Amid the increasingly dense, rhythmic, earthshaking drumbeats...
Tengen Uzui was clearly getting carried away, utterly immersed in his own art.
At that moment, Xia Xi could read his thoughts clearly from his face.
He must think he's a god presiding over music and rituals right now.
Finally, after one tremendously heavy strike...
The deafening drumming stopped abruptly.
Flashy Bro raised the drumsticks high above his head.
He stretched toward the sky in a pose he thought looked incredibly cool.
Yet the applause from the audience was sparse.
It was far from enthusiastic.
Some people had yet to recover from the stunning drumbeats.
Others... simply could not understand or appreciate this "art" of Flashy Bro's.
Uzui turned rather smugly to look at the two men seated beside him.
Xia Xi: ...
Do you know it's very bad manners to interrupt a leader's speech?
Meanwhile, Shinjuro, sitting at the other end, said calmly, "Young people certainly have plenty of energy."
Flashy Bro: ?
"Mr. Rengoku, why are you starting to sound more and more like an old man?"
Shinjuro Rengoku gave him a sidelong glance.
You're getting more and more disrespectful, kid, he thought, then retorted aloud.
"This old man already has two children."
"Tengen, you have three wives, don't you?"
I managed to have two children with just one wife.
You have three wives, so why hasn't anything happened yet?
Could it be...
"If something's wrong with your health, you can ask Xia Xi to take a look. He's very good at medicine."
Flashy Bro: ...
He realized that the seemingly stern, rigid Rengoku Family Head was getting better and better at delivering barbs.
What about the swordsmen below the platform?
Most had good hearing, so those nearby naturally heard the quiet exchange between the two.
Still, none of those present