Chapter 53
The Saint’s Picture Book
When I approached Toshizou Hijikata’s room I could hear that there were women inside.
At first, I wondered if he was busy, but I could hear that they were talking, and so I opened the door after knocking.
In spite of it being the day of the fight, he had called the women of the brothel to his room. One of them had his head on her lap as she cleaned his ears.
He was playing a lute and seemed to be enjoying himself.
It didn’t seem like the right attitude to have before a match, but I did not get the sense that he wasn’t taking it seriously.
“I’ve trained every day since I was a boy. One thousand swings a day. And so taking some time off now will not affect my abilities.”
“True. It may be good to loosen your nerves before a fight. By the way, Toshizou. This has all gotten a little out of hand, given that we were just deciding who would go to the dungeons. Are you not a little worried?”
“No. Besides, I do not see how I could lose to that girl. The only thing I am worried about is that she may get hurt.”