The next day——
Year 7 of Ansei (1860), January 14, early morning——
Edo, Hachidori-bori, Aoto's home——
"Kyūbē, I'm heading out."
"Young Master, be careful on the road. Here, your bento."
Draped in a wine-red feathered robe for warmth and a black scarf, with two swords fastened at his left waist, Aoto took the well-wrapped bento handed over by Kyūbē.
In this era of Japan, there were naturally no workplace cafeterias, so the majority of officials brought their own lunch bento.
After stepping out of his home and taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air, Aoto did some simple stretches to loosen his muscles before setting off on a slow jog down the path in front of his house.
Yesterday, upon realizing at Shiwei Hall that his physical fitness needed urgent improvement, Aoto spent the entire night devising a fitness plan for himself.
No matter where he was going, he would try to run there—this was one of the fitness goals Aoto set for himself the previous night.
——Jogging with a sword at the waist is indeed quite cumbersome…
Aoto looked at the tachi and wakizashi at his waist with a helpless gaze.
These two swords were crafted by Aoto's great-grandfather at the hefty cost of 100 ryō, regarded as the Tachibana family's heirloom treasure swords.
After Aoto's father passed away, these two swords naturally were passed down to Aoto.
And indeed, these swords were worth their price; whether in terms of toughness or sharpness, they could be considered top-notch.
While running with the swords at his waist, the longer tachi would often hit his left calf, so Aoto simply took it off and carried it over his shoulder.
Following his memory, he reached the North Guard Station located beside the famous Nishiki Bridge in Edo and headed straight for his direct superior, Lord Arima's office, to report.
Every morning, upon entering the garrison, the first task was to report to the superior—this was one of the regulations of the Magistrate's Office.
Halfway there, Aoto suddenly heard two familiar voices behind him:
"Mr. Tachibana! Good morning!"
"Tachibana, good morning."
Aoto: "Mr. Ushiyama, Mr. Inagawa, good morning to you too."
These two young men walking behind Tachibana and greeting him quickened their pace a little to walk alongside him.
Inagawa Hanjiro, Ushiyama Seiji—these were their names.
They were truly colleagues of Aoto—they worked under Lord Arima's direct command just like Aoto, as Dōshin.
The Fixed Town Patrol specifically responsible for maintaining order included two Yoriki and six Dōshin. Each Yoriki was assigned three Dōshin to manage.
The three Dōshin under Lord Arima's jurisdiction were Aoto, Ushiyama, and Inagawa.
The two also participated in the previous night's operation to capture the "Righteous Group"—when waiting for action to start inside the Magistrate's Office, the two sitting on Aoto's left and right sides were Ushiyama and Inagawa.
Inagawa, despite having a somewhat comedic surname, had a handsome face that bore no resemblance at all to a "pig."
On the other hand, Ushiyama's appearance quite matched his surname—a face as honest and straightforward as that of a bull.
"Mr. Tachibana, you rarely get a day off like yesterday. Did you go anywhere fun?" Inagawa, with his handsome face, leaned closer to Aoto.
"I went to learn swordsmanship." Aoto, still slightly drowsy from just waking up, yawned widely.
"Learning swordsmanship?" Inagawa's eyes widened, "Mr. Tachibana, aren't you usually uninterested in swordsmanship? What brought on this sudden change? Which Sword Dojo did you train at?"
"The Natural Reasoning Heart Stream at Shiwei Hall."
"...I've never heard of the style or the dojo."
"It's normal that you haven't heard of it, Mr. Inagawa. It's quite an obscure style. As for why I suddenly wanted to learn swordsmanship, I'll tell you guys in detail when I have some free time. Tell me about your day—did you and Mr. Ushiyama go anywhere to spend your day off?"
"Ha ha!" Inagawa displayed a proud expression, giving a thumbs-up to himself with his right hand and saying in a bragging tone, "We spent the entire day at the Red-Light District!"
"Ah, I knew it…" Aoto chuckled softly.
"What can you do?" Ushiyama, who had remained silent until this point, chimed in, "After all, it's just our hobby."
"If I remember correctly—Lord Arima just recently lectured you two, telling you to restrain yourselves…" Aoto displayed a helpless expression, "If you're scolded by Lord Arima again, I won't be helping to plead on your behalf."
Inagawa and Ushiyama…these two colleagues of mine, in a certain sense…are somewhat famous figures—a bit of celebrities within a circle in Edo.
Whenever the duo had any free time, they'd head straight to the Flower Street!
The two were significantly older than Aoto, who had just turned 18 this year—effectively one generation older.
Both turned 32 this year and, at such a relatively youthful age, achieved the feat of frequenting every Flower Street in Edo!
