"No, before I had the chance to become your pen pal, I don't want to die so easily. Also... I'm an elite." Sasaki replied, "But speaking of which, shouldn't you have informed me in advance before doing something like this? So I could at least prepare myself. Now I'm really troubled about what to choose. Should I protect the political rival in front of me or..."
"Sasaki!" Dingding turned his head, baring his teeth and glaring at Sasaki with eyes full of rage.
"My apologies, Lord Dingding. I just accidentally let the truth slip out." Sasaki bowed his head in apology. "I hope you can forgive me. Miss Shinjo, please protect Lord Dingding. That's your task."
Shinjo raised her head and glanced at Kawaki, who was smiling with narrowed eyes. She said nothing.
"By the way, the friend you mentioned losing earlier—was it me?" Sasaki asked Kawaki curiously. "If so, I'm truly honored that after just one meeting, you consider me a friend..."
"No, it's not you," Kawaki replied with a smile. Then he glanced casually at Mao Mao behind him. "It was just a pure and kind rich kid always wearing triangle briefs named Xiaozhang."
"That's really regrettable~," Sasaki said, glancing at Mao Mao. "It seems that this pure rich kid you call Xiaozhang has already disappeared from this Edo city..."
"Indeed," Kawaki shrugged, "I just came to settle an old debt and play some games with a friend, but in the end..."
As he spoke, Kawaki glanced at Rokuro Mukuro, who was still kneeling silently on the ground, afraid to speak. "I achieved neither of my goals—my friend disappeared halfway, and the debtor also seems to be absent..."
"What are you talking about?" Sasaki said casually, "The man indebted to the enchanted Suzuran is still right in front of you."
At this point, Kawaki smiled faintly, waved his hand, and started walking toward the door. As he left, he casually said, "Ah, I don't know why, but looking at these people, I suddenly lost interest. And for that young general, if possible, please place the game I brought at my friend's grave. Goodbye~"
Watching Kawaki walk away slowly, Sasaki thought to himself, "Could it be that this person has already sensed something, so he stopped?"
"Troublesome character," Kawaki thought as he walked, "and... this current mess, it couldn't have been orchestrated by him alone. To drag everyone into this like a final showdown, then sit back and enjoy the chaos from a high place—there's only one person in the world who would do that. Could it be you, Gaozai? But if Gaozai is here, then that brat Da Xiong might..."
Before he could finish his thought, a sound of something falling to the ground neatly interrupted his path.
Looking at the people who suddenly appeared, blocking his way, Kawaki sighed softly.
"Sigh—what a surprise. One troublesome person after another keeps showing up."
...
Meanwhile, about ten minutes earlier.
In the locked-up Shinsengumi headquarters, where the sounds of slaughter were gradually fading, Kondo, Hijikata, and Sougo, who were standing back-to-back with their swords in hand, finally caught their breath after killing all the enemies.
Hijikata wiped his sword and sheathed it at his waist, then pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep breath.
After glancing at the corpses of the ronin scattered on the ground by the Shinsengumi soldiers, he sneered and said, "I never thought a gang of Joi ronin would dare to attack the Shinsengumi headquarters directly."
"These aren't ordinary Joi ronin, Toshi-san," Sougo said, wiping the blood off his face and analyzing the situation. "Those guys didn't speak, showed no fear of death, moved swiftly, and were precise in their attacks with clear targets. They felt more like specially trained assassins than typical Joi ronin."
"Ah," Kondo nodded gravely, "Indeed, these guys didn't have the same aura as the usual Joi ronin we've encountered before. They were just coming after us. For some reason, I have a bad feeling... It feels like a storm is coming."
"Kondo-san..." Hijikata's face grew slightly serious as he looked at Kondo, "Could this have something to do with that recent incident? The assassination attempts on key figures of the Hitotsubashi faction in Edo Castle..."
