My Gang of Swordsmen

Mukiwa lowered her gaze, looking at her ten fingers tightly twisted together on her lap, her beautiful eyes gradually shimmering with a light called "determination."

In that moment, Mukiwa made a bold decision, especially considering her shy nature.

Mukiwa closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and muster courage.

Then...

"Mr. Tachibana..."

"Hmm?" Aoto turned his head, sending a questioning look to Mukiwa, whose tone and speech suddenly became strange.

"We’ve known each other for quite a while now..."

Mukiwa clasped her fingers together on her lap so tightly it seemed like she wanted to break them.

"I think... it’s a bit inappropriate for you to keep calling me ’Miss Kinoshita’ in such a formal way."

Without waiting for Aoto to react or show any expression, Mukiwa bit her lip and quickly blurted out the remaining words:

"You should just call me Awu from now on..."

When she first said this, her tone was strong and high-pitched.

But as she continued, her voice and intonation grew weaker.

Mukiwa’s head lowered with her weakening tone until her chin was pressed tightly against her collarbone.

By the time she uttered the final "Awu," her voice was so soft that even Aoto, with his keen "Wind Sensor" abilities, almost didn’t catch it.

Aoto’s eyes widened as he stared blankly at the suddenly outspoken Mukiwa.

Under Aoto’s gaze, a blush began to spread across Mukiwa’s cheeks.

First, it was a light pink, then quickly deepened to a rosy red, and finally turned to a crimson red.

The blush started from her cheeks and spread at a speed visible to the naked eye to cover most of her face, turning even her delicate little ears a bright red.

In Japan, addressing someone by their first name is a very intimate gesture.

Other than a confrontational provocation, only people with very close relationships would use first names.

Strangers and those with ordinary friendships must use last names, otherwise, it would seem very rude.

For Mukiwa, a woman, to let Aoto call her "Awu" directly... In the context of Japanese naming conventions, this was quite a bold and uninhibited act.

While Aoto was still dazed by the unexpected turn of events, he suddenly realized—Mukiwa was sneaking glances at him.

With her chin pressed against her collarbone, as if she wished to bury her head into her chest, Mukiwa quietly raised her eyes to observe Aoto.

Her gaze was filled with emotions like nervousness, shyness, anxiety, and expectation...

When she realized that her secret glances at Aoto seemed to have been noticed, Mukiwa flinched and quickly retracted her gaze, rapidly blinking as if to calm her mind, and returned her focus to her knees.

But it wasn’t long before she slowly lifted her gaze again, once more sneaking a look at Aoto with anticipation and anxiety.

Revived from his daze by Mukiwa’s gaze, Aoto coughed lightly to camouflage his current chaotic expression and emotions.

"If you’re okay with it, Miss Kinoshita, then of course I’m happy to use a more familiar form of address for you..."

After speaking, Aoto felt a tingling sensation spread across his chest.

Hearing Aoto’s response, Mukiwa showed a relieved and delighted expression.

But Mukiwa didn’t have long to relish in her joy, for in the blink of an eye, her body tensed up once more.

"Then..."

A faint voice, slightly trembling from excessive nervousness, drifted again from Mukiwa’s lips.

"In return... can I call you Moriharu?"

Silence...

The atmosphere at the Thousand Affairs House became exceptionally quiet because of Mukiwa’s comment.

If Aoto’s expression was "dumbfounded" when he heard Mukiwa allow him to call her "Awu," then hearing Mukiwa ask if she could call him "Moriharu" left Aoto "stunned."

In the Edo Era, samurai typically had two names: a "common name" and a "true name."

The "common name" is akin to the "style name" used by Ancient Chinese scholars.

In Ancient Japan, as in Ancient China, calling someone directly by their true name was considered quite disrespectful.

To prevent this, Ancient China invented the "style name," while Ancient Japan came up with the "common name."

In Ancient Japan, only those exceptionally intimate and one’s lord could call a person by their true name. Others, including close friends, could only use the common name.

Since very few had the privilege of calling someone by their true name, samurai of this era often didn’t include their true name when announcing themselves.

Aoto, belonging to the Genji Clan with the last name Tachibana, had "Aoto" as his common name, and "Moriharu" as his true name.

Strictly speaking, the common name wasn’t the samurai’s official name, so on official documents and other formal papers, they were referred to only by their true name.

For instance, Aoto’s official designation on governmental documents is "Tachibana Minamoto no Moriharu."

Up to now, Aoto and Mukiwa have known each other for nearly half a year.

A long time ago, Aoto had already told Mukiwa his full name.

In such a system of address, the intimacy of different forms of address was clear at a glance.

First, the most distant form of address was, of course, by last name.

Next in closeness was the common name.