Chapter 201: Chapter 100: Sword Presentation! Aoto’s New Sword: Ghost-Slaying!

The scattered conversation turned into a "rustling" of noisy footsteps.

Hosoi led the members of the North Guard Station to face the north side, kneeling on the west of the council room.

Atsukawa, in contrast, led the members of the South Division to kneel on the east side of the council room.

Once everyone settled, the room became pin-drop silent.

This unusual quiet was soon interrupted by the faint sound of a sliding door.

Rustle... The paper door set in the north corner of the council room was slowly pulled open.

Seeing the door open, Hosoi and Atsukawa, kneeling at the forefront, quickly lowered their heads, bending their bodies, and placing their hands on the tatami.

Aoto and the others behind them hurriedly followed suit, bowing toward the north side of the room, which was still empty air.

With his head lowered, Aoto could only see the dark green tatami at the moment.

Though his eyes couldn’t see, his ears could hear.

Aoto heard several footsteps extend inside through the side door that had been opened.

The footsteps moved directly opposite them and then stopped, followed by sounds of robes being lifted and the kneeling position.

"Raise your bodies, everyone."

A slightly hoarse voice clearly entered Aoto and the others’ ears.

Aoto slowly lifted his gaze inch by inch.

At the north side of the hall, there were now 5 people.

A middle-aged man with hair and a beard both mixed with black and white sat at the very center of the north side of the hall.

He casually crossed his legs, his attire embroidered with the emblem of the Ii family: Tachibana flowers.

Aside from this middle-aged man, the other four were relatively young, the oldest probably no more than 30 years old.

Three of the four were solemnly kneeling in the most standard posture on either side of the middle-aged man, while the exception held a tachi, its handle and scabbard intermingling red and black, kneeling on one knee behind and to the side of the middle-aged man.

Wearing clothes embroidered with the Ii family emblem, the four young men respectfully attended him—this man’s identity was already self-evident.

——Could this be Ii Naosuke?

Aoto instinctively scanned and scrutinized Ii Naosuke.

Almost everyone who had never seen Ii Naosuke before was now casting curious looks his way, just like Aoto.

The first impression Ii Naosuke gave Aoto was—ordinary.

With a neat Tsukushi haircut, an average build, and unremarkable facial features.

His expression wasn’t stern, his mouth and eyes carried a faint smile.

At first glance, he looked completely like an ordinary middle-aged man.

There was no commanding qi field nor any scholarly air or martial artist’s demeanor.

Aoto felt if Ii Naosuke wore civilian clothes and walked the streets of Edo, he would blend perfectly with the crowd.

As Aoto and the others were still assessing Ii Naosuke, Ii Naosuke spoke—

"Surely... you all know who I am already? So I won’t spend time on introductions."

Ii Naosuke’s tone was gentle, carrying a faint smile.

"This is the first meeting between me and most of you."

"So, how do you find it? The famous Ii Naosuke, not as imposing as you expected?"

Ii Naosuke spread his hands wide, striking a posture as if to let everyone see him more clearly.

"I often hear: rumors outside claim I look imposing and have authority without anger."

Ii Naosuke chuckled, raising a hand to touch the short beard on his chin.

"Half a year ago, I seriously considered: whether to cooperate with this rumor and make myself appear more imposing. If I successfully became more imposing, many matters would become easier to handle."

"So I tried to grow my beard longer."

"But after growing my beard, the authority didn’t increase, instead the old appearance did, prompting laughter from my wife."

Ii Naosuke’s humorous words drew laughter from many in the room.

Aoto’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

The atmosphere in the hall, which had been slightly tense due to Ii Naosuke’s presence, eased considerably.

"I don’t usually like speaking those empty, formal words, and since my time is limited, I’ll get straight to the point."

Ii Naosuke lightly cleared his throat, his smile deepening.

"I have personally reviewed the achievements you’ve accomplished recently."

"Many of your accomplishments made my eyes light up."

"Some individual achievements... were so outstanding that upon first hearing, I couldn’t believe my ears."

With that, Ii Naosuke raised his head and spoke in a louder voice:

"Is Tachibana Aoto among you?"

No sooner had Ii Naosuke finished speaking, than everyone turned their heads, focusing their gaze on Aoto.

"Oh..." Ii Naosuke looked at Tachibana Aoto, who stood out even when kneeling due to his height, "So you are Tachibana Aoto..."

With that, Ii Naosuke slightly straightened his body, gesturing to the front: "Tachibana Aoto, come forward."

Upon hearing Ii Naosuke summon him, Aoto promptly responded loudly with a "Yes," then rose to his feet, stepped out, and rushed to kneel before Ii Naosuke once more.