Kondo stroked his chin, deep in thought, his expression growing more solemn. He then turned his head and gazed at Edo Castle's keep, slowly saying, "If that's the case, then things are getting troublesome."
"The Shogun?" Sougo said cautiously.
"Yeah, if these ronin are from the Hitotsubashi faction, it all makes sense," Hijikata analyzed. "They could first stage a scripted play to give the Mimawarigumi a reason to guard Edo Castle, and then... secretly send ronin to attack the Shinsengumi. Their goal is a coordinated internal and external assault..."
"A coup!" Sougo finished the thought.
"But it's just a possibility," Hijikata continued, "As long as the former Shogun Dingding-sama is still around, they shouldn't dare to make a move. Could it be that the Shogun's recent decree has strengthened their hand?"
Sougo asked, "Are you talking about the Shogun's decree from a while ago, the one that restricted official behavior, cut the salaries of many idle bureaucrats, and reduced the allowances of high-ranking officials?"
"Yes, even the Shogun cut down the luxuries of his own relatives. Their lavish lifestyles are gone for good, and his relationship with them has become strained."
"I actually support this decree," Sougo said dismissively, waving his hand. "Those parasitic pigs should all be slaughtered. The Shogun is too soft-hearted. He only dismissed them and reduced their pay."
"Perhaps he's trying to weaken their power slowly," Hijikata speculated, "After all, with less money, they can support fewer retainers. In this way, the Shogun was being strategic. But..."
"But the Shogun underestimated the consequences," Kondo nodded and continued. "His all-encompassing decree angered not only his enemies but also some of his allies. The Hitotsubashi faction saw their opportunity and offered better terms to the discontented, resulting in many of the Shogun's retainers defecting to them. The Hitotsubashi faction has recently gained significant strength. In terms of retainers and samurai, the Shogun... can no longer match them."
"So if the Hitotsubashi faction moves now, they could actually seize the nation," Sougo analyzed.
"I don't think they will," Hijikata exhaled some smoke and shook his head. "They wouldn't take such a risk. As long as the former Shogun Dingding-sama is still alive, any coup would just be a pipe dream."
"Hijikata, Sougo," Kondo called out, "This isn't the time for idle talk. If we've been attacked, it's likely that Uncle Matsudaira is in danger too. Send some of our able-bodied men to protect him! The rest of us will head to Edo Castle. If the Shogun is in danger, we'll break in if we have to! Understood?!"
At that moment, Hijikata extinguished his cigarette and stomped on it.
"Kondo-san, it seems that someone truly wants to wipe out the Shinsengumi today. And... it seems we were wrong. It wasn't the Hitotsubashi faction that attacked us..."
Looking at the horde of black-clad, monk-hatted Naraku assassins standing on the walls, Sougo drew his sword again.
"Well, well, not even a moment of rest. First, it was those suspicious assassins, and now the real ones show up? Vice-Captain, I have one last question."
"Go ahead," Hijikata gripped his sword tightly.
"After such a tough day, will we get overtime pay?"
"That's your question?!" Hijikata exploded, "Yes! You'll get it! I'll burn it at your grave after you die!"
"Alright, alright, you two," Kondo mediated, gripping his own sword. "Now's not the time to argue about such things. If we survive this, I'll reward myself with a kiss from Miss Otae!"
"That's a strange flag to set!" Hijikata shouted, spitting as he spoke. "What do you mean by rewarding yourself with a kiss? How are you even going to manage that? You'll just get beaten up like always!"
Sougo added, "Then I'll reward myself with the chance to kill Hijikata-san and become Vice-Captain."
"How dangerous are you?!" Hijikata fumed. "Why would you use killing me as a reward? Does that mean even if I survive today, there's nothing to celebrate? You'll just kill me later!"
"So what's your flag?" Sougo asked.
Hijikata raised a finger seriously, "Rewarding myself with a swimming pool of mayonnaise."
After a long silence, Sougo muttered, "You should just die, Hijikata."