But the words Aoto said immediately after made Mukiwa’s expression return to normal.
“Even though we were childhood friends with that person... ever since she married off to Nara over a year ago, I haven’t had any contact with her.”
“Your friend is already married...” Mukiwa showed a barely noticeable expression of relief.
“Yes, she married a wealthy merchant from Nara. I ran into her just now and just chatted a bit.”
“Aoto, it’s rare to reunite with an old friend, why not go chat with her some more?”
“That’s really not necessary. Truth be told, I wasn’t particularly close with her even beforehand. If I force myself to chat, I wouldn’t know what to talk about, probably just the weather or what we ate today.”
Mukiwa’s expression instantly became even more relaxed, and a trace of subtle happiness flashed in her eyes, with the corners of her mouth curving into a delicate arc barely noticeable unless observed carefully.
Aoto, unwilling to dwell on the topic of Ozuki Minoru, proactively changed the subject.
“Awu, let’s go.” Aoto handed the sweet drink he just bought from the tea stand to Mukiwa, “We have many places we haven’t explored yet.”
“Okay!”
...
...
“Lord Sasaki! Lord Sasaki!”
Sasaki suddenly heard someone calling him.
He turned his face toward the direction of the voice to see a very small and skinny man pushing through the crowd, running toward him.
This person was none other than a reliable subordinate under his command: Kinsaburō.
“What’s wrong?” Sasaki asked nonchalantly, “Did something happen in the district you’re in charge of?”
Tonight, the task Sasaki assigned Kinsaburō was to patrol the western district of Nihonbashi and protect the Shimizu Clan’s establishment there.
Seeing Kinsaburō in such a hurry, Sasaki instinctively thought that something urgent might have happened in the district Kinsaburō was responsible for.
“No.” Kinsaburō, gasping for breath as he adjusted his disordered breathing, shook his head vigorously, “My area is peaceful, nothing happened, it’s just...”
At this point, Kinsaburō paused.
He raised his head, scanning the surroundings with a vigilant look, then brought his lips close to Sasaki’s ear and whispered something.
“?! ” Sasaki, who had just maintained a calm demeanor, suddenly changed his expression the moment Kinsaburō finished whispering.
“...I see.” Sasaki said solemnly, “Thank you for your hard work. You may stand down, continue with your duties.”
“Yes!” Kinsaburō bowed respectfully to Sasaki and then quickly departed, disappearing from Sasaki’s sight in the blink of an eye.
“...” Sasaki stared at the emptiness in front of him, unsure of what he was thinking.
A moment later, he turned away silently.
No longer patrolling the streets.
But heading briskly towards an unknown destination.
After turning through several streets and alleys, Sasaki and two of his subordinates on either side delved into a dark alley.
Within the alley, the air was filled with a pungent smell of alcohol, causing Sasaki to furrow his brow slightly.
“Hmm? The wine is finished... damn! Who went to buy the wine? This little amount isn’t enough for me to drink!”
An angry roar echoed from the deepest part of the alley—five young men of various ages either stood or sat, scattered everywhere.
Every one of them emitted an extremely strong and unpleasant smell of alcohol.
One of them leaned against the wall, sitting on the ground like a pile of mud, playing with a shiny, ornate Wakizashi with his left hand and holding a completely empty wine bottle with his right.
This person had the strongest smell of alcohol, and his face, flushed red from consuming excessive alcohol, seemed as though painted with red pigment, his eyes glazed, and his mouth twisted from the lack of wine—the violent outburst just now was from this person.
At this moment, this young man raised his head upon hearing the footsteps of Sasaki and his companions, meeting Sasaki’s gaze.
“...Lord Gosaku, greetings.”
Sasaki bent down, showing the utmost respect, and first bowed to this young man.
This was his name.
Shimizu Gosaku.
The surname “Shimizu” alone signifies how extraordinary this young man’s status is.
This person is precisely the nephew of the Shimizu Clan’s leader, Shimizu Eiichi!
“Hmm? Is that Sasaki...?”
Shimizu Gosaku grinned.
“Sasaki, what brings you here?”
“My subordinate reported that you were drinking nearby, so I came to take a look.”
“Oh, I see... hehe, appreciate it.”
Shimizu Gosaku raised a warm, smiling face toward Sasaki, then instinctively lifted the wine bottle in his right hand to his lips.
From the bottle, long emptied, only half a drop of wine dripped out.
“...” Shimizu Gosaku stared blankly at the empty bottle in his hand.
And then... a somewhat chilling scene occurred.
Just now, he was expressing appreciation warmly and considerately to Sasaki, but suddenly his expression completely changed!
His brows rose furiously, eyes glaring fiercely, and his already extremely flushed face from intoxication grew even redder.
“Damn it!”
Shimizu Gosaku cursed loudly while waving his hand, throwing the empty bottle forcefully.
The bottle flew in an arc, narrowly past Sasaki’s cheek, and with a “clang,” shattered into countless pieces behind Sasaki.

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