Kawaki didn't respond; he glanced casually at Sasaki as if he wasn't concerned.
"My apologies, it seems this is our first meeting," Sasaki said, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing slightly toward Kawaki. "I am Sasaki Isaburo, the chief of the Mimawarigumi, a police organization currently tasked with protecting this castle.
However, when one mentions a police organization, your first thought is likely the Shinsengumi, right? Of course, if it were me, I'd think of the Shinsengumi first, too. After all, I'm a fan of theirs.
You might have noticed, our uniforms are also designed based on the Shinsengumi's uniforms. This should give you an idea of how much I admire them. But there are fundamental differences between us. The biggest difference is that we are elites. Do you know what 'elite' means? Can you write the kanji for 'elite'? How about in katakana?
If you can't, it's okay. We can start by becoming pen pals and exchanging mobile email addresses. Oh! Look at me, rambling on. Maybe it's because I'm so excited to meet you that I'm saying so many useless things, but... are they useless? When introducing oneself, isn't it customary to state your name and hobbies? Wouldn't you agree?"
At this point, Kawaki, with his eyes half-closed, waved his hand dismissively and responded, "Ah, sorry, I don't use email. I use LINE and Weibo now. Are you trying to follow my Weibo account?"
Sasaki, seemingly unfazed by Kawaki's interruption, adjusted his monocle, put away his flip phone, and smiled, replying, "Then I'll contact you next time after I've mastered how to use LINE and Weibo. No wonder you never responded to the numerous texts I sent; it turns out you don't use such things. My oversight. After all I've said, I hope you at least remember my name? If you don't, I'd be quite troubled. It's disheartening to introduce myself and not have my name remembered. Though it's not like I'll cry about it under the covers at night..."
"Um..." Kawaki folded his arms and looked up thoughtfully. "Your name... It seems like... something about a perverted cop chief?"
"No, it's 'elite,'" Sasaki corrected.
"Oh! A chief with a sty in his eye!" Kawaki exclaimed, clapping his hands. "That must be why you wear that strange one-lens monocle. You've got that sort of problem..."
"It's 'elite' (エリート), not 'sty' (めいぼ)," Sasaki corrected once more.
"Eyelid? (まぶた)"
"Call it whatever you like," Sasaki said, bowing slightly again. "From my research, you don't seem to remember people's real names well. If you can remember me in your own way, it would still be an honor."
I knew it. Just as I thought, he's the kind of guy who's annoyingly hard to like, Kawaki thought to himself, clicking his tongue inwardly.
"Kawaki-san," Princess Sumiye stood on tiptoe and whispered to Kawaki, "This man is Sasaki Isaburo, the leader of the Mimawarigumi. I don't fully understand it, but I've heard he's a rare talent in this country. He's a genius from the renowned Sasaki family, said to be a master of both the sword and the pen. He's even called a 'monster of three heavens.'"
"To be praised like this by you, Princess, is quite overwhelming," Sasaki said humbly. "I don't deserve to be called a monster, especially compared to the person next to you. I'm just an ordinary man at best."
"Eh?" Princess Sumiye said in surprise. "Is Kawaki-san really that amazing?"
"Indeed, he's an extraordinarily powerful person whom I deeply admire," Sasaki said with a subtle smile, one that was hard to read. "Although I've been entrusted with the confidential mission of protecting Edo Castle, I can't make any grand claims about guaranteeing your safety in front of this person. In fact, I doubt anyone in the world could. To be honest, I'm quite nervous right now. So please don't be upset if I warn you: if he ever does anything to endanger you, Princess, even if the entire Mimawarigumi were to give their lives, we probably... wouldn't be able to do a thing. In such a case, I would likely lead the Mimawarigumi to switch sides and follow this man. After all, there's no chance of winning..."
"Ahaha, Sasaki-dono, you really know how to joke," Princess Sumiye laughed, covering her mouth. "There's no way Kawaki-san could be that powerful, right? Kawaki-san?"
"Huh?" Kawaki, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and looked at Princess Sumiye with confusion. "What's up, Sumiye-chan? Did you say something?"
