My Gang of Swordsmen

"As long as you haven’t done anything strange, that’s good."

Just as he said this, Kiryu happened to have settled comfortably behind the counter.

"Anyway... Mr. Tachibana, congratulations on not having to stay in the Ren Medical Hall anymore."

The expression on Kiryu’s face returned to that familiar refined smile that Aoto knew well.

"How does it feel to regain your freedom?"

"It feels great." Since Kiryu no longer looked at him with that impressively oppressive gaze, Aoto finally dared to look at and meet Kiryu’s eyes, "I’m finally able to avoid that pungent smell of medicine."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kiryu suddenly changed the subject.

"I’ve kept you waiting for a long time. After so long, we finally have today."

Understanding the implication in Kiryu’s words, Aoto smiled calmly:

"Yes. We can finally have a long, uninterrupted conversation, together with you, Boss Kiryu."

During Aoto’s hospitalization, although Kiryu and Mukiwa visited him daily, the bustling Ren Medical Hall was ultimately not a place conducive to good conversation.

As a result, Aoto had been holding onto a mountain of questions he wanted to ask Kiryu.

He held onto them until now... at last, Aoto had waited for today, a perfect opportunity to speak openly with Kiryu.

"Boss Kiryu, Mukiwa and I... Awu and I, according to your request, have concealed the existence of the Scythe Weasel."

"Could you tell me... who exactly are you, and who is this Scythe Weasel? Why do you seem so familiar with the Scythe Weasel?"

Not beating around the bush any longer, Aoto directly voiced all the questions that had been bottled up in his heart all at once.

Kiryu didn’t immediately answer.

Instead, he half-closed his eyes, his refined smile turning into a resigned one...

"Awu... hearing the term ’Awu’ directly from your mouth, my feelings are even more complex than I imagined..."

This sentiment from Kiryu caused Aoto to pause, then, embarrassed, he subconsciously glanced sideways at Mukiwa beside him.

Upon glancing over, he saw a delighted, silly smile faintly appear on Mukiwa’s cheeks.

This was the first time Aoto called her "Awu"... It seemed to make Mukiwa very happy. Her wildly curling lips could hardly be controlled.

This small action from Aoto, and Mukiwa’s current expression, were once again fully noted by Kiryu...

"Ahem..."

To cover the slightly confused expression on his face, Kiryu coughed softly a few times, sitting up straighter than he already was.

"Hmm... which question should I answer first..."

Kiryu shifted the topic back to the main issue.

Facing Aoto’s rapid-fire array of questions, Kiryu nonchalantly smiled a bit.

"I’ll explain them to you one by one, in the order you asked."

"I’ve mentioned to you before: before I came to Edo to establish this ’Thousand Affairs House,’ I worked in the medium-sized silk business ’Rin House’ in Osaka. The owner of this Rin House was the dry grandmother of the Young Master."

"What I told you, I wasn’t deceiving you with those words."

"In a certain sense, before I came to Edo to establish this ’Thousand Affairs House,’ I indeed worked at Rin House."

"And the Lord I served, who is also the Young Master’s dry grandmother, was indeed the owner of Rin House... to be precise, the true owner of Rin House."

Emphasizing the phrase "true owner" almost as if to sell a secret, Kiryu raised his head to look at the ceiling, his face slowly revealing a soft smile as if recalling a beautiful memory.

"Over 70 years ago, a young girl named Kinoshita Lin, through her own efforts and talent, single-handedly established a rice business called ’Gourd House.’"

"After countless years of hardship and perseverance, Kinoshita Lin finally developed Gourd House into... a business with a bit of wealth and connections, no longer just limited to rice trade."

"By now, under Kinoshita Lin’s leadership, Gourd House owns numerous subordinate shops."

"Rin House, which specializes in silk business, is just one among the many subordinate shops under Gourd House."

"Mr. Tachibana, hearing this, you should also understand who this Kinoshita Lin is, right?"

"Kinoshita Lin is my Lord; the Young Master’s dry grandmother."

"Her grandmother and I are both master-servant and old friends, old comrades who have weathered countless storms together."

"I could be considered the Lord’s first subordinate, sticking with the Lord before Gourd House was established, sharing meals and enduring the ups and downs of Gourd House’s growth over these 70 plus years."

Hearing this, Aoto couldn’t help but click his tongue inwardly.

Silently thinking:

—Having ventured into business over 70 years ago... the dry grandmother of Awu must be quite aged, at least 80 or 90 years old...

—According to Boss Kiryu, he seems to have worked under Awu’s grandmother for over 70 years... what an astonishing career length...

—An elder who served his grandmother for over 70 years... no wonder Awu shows such respect for Boss Kiryu in her daily life.

After quietly reflecting on Mukiwa’s grandmother’s age and Kiryu’s tenure, Aoto furrowed his brow slightly.