At first, Tris and the others were reluctant about putting themselves in the stronghold wars. Right now, at the moment, it’s the East and West Yamanashi Strongholds were the ones involved in it— or so that’s what they heard from Jurou and his companions.

In hindsight, they had nothing to gain if they included themselves in the current war. However, after contemplating it, Kazuichi was fairly certain that its conclusion would benefit the surrounding prefectures in the long run.

Jurou and his companions had the same sentiment, it’s just that they couldn’t believe that Kazuichi would easily agree to it, pushing himself to achieve that end as soon as possible.

"Give us a day to get ready. We need to finalize a couple of things as well as pack before we leave." Jurou mentioned.

Kojiro and Satoru, who were right beside Jurou nodded their heads while they looked around the stronghold. Although they were Jurou’s companions, they still had to go through some sort of weird screening before they got to enter the stronghold.

It was Arisu who gave the screening, along with Kazuichi who simply stood there without saying anything. He just nodded his head from time to time while Arisu gave them normal questions like what they previously did for a living.

To say the least, it was a weird screening process, but at least they got to enter the Kazuichi Stronghold without much difficulty.

Unbeknownst to them, the screening process was a determiner whether they’d be eligible to enter the stronghold or not. In fact, it wasn’t just a normal screening since Arisu was trying to detect their lies and truths thanks to her refined sense of smell.

After a series of questions, Arisu determined that they weren’t lying at all and that they didn’t have any tendency to betray the stronghold since the camaraderie they had with Jurou was glue-tight.

Back to the present, it was indeed obvious that Kazuichi wanted to go through with the mission now even though he hadn’t heard the plan from Jurou and the others. Right now, he just wanted to lay waste on the two strongholds who were mindlessly putting everyone in unnecessary danger.

"All right." Kazuchi heaved a sigh, fully knowing that they had to prepare before they set off. It would be a bit problematic if they had to go back, just because their preparations were lacking.

Calming down a bit, Kazuichi let out another exhale before turning back. The screening was over, and he needed to clear his head a bit before proceeding with the preparations.

Arisu swiveled her head back and forth towards Jurou’s group then back to Kazuichi before she followed right behind him. This was the first time she met Kojiro and Satoru, and she gave Jurou a quick glare.

She intended to express that he should explain everything at a later time for their convenience.

Seeing her unusual gaze, Jurou nodded in response since he meant to explain everything in the first place. Of course, it’s not like he would leave everyone in the dark when this plan was of crucial importance.

"Let’s go," Jurou called out to Kojiro and Satoru as he led them to the residential area of the Kazuichi Stronghold. He wanted to give them a tour, but he concluded that there was always a next time so he put that off for now.

"So this is the Kazuichi Stronghold, huh." Satoru was the first one to speak, admiring the well-maintained residential area as well as the large territory that could easily fit thousands of people.

His wife and daughter scooted closer to her since they felt a little out of place. But just like Satoru, they couldn’t help but admire the stronghold.

To be fair, they’ve been to plenty of strongholds before. And this one was the most beautiful one by a mile. And also to mention that they have electricity and a steady water supply. It was basically paradise.

"I’ve already briefly talked to our stronghold leader." Jurou continued. "You can stay with me for now, but it would be best if we could construct another dwelling right here in the residential area."

"Thank you so much, Jurou. Having my wife and daughter stay here would put my mind at ease once we complete this mission. Honestly, I was expecting your stronghold leader to be the rigid type. As it turned out, he was pretty chill."

"Yeah, at the very least he didn’t drive us out when we entered," Kojiro added, still turning his head around since he couldn’t help but be in awe at the scenery. From afar, he could see the water wheel situated at the mouth of the river.

"I’ve known the young master since he was in his teenage years. Trust me, he was the most inflexible human being I’ve ever met." Jurou let out as a smile appeared on his face. "Nevertheless, he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to someone who needed help."

The group continued to stroll through the residential area, talking about Kazuichi while they greeted the residents. It was a tightly-knit residence, that’s why Kojiro and Satoru felt a little bit out of place.

Then again, the people were very hospitable, going out of their way to greet them when they passed. In return, they slightly bowed their heads in greeting whenever someone lowered their heads as well.

It didn’t take long before they reached Jurou’s abode. It was located by the edge of the residential area, and it wasn’t as spacious as they thought it would be. After all, they were thinking that Kazuichi would give him special treatment or something.

"We’re here," Jurou let out. "I specially requested this part of the residence so I could overlook the forest and that waterwheel by the river. Hopefully, you’re a scenery type of person as well."

Smiling, Jurou led the group into his place so they could get a quick respite before their paramount journey at first light tomorrow. Jurou still can’t believe that Kazuichi would go out of his comfort zone to include himself in the stronghold wars.

Still, it made their convincing a lot easier. Now it all boils down to whether they could pull off the plan or not.