"Mr. Tachibana! Stop practicing! Dinner’s ready!"
"Oh, is dinner already done? That’s pretty quick today..."
Aoto lowered the orange water in his hands and turned to look at Chokata, who was standing at the entrance of the corridor connecting the dojo and their residence.
Chokata was wearing a kappougi, with a headscarf wrapped around his head to keep his hair from getting into the oil and smoke, and holding a rice scoop in his hand.
The so-called "kappougi" can be understood as an apron from this era, worn during cooking to prevent oil stains and dirt from getting on clothes or the body.
After putting away his sword and walking slowly to Chokata’s side, Aoto gave him a slight smile: "Mr. Chokata, thank you for cooking for us these past few days."
"It’s nothing to thank for." As always, Chokata’s face was bright with a cheerful smile, his left hand on his waist and his right hand waving the rice scoop, "Let’s eat!"
In the Shiwei Hall, there’s a customary order for who cooks the als.
Typically, their master’s wife, Abi, handles the cooking.
If Abi is not around, then Inoue Genzaburō, who also lives in Shiwei Hall and has returned to his hotown for so matters, would cook. Aoto still hasn’t t him yet.
If both of them happen to be absent... "The supre power over als at Shiwei Hall" would pass to Chokata.
These days, for so reason, both Master Zhouzhu and Mistress Abi have been frequently missing.
They’ve been going out a lot recently, often for more than half a day at a ti, and when asked what they were doing, they mysteriously wouldn’t say a word.
Since Abi hasn’t been ho these days, almost all the als at Shiwei Hall have been entirely handled by Chokata.
Though a boy, Chokata surprisingly has a high level of dostic skills and is quite the little household expert.
Aoto only learned a few days ago that Chokata could cook because Abi wasn’t ho and Chokata had to take the lead. His culinary skills were exceptionally high, and the als he made were both tasty and appealing, perfectly suiting Aoto’s palate.
Aside from realizing Chokata’s high cooking skills, Aoto recently discovered that Chokata was also very good at sewing.
During the intense encounter battle with Shinno and others, Aoto’s feathered robe and hakama were torn during the fight.
After seeing the rips on Aoto’s clothes, Chokata laughed triumphantly with a "hmph hmph" and then casually gestured, "Give your clothes; I’ll nd them for you!"
Aoto could never have imagined that while Chokata could wield a heavy sword as if it were an extension of his arm, in his hands, a small embroidery needle was also managed as expertly as a cutting knife.
While Chokata nded his clothes, Aoto sat by, observing the entire process.
Aoto honestly couldn’t think of any words or phrases to describe Chokata’s sewing skills.
His fingers moved deftly in a series of motions, and in less than a few minutes, he neatly and beautifully sewed up the several-inch-long tear with tight stitches.
After witnessing Chokata nd his clothes, Aoto felt nothing but grateful.
Grateful that he was quite lucky at the ti and copied Chokata’s "Sword Genius" talent.
Otherwise, he might have ended up with so "exceptional sewing talent" or "extrely dexterous fingers" type of strange abilities...
...
...
The next day, Aoto, whose routine was already set, got up to train as usual before dawn.
Once the morning light brightened the sky and earth, the apprentices started arriving at the hall one after another to practice swordsmanship.
After erging as a major victory in the match against the Little Chiba Sword Dojo, Shiwei Hall’s fa soared, and the number of apprentices increased two or three tis from before! And the number continues to rise!
The surge in apprentice numbers left Master Zhouzhu and Deputy Master Kondo both exhausted and delighted during this period.
"Mr. Tachibana, good morning."
"Good morning, Senior!"
"Senior Tachibana, why are you just watching? Aren’t you going to practice swordsmanship with us?"
...
Every apprentice in the dojo, whether new or old, would generally greet Aoto upon seeing him.
Aoto, who repeatedly made remarkable achievents, was now an undisputed celebrity in Edo. The boost in fa, coupled with his accomplishnt of leading Shiwei Hall to victory over the Little Chiba Sword Dojo, continuously elevated his prestige within Shiwei Hall.
So people in Shiwei Hall even idolized Aoto, their pupils flaring with enthusiasm when they saw him.
Aoto’s nature has always been quite easygoing and hasn’t grown arrogant due to his fa or his contributions to Shiwei Hall.
No matter who greets him, he always responds positively and warmly.
Not long after the dojo opened, as expected—Hijikata Toshizo arrived.
"Good morning, everyone." Hijikata said as he yawned widely, stepping through the dojo’s grand doors into the hall.
It must be said... "When a person is good-looking, everything they do looks good" is an unchanging truth.
Even just a simple yawn, and Hijikata managed to make it appear graceful and stylish.
Upon seeing the trouble-loving demon king Hijikata arrive, so of the older mbers of the dojo imdiately showed peculiar expressions.
"Mr. Hijikata, good morning." Aoto was the first to greet Hijikata.
"Oh, Mr. Tachibana, good morning." Hijikata replied to Aoto’s greeting with a slight smile, "Mr. Tachibana, I thought of a new fist technique yesterday. How about we spar a little later?"
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