Somewhat Unreliable Teammates, a Busy Day

Although Aria's family had acted somewhat strangely toward them when they left,

after hearing Tatsumi's words, Sayo still felt sincerely grateful for the help Aria's family had given them.

"Mm."

Yorii Tsugikuni nodded.

He agreed with Sayo's suggestion, but at the same time, he had some doubts in his heart.

Unless there was no other way, Yorii Tsugikuni was actually unwilling to let Tatsumi work as a guard for Aria's family.

When Aria's family had sent them away, they had not shown any displeasure on the surface. However, as the possessor of the Clear World, Yorii Tsugikuni's senses were extraordinarily sharp.

He could clearly detect the faint disgust that had appeared in that family's eyes at the end.

Yet now, they were showing Tatsumi such great kindness. This left Yorii Tsugikuni thoroughly confused.

Perhaps I sensed it wrong.

After frowning and thinking for a while without reaching any conclusion, Yorii Tsugikuni shook his head and gave up investigating the matter.

In his view, perhaps he had inadvertently offended Aria's family after arriving in this unfamiliar place.

Very quickly, Yorii Tsugikuni decided that when he had the time, he would learn more about this world's customs and culture.

That way, he could get along with others better.

The next day.

Inside the Security Force courtyard.

"When swinging your sword, remember to coordinate with your breathing."

"The instant every strike is unleashed, make sure to focus your essence, energy, and spirit into a single point."

Not long after dawn, Yorii Tsugikuni was already training with Sayo and Ieyasu in swordsmanship in the courtyard.

Although Breathing Techniques were important, the swordsmanship that complemented them was equally indispensable.

If Breathing Techniques were the method of exerting power, then swordsmanship was the technique for controlling it.

Only when the two complemented each other could they unleash even greater combat strength.

Clang!

Yorii Tsugikuni held the hilt hanging at his waist. As he explained the key points of swordsmanship, he demonstrated them accordingly.

As his words fell, the sound of a sword leaving its sheath rang out. Then, a log standing before the three of them broke into several pieces.

Yorii Tsugikuni, meanwhile, seemed not to have moved at all.

His hand still maintained exactly the same sword-gripping posture as before.

"So... fast."

Sayo had just come out into the Security Force courtyard with Koro. Seeing that fleeting flash of sword light, she froze in place.

Because she had been watching from the side, Sayo could see more of the details.

After Yorii Tsugikuni drew his sword, he had slashed the log a total of four times.

Yet after four slashes, when he finally returned his sword to its sheath, the sound almost completely overlapped with the sound of drawing it. This meant that his strikes had been incredibly fast.

So fast that the interval was too short for the ear to distinguish.

It seems that guy was telling the truth.

Earlier, Sayo had heard Ieyasu say that Yorii Tsugikuni was an exceptionally skilled swordsman.

At the time, Sayo had assumed Ieyasu was merely bragging and had not taken it seriously.

But now, it seemed Yorii Tsugikuni's swordsmanship was even more impressive than Ieyasu had described.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni, your swordsmanship is truly astonishing."

Sayo walked toward where they were practicing. Looking at the neatly and smoothly severed logs on the ground, she became somewhat curious about Yorii Tsugikuni.

Without relying on an Imperial Arm, he could destroy sturdy logs to such an extent through nothing but his own skill and strength.

In her impression, only the people from Imperial Fists Temple seemed capable of such a thing.

But clearly, Yorii Tsugikuni was not one of them.

He did not possess the fierce, ruthless aura unique to those people.

"Good morning, Sister Sayo."

"Master's swordsmanship really is amazing."

Seeing Sayo approach, Sayo sheathed her sword.

What Yorii Tsugikuni had just done had not only astonished Sayo.

Even she, who had seen Yorii Tsugikuni fight several times, could not help but marvel. She simply could not catch any trace of his movements.

"A group of villains has appeared in the Imperial Capital recently."

"If Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni is interested, why not come with me and track them down?"

Seeing Yorii Tsugikuni's strength, Sayo suddenly thought of the Night Raid, who had been very active in the Imperial Capital lately.

Chapter 23: Somewhat Unreliable Teammates, a Busy Day

"Tracking villains?"

"If I can help you, I'd be more than willing."