If it were just about often visiting such places, it wouldn't have been enough to grant them celebrity status in that circle. After all, Edo had a population of over a million people, so naturally, there was no shortage of those eager to spend every hour of the day in the Flower Street.
What truly made the pair famous was the special skills each possessed.
And the skills these two possessed…well, let's just say they're nothing short of exceptional!
Inagawa not only had a nicely handsome face but also had remarkably beautiful, slender fingers.
Endowed with exquisite yet potent explosive power and agility, these ten fingers' capabilities were completely mismatched with their delicate appearance.
With just his hands, Inagawa had managed to become irresistible to countless women.
If we say that Inagawa possesses "physical-type skills," then what Ushiyama possesses would be "magic-type skills."
Although Ushiyama has a face that looks as honest and simple as a cow, and he's usually quiet, in reality, he's quite the smooth talker.
He can easily say the sweet words all women love to hear. With just a few words, he can make a newly acquainted woman feel like she's on cloud nine, leading many women to boldly declare: "Tonight is on the house! Feel free to come by, sir!"
The duo, each possessing these two major skills, were nicknamed in that social circle as "Golden Mouth and Silver Finger."
Because they share the same hobby, the two brothers often visit the Flower Street together, and during holidays, their figures can always be seen there.
The people in the Edo circle refer to these inseparable two as the "Gold and Silver Brothers."
Previously, these two even invited "Original Tachibana Aoto," turning their duo into the "Three Swordsmen of Flower Street."
However, because "Original Tachibana Aoto" is a sincere and honest person, he always holds such places like Flower Street in respectful refrain, so every invitation from Inagawa and Ushiyama was politely declined by him.
Chatting casually, the three were making their way to Arima's office.
In just a moment, they stood before the office door of their direct superior—Town Patrol Yoriki Arima Hideyoshi.
"Lord Arima!" Inagawa loudly announced at the door, "Inagawa Hanjiro, Ushiyama Seiji, Tachibana Aoto, reporting in!"
"Come in." Arima's voice replied from behind the door.
"Pardon the intrusion!" Inagawa said as he opened the door and entered first.
The three filed in and lined up in front of Arima.
Aoto: "Lord Arima, good morning."
The three greeted Arima in unison.
Arima's office... was so clean and tidy that it was hard to imagine that a human being worked there.
The floors, walls, even the ceiling were all spotless.
Books and dossiers were categorized and neatly organized.
Arima was currently sitting in a kneeling position behind his desk, reviewing the dossiers. His back was perfectly straight, forming a perfect 90-degree right angle with the tatami beneath him.
Knowing how Inagawa and Ushiyama spent their holidays, you'd think these two had quite distinct personalities.
But in terms of personality... compared to Arima, those two were mere jesters before a true master.
Arima is... to put it nicely, unique; to put it bluntly, someone with a peculiar mind.
Perhaps due to his upbringing, Arima held these beliefs: as a Samurai, he must set a good example for commoners, never doing anything to tarnish the image of a Samurai, always upright, sitting straight, walking steadily, with clothing and living quarters eternally neat and clean!
So, Arima's back, whether sitting or standing, always formed a 90-degree right angle with the ground.
His office, just like his clothing, forever clean and orderly.
Aoto had never been to Arima's house, but he did wonder what it would be like.
A straight spine, eternally clean garments and workspace—these were still comprehensible.
But some other behaviors from Arima truly puzzled people.
For instance: Arima would never take a turn at any angle other than 90 degrees.
When turning a street corner, Arima would walk straight to the center of the intersection, then make a 90-degree turn to the direction he was heading, and continue walking straight.
Another example: Arima's eyes never slanted.
Whether sitting, standing, or walking, Arima's gaze remained straight ahead, never allowing his line of sight to tilt.
If, by chance, his sight did tilt, he would look utterly flustered, as if a monk accidentally breaking his vows, even breaking out in a cold sweat.
If he needed to see something to the side, he'd turn his neck, never his eyeballs or line of sight.
Do you know owls?
An owl's eyes cannot move.
Arima's eyes just happened to be large, and he was the kind of person who rarely blinked.
So—when Arima stares at you, he gives you the bizarre feeling that "you are being watched by an owl!"
Yet another example: Arima ate his meals using a 90-degree trajectory to bring food to his mouth.
Specifically: using chopsticks to pick up food, lifting it directly in front of his face before bringing it straight to his mouth.
The path of food lifted to Arima's face and entering his mouth traced a perfect 90-degree angle.
When Arima drank water, he did so by moving the cup to his lips with a 90-degree angle.
So, when Arima dined with others, he was always the flashiest one!
If you ever dined with Arima, you'd witness—a guy eating food, drinking soup, whatever, always using an odd angle to consume...
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Today's update reached about 8,000 words... I'm too diligent, really.
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