I was a swordsman in ancient Japan

"Jian Gong-kun." Ogata stretched out his finger and pointed at the cabinet in his picture, "Can you help me carry this cabinet to my room?"

"Yes, it's fine. But...do you want to change to another cabinet? This cabinet can't hold many things, so it's not very useful."

"It doesn't matter. I don't intend to use this cabinet to store things anyway."

"Huh?" Mamiya showed doubts, "If you don't use the cabinet to store things, what are you using it for?"

"Well... I'll tell you after you help me move this cabinet to my room."

……

……

Ogata and Mamiya worked together to move the low, but long and wide cabinet into Ogata's room.

The room that Ogata lived in was the same as the one he had stayed in when he first came to Gourd House a few months ago.

After entering this room, Ogata had a feeling of "long absence".

While having dinner just now, Lin arranged rooms for Ogata and A-cho.

There is no shortage of vacancies here in their gourd house, so Lin arranged a room for Ogata and Atachi, and their rooms were not far apart.

At Ogata's request, Ogata and Mamiya worked together to place the low cabinet in the center of the room.

"Okay." Jian Gong said while wiping the thin sweat from his forehead, "Can you tell me what you plan to do with this cabinet?"

"I'm going to—do it."

While talking, Ogata picked up the quilt that was placed at his feet.

This quilt should have been sent by Shimada just now.

After dinner just now, Lin asked Shimada to prepare the futons for Ogata and Atachi, so Shimada didn't follow to see the pile of cabinets and boxes made by Mamiya just now.

Ogata spread the mattress on the cabinet, and then lay directly on it.

Mamiya raised an eyebrow:

"Ogata-kun, are you going to sleep on it?"

"Yes."

"Sleeping on the cabinet, don't you feel uncomfortable?"

"Gamiya, let me tell you the truth." Ogata looked at Gamiya seriously, "Actually—I'm not used to sleeping on tatami."

"Huh? Not used to sleeping on tatami?" Mamiya looked at Ogata with eyes as if looking at a strange shape.

Ogata could understand the gaze that Mamiya was looking at him.

After all, in 18th-century Japan, telling people that you were not used to sleeping on tatami mats made people think you were a super weirdo.

"Unexpectedly, Ogata-kun, you have strange hobbies." Mamiya shrugged, then turned and walked out of the room, "Ogata-kun, I'm leaving first. You should have a good rest."

"Well. Good night, Mamiya."

After Mamiya left and closed the door smoothly, Ogata, who was lying in the cabinet, stretched vigorously.

Although it has been more than a year since he came to the Edo period, until now, Ogata is still not used to sleeping on tatami.

Every day when he opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor, Ogata felt an unexplainable strange feeling.

The reason why Ogata took a fancy to this cabinet was because it was low enough to be used as a bed.

Lying on this cabinet, Ogata felt nostalgic.

During the day today, I have been spending in bumps all the time.

Lying on the futon, Ogata felt a burst of drowsiness gradually occupying his mind.

When Ogata and Mamiya worked together to move the cabinet to his room, Acho ran to take a shower.

Now he must be back in her room too, ready to fall asleep.

Unknowingly, under the influence of drowsiness, Ogata slowly closed his eyes...

……

……

After falling asleep vaguely, Ogata suddenly heard footsteps outside the room.

The long years of ronin life since leaving the Hirose Clan has long allowed Ogata to develop the ability to "not sleep too much, and wake up as soon as he hears any trouble".

As soon as he heard footsteps outside the room, Xufang opened his eyes suddenly, and then quickly picked up Da Shitian, which he had been carrying in his arms.

As soon as Ogata sat up, he heard a very familiar voice from outside the room:

"Ayi, it's me."

"Machi...?"

After hearing the voice of Ah-Ming, Oochi slowly put down the Da Shitian that he had just picked up, and at the same time relaxed the tense muscles and nerves.

wow.

Ah-Ming outside the room slowly opened the door.

A-Machi had loose hair, was wearing the yukata she bought in Kyoto, and was wearing a pair of cute white feet with clogs on her feet. She was standing just outside the door of Ogata's room.

Before Ogata had time to ask Ah-Machi what he was doing outside the door of his room late at night, Ah-Machi walked slowly into Ogata's room and closed the door again.

"A-Machi, what's wrong?" The astonishment on Ogata's face still persisted.

A-Machi did not immediately answer Ogata's question, but first walked slowly to the cabinet under Ogata, and then asked Ogata with a confused face:

"Ayi, why are you sleeping in this closet?"

"Well... To put it simply, I think sleeping on the cabinet is more comfortable than sleeping on tatami."

"Unexpectedly, Ayi, you have strange hobbies."

