The next week flew by unnoticed.
Everyone was busy with their own affairs.
Kenshin was improving and expanding his formations, Ichiro was training his chakra control, trying to concentrate it in his feet for walking on walls.
Aya played the role of a loving wife and mother, taking care of the housework.
And Keiji was growing fast.
Kenshin decided to spend about two hours each day on rest and recreation, wanting to give his second son a happy childhood.
The whole family went to the forest, fished, and relaxed at their favorite river, and before Kenshin could blink, the thirteenth day after Keiji’s birth arrived, or the forty-fourth day after Kenshin’s arrival in this world.
Keiji had grown into a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, nearly as tall as his brother and father.
On this day, the next batch of wine finally “ripened,” and early in the morning, Kenshin and Ichiro set off for the city again.
Keiji begged his father to take him along, but Kenshin flatly refused, not wanting to let his son out until he was fully grown.
“Be careful!” Aya said, hugging each of them.
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.
We’ll be back by evening.” Kenshin replied with a smile and kissed his wife.
“Yeah, Mom, don’t worry, we’ve already been to the city, and everything was fine!” Ichiro declared.
“And you, don’t sulk.
Next time you’ll come with us,” Kenshin said, ruffling Keiji’s hair.
“Okay, Father…” Keiji replied, still in a displeased tone.
“Alright, Ichiro, let’s go.
Time’s wasting, and we’re just standing here!”
* * *
By one in the afternoon, Kenshin and Ichiro were already in the city of Shukuba.
First, they stopped by the wine shop.
Kenshin sold fifteen bottles of wine and received 7,500 ryo.
Five more bottles remained at home, “aging” to a twenty-year vintage.
Kenshin explained to the seller that their late grandfather had been a wine collector, and there were many bottles left in the cellar, and now he and his brother had decided to sell them.
After the wine shop, Kenshin and Ichiro headed to other stores, looking for purchases.
Deciding to take a shortcut to another street through a deserted alley, Kenshin heard a familiar voice.
“Ha-ha-ha, you again!
You got lucky last time, but today you won’t get off so easy,” the bald, burly Koga cackled with laughter.
Beside him, as before, were two scrawny lackeys.
“Well, well, kid, looks like today’s your unlucky day!” one of the sycophants said with a laugh.
“Damn, we’re in trouble.
Don’t panic, Ichiro.
I’ll take the two skinny ones.
You handle the big guy, try to hold him off for half a minute, then I’ll help you.
Got it?!” Kenshin commanded mentally.
“Father, are you sure you can handle two at once?..” Ichiro replied nervously.
“I’m sure.
Just be extremely careful, don’t let the big guy get too close, and stall for time if you can!” Kenshin added, noticing that the trio had approached to within about two meters and stopped.
“I see you’re not alone this time.
Decided to bring your older brother?” Koga remarked with a laugh, looking outwardly very relaxed but still not daring to recklessly get too close.
“Now!” Kenshin commanded mentally, and simultaneously with Ichiro, he took a sharp step forward and lunged.
The bald brute, seeing Ichiro’s very fast strike, instantly jumped back, barely avoiding a hit to the face.
One of the skinny lackeys took a precise blow to the lower jaw and immediately fell to the ground.
The second lackey was so scared that he decided to run, but after only about five steps, he stopped and returned to his boss.
“Not bad, not bad.
You — deal with our old acquaintance.
His older brother is mine,” Koga declared decisively, addressing his henchman.
The scrawny lackey wanted to object, but seeing his boss’s menacing glare, he headed toward Kenshin.
Kenshin, now one-on-one with the second lackey, immediately made his move.
The brute, seeing that Ichiro wasn’t attacking, tried to intervene in Kenshin’s fight but nearly missed Ichiro’s lunge, dodging at the last moment and jumping aside.
Ichiro immediately followed him, lunging with his right hand, aiming for the brute’s jaw.
The big man managed to put up a block at the last moment, taking the hit on his forearm and staggering back slightly.
Ichiro gave him no time to think and made another lunge with his left hand at the brute’s face, but again, the blow was blocked.
Ichiro didn’t let up, landing punches on the bald brute very quickly.
Most were blocked, but Koga did take a few hits to the body.
Koga’s attempt to counterattack was blocked fairly easily by Ichiro, who then landed a blow through an opening, hitting the brute on the right cheekbone, making him stagger and leave himself open to even more hits.
Kenshin, meanwhile, had long since finished with the second lackey and wanted to help his son, but seeing the one-sided fight, he stopped worrying and instead watched with a satisfied expression as his son masterfully attacked his opponent, who could only cover up with his hands, going into a purely defensive stance.
After a few seconds, Koga had taken about a dozen hits to the body and several to the face.
One of them was particularly strong and sent the bald brute into a knockout.
“Well done, Ichiro!” Kenshin praised him mentally, deciding not to speak aloud and give any hints to potential listeners.
“Thank you, Father!
That was quite easy,” Ichiro replied with a smile.
Then the two, father and son, picked up their things from the ground and went about their business.
At seven in the evening, Kenshin and Ichiro were already home, sitting at the kitchen table, telling Keiji, who was listening with his mouth open, about their incredible exploits.
“Oh my god, how horrible!” Aya said in fright, covering her mouth with her small hand.
“You could have been beaten!
Kenshin, you need to choose your route more carefully.
What if you had been beaten, or worse…” Aya said, starting to cry.
“Shh, calm down,” Kenshin whispered, sitting her on his lap.
“Nothing would have happened.
Our Ichiro is much stronger than he looks,” Kenshin said, kissing his wife on the cheek.
“Yeah, Mom, nothing could have happened.
That group of bandits was made up of weaklings, and even with preparation, they didn’t stand a chance!” Ichiro declared proudly.
“Don’t get cocky, Ichiro.
If they had been prepared, who knows how it would have ended.
Never underestimate your enemy, understand?” Kenshin mentally reined him in.
“Yes, Father,” Ichiro replied, realizing he had been too quick to pride himself on his strength.
“And what happened then?” Keiji asked with burning eyes, intensely interested in everything that had happened to his father and brother.
“And then…
Then we had lunch, walked around the shops, and came home,” Kenshin said with a laugh, kissing Aya on the cheek.
It all helps promote the story.