O-Saki did not understand what Ogata had meant, but she did not dwell on it.
Putting his strange remark out of her mind, she clapped her hands and turned to O-Fuku with an excited expression.
“O-Fuku! From now on, Ogata-sama will be Nagareya’s guard!”
O-Fuku froze for a moment, then exclaimed, “Truly?”
“Yes.” O-Saki nodded vigorously.
“It is absolutely true! With Ogata-sama protecting us, we can finally conduct our business in peace. We won’t have to worry about ruffians coming here to torment us anymore!”
Ogata could not pretend he had failed to hear that.
“Um…” He raised one hand and spoke cautiously.
“I’m not so powerful that I can defeat absolutely anyone.”
He possessed a reasonably accurate understanding of his own strength.
The system displayed the facts plainly.
Of his five Personal Attributes—Strength, Agility, Reflexes, Stamina, and Vitality—only Agility had reached six.
All the others remained at five.
Among the four Sakakibara Ittō-ryū techniques he knew, only Waterfall had reached Intermediate.
The other three were still Beginner techniques.
If he encountered an opponent with superior Personal Attributes, or a swordsman who possessed an Advanced, Master, or Grandmaster technique, that expert would unquestionably defeat him in an instant.
O-Saki smiled and waved away his concern.
“Do not worry, Ogata-sama. The Hirose Domain is only a small han. There are hardly any true masters here. With your ability, you already stand among the finest fighters in Hirose.”
Ogata did not know whether her claim was accurate.
He did know, however, that among the disciples of the Sakakibara Dojo, his strength ranked near the top.
Whether O-Saki was right or wrong, her words eased his concern somewhat.
“Good!” O-Saki clapped once more and continued energetically.
“To celebrate Ogata-sama joining Nagareya, O-Fuku, bring out sake, dango, and the other snacks!”
“Right away!”
After answering loudly, O-Fuku turned and hurried into the kitchen to prepare the food and drink.
Watching their excitement, Ogata could only smile helplessly.
Their reaction made it easy to imagine how much suffering local thugs had inflicted before they gained a protector.
They were bullied constantly because no one defended them.
That must be why they are so delighted to have a samurai willing to protect them.
Ogata removed his daishō from his waist, held the swords against his body, and sat beside a nearby table to await the sake and food.
He had not eaten dinner yet, and his stomach had long since become painfully empty.
* * *
Ten days later—
Nagareya, Hirose Domain
“La la la la la la la la!”
“La la la la la la la la la!”
Several customers, thoroughly drunk, were singing at the tops of their voices.
Whatever songs they were attempting, no one else could understand them.
They sang so loudly and so badly that the guests at the neighboring table frowned in irritation.
“Hey!”
At last, one man could endure the noise no longer.
He slammed his sake cup against the table and shouted, “Will you stop singing? You’re deafening everyone!”
The complaint immediately enraged the singers.
“What business is it of yours?”
“If you don’t want to hear us, cover your ears!”
Both groups had been drinking.
It was precisely the sort of moment when an argument could become a brawl.
Their shouting grew fiercer by the second, and they seemed ready to exchange blows at any moment.
“Good grief…”
Ogata, seated near Nagareya’s entrance, watched the quarrel with a wry smile.
“Why does everyone here behave so badly after drinking? Can none of them remain peaceful?”
With a sigh, he slid the daishō he had been holding back through his obi and walked toward the two groups.
“Excuse me. Would all of you please quiet down and regain your composure?” he asked with exceptional politeness.
“Your argument is disturbing the establishment’s business.”
Both groups turned toward him.
The moment they noticed the two swords at his waist, a shudder passed through every man.
After exchanging several resentful glares, they reluctantly sat at their respective tables.
The drunken singers also settled down and stopped raising their voices.
Ogata preferred ending disputes without bloodshed, even though using force would allow him to gain Experience.
Once both parties were calm, he returned to his seat and reopened the status screen he had been examining.
Name: Ogata Issei
Level: LV 8 (550/700)
Personal Attributes
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Reflexes: 5
Stamina: 5
Vitality: 5
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū: Rank 4 (500/700)
Remaining Skill Points: 2
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Rank 4 Techniques
Ascending Tower: Beginner
Waterfall: Intermediate
Bird Thrust: Beginner
Dragon Tail: Beginner
More than ten days had passed since Ogata arrived in the Edo period.
Every day followed an exceptionally regular schedule.
During daylight hours, he entered the castle town and performed his work as a storehouse official.
After finishing his duties, he went to the Sakakibara Dojo and practiced with the other disciples.
When the sky became completely dark, he reported to Nagareya for his work as its “security guard.”
Within this orderly routine, Ogata steadily accumulated Experience.
Both training at the dojo and guarding the izakaya provided plenty of opportunities to earn it.
When he first began working at Nagareya, large numbers of thugs and drunkards caused trouble almost every night.
Ogata finally understood why O-Saki and O-Fuku had been so thrilled when he agreed to become their guard.
With so many ruffians creating disturbances, the women truly could not conduct business safely without a capable fighter present.
Fortunately, none of those troublemakers had been skilled.
Ogata dealt with every one of them and gained a considerable amount of Experience in the process.
News soon spread that a powerful samurai now guarded Nagareya.
Once everyone learned the izakaya was no longer an easy target, the ruffians who had enjoyed causing trouble began avoiding it altogether.
Order at Nagareya improved dramatically.
Unfortunately, Ogata also lost a valuable source of Experience.
During the past several days, he had scarcely fought anyone at the izakaya.
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