My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 148 - 88: Holding a "Swordsmanship Battle" with the Little Chiba Sword Dojo! [5,400 Words]

The glance Sazanoko cast towards Aoto... only lasted for a moment.

She seemed merely curious and puzzled by this stranger, who had suddenly followed Kondo into the hall, someone she hadn’t seen before.

After scanning Aoto a few times with a questioning look, she seemed to lose interest in him, lowered her gaze, and adopted a meditative posture.

"Mr. Shigetarou, Miss Sana, it’s been a while since we last met." At this moment, Kondo, whose face was filled with smiles, enthusiastically greeted the pair.

"Hahaha." Chiba Shigetarou laughed out loud heartily, "Yes, it has indeed been some time."

Compared to the casualness of Chiba Shigetarou, Sana was much more proper.

She lowered her upper body with textbook precision, bowing towards Kondo and the others, "Greetings, Mr. Isami, Mr. Chokata, I apologize for visiting abruptly with my elder brother, I hope you forgive us."

During the pause in their mutual greetings, Kondo led Aoto and Chokata to Zhouzhu’s side, where they knelt down correctly on the floor.

After a few simple exchanges with Chiba Shigetarou, Kondo turned a curious gaze towards Aoto, sitting beside Kondo:

"Mr. Isami, who might this be?"

"Oh, Mr. Shigetarou, let me introduce you." Kondo laughed and sidestepped slightly, "This is someone you probably have heard about in recent days, the newcomer to our Shiwei Hall I mentioned before: Tachibana Aoto."

"Pleased to meet you." As soon as Kondo finished speaking, Aoto immediately bowed to the siblings in front of him, "I am Tachibana Aoto."

——So this is Chiba Shigetarou...

While introducing himself to the siblings, Aoto discreetly observed Chiba Shigetarou.

Because Sazanoko’s appearance and figure were so striking, Aoto had subconsciously been impressed by her and somewhat overlooked her elder brother.

Should it be said that their family’s genes are strong? Chiba Shigetarou, as the elder brother, also has an impressive face.

Women in Edo of this era favor men with a masculine appeal—Chiba Shigetarou happens to embody this type perfectly.

Chiba Shigetarou is tall and stout, with thick eyebrows and large spirited eyes, displaying a robust vitality and the appearance of a "hot-blooded man."

Aside from the "beauty genes," it seems the Chiba family has also inherited excellent "height genes."

Both siblings are quite tall.

According to Aoto’s estimation, Chiba Shigetarou’s height is similar to his own, around 1.75 meters, while Sazanoko’s height is around 1.60 meters.

Sazanoko’s height... in an era where even the average male height hovers around "1.5 meters," is truly a rarity.

For instance—for the entire Edo right now, Aoto feels that the number of women over 1.60 meters tall might not even reach fifty...

To Aoto, in Chiba Shigetarou’s appearance, the only deficiency is his Tsukushi haircut, just like Kondo’s...

Even though Aoto has been in this time period for a while, he still hasn’t gotten used to the overwhelmingly ugly Tsukushi haircut.

In Aoto’s eyes, this unbearably ugly hairstyle has sealed the looks of both Kondo and Chiba Shigetarou...

Just in terms of appearance, Chiba Shigetarou and Sazanoko share many similarities, especially their noses, which are tall and almost cut from the same mold.

However, in terms of personality... the differences between the siblings are somewhat pronounced.

From Chiba Shigetarou’s demeanor and behavior, it is easy to see—he is a very straightforward person.

Compared to Chiba Shigetarou, Sazanoko appears much quieter.

How should I put it... Aoto couldn’t help feeling since their initial meeting that Sazanoko’s temperament matched her status perfectly, very much the image of a "Miss."

Sazanoko is the daughter of that Chiba Dingji, the niece of Chiba Shusaku.

Chiba Shusaku founded the currently number one "Swordsmanship School in Japan": the Beichen One-Sword Style.

And as Chiba Shusaku’s brother, Chiba Dingji, helped his brother promote and perfect the Beichen One-Sword Style.

So... it can be imagined what kind of status and identity Sazanoko holds in the current "Japanese Martial Arts World."

She is undeniably the "noble young lady of the Martial Arts World," the "martial arts heiress," in terms of prestige, few women in the current "Japanese Martial Arts World" can match her.

Aoto speculated: this Sazanoko was likely subjected to rigorous and demanding education from a young age, aimed at shaping her into a qualified "Yamato Nadeshiko."

Every move she makes exudes an elegance.

Aside from the bowing when she greeted Aoto and the others earlier, Sazanoko always maintained a very upright posture, with her delicate hands elegantly placed on her lap, her swan-like neck arched gracefully, neither tense nor slouching disrespectfully.

Her poised and graceful sitting posture was a pleasing and delightful sight.

Whether in his past life or this life, it was the first time Aoto had seen a woman with such "Miss" demeanor.

Aoto felt that even if Sazanoko were to eat sticky natto or pungent snail noodles or durian, she could still give an "elevated taste" to these foods.