Yorii Tsugikuni considered it briefly before agreeing. After interacting with Sayo twice, he had formed a good impression of her.

Of course, Yorii Tsugikuni had his own ability to judge matters. He would not necessarily do everything according to Sayo's wishes.

The reason he agreed to track down the villains she had mentioned with Sayo

was, on one hand, because Yorii Tsugikuni believed it was part of his duty as a member of the Security Force.

On the other hand, Sayo had helped them before, so he had sufficient reason to help her as well.

Moreover, making this world a little better through his own hands

was something Yorii Tsugikuni considered highly worthwhile.

"Then let's set out in a while."

"Although those people only act at night, we can search for traces they left behind during the day."

After receiving Yorii Tsugikuni's answer, Sayo became much more energized.

She had clashed with the people of Night Raid several times, but she had never achieved any major results.

If it were not still too early, Sayo truly would have wanted to set off immediately.

After breakfast, Yorii Tsugikuni began his first patrol of the Imperial Capital.

"Just follow behind me."

"Our main job during the day is to catch petty thieves and the like on the streets."

Although public security in the Imperial Capital had worsened over the past few years,

during the daytime, criminals had not yet become so brazen as to dare commit crimes openly.

Sayo held a rice ball in her hand. Her long, straight legs carried her forward quickly, her long hair flowing in the wind behind her. Yorii Tsugikuni followed behind her and quickened his pace.

"Grandma, slow down."

"Kids, don't run so fast."

"Uncle, let me help you lift that."

On the streets, Sayo would sometimes help an elderly woman cross the road, and sometimes warn children who were running too fast.

After helping an uncle load heavy goods onto his cart, she finally stopped and wiped away her sweat.

"Um... weren't we out here today to look for villains?"

Following Sayo around aimlessly, Yorii Tsugikuni gradually became confused.

What Sayo was doing seemed to have nothing at all to do with tracking villains. It felt as though they had gone off course.

"Hehe... that's right. I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Yorii."

Sayo, who had been panting heavily, scratched her head in embarrassment upon hearing Yorii Tsugikuni's words.

She suddenly realized that after being busy all morning, she seemed to have merely run around pointlessly.

Taking the water Yorii Tsugikuni handed her, Sayo took a drink, then patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "All right, now we're going to start tracking the villains."

"Then let's go."

Looking up at the sun in the sky, Yorii Tsugikuni realized that noon had arrived without him noticing.

He also began to look forward to Sayo demonstrating her formidable tracking abilities.

After all, judging from how welcomed Sayo had been by the townspeople along the way, she should have been an excellent member of the Security Force.

Sayo must be amazing.

I wonder whether we'll run into those villains today.

Just as Yorii Tsugikuni was looking forward to Sayo properly getting down to business,

Sayo's expression suddenly changed, as though she had made a major discovery.

"Who threw this trash away? Don't you people have any public decency?!"

Sayo pointed at some food scraps on the ground. Her indignant voice was loud enough for practically everyone on the entire street to hear.

Yorii Tsugikuni stared blankly at Sayo. He felt that some of his earlier judgments about her might have been slightly off.

"We..."

Watching Sayo begin questioning passersby, Yorii Tsugikuni really wanted to remind her what their main objective was today.

But before he could finish speaking, Sayo interrupted him. "Wait here. Today, I'm definitely going to find the person who littered."

"All right."

Yorii Tsugikuni stood obediently in place, watching Sayo question people from one end of the street to the other.

Meanwhile, the sun in the sky slowly moved from overhead toward the horizon.

By the time evening came,

"I finally found them! Sorry to keep you waiting so long, Yorii."

Sayo dragged Koro over excitedly, and he looked like a dead dog.

Having spent the entire afternoon finding the culprit, she was clearly quite excited.

Grrr...

Sayo's rumbling stomach made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Yorii Tsugikuni shook his head, looked toward a ramen shop not far away, and suggested, "Let's go get something to eat."

"I'm hungry too. This meal is on me."

"Today has really been such a fruitful day."

Sayo dragged Koro along the ground as she led the way. Embarrassed by the sound of her stomach growling, her cheeks quickly flushed red.

Even her voice became much gentler than usual.

"I come to this ramen shop often."

"I recommend that you try the tonkotsu ramen."