After saying this sentence, which was almost exactly the same as what Mamiya said just now, Acho kicked off his clogs and sat on Ogata's bed.

"A-Ming, what's the matter? You can't sleep, are you planning to chat with me?" Ogata put away Da Shitian and Da Zizai while sitting cross-legged.

"Hmm...well..." Ah-Ming said softly.

A-Machi lifted her legs, stepped on Ogata's bed with both feet, and then stretched out her hands to wrap around her legs.

"I... say it, don't laugh at me." A-Ming's face turned bitter, "I was already going to sleep just now."

"But... as soon as you close your eyes, you feel... there seems to be pursuers from Shiranui outside the house..."

"I've been wondering why I'm doing this."

"On the way from Kyoto to Owari, I obviously slept soundly every night, why only when I close my eyes now, I feel that there are pursuers from Shiranui who are about to kill me..."

"After thinking hard for a while, I finally figured out the reason."

Speaking of this, A-Machi turned his head and showed a faint smile to Ogata.

"Because I don't have you by my side."

"The way I was on the way before, because you were there, so I won't feel afraid."

Hearing what Ah-cho said, Ogata was slightly taken aback.

After a long silence, Ogata said softly:

"Don't be afraid. Machi. I'm here."

Hearing Ogata's words, the smile on A-Machi's face became more obvious, and both eyes were bent into crescent moons.

"Ayi, please chat with me."

"Then... When I get sleepy from talking and I fall asleep, can I trouble you to carry me back to my room?"

"...Well." Ogata nodded almost without any hesitation, "Okay, no problem. Then... let's talk about some ordinary topics first."

"A common topic? For example?"

"Machi, after Shiranui dies, is there anything in particular you want to do?"

"It's really a very common topic... Ayi, is there anything in particular you want to do?"

"Now I'm asking you. After you tell me what you want to do in the future, I'll tell you what I want to do in the future."

"Is there something I want to do next..."

After muttering like this, A-Machi became silent and thoughtful.

After a while, Ah-Ming said softly:

"...the bride."

"Huh? What?" Ogata, who hadn't heard what A-cho was saying just now, hummed like a mosquito, asked.

After being silent for a while, A-Ming blushed slightly, and said word by word in a slightly louder voice than before:

"I want to be a beautiful bride when there are no more chasing soldiers from Shiranui..."

"...What a simple dream."

"What's wrong with being simple?" A-Machi raised his hand angrily and patted Ogata on the shoulder.

After withdrawing the hand that patted Ogata's shoulder, A-Machi was silent again for a while, and then continued:

"Although it is indeed a bit simple, it is an unattainable dream for me..."

"When I was very young, I knew that as a female ninja, just planning to live the life of an ordinary person is a luxury..."

Ah-Machi's words instantly made the surrounding atmosphere a little heavy.

For some reason, A-Machi was silent again.

And Ogata also remained silent because he didn't know what to say now to ease the slightly heavy atmosphere.

The two who kept silent together made the atmosphere around them more and more heavy...

Just when Ogata still hadn't figured out what to say at this time, A-Machi broke the silence with a sudden voice:

"My simple dream, I don't know when it will take, and...whether there is a chance to realize it."

A-Ming's tone was half joking, half distressed.

Looking at A-Machi with a faint melancholy expression on his face, Ogata slightly tightened his lips, and then——

"Huh? Ayi, what's the matter?"

Ogata stood up suddenly, arousing Machi's doubts.

"Machi, come with me."

Ogata stood up, stretched out his big slap, gently took the slender and small hand of A-Machi, and then held A-Machi's hand involuntarily, making A-Machi stand up with him.

"What, what are you doing? If you're going outside, let me put on the clogs first!"

Although he didn't know what Ogata was going to do, A-Machi obediently let Ogata hold her hand and pulled her to the window.

In Ogata's room, there was only one window, which was not too big or too small.

Ogata opened the window, and the cool evening breeze immediately rushed towards the two of them.

Ogata raised his head, and after finding out the south, east, north and west according to the position of the moon, he stretched out his finger and pointed to the east:

"That's the East."

"Go all the way east from here, you can reach Sanhe, Yuanjiang, Junhe, and finally Edo."

"That area is also commonly known as the Kanto Land."

"As the ruling center of the shogunate, Kanto must be far more prosperous than my hometown and Kyoto."

Ogata twirled his fingers.

"That's the north."

"Going all the way north, you will be able to reach the land of Ezo."

"As the northern land of Ezo, once it's winter, you can look around and see it covered with snow."

"It's a bit ashamed to say that I have never seen a snow mountain. I really want to see it."

Ogata turned the direction his finger pointed again.

"That's the West."