As the fa of the Cat Monk continued to rise, more and more bizarre rumors about the Cat Monk sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.
According to incomplete statistics, the recent rumors related to the Cat Monk include:
The Cat Monk is not a single person; the Cat Monk is actually an organization.
The Cat Monk is actually the descendant of a Ninja Family.
The Cat Monk is actually the scion of a very prestigious Samurai Clan.
The Cat Monk has spies in the Magistrate’s Office, and one of the officials there is an accomplice of the Cat Monk.
...
In summary - these rumors are all wild fantasies concocted by the townspeople, with hardly any credibility or practical value.
Out of a nostalgic affection for the "phantom thief" profession in his previous life, and because the Cat Monk had once helped him, Aoto has always had a great interest in the infamous phantom thief, and recently he has been keeping an eye on various news about the Cat Monk.
But lately, Aoto has gradually shifted his attention away from news about the Cat Monk.
With the Marquis of Aizu’s swordsmanship competition approaching, Aoto is now focusing all his energy on preparing for the competition.
...
...
Man’en 1 (1860), April 13, evening——
Edo, Nishiki Bridge, North Guard Station——
"Mr. Tachibana, we’ll be off then!" Harada raised a hand to touch his belly, "After a busy day, my stomach is completely empty, hahaha."
"You didn’t really do any hard work today, did you? You were just patrolling the area," Nagakura quietly retorted from the side.
"I intervened in a couple’s quarrel on the street today, which is pretty exhausting for soone like who doesn’t like to think..." Harada rubbed his brow with his right thumb, looking exhausted, "The paperwork Fujimura did today, I couldn’t handle that at all."
Fujimura smiled helplessly: "Those paperwork tasks don’t require much thinking either..."
"If you’re hungry, go have dinner," Aoto smiled, "Go ho and rest well, see you tomorrow."
Over ti, Aoto gradually familiarized himself with the personalities and strengths of his subordinates.
Nagakura and Harada... To put it simply, these two are just a pair of reckless brutes, especially Harada.
Harada often repeated his phrase, "I don’t like to think", and after working with him for so many days, Aoto realized he wasn’t just being modest...
As for how little Harada likes to think... just to ntion a simple "literacy" issue: Harada barely understands Chinese characters... He can only read and write kana, and the only Chinese characters he can write are his na.
Aoto asked him: How could a Samurai not know how to write Chinese characters? No matter how poor your family is, they couldn’t have been too poor to afford a temple school?
Harada replied righteously: When I was a child attending private school, for so reason, I would fall asleep whenever the teacher started speaking. Since I failed to change, I was expelled by the teacher, who couldn’t tolerate anymore, and thereafter I never attended school nor bothered to study again. After all, didn’t Liu Bang, who tried to cut his throat by the Zhujiang River, say that all you need to know is how to write your own na?
With their reckless and straightforward nature, Nagakura and Harada were only assigned patrols, detaining suspects, or other physical tasks that required strength.
Fujimura, on the other hand, was different.
Due to his age and experience, Fujimura’s swordsmanship skills were far inferior to Nagakura and Harada, but he was a person skilled in both literature and martial arts.
His scholarship was excellent, with extensive knowledge in Sinology, Mito School studies, and he had beautiful handwriting, so Aoto occasionally handed over so simple paperwork to Fujimura to handle.
His honest and quiet nature also made Fujimura quite suitable to handle these more tedious paperwork tasks.
After briefly bidding farewell to his subordinates, Aoto led Saito, stepping under the afterglow of the setting sun, striding down the road back to Shiwei Hall.
After turning into a bustling market street that they must pass through on their way back to Shiwei Hall, the flow of people suddenly increased.
It was now the "after-work rush hour," and the streets were crowded with townsn hurrying ho.
Even though the daily lives of the common people had beco unstable due to the turmoil caused by the Anti-foreigner Faction and the constantly shifting political world, life must still go on, and stomachs wouldn’t stop growling with hunger because society was unstable or money was hard to earn.
Aoto rested his left hand on the sheath of the sword at his left waist, silently walking alongside Saito down the bustling street toward the western end of the avenue.
He didn’t yet know that there was soone waiting for him at the western end of the street...
...
...
Kinoshita stood as usual, wearing a bright red kimono, holding a basket filled with fresh vegetables, anxiously standing against the wall.
At that mont, she noticed a rather clear puddle of water not far from her feet.
Hesitating for a mont, she leaned over to use the water as a mirror, examining her reflection on the water’s surface.
After carefully confirming several tis that her face was free of smudges and her hair styled into a Shimada Bun was neat with no disarray,
Kinoshita raised her left hand, pressed against her full chest, exhaled deeply, then poked her head out from behind the wall where she was standing, constantly peering out at the street.
Finally—she found her target: Aoto walking down the road ho, followed by Saito.
Accurately spotting Aoto amid the chaotic crowd, Kinoshita froze, then quickly withdrew her head back behind the wall.
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