Rain, such heavy rain.
The raindrops hitting the lake surface made a rustling sound, like the most wonderful music in the world. Yamabuki looked at the lake surface, filled with emotions.
The girls all packed their clothes, ready to go home. Unohana instructed the girls to be careful and not to have any accidents.
After packing their clothes and bidding farewell to Yamabuki and the captains, the girls left one after another. Only Batsu'unsai Katori seemed to still be in the shadow of her social death.
Yamabuki walked over and comforted her in a low voice: "Actually, you don't have to be so upset. I didn't see anything, really. If you don't believe me, ask them!"
Saitō Furōfushi rolled his eyes. I believe you, my foot. Your nosebleed spurted out so far at the time, I don't believe you didn't see anything.
Under everyone's comfort, Batsu'unsai Katori finally regained a little bit of reason, looking at Yamabuki with a resentful expression.
Finally, Batsu'unsai Katori and her sister Katori Chizuru also left the lakeside. Only Unohana, Yamabuki, and others remained by the lake.
"Alright, we can go home now!" Yamabuki said. This swimsuit party was definitely not in vain; it was worth the trip.
Just as the group was walking back through the rain, Yamabuki suddenly saw a small black dot on the other side of the lake, slowly approaching.
"What's wrong?" Unohana asked curiously. Yamabuki just looked at the small black dot in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed.
The small black dot got closer and closer. When it got a little closer, everyone could see clearly that it was a small boat, with a person sitting on it, wearing a bamboo hat, leisurely rowing in the rain.
"Nothing, let's go!" Yamabuki took a deep look at the person, then led Unohana, Saitō Furōfushi, and the others away.
The person moored the small boat by the lake and came ashore with a bundle. He happened to pass by Yamabuki and his group. They exchanged glances, but nothing happened.
Yamabuki smelled a strong scent of blood on this man, indicating that he had just killed someone.
However, I don't want to meddle in other people's business right now. Let's wait until the body is discovered!
Unohana also narrowed her eyes, looking at the man in front of her. He was in his twenties, with a feminine demeanor, and seemed to be a young master from a noble family.
However, his clothes were travel-worn, and it was clear at a glance that he was not very wealthy. This young master walked past everyone as if nothing had happened.
The rain soaked the bundle in his hand, and Unohana saw red liquid seeping out of the bundle, dripping into the mud.
Unohana had killed countless people in her life, and she could tell at a glance that the red liquid dripping was blood, and that the bundle likely contained a human head.
Ever since Yamabuki fully integrated the power of the Hollow, all his senses had improved, so he smelled the bloody scent on this man from a great distance.
But, everyone was out to have fun today, and Rukongai was so big that such killings happened every day, and they couldn't manage them all.
They all turned a blind eye, allowing this noble-like man to walk past them.
"Alright, let's go home. What do you want to eat tonight?" Yamabuki asked.
Unohana looked at the gloomy, rainy weather: "Let's have hotpot tonight!"
This continuous rainy weather was indeed perfect for hotpot. Just now, while playing, Yamabuki also caught two fish, which they would use for the hotpot tonight.
The man with the bamboo hat left without looking back, as if he hadn't heard what the others were saying at all.
With such heavy rain falling from the sky, the man in the bamboo hat had neither an umbrella nor a straw cape. He walked carefully step by step in his straw sandals along the muddy lakeside.
It seemed he wasn't afraid of the rain, but rather of damaging his straw sandals, which he had worn for decades.
He walked all the way to a distant village. Because of the heavy rain, everyone was cooped up in their rooms and unwilling to come out. The man, however, went to the only tavern in the village.
"Guest, what would you like to eat?" the boss asked very warmly.
The man in the bamboo hat pondered for a moment and asked, "Boss, what's free here?"
The tavern owner's face stiffened, and he cursed inwardly, but seeing that the other party was carrying a sword, he didn't dare offend him and could only say with a forced smile, "Only well water is free here!"
"Then give me a bowl of well water!" the man in the bamboo hat said lightly, then leaned back and listened to the rain outside.
The boss cursed his bad luck, but business people had to learn to smile. He could only pour a bowl of well water and place it on the table.
The man in the bamboo hat picked up the bowl and sipped the well water in small sips, as if it were some kind of divine nectar. To him, all free things were the best and should be cherished.
After finishing the bowl of well water in his hand, the man in the bamboo hat handed the bowl over: "Boss, another bowl."
The tavern owner sighed and shook his head: "Guest, would you like some side dishes? We have the best pickled vegetables here…"
"Is it free?" the man in the bamboo hat asked.
"That… of course not!" the boss said with great difficulty.
"Then no," the man in the bamboo hat refused outright. When the second bowl of well water was brought up, he still drank the slightly bitter well water with the same caution.
The boss secretly sighed, but since it was raining heavily today, there probably wouldn't be many customers anyway, so he might as well play along.
Just as he thought of this, a series of horse hooves sounded outside the door. Through the rain, a dozen samurai on horseback arrived in front of the inn, dismounted, and strode inside.
When the boss saw customers, his heart immediately filled with joy, and he rushed to greet them: "Guests, what would you like to eat?"
The leader of the cavalry had only one eye and one ear, and his expression was fierce. Seeing the boss approach, he glared fiercely at the boss with his single eye.
The boss was so frightened that he quickly retreated.
These samurai rushed into the tavern, not to drink or eat, but to walk towards the man in the bamboo hat who was listening to the rain.
Only then did the tavern owner realize, were they going to fight? This was a small business of mine! If these tables, chairs, benches, pots, and pans were broken, who would pay for them!
However, looking at the samurai with swords in front of him, the boss could only shrink back into the kitchen with a bitter expression, not daring to come out.
The one-eyed man came to the man in the bamboo hat and sat down brazenly opposite him.
"You arrived early!" the one-eyed man said coldly.
The man in the bamboo hat looked at the rain outside and took a small sip of well water: "If I had come late, I wouldn't have gotten such a good spot."
"Stop your glib talk. Where's the person I told you to kill?" the one-eyed man demanded in a low voice.
"What about the money we agreed on beforehand?" the man in the bamboo hat asked.
....
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