My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 480: Chapter 168: Mr. Tachibana, Please Fence with Me!

Aoto raised an eyebrow: "Do you have other paintings?"

Elodie nodded vigorously: "I have a total of 4 paintings of Cat Monk and the others."

"Two are hanging in my bedroom, one in the study, and the other right here in the dining room."

Having said that, Elodie reached out and pointed to her left front.

Aoto followed the direction Elodie pointed, and indeed, on the wall on the southwest side of the dining room, there was an Ukiyo-e hanging. Because it was so tucked away, Aoto hadn’t noticed it before.

Aoto quickly walked over to the Ukiyo-e painting, took a close look at its content, and his expression became peculiar once again.

The composition of the painting is quite simple—two black-clothed people, one wearing a Black Fox Mask and the other with a black scarf, standing side by side on a row of densely arranged rooftops, with the pitch-black night and a full moon hanging high in the sky behind them.

Elodie ambled over to Aoto’s side.

"Mr. Tachibana. Let me tell you a little secret." Elodie lowered her voice, whispering mysteriously to Aoto, "I have a very peculiar connection with Cat Monk and Fox Monk."

"Hmm?" Aoto raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"I’ve seen Cat Monk and Fox Monk with my own eyes." Elodie, with pride and excitement in her eyebrows, puffed out her flat chest, "Just last month, the night Fox Monk first appeared in public view, I saw Cat Monk and Fox Monk running across the rooftops opposite my house."

Elodie described in great detail the cause, process, and result of her first encounter with Cat Monk and Fox Monk.

After quietly listening to Elodie’s account, Aoto couldn’t help but laugh silently, momentarily unsure how to react.

The night he first appeared in public view as "Fox Monk," the night he agreed to work with Mukiwa to deal with the Man-Slayer Group who arrogantly tested their swords on Hieda. To escape the suddenly appearing Magistrate’s Office Officials, he and Mukiwa indeed entered the Edo Residence, where the buildings were grand and convenient for their escape, and Mukiwa was also familiar with the terrain.

Aoto never expected... As he and Mukiwa shook off the pursuing magistrates in this residence area, they inadvertently allowed a suddenly awakened Elodie to witness them hurriedly fleeing.

"How about it? Aren’t I very connected with Cat Monk and Fox Monk?" Elodie spoke with a tone of pride, "Just happened to wake up during that time and just happened to see Fox Monk and Cat Monk running past opposite our house."

"If I had woken up a little earlier or later or moved to the window a little earlier or later, I wouldn’t have had the chance to see them."

Aoto nodded lightly: "Mm... that seems quite destined indeed..."

After speaking, Aoto silently added in his heart:

——Miss Angoulême, you certainly are very connected with Cat Monk and Fox Monk... The former is your best friend, and the latter is standing right beside you now.

After proudly speaking about her "inseparable connection" with Fox Monk and Cat Monk, Elodie suddenly seemed to remember something, her smile paused.

Soon after, she hesitantly glanced at Aoto several times.

"Mr. Tachibana, may I... ask you a few questions?"

"Hmm?" Aoto signaled with his eyes for Elodie to go ahead and ask.

Elodie took a deep breath: "I’ve always heard that Cat Monk is a very beautiful girl, and Fox Monk is a very handsome boy... Is that true?"

"If this involves confidentiality and isn’t convenient to discuss with outsiders, then just pretend I didn’t ask."

Despite trying to suppress it, Elodie’s tone still revealed a hint of excitement and anticipation.

Especially when mentioning "Fox Monk is a very handsome boy," the anticipation in Elodie’s tone became unmistakably clear.

Aoto is a Dōshin responsible for the security of Edo’s "Three Times," and Elodie likely hopes to glean some inside information about her idols from Aoto, someone within the industry.

A very beautiful girl and a very handsome boy... Aoto’s lips twitched imperceptibly again.

It’s easy to guess that these rumors were certainly fabricated by some people to satisfy their imaginations.

"Cat Monk and Fox Monk are yellow-faced old women and bald middle-aged men" versus "Cat Monk and Fox Monk are beautiful girl and handsome boy"—which is more appealing, which fits the common people’s hero fantasy better, is obvious.

But, it must be said, this rumor accidentally got it right.

Cat Monk is indeed a beautiful girl, and one with top-tier looks and figure.

Fox Monk is indeed a handsome boy... Though it might sound a bit narcissistic, Aoto does feel his face can barely be described as "handsome."

Aoto certainly couldn’t reveal the truth to Elodie, so he resorted to a very official response:

"Miss Angoulême, regarding Cat Monk and Fox Monk, what we know at the Edo Magistrate’s Office isn’t much more than what the common people know."

"To this day, we still haven’t fully confirmed the genders of Cat Monk and Fox Monk."