My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 465: Chapter 165: The Law Punishment Faction’s New Officer: Wind Demon Scythe Weasel

This emotion... can largely be described as "persistent" or "unwilling to give up."

"No matter what, I am not so humble as to continue liking someone who once told me ’a woman’s strength is too weak’ and ’bringing you along will only hinder us.’

"I want to fight for my dignity, to let Mr. Sakamoto see for himself: although I am a woman, I am not weak, and to make him realize that he was wrong... this should be the last bit of feeling I have left for Mr. Sakamoto."

With that, Sazanoko fell silent.

She put away that smile on her face that always made people feel uneasy, transformed back into the graceful and elegant Miss Sazanoko, and quickly turned back, striding briskly out of the room without a moment’s pause.

The slender, delicate figure slowly faded from Chiba Shigetarou’s line of sight.

...

...

Edo, somewhere—

Led by a tall, heavily tattooed man, Shinno returned to the empty tearoom he had visited many times before.

There was no furniture, the only decoration was a screen painted with the Night Parade of Hundred Demons.

Sitting in front of this large screen was the familiar duo of "Rakshasa and Shimizu Eiichi" to Shinno.

Rakshasa, with a faint smile on his lips, sat cross-legged casually.

His beloved sword... a tachi with a red scabbard and hilt, lay quietly at his right side.

Shinno had once accidentally heard the name of Rakshasa’s beloved sword: Chōyō Masamune.

Having been pointed at by the unsheathed Chōyō Masamune from Rakshasa, Shinno deeply felt how sharp and swift this sword was.

The leader of the "Shimizu Clan," with a huge burn scar on his left cheek: Shimizu Eiichi sat at Rakshasa’s rear right.

As Shinno swept his gaze over Rakshasa and Shimizu Eiichi, he was surprised to find—today there was a person in the tearoom whom he had never seen before.

Seated at Rakshasa’s rear left was a young man approximately 25 years old, with quite a strong build.

Shinno had never seen this young man before, so he couldn’t help but glance a few more times at him.

"Oh oh, Mr. Shinno, you’re here." Rakshasa grinned as he saw Shinno stride into the tearoom and set down his teacup. "Come, have a seat."

After Shinno entered the tearoom, the burly man who led him inside exited and gently closed the door.

"Lord Rakshasa, Lord Shimizu." Shinno sat respectfully in front of Rakshasa and bowed to Rakshasa and the others.

Even though he didn’t know the name or identity of the unfamiliar young man sitting at his side rear, Shinno still offered him a bow.

Rakshasa seemed to realize that Shinno wasn’t acquainted with the robust young man beside him; he laughed heartily and gestured toward the young man.

"Mr. Shinno, before we get down to business, let me introduce the person next to me."

"This is one of the cadres of our Law Punishment Faction—Scythe Weasel. For some reasons, he came to Edo two days ago to assist me."

After introducing the youth beside him to Shinno, Rakshasa looked toward the youth... namely, towards Scythe Weasel.

"Scythe Weasel. This is the leader of the Anti-foreigner Group: Kamino Tatsugorou."

Cadre!

Upon hearing this term from Rakshasa, Shinno’s pupils immediately narrowed.

Having cooperated with the Law Punishment Faction for so long, Shinno had come to know some basic information about the faction.

The leader and all cadre-level members of the Law Punishment Faction adopt a codename. All their codenames are derived from mythical monstrous spirits.

Along with adopting these monstrous spirits’ names as their codenames, the Law Punishment Faction’s leader and cadres also bear tattoos of their respective monsters on their backs.

Scythe Weasel... even an illiterate person would have at least heard the name and story of this famous monster.

Scythe Weasel is a wind demon from the legends of Japan’s Koshinetsu Region. It appears in the form of a whirlwind, attacking people it encounters with claws as sharp as scythes. Though victims’ skin suffers long cuts, they feel no pain.

While not an exceedingly terrifying monster, due to its widespread story, Scythe Weasel is one of the most well-known monsters among the public.

To think this young man is one of the cadres of the Law Punishment Faction... it was Shinno’s first time seeing a cadre other than Rakshasa.

Shinno hurriedly supplemented a respectful bow to Scythe Weasel.

Faced with Shinno’s courtesy and greeting, Scythe Weasel merely nodded slightly without expression, then averted his gaze—he made no verbal response to Shinno’s greeting and didn’t even glance at him.

This person’s indifference... Shinno couldn’t help feeling a little discontented, having received a cold shoulder to his warmth.

He raised his gaze to closely observe Scythe Weasel’s face, finding a hint of impatience and irritation deep in Scythe Weasel’s eyes.

"Alright then." Having introduced Shinno and Scythe Weasel to each other, Rakshasa stretched lazily. "Introductions are done, now... let us discuss the main business."

"Mr. Shinno, why did you suddenly reach out to me?"

Yesterday afternoon, Shinno suddenly contacted him, saying there was an important matter he wanted to discuss.