Chapter 263: Chapter 115: The Swordsman Group Has Finally Been Founded!

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After testing Harada and Fujimura’s skills, it was nearing noon.

Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, intending to use today’s lunch to get more familiar with his three new subordinates, Aoto prepared to bid farewell to Mr. Kiryu and Mukiwa, and leave the Thousand Affairs House.

"Boss Kiryu, thanks for taking care of things this time," Aoto said, while handing the brokerage fee from his wallet to Mr. Kiryu.

Mr. Kiryu accepted the brokerage fee generously with a hearty laugh: "If you still want to recruit undercover informants, feel free to come to me."

"I don’t plan on expanding my team for now," Aoto smiled, "Supporting three undercover informants is already the limit of my current financial capability, if I recruit more, I won’t be able to afford it."

After handing over the brokerage fee and chatting with Mr. Kiryu and Mukiwa a bit, Aoto waved to the elder and the younger and led Saito, Nagakura, and others, preparing to go to a large restaurant to treat his new subordinates to a nice meal.

"Tachibana! Where are you taking us for lunch?" Harada asked eagerly, while slurping his mouth.

Upon hearing about Aoto’s lunch invitation earlier, Harada reacted the most intensely: his eyes gleamed with excitement and he continuously swallowed his saliva.

"Hmm... How about sushi?"

Harada: (swallowing saliva) "Sushi? Sure, sure! Let’s go have sushi! I happen to know a great sushi place! But it’s a bit far from here."

...

The sound of Aoto and the others’ conversation gradually faded away.

With Aoto’s group leaving, the previously lively Thousand Affairs House suddenly became much quieter and more deserted.

"It’s great, I successfully recommended three samurai that satisfied Aoto..." Even though Aoto’s figure had long disappeared, Mukiwa’s eyes were still fixed on the now tightly shut shop door.

In her gaze, which remained focused on the door... there was a hint of regret.

Mr. Kiryu chuckled silently; after casually placing the brokerage fee Aoto had just handed him into a drawer under the counter, he said:

"Young Master, we should be having lunch soon too."

"I’m going to the kitchen to cook, if any guests arrive, just call me."

"Okay!" Mukiwa nodded, "Mr. Kiryu, I want to eat mackerel this noon!"

Meow!

Dodo, standing beside Mukiwa’s feet, meowed at Mr. Kiryu right on cue.

"See, Dodo says she wants to eat too!"

Mukiwa lifted Dodo up and held her in her arms.

"I’ll fry the mackerel for you tomorrow instead," Mr. Kiryu said, "Today at noon, just eat the radish obediently." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I don’t want to eat radish!" Mukiwa protested loudly.

"Want it or not, you have to eat it, radish is nutritious, eating more radish is good for your health."

"But..."

Mukiwa wanted to say something, but Mr. Kiryu interrupted her:

"If you don’t finish your radish today, I’ll send a letter to Osaka to complain to your Lord... to your grandmother: the Young Master doesn’t listen to advice and insists on being picky."

"Ugh...!" Mukiwa’s expression froze.

After leaving this faint warning, Mr. Kiryu turned gracefully and returned to the inner room of the Thousand Affairs House.

Mukiwa, whose expression gradually thawed, stuck out her tongue at Mr. Kiryu’s back, made a face, then sat at the counter with Dodo in her arms.

Suddenly - just as Mukiwa settled behind the counter, the shop’s door of the Thousand Affairs House was suddenly pulled open!

The person who opened the door was a gasping young man.

The young man was panting heavily, with his body bent, one hand grabbing the opened shop door, and the other supporting his thigh.

He quickly raised his gaze, scanned the front hall of the Thousand Affairs House, and upon finding Mukiwa sitting behind the counter, he released his thigh-supporting hand, reached his waist, and pulled out a Magistrate’s seal cage.

"Excuse me, is Tachibana Aoto here?"

The young man asked hurriedly, while showing the Magistrate’s seal cage in his hand to Mukiwa.

"I’m from the North Guard Station! I’m looking for Tachibana Aoto!"

"Eh?" Mukiwa was stunned.

Mr. Kiryu, who had just entered the inner room, returned to the front hall upon hearing the strange commotion.

"Who are you?" Mr. Kiryu frowned at this young man.

"I’m from the North Guard Station! I’m looking for Tachibana Aoto!" The young man loudly repeated what he said earlier, "Is Tachibana Aoto here?"

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Edo, Shintama Ohashi Town, on a certain street -

"If you ask which sushi is the tastiest... it has to be salmon sushi." Harada said while pulling out a nose hair that was peeking out from his nostril, then flicking it casually to his side.

"Ah, I agree," Nagakura replied, "I also think salmon sushi is the best."

"Seems like we have quite similar tastes in food." Harada laughed, "Mr. Tachibana, what about you? What do you think is the best sushi?"

"Me? The best sushi... hmm..." Aoto pondered for a moment, "Perhaps eel sushi. But rather than saying I like eel sushi, it’s more like I just love eating eel."

"Oh oh, eel sushi is indeed also quite good! I know a place where their grilled eel is incredible, I’ll take you there next time when we have a chance."

Having decided to have a sushi feast for lunch, Aoto and others followed Harada’s lead to a sushi place he claimed was quite delicious.

Today was the first time Nagakura, Harada, and Fujimura met each other.

Aoto and Saito just recently got acquainted with Harada and Fujimura, and although they had met Nagakura before, they had only a brief encounter with him.