"No, nothing," Sasaki shook his head before speaking softly, "But I am quite curious. If you do plan on doing something here in Edo Castle, it would undoubtedly be... very interesting."
"Do something?" Kawaki asked, still puzzled. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he pulled out a game from his pocket and asked, "Ah! I almost forgot! Sumiye-chan, does Shogun's room have a game console? If not, the game I brought will be useless."
"Don't worry, Kawaki-san," Princess Sumiye replied. "My brother's room has just about everything."
"Oh, that's great," Kawaki sighed with relief. "I was worried I'd have to go back the way I came if there wasn't."
"In that case, I can finally take a break," Sasaki said as he began to walk past Kawaki. As he passed, his emotionless eyes briefly glanced at Kawaki. "Isn't that right, Kawaki-dono..."
Click, click, click...
Kawaki turned back to look at Sasaki slowly walking away but remaining silent.
...
Knock, knock, knock.
Princess Sumiye, who was gracefully kneeling outside the sliding door, gently knocked and said softly, "Brother, your friend has come to visit."
"Friend?" Shogun Shige Shige's voice came from inside, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Click...
With an air of authority, Shige Shige opened the door, only to be greeted by Kawaki, who stood there holding up his game with a smile.
"Yo, long time no see, Shogun."
The moment Shige Shige saw Kawaki, the aura of authority around him vanished without a trace. His face softened into a look of genuine happiness, like an ordinary person reuniting with an old friend after a long time.
However, Shige Shige's expression soon turned slightly embarrassed. "Kawaki-san... I..."
But before he could finish, Kawaki casually walked into the room as if he hadn't heard anything, pretending to be surprised. "Oh! Amazing! You have such a big room all to yourself, and you've got game consoles too! I was worried there wouldn't be any. It would have been so boring to visit you otherwise."
Watching Kawaki settle in and start setting up the game, Shige Shige could only chuckle and shake his head. He then softly instructed Sumiye, "Sumiye, go make some tea."
"Yes, Brother," Sumiye replied before heading to an adjacent room.
"Princess, please let me handle that task," Mutsunomai Kurau quickly followed after her.
"No need!"
...
"Long time no see. Your skills are still terrible," Kawaki commented casually, holding a game controller. "I thought you might have improved a bit, Shogun."
"Well, I don't have as much free time as you, Kawaki-san," Shige Shige replied gently as he placed his controller down. "But now... I seem to have more free time to do such things."
"Shogun, you really remind me of a naive, rich kid," Kawaki remarked offhandedly as he continued to play the game.
"You've heard about it already, haven't you?" Shige Shige hinted.
"What?" Kawaki replied, puzzled. "Are you talking about a certain idiot who suddenly realized the people's suffering and hastily implemented a series of useless reforms? Reforms? Is that the right word? This idiot issued decree after decree to restrict officials' behavior, treating even his own relatives the same, eventually driving even the few people who supported him to the enemy's side. And now, this idiot is grounded by his parents?"
"It seems... you know everything," Shige Shige said, somewhat wistfully.
"I don't know anything," Kawaki replied, having just won the game with 28 kills. "I don't know any idiot like that. Like I said, I'm just here to play games with a friend who's grounded. Right, Shogun?"
Glancing at Kawaki's profile, Shige Shige reached down to pick up the controller he had set aside earlier, finally feeling some relief. "You're right..."
"By the way, Shogun, if you happen to know that grounded idiot who's pretty much useless now," Kawaki continued casually, "Could you ask him to help me find someone in this Edo Castle?"
"Who?"
"I don't know the name," Kawaki replied, glancing briefly at Mutsunomai Kurau, who had just entered the room behind Princess Sumiye, carrying a wooden tray with two cups of tea. He then returned his gaze to the game screen. "But it's probably an old man who owes a debt in Yoshiwara from many years ago. The courtesan's name... I think it was something like 'Kojo Suzu... Ran.'"
Upon hearing this, Mutsunomai Kurau's eyes widened in shock. His body froze, and the tray he was holding slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground.