Although Ogata did not yet know what he wanted to do or where his life would lead in this peaceful age, he understood one thing clearly: becoming stronger could not be a mistake.
The system inside his mind was the foundation upon which he could secure his existence in the Edo period.
Using it to strengthen himself was unquestionably worthwhile.
Failing to take advantage of such a gift would be an appalling waste.
After ten days of intense training, both his Personal Level and Sakakibara Ittō-ryū rank were close to increasing.
He needed only another 150 Experience to reach Personal Level 9, while Sakakibara Ittō-ryū required another 200 Experience to advance to Rank 5.
Both increases would grant him more Skill Points.
On his first day in the Edo period, defeating Mikami-senpai raised Sakakibara Ittō-ryū by one rank and awarded him two Skill Points.
Ogata had saved those points rather than using them to improve his Personal Attributes or sword techniques.
He was being deliberately cautious.
Skill Points were exceptionally valuable and could not be spent carelessly.
That was the conclusion he had reached during his first investigation of the system.
Good steel had to be reserved for the blade’s cutting edge.
When he encountered a powerful enemy in the future, he could spend the points all at once on the abilities best suited to overcoming that threat.
He had already used that strategy during his first match against Mikami, investing his only available Skill Point into Agility precisely when the added speed was necessary.
Finding nothing else worth examining on the status screen, Ogata closed it and returned his attention to reality.
The moment he did, a gentle female voice sounded beside him.
“Ogata-sama.”
He turned toward the speaker.
It was O-Fuku, Nagareya’s only waitress.
She smiled brightly while holding a tray bearing a small flask of sake and several skewers of dango.
Ogata looked at the sake and rice dumplings with a helpless smile.
“O-Fuku-san, you always bring me food. I’m beginning to feel embarrassed accepting so much…”
“Please do not be so reserved, Ogata-sama. Consider it our expression of gratitude and accept it with a clear conscience. Without your help, we would never be able to conduct our business in peace.”
She placed the tray beside him, then returned to the kitchen to help O-Saki prepare food.
Ogata looked from O-Fuku’s retreating back to the sake and dango.
After sighing with resignation, he lifted the flask directly to his lips.
Ever since he became Nagareya’s guard, O-Saki had frequently treated him to food and drink. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Her generosity made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He did not consider his workload particularly heavy, so constantly eating and drinking at her expense left him ashamed.
More than once, he had directly or indirectly suggested that O-Saki and O-Fuku stop feeding him.
Neither woman listened.
They continued entertaining him with the same boundless enthusiasm.
Their hospitality also allowed Ogata to taste Edo-period sake for the first time.
Back on Earth, he had never considered sake particularly delicious.
Perhaps the scarcity of flavorful food and drink in this era had left his palate starved, because the first cup O-Fuku served him tasted unexpectedly wonderful.
From that day onward, Ogata grew fond of sake.
He drank from the flask in small sips while eating the skewered dango.
O-Saki paid him at the end of every evening, so Ogata received his wages daily.
Thanks to this second occupation, his quality of life had finally improved.
His porridge now contained noticeably more rice.
At night, O-Saki and O-Fuku also offered him snacks from time to time, adding a little saltiness and sweetness to his otherwise barren diet.
His new life was not as different from the old as heaven was from earth, but the improvement was unmistakable.
During the ten days they had spent together, Ogata gradually learned something of O-Saki’s and O-Fuku’s pasts.
O-Saki was a widow.
Her husband, who had operated an izakaya, died from illness two years earlier.
Losing him while she was still young had been a terrible misfortune.
Yet O-Saki possessed remarkable strength.
Using the knowledge of izakaya management she had learned from her late husband, she opened a new establishment entirely on her own: Nagareya.
O-Fuku, meanwhile, was an orphan who had nearly been sold into a brothel.
At the time, the girl did not even possess a name.
By extraordinary coincidence, O-Saki encountered her.
Moved by pity for the child’s circumstances, she purchased O-Fuku’s freedom, gave her the name she now carried, and brought her to Nagareya as a waitress.
O-Saki was therefore effectively O-Fuku’s adoptive mother.
She had rescued her from a terrible fate, given her a name, and offered her a place where she could live with dignity.
Thinking about their history deepened Ogata’s respect for the proprietress.
She was a widow raising an adopted daughter and operating an izakaya without help from any man.
Her resilience was truly admirable.
* * *
The following morning—
Ogata’s least favorite time of every day was daylight, when he had to perform the tedious duties of a storehouse official.
Filled with reluctance, he entered his workplace.
Most of his colleagues were already seated at their desks and had begun working.
Well…
time to begin.
Ogata lowered himself before his desk with the grim resolve of a man approaching an execution ground.
His backside had barely touched his heels when an elderly voice suddenly came from one side of the room.
“Everyone, please stop working! I have an important announcement.”
Ogata and the other officials immediately set aside their tasks and turned toward the speaker.
The man was their superior, the senior official responsible for overseeing the storehouse clerks.
Once every eye was upon him, he cleared his throat.
“All of you must remain especially alert over the coming days.”
“Five days from now—on May 20—our lord will personally inspect the inventory held in the Hirose Domain’s storehouses.”
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