The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King

At the same time--

Hijikata Toshizo spent a lot of time in the castle town of Ashtaroth, where he lived in an oriental-style brothel named Yoshiwara, which he had built.

The oriental-style brothel, named Yoshiwara, was built by him, but it was not a place for him to pompously show off or act like he owned the place.

He went to the brothel as an ordinary customer. The prostitutes were also told not to give any special treatment, but the order was not enforced.

Hijikata Toshizo is a man who has been very popular in his previous life. When he was working as a policeman in the city of Kyoto, he was so popular that he was resented by the higher-ups in the shogunate and his subordinates.

Whenever you visit a brothel, the beautiful women of the brothel will come to you with all their customers.

It's not a good idea to be too careful and allow the prostitutes to do as they please, but it's also not a good idea to be careful.

When he came to the brothel today, he called his favorite prostitute and made her play the shamisen while he had her kneecap on his lap.

He doesn't plan to have a woman in his arms today. He tries not to drink too much alcohol.

Then the daughter of an elf, the housekeeper of the brothel, asks me, "Master Sai, you are not feeling well today.

"Are you not feeling well today, Toshi-sama?

No way. I just have a feeling for some reason.

A hunch?

'I feel like a friend is going to ask me today.

Friends?

'Yeah, old friend. I don't want to see you with a drink and a back-and-forth attitude.

'I see, but that kind of talk makes me bake a cake.

Baked rice cakes?

Yes, I can't imagine anyone other than the Demon King taking such care of you, Master.

Yeah, that's probably true, but...

I was surprised to see again that a prostitute apprentice called Kamuro arrived.

''Sir, Master Toshizo, your guest,''

Oh, Master, your hunch is coming true.

'Yes. I'm going to invite that guest in now, but I need you to get me a drink.

Okay. Would a hot cup of sake be all right?

Yeah.

I say, and the bald man runs to the kitchen for a short run.

I'm thinking she's quite a pretty girl, when the elven taijin pinches the back of my hand.

'You're trying to land that girl, aren't you?'

No way. I don't like first-timers.

Fooling around, Toshizo headed to the back room. There he waited for his friend.

The man appeared just in time for the sake to be put down before his friend arrived.

It was an old man in a fox mask.

"Now this is the last time you wear a mask.

"I don't need to be told by a man who has no idea who I am after all this time.

I'm feeling pretty good about it. You're...

He said the name of the old man.

The old man heard the name in silence. He did not confirm or deny it. Even Toshizo did not dare to confirm it.

'............'

The old man was silent for a while, and then he continued as if nothing had happened.

He continued as if nothing had happened. I came here today for a purpose.

What is the purpose?　I didn't ask him why he didn't come, because I'm pretty sure he knows why I'm here.

"I've come tonight to have a drink with you in the last days of your life.

"...... Huh, a terminal drink. So you're not going to turn to the Ashtaroth Army.

Yeah, I'll have to offer my sword to my master for picking me up.

Is that man better than my husband?

A beautiful girl.

Then I don't have to compare. But my husband inspires loyalty in his own way, too.

'Oh, I'll admit it. If I had met the Demon King Ashtaroth before my master, I would have gladly offered him my sword.

You met them in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yeah, you and I must have always been forced to draw the short straw because we met that fool, Isamu Kondo. Just like that.

The analogy is too obvious to resist the temptation to change it now.

You know what I'm talking about. Then pour it out.

And the fox-faced old man puts his cup in front of him.

I don't enjoy drinking wine with a man, but my hand came out naturally when I thought that this was the last time.

They poured out a glass of wine and the old man returned the drink.

They sip their drinks without saying a word afterwards.

The sake from the maritime city in the south had a taste that was hard to resist.

It reminds them of that night at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.

They spent their days fighting for their lives, living to the fullest, thinking they might die tomorrow, only to be disposed of by the shogunate and pointed at as bandits.

It was a terrible time, but for Shozo and the old man, those days were indeed the days of their youth.

When he had an encounter with the past, he drank with the old man until morning as if he was reminiscing.

They drink until the kegs of sake in the brothel are empty, and then Kozo and the old man fall asleep snoring in the daytime.

Around noon, when he woke up and looked around his room, he found no one there.

Stunned for a moment, he stared at the place where the old man had slept and went to the washroom to take a leak.