My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 383 - 145: Chokata Is So Adorable and the Man Who Bears the Name of the Dragon [6600]

"Besides identifying the code names of two major leaders of the Law Punishment Faction, we recently discovered traces of their activities in the Aoyu Region."

"To understand what the Law Punishment Faction intends to do, my lord has sent me to the Aoyu Region to conduct an investigation and track them down."

"This is also the main reason I suddenly visited Edo at this time. From Osaka to Aoyu, one must pass through Edo, taking the Aozhou Road."

Aoyu Region—collectively refers to the regions of Japan’s Aozhou and Chuyu. Since these two regions are located in the northeast, they are also called the ’Northeast Region.’

As for Aozhou Road, it’s one of the five main roads connecting strategic locations centered around Edo, directly linking Edo Nihonbashi to Mutsu Shirakawa in the Aoyu Region.

"Aoyu, huh..." Kiryu nodded lightly, "When do you plan to set off for Aoyu?"

"My lord wants me to reach Aoyu as soon as possible. Therefore, I plan to set off early tomorrow morning."

"Do you want to see the Young Master tonight?" Kiryu inquired, "She would be very happy to know you’ve come to Edo."

"That won’t be necessary." Makimura pursed his lips and shook his head, "I have to leave tomorrow morning, so visiting the Young Master tonight would be too rushed, and I wouldn’t have time to speak with her properly."

"I’ll wait until I have plenty of free time to visit the Young Master."

"Then... I’ll also meet with the Tachibana Aoto, whom you mentioned in your letter."

At this point, Makimura’s expression became deeply reflective.

"When my lord and I saw the contents of the letter you sent a month ago, we were all surprised."

"Is Tachibana Aoto really that remarkable?"

"You even considered passing on your Iaido and your Demon Sword to him. Previously, you had been unable to find a suitable successor."

"...Mr. Tachibana is indeed a promising young talent." Upon hearing Makimura mention Aoto’s name, Kiryu smiled slightly, narrowing his eyes in reminiscence, "He possesses not only exceptional swordsmanship talent but also the personal charisma and leadership skills to become the ’center’ of people."

"However, whether to pass on my Iaido ’Flowing Light’ to him is still in the ’intention’ and ’consideration’ stage."

"I want to observe and think for a while longer before deciding whether to accept him as my closed-door disciple."

At this point, Kiryu suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly paused.

Then, his expression gradually became peculiar.

"Kurō, what’s the matter?" Noticing Kiryu’s expression suddenly turning strange, Makimura frowned, "Is it a hangover, or are you feeling unwell?"

"...No." Kiryu pressed his lips firmly together, then sighed deeply, "Speaking of Mr. Tachibana... I haven’t reported this to you all yet... about Mr. Tachibana and the Young Master."

"Tachibana Aoto and the Young Master?" Makimura was taken aback, "What’s going on between them?"

"If my observations are correct... the Young Master seems to have a deep affection for Tachibana Aoto now."

"What?" Makimura’s eyes widened like saucers.

"It was probably a month or two ago." Kiryu continued, "I noticed a significant change in the Young Master’s attitude towards Tachibana Aoto."

"Whenever Mr. Tachibana visited my Thousand Affairs House, she would smile happily and actively chat with him."

"During regular work, she often seemed absent-minded, occasionally even letting out silly smiles."

"Based on these unusual observations recently, I surmise that the Young Master has likely developed special feelings for Mr. Tachibana."

"And just a few days ago, the Young Master invited Mr. Tachibana to join her in some phantom thief activities."

"What?!" Makimura exclaimed again, eyes widening even further, "Are you saying... the Young Master invited Tachibana Aoto to join her in phantom thief activities? Kurō, you need to tell me more about this."

Kiryu nodded and proceeded to succinctly narrate the details of how Mukiwa and Aoto recently collaborated as phantom thieves to resolve the ’Man-Slayer Incident’ to Makimura.

After attentively listening to Kiryu’s account, Makimura’s expression turned particularly peculiar.

After a moment, he splashed a handful of hot water on his face and smacked his lips: "The Young Master has someone she likes now... Well, it makes sense, considering she’s 15 years old this year, definitely at an age where she might become infatuated with someone. Kurō, have you written to inform my lord about these matters?"

"Not yet. I plan to write a long letter in a few days to report these matters in detail to my lord."

Makimura shrugged his shoulders with a smirk: "Ha... I’m really curious about how my lord will react upon learning that the Young Master has someone she likes."

"...I guess my lord will probably be very surprised at first." Kiryu’s expression turned odd once more, "Then she’ll quickly write me a letter back: asking me to thoroughly evaluate Mr. Tachibana’s character."

"If Mr. Tachibana is not a man worthy of lifelong commitment, I’ll be instructed to prevent further interaction between him and the Young Master."

"Conversely, if he’s suitable, the Young Master and Mr. Tachibana can naturally be together, but I must ensure she is protected, so she doesn’t get hurt."

"Finally, she’ll find time to visit Edo herself to see for herself who exactly her precious granddaughter is so enamored with."