I was a swordsman in ancient Japan

"Hisaka! It's been a long time!"

Ishida patted Kasaka's shoulder with his left hand, while pouring wine for Kasaka with his right hand.

At this moment, two pairs of master and apprentice, Ishida, Hongzhi, Huosaka, and Mizuno, are crowded in the hotel where Ishida and Hongzhi lived during this time.

Although the room is not big, it is more than enough for 4 men to sit cross-legged.

"It took me a lot of effort to find you!" Hosaka grinned.

After repelling the gang of bandits with Ogata, Hosaka decided to go south to Edo, spend a year there, and find his old friend Ishida and Ishida's apprentice Hongzhi in Edo by the way.

Hurrying all the way, Hosaka and Mizuno finally arrived in Edo before the New Year.

After the master and apprentice lived a stable year in Edo and played with all their heart, they set out to look for Ishida.

The way they both find people is also very simple.

Hosaka has friends all over the world, and here in Edo there are many people who know both Hosaka and Ishida.

So I kept asking all the way, and finally found a friend who knew Ishida's whereabouts.

Following the whereabouts of Ishida revealed by his friend, Hosaka searched all the way, and finally bumped into Hongzhi who bought the steamed buns today and was about to return to the hotel.

Kasaka and Ishida are good friends.

After Hongzhi led Hosaka and Mizuno into the room where he and his master lived, Ishida was stunned for a moment in surprise, and then laughed and hugged Hosaka.

Then he took out all the drinks he was currently carrying, and wanted to have a good time with this friend whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Ishida and Hosaka chat happily.

Mizuno, who was sitting behind Hosaka, was not very familiar with Ishida and Koji, so he just drank in silence.

Hongzhi was also like this, he was not very familiar with Hosaka and Mizuno, so he just drank in silence.

So there was such a scene: the two masters chatted happily there, while the two apprentices drank wine silently there.

"Hisaka, it's been so long since the last farewell, have you encountered any interesting things?" Ishida asked, filling his glass again.

"Hmph." Hosaka smiled, "I have encountered many interesting things."

"Coincidentally." Ishida laughed along with him, "Me too."

"Let's not talk about this for now." Hosaka drank the wine in his glass in one go, then looked around, "Ishida, tell me what's going on in your room first, why are there so many pens, ink and paper?"

When entering the hotel room where Ishida and Hongzhi lived just now, Hosaka discovered that there were a lot of pens, ink and paper in this room, which were spread everywhere.

Hearing Kasaka's question, Ishida chuckled.

"It's nothing, I'm just trying to write a Joruri Bunraku puppet show."

"Joruri puppet show?" Hosaka frowned.

Kasaka naturally knew what the Joruri puppet show was.

To put it simply, joruri puppetry is a stage performance art that has a huge audience like kabuki and is loved by people of all walks of life.

However, in the Joruri puppet show, puppeteers hold puppets that are half the height of a person or as tall as a person, and perform performances and stories there.

For the Joruri puppet show, Hosaka has never been very cold.

Because Kasaka hates those puppets.

Looking at those puppets made to look exactly like human beings, Kasaka felt goosebumps were about to stand on end.

Although Hosaka himself is not interested in this, he knows that Ishida likes joruri puppet shows very much.

"Ishida." Hosaka clasped his hands in front of his chest, "I know you like the joruri puppet show very much. What? Because you like it so much, your hands itch and you can't help but want to write one of your own. A puppet show?"

"That's not true." Ishida smiled and shook his head.

After draining the wine in the glass, Ishida put on a slightly more serious face.

"Hisaka, I'm telling you the truth."

"When I brought Hongzhi to Edo and asked Hongzhi to participate in the imperial examination to meet the world, I met a very attractive man."

Ishida told the story of how he met "that man" he just mentioned in a calm tone.

From how they met, he talked all the way to the fact that in order to know more about him, he spent a lot of effort to find out about that person.

Then I learned what that person did in Yoshiwara.

For example: In order to regain the credit that originally belonged to the Shirobei Club, he did not hesitate to confront the Huofu bandits, and finally retreated unscathed miraculously.

Another example: winning the first place in the "literary test" of the imperial trial, and facing a banner warrior who was about to kill a bannerman who accidentally soiled his saber, and then miraculously retreated again.

Both Hosaka and Mizuno were fascinated by it without knowing it.

"What an incredible hero!" Hosaka slapped his thigh, "I didn't expect there to be so many heroes in this world! And then? What happened to that hero?"

"That hero left Edo suddenly." A wry smile appeared on Hosaka's face. "I asked Yoshihara, who worked for him. He left Edo because of some things."

"Even the people in the Shirobei clubhouse in Yoshiwara don't know exactly where that person went."

"But whether the people in Shirobei Club really don't know, or if they don't know, I don't know."

"Is that so, he is no longer in Edo?" Hosaka showed regret, "What a pity, if that hero is still in Edo now, I really want to get to know him better."

"It's a pity not to make friends with such a hero."

Ishida filled his own wine glass, drank the wine in the glass again, and continued:

"How? He's a very charming hero, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Hosaka nodded without thinking, "Just listening to your description of him makes my blood boil."

"That's why I fell in love with him." Ishida said abruptly.

There was an instant silence in the room.

Because it was too quiet, the atmosphere became weird.

