Directly in front of this screen, a gray-haired old woman was sitting peacefully.

This old woman is very short, only about 1.5 meters tall, with a full head of silver hair without any variegation.

Judging from her appearance alone, she must be at least eighty years old.

Although his facial features are not beautiful, there is a different kind of heroic spirit lingering between his eyebrows.

She is clearly in her prime years, but just like Boss Kiryu, her eyes sparkle with a vitality that is no less than that of a young person.

At first glance, this is just a well-maintained lady with a good temperament.

However... the person who can make Boss Kiryu call him "Lord"... the identity of this old woman is already revealed.

She is Kinoshita Mai’s grandmother and the helmsman of Calabash House—Kinoshita Rin!

Kinoshita Rin raised her eyes and looked at Boss Kiryu carefully from head to toe.

??????55.??????

"Kuroro, I haven't seen you for a while, and the wrinkles on your face seem to have diminished."

Boss Kiryu smiled:

"Maybe it's because I always encounter happy things recently."

"Isn't there always a saying - 'Smile often and prolong life'."

As far as status is concerned, the two of them are proper ‘kings and ministers’.

But judging from the actual performance, the distance between the two is actually very subtle.

Boss Kiryu was very carefree and sat cross-legged in front of Kinoshita Rin very naturally. Their knees almost touched each other.

Kinoshita Rin didn't care about this and allowed the other party to make such intimate gestures.

This way of getting along with each other...not so much as a monarch and his ministers, but more like close friends.

"My lord, let me ask you directly - what do you want me to do when you summon me back to Osaka so suddenly?"

"Kuroro, it's rare to meet again, can't we talk about some happy things first?"

Although she was complaining, Kinoshita Rin silently put away the joking expression on her face and put on a solemn expression.

"Kuroro, the spies lurking in Hakodate are here to report - 8 days ago, 'Meiou' appeared at the port of Hakodate."

[Note·Hakodate: A city in the southern part of Ezo Island (now Hokkaido).]

Mingou——The moment he heard this name, Boss Kiryu seemed to be stimulated by a strong electric current. His whole body stiffened suddenly and his pupils contracted.

"…what he said is true."

Kinoshita Lin nodded lightly.

"Although I don't know why that guy appeared at Hakodate Port, I guess he probably wanted to take a boat back to the mainland."

"..."

Boss Kiryu was silent at first, and then whispered quietly:

"I see...your kid...it turns out you have been hiding in Ezochi...!"

Soon after saying that, Boss Kiryu suddenly reached out and grasped the saber beside his leg, and immediately stood up, trying to leave this place.

However, as soon as he turned around, Kinoshita Rin let out a powerful roar:

"Kuroro, come back."

Boss Kiryu was startled for a moment, stopped and turned half of his body.

"Lord..."

"Don't be impulsive, calm down."

"..."

Boss Kiryu stood straight on the spot, neither speaking nor moving.

Looking at Boss Kiryu who looked like a clay sculpture, Kinoshita Lin sighed softly:

"Kuro, I can understand your mood."

"I know you're eager to clear the house."

"However, we didn't know the specific movements of 'King Ming' when we arrived."

"Secondly...you are no longer young."

"Do you still think you are a cool young man in his twenties or thirties?"

"With this old and decaying body, you can't defeat that guy."

"So, don't be impulsive."

Having said this, she pointed to the floor in front of her.

"Sit back."

"..."

This time, Boss Kiryu was no longer stubborn.

He sat back down obediently.

"...I'm sorry to everyone, I'm really sorry..."

He lowered his head deeply, his face full of shame.

"It's because of my stupidity that I left such a big disaster..."

Kinoshita Rin smiled.

"Kuro, what are you talking about? This is not your fault. We have never blamed you. If we are to blame, we only blame that guy for his evil intentions and his self-destruction."

As she spoke, she reached out and patted Boss Kiryu on the shoulder.

"I will send out as many spies as possible to try to find that guy as soon as possible."

"Although that guy is very strong... but as long as we gather the heroes of my Calabash House, we can always defeat him."

Kinoshita Rin's thoughtful comfort made Boss Kiryu look much better.

"Lord, thank you very much."

Kinoshita Rin nodded with a smile on her face.

"Okay... Let's stop here for the time being regarding the topic of 'Mingwang'."

"Now it's time to get down to business."

"It is precisely in order to discuss these two important matters with you face to face that I hurriedly summoned you back to Osaka."

Boss Kiryu raised his eyebrows vigorously - the next important thing?

Before he could ask a question, Kinoshita Lin reached out and took out a scroll.

"Kuroro, when you reported on Awu's current situation in your letters before, you always told me: 'Awu and Tachibana Qingden have a very deep relationship, and they are a match made in heaven. Their union will be just around the corner,' right?"

At this moment, Boss Kiryu's heart stopped for a few beats.

Although he couldn't explain why, he felt an extremely strong ominous feeling in his heart!

"Yes, yes..."

He replied guiltily.

Kinoshita Rin continued:

"Although I have never met Tachibana Aoden with my own eyes, this person is indeed a great figure in the world. At a young age, he became a great figure with a land of 300,000 people. He also has a strong army. He is actually the number one person in the shogunate today.

"

"If he and Ah Wu are happy with each other, then I will be happy to see it happen."

"It's just...Kuroro, I have some questions and I want to ask you in person."

Having said this, she slowly unfolded the scroll in her hand.

"Captain of the Shinsengumi Division 7, Sanako Chiba."

The moment Kinoshita Rin pronounced this name, Boss Kiryu's heart stopped for a few more beats.

Not only that, his complexion began to turn pale.

"She is 25 years old this year. She is the eldest daughter of the great swordsman Chiba Sadaikichi. She is proficient in all kinds of martial arts, among which Kodachi and Naginata are the best."

"In addition to martial arts, she also has a lot of experience in elegant things such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

"What an outstanding woman."

"Even I'm a little envious of her."

"But...it's really weird."

"Kuro, in your opinion, Tachibana Aoden and Amai are a loving couple."
To be continued...