full stomach full of questions, a familiar sound and touch passed from the cloth bag to Aki's palm.

"Is this ......?!" Aki's eyes widened.

Misaki hurriedly pulled the small cloth bag apart.

Sure enough—there was a lot of big money in it.

"This is what Ogata Yoshi-kun asked me to give you." The young samurai said, "He also asked me to bring you a word - use the money to buy a new Wu costume for Ah Fu, and hire a more reliable samurai than him." ”

"So—I'm going to take my leave."

The samurai, who had successfully completed the two tasks of sending money and bringing a message, turned around and wanted to leave.

However, no sooner had he turned than Misaki and Afu rushed up to him and spread their arms.

"Wait a minute! You just said that the money was given to us by Ogata-sama, right? Aki said urgently, "Let me ask you—where is Ogata-sama now?" ”

"Foot ......," the young samurai said with a wry smile, "you're embarrassing me...... I don't know where Ogata Isei-kun is now...... I'm just a guy who comes to give money and talk to me......"

……

……

The young samurai was not lying.

He really didn't know where Ogata was now.

Kuranaga gave Ogata and the others a large sum of money.

This money is regarded as a settling-in allowance for Ogata and others...... Pension.

Ogata has no relatives, and his master and brothers have also been put to rest, and now the only people in this world who can be regarded as Ogata's relatives and friends are Osaki and Afuku.

So, Ogata asks Kuranaga to arrange for someone to help him deliver the money to the drifthouse, and help him bring a message for Aki and the others.

While the young samurai entrusted by Ogata is being entangled by Aki and Fuku, Ogata is in the cemetery in the backyard of Genshinji Temple.

Together with Kuranaga and other aspirants, he placed incense in front of a new tombstone in the cemetery of Genshinji Temple.

"Please rest in peace...... "Kuranaga, the last one to finish the incense, closed his eyes tightly and folded his hands.

And Ogata and the others, who were standing behind Kuranaga, put their hands together and whispered, "Please rest in peace."

Under this new tombstone, the poor women of Myoshoji Temple, who were poisoned by Matsudaira Gennai, are buried.