After a while, Hosaka tilted his head: "Huh?"

If the words just now were spoken by other men, it would not be surprising.

But these words were spoken by Ishida

This made Hizaka and Mizuno's mood more subtle.

"I think such a charismatic hero who is not afraid of power is worthy of being remembered by future generations."

Ishida said word by word.

"The only entertainment art I am familiar with is puppet show."

"So I wanted to adapt his deeds into a joruri puppet show."

"Just like people remembered heroes of the Warring States Period such as Sanada Yukimura and Takeda Shingen through story books, I want future generations to remember that hero through puppet shows."

"Let that hero live forever in a puppet show."

Ishida's tone was so serious that there was no hint of a joke.

This serious tone announced to Hizaka and Mizuno invisibly: he is quite serious.

After silently listening to Ishida's words, Hosaka frowned slightly:

"Ishida, you don't have any other feelings for that hero, do you?"

Hearing Hosaka's rhetorical question, Ishida froze for a moment, then raised his hand to run through his hair.

"I admit that I do have other feelings for that man."

"The reason why I decided to adapt his deeds into Kabuki is indeed because of some selfishness of mine."

"But me and him may not be possible. I may not see him for the rest of my life."

"Because there is no chance between me and that person, Hongzhi agreed to let me write a puppet show based on that person's deeds."

Ishida smiled wryly, and turned his head to look at Hongzhi who was sitting behind him.

Facing Ishida's gaze, Hongzhi didn't make any response, just continued to drink silently.

"Although I do have some special feelings for him, everything I just said is true."

"The reason why I want to write a puppet show based on the hero's deeds is mainly out of justice."

"I sincerely want to let future generations know that there is still such a respectable hero in this chaotic Kansei years."

"I understand the details." Hosaka nodded and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you, Ishida, to have such feelings. You actually planned to make that hero live forever in the puppet show."

"By the way, what's the name of that hero? I haven't heard your introduction."

"Ah." Ishida showed embarrassment, "I just kept telling the story of that hero, and forgot to tell you his name."

"That person's name is Mashima Goro."

As soon as Ishida finished speaking, the expressions of Hosaka and Mizuno suddenly changed.

It's getting pretty weird.

"Mashima Goro?" Hosaka asked urgently, "Ishida, how do you write this name in Chinese characters?"

Although Ishida was puzzled, he obediently dipped his fingers in some wine and neatly wrote the four Chinese characters "Mashima Goro" on the tatami.

Looking at the four Chinese characters written by Ishida on the tatami, the expressions on the faces of Hosaka and Mizuno became even weirder.

"I didn't expect such a coincidence to happen in this world." The expression on Hosaka's face changed quite wonderfully.

"Huh?" Ishida wondered, "What's such a coincidence?"

"Ishida, don't be too surprised." Hosaka smiled meaningfully, "Mizuno and I met this Mashima Goro not long ago."

"What?" Ishida's eyes widened in surprise.

Koji, who was sitting next to Ishida, had a similar expression to Ishida.

Hosaka slowly told the story of how he, Mizuno and "Mashima Goro" fought against the bandits together.

At the same time, Hosaka also informed Ishida of the appearance of "Mashima Goro".

After Hosaka's voice fell, Ishida was still in a trance due to excessive shock.

"It's just that his appearance and characteristics are completely in line with him. It must be him. It's such a coincidence. So Mashima-kun, has he gone to Oshu? Now where is Mashima-kun?"

Hosaka shook his head: "I don't know. He just said that he will continue to practice martial arts. He may be continuing to practice somewhere in Japan now."

Seeing that Hosaka didn't know the whereabouts of "Mashima Goro", Ishida's face flashed with disappointment.

"Hasaka, did you also meet Mashima-kun by chance?" Ishida lowered his head and muttered, with a thoughtful look on his face.

After a while, Ishida raised his head, and said to Kasaka seriously.

"Hisaka, do you have any urgent things to do later?"

"Ah?" Hosaka replied without any thought, "No. You also know that since I left the feudal domain, I am free every day. I can do whatever I want, and there is never any urgent need to do. "

"That's good!" Ishida grabbed Hosaka's hands violently, "Then can you stay here in Edo and write my puppet show based on Mashima-kun with me?"

"It's just right to incorporate the deeds of you and Mashima-kun fighting bandits together into the play! Let Mashima-kun's heroic image be more profound."

"Eh? This?" Hosaka pursed his lips, thinking seriously.

It is very interesting to co-author the puppet show Hosaka.

But Hosaka doesn't really like this kind of thing that requires brains.

While Kasaka was thinking, Mizuno sitting behind him was remembering.

Mizuno still remembers the experience of fighting bandits together with "Mashima Goro" and what he said to Mizuno when he was about to part with "Mashima Goro".

Especially the phrase "no need to wait for the torch".

"Master, just stay and write a puppet show together." Mizuno said.

Hosaka turned his head, and looked at Mizuno with doubts and surprises.

"It's interesting, isn't it?" Mizuno smiled, "And a hero like Mashima-sama that Ishida-sama just mentioned, is indeed worth passing down his deeds from generation to generation."

His apprentice directly agreed.

Kasaka hesitated for a while, and finally sighed heavily.

"alright."

"Ishida, my apprentice and I will stay here in Edo for a while and write this puppet show with you."