My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 61: Chapter 44: Kondo Shuuzo and Kondo Bi

Little Ishikawa Hoshimura Willow Street, Shiwei Hall, Dojo—

Today, Shiwei Hall is quite deserted.

Not a single apprentice has come to practice the Natural Reasoning Heart Stream.

Kondo Isami sat alone at the edge of the dojo, cross-legged, holding a cloth and cleaning the bamboo swords inside the hall.

After polishing another bamboo sword until it shone brightly like new, he set down the cloth and grasped the sword firmly with both hands, raising it high.

He gazed intently at the blade, his face showing deep thought.

Only after a while did a soft sigh escape from Kondo’s mouth:

”...Ah...”

”Hmm? Isami, why are you sighing like that? Haha, I just came back and heard you sighing here; that’s not good. As a man, how can you be lamenting like this?”

Suddenly, as Kondo’s sighs faded, an elderly voice chimed in unexpectedly from behind him.

Upon hearing this voice, Kondo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise; he quickly turned his head and stood up.

”Father! Mother! You’re back!”

Standing behind Kondo at the dojo’s entrance were an old man and an old woman.

This old man was of the era’s typical male height, which was roughly around 1.55 meters.

Though he wasn’t tall, his slightly hunched back made him appear even shorter.

His skin was etched with the marks of time, and the wrinkles on his face were so dense it seemed they could trap mosquitoes.

His hair wasn’t shaved into the Tsukushi Haircut, instead laded with white frost, and his chin was smooth, without a beard.

He had small squinting eyes, so small that his pupils were hard to see, making it difficult to discern whether his eyes were open or closed.

Being called ”Father” by Kondo Isami, the young hall master of Shiwei Hall, reveals the old man’s identity—it was Kondo Shuuzo, the third generation leader of the Natural Reasoning Heart School and the current master of Shiwei Hall!

As for the old woman standing behind Shuuzo, she was naturally Kondo Isami’s mother, Kondo Bi.

Abi appeared younger than Shuuzo, about 60 years old.

Her overall appearance could only be described as ”ordinary.”

But she was quite tall.

For a woman of this era, she stood at an impressive height of 1.65 meters, 10 centimeters taller than her husband.

The only striking feature on her face was probably her almond-shaped eyes.

Her eyes were remarkable not for their beauty but for their sharp glare.

Her gaze was neither joyful nor sad, coupled with her tightly pursed lips, projecting an aura of effortless authority.

Kondo greeted them warmly as he swiftly approached his parents.

Shuuzo responded to Kondo’s greeting with a warm smile.

Abi, on the other hand, remained silent, only giving Kondo a distant nod.

”Father, Mother, after such a long journey, you must be tired. Let me take your luggage.”

”Yes, it was indeed exhausting.” Shuuzo patted his waist with a bitter smile, ”Traveling for so many days... truly takes a toll on these old bones...”

”...What?” A cold female voice reminiscent of ice made Shuuzo tremble slightly, ”Is it a burden for you to accompany me to my parents’ house?”

”No, no!” Shuuzo hurriedly waved his hand and laughed towards Abi behind him, ”How could I feel burdened? I was merely complaining about my old bones acting up.”

”Hmph.” Abi snorted coldly.

”Oh... Ah, by the way, where’s Toshisuke? Why haven’t I seen him?” Shuuzo awkwardly changed the subject.

”Toshisuke went to buy ingredients for today’s lunch and dinner. He should be back soon.”

”In the time Mother and I were away, nothing happened at Shiwei Hall, right?”

”Nothing at all, except Asui got injured in a fight in Tama and can’t come back to Shiwei Hall for a while.”

”Hijikata got injured in a fight? Is it serious?”

”Just a minor injury. I went to Tama the day before yesterday to visit him. It’s not serious; he just needs some rest to recover.”

”Since nothing happened, why were you sighing worriedly earlier? Did something bother you?”

Shuuzo chuckled as he patted his chest.

”If there’s anything troubling, feel free to tell your father.”

”There’s nothing troubling.” Kondo smiled helplessly.

Kondo raised his gaze and looked around the empty dojo.

”It’s almost 10 a.m., and still no apprentice has come to practice swordsmanship...”

”I, as the Deputy Master, have such enthusiasm but nowhere to channel it, feeling somewhat idle... which makes me a bit frustrated...”

”Since the dojo’s emptiness bothers you, shouldn’t you find a way to make Shiwei Hall lively?”

At this moment, Kondo’s mother tilted her head slightly to look at Kondo through her nostrils, coldly interrupting him.

”You’re the heir of the Kondo family, the future fourth generation head of the Natural Reason Heart School and Shiwei Hall’s master, aren’t you?”

”Making this dojo prosperous is your responsibility as the young master.”

”What good does lamenting do? Instead, use the time to think about how to recruit more apprentices and make this dojo thrive.”

”We didn’t raise you as our Kondo family’s adopted son to hear you sighing.”

”Madam, that’s a bit...” Shuuzo hesitated, reaching out to Abi.

”What?” Abi glared fiercely at Shuuzo, ”Am I not right?”

”It’s nothing...” Shuuzo quietly withdrew his hand he had extended to Abi...

Facing his mother’s rebuke, Kondo didn’t respond or refute; he just lowered his head bitterly and silently received Abi’s reprimands.

But at that moment, hearing Abi’s words about thinking of ways to recruit more apprentices, Kondo seemed to remember something, his eyebrows twitching:

”Ah, right!”

Kondo adopted an excited tone.

”Father! The day before yesterday, we recruited a very impressive newcomer!”

”Impressive?” Shuuzo raised his eyebrows, ”Why? Is he exceptionally talented?”

”That person isn’t just ’exceptionally talented.’” Kondo laughed even more joyfully, ”Based on my evaluation, that person’s swordsmanship talent should be on par with Toshisuke!”

Shuuzo’s narrow eyes slightly opened at this moment.

Two astonished glances erupted from the opened slits of his eyes.

Abi, who was wearing a sullen face, also changed her expression at this moment.

”...Isami, tell me more about this newcomer.”

...

...

North Guard Station, Arima’s office—

”Lord Arima, I’ve already contacted Saito Ichiro for you, and he said he’s free tonight.”

”Mm, good.” Arima nodded to Inagawa, ”Please inform him to come to my house tonight; I will personally explain the job details.”

”Yes.”

RESPONDING with a polite ”Yes,” Inagawa made a bitter smile and scratched his hair.

”Saito Ichiro is indeed the most expensive bodyguard I’ve ever seen... 3 ryo gold a month, totaling 36 ryo a year... We’re really going all out to protect Mr. Tachibana...”

”Though expensive, it’s worth it.” Arima smiled slightly, ”Yet, Saito Ichiro is indeed worthy of that price.”

”After all, he is a Master of All Techniques of the No External Stream.”

”Having him is like having the strength of ten people.”

”Tonight, I will discuss the specifics of his new position with him.”

”I’ll try to have him settle into Mr. Tachibana’s house and begin providing close protection by tomorrow evening.”

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