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But Gengyo continued with the act, and presented him with the coin, before handing him the reins of his horse, and Kitajo did the same.

"Quite the price."

Kitajo commented quietly, as they walked towards the entrance of the inn.

"It is indeed."

Came the response, as they passed through the small entrance.

It was a quiet place, or at least it was, for about ten seconds. A woman stood behind a counter, ready to welcome them with a deep bow.

"Welcome to Menryo inn, sirs. Can I interest you in a room, or some drink?"

She asked them, struggling to be heard over the boisterous laughter of a certain drunk individual in the corner. Gengyo did not turn around yet to see the source of the laughter, instead, he merely admired the room lightly, before responding.

It was a traditional enough inn, with tatami flooring, and low tables and cushions for drinking. It was clean too, and would certainly make a change from sleeping on the floor.

"Mm, how much for two rooms?"

He asked, as though money was an issue. But the main problem was that his arms were laden, and he needed somewhere to put down their saddlebags – there was not a chance they would leave them attached to their horses, for the guards to root through.

And amongst that weight, were 2,000 gold coins which provided a considerable amount of strain for his arms.

"One gold coin for two rooms, sir."

She said with a smile, as though it was a very reasonable offer. If a peasant were to hear such a price merely for a room, they would have cut the woman down where she stood. How sick did one have to be to charge such an amount?

But it was well within her rights. It was not a place that got an overwhelming amount of visitors, but each visitor that came was certain to have a good amount of coin, otherwise, they could not afford to make the trip. And, they were the only inn for miles around, so they did not have a choice.

Making a greatly pained expression on his face, Gengyo slid her a gold coin, seeming rather unwilling to part with it, as the serving woman had to all but wretch it from his fingers.

But her false smile did not fade, even at his manners. She simply assumed him to be impolite, and not as wealthy as some of their guests.

"I’ll show you to your rooms then – this way please."

The serving woman shuffled lightly along, attempting to appear as elegant as possible. It was amusing the lengths that some people went to in order to ensure positive patronage.

"For the sir."

She pushed open a sliding door and motioned for Gengyo to go inside. He merely threw his bags down next to the door, before turning to her with a sigh.

"Nails really do weigh you down..."

He lamented, as they landed with a slightly metallic sound. She did her best to hide her disgust at his words. Mere nails? That was all he had to trade? It made sense though, for he struggled to cough up the coin required.

"Do you serve any food?"

He asked, rubbing his stomach to ill.u.s.trate his point.

"That we do, sir. I will serve you in just a moment, after I show this man to his room."

She did her best to maintain her flagging smile that was tight from irritation.

"Ah, by all means."

Gengyo responded as though he had forgotten all about such a thing. She slid a door open for Kitajo, who did just as Gengyo had, and dumped his bags on the floor, before turning to her expectantly.

"...Right this way then."

She relented, leading them back to main dining area, where her counter was.

"We have grilled salmon... Rice balls... Steak... Pickled vegetables... Soup..."

She continued listing what they able to make off her fingers.

"How much for steak?"

He asked, cutting her off rudely.

"30 silver, sir."

At that, he made a pained expression, and instead inquired about the soup.

"Soup..?"

"10 silver for soup and rice."

"Can we have two of those please, and some tea?"

"Very good sir, 25 silver."

With a groan, he pulled a half-empty coin pouch out, and rooted through it, searching for the right amount of silver. It took time, but eventually, it was countered out.

A single swift motion, and that amount disappeared within her palm.

"Please have a seat wherever you like. Your food will come shortly."

She said with a bow, to thank them for their patronage, before she disappeared into another room.

Gengyo’s expression returned to normal once she had left, and picked out a table in a corner of the room, as far away from the rowdy drunk man as he could.

Acting did not come as naturally to him as it did Isabella, and he was glad of some reprieve.

"That was well done, Miura."

Kitajo said admirably, in a whisper. Because of his acting, those that he had interacted with assumed him to be poor. Had he produced a gold coin without flinching at each of their requests, that would have aroused some amount of attention.

"It was passable."

Gengyo agreed, genuinely looking forward to the meal to come. But he did not allow that longing to cloud his judgement, as he remembered their primary purpose for coming here: information. And so the two lapsed into silence, as they attempted to listen in on the conversation around them.

That, as it turned out, was not very hard. The only other table occupied was that of the drunken man, and his conversation was not exactly quiet.

He was not alone, either. In his company was a young man, around half his age, and there were two women, hanging on his every word, as he let loose a thousand boastful stories.

He wore a sword at his hip, and was clearly of some wealth, given by how he dressed, and how he was able to dine in such a place. He was certainly of the samurai class. The only thing left in question was whether he was a ronin or not.

"Haha, yes, I’ve been in many duels!"

"Woe..."

One of the women let loose an awed gasp, as she gazed up at him in admiration. The man next to him did not react, though his chest was constantly puffed out in pride. He was well aware of his master’s skill, that was the sole reason he had asked to be his apprentice. It was disappointing, however, as though he had served him for over a year, he had not yet been able to witness one of his fights. But he knew that was simply because there were very few people willing to fight him, because of his feared reputation.

"And you won them all?"

The woman asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"No..."

He intoned sadly, leading them on.

"I lost my first duel! But I haven’t lost one since, haha!"

He said cheerfully, bringing the sake to his lips, as he smacked them together, enjoying the liquid to the fullest.

"Ah! That hits the spot!"

"My... You really are strong."

The same woman continued to flirt with him, whilst the girl next to her simply continued to blink l.u.s.tfully toward him. Their intentions were obvious from their words, but as drunk as he was, he did not seem to mind. Perhaps even if he was sober, he would not care.

They were women of an inn, after all. They were inclined to sleep with all types of men as long as the coin reward was to their liking.

"Haha! Aye! And I’ll be stronger still after I gaze up at the steps of Menryo-ji tomorrow. But of course, that likely means it will take longer for me to find my match. But it matters not! Strength waits for no man."

He proclaimed, slamming his cup down passionately. He was seemingly rather excited.

"Your soup and rice..."

The same woman from earlier came in with a tray full of food to serve them. She placed the bowls in front of them, and offered them chopsticks to dine with.

"Thank you!"

Gengyo paid her very little attention with his thanks, as he was already digging in greedily, continuing his act from earlier. She held back a sigh, and left with the empty tray.

"It’s a shame, though. I haven’t been able to test my strength in years... So I don’t know how strong I currently am. When I become enlightened it might be difficult to compare the differences in strength."

The drink had greatly loosened his tongue as he let loose lamentations that he normally would not share with their likes. Or at least, he seemed to.

He swirled his glass, intent on evoking true emotion from women who were accustomed to the hearts and needs of men. It would be an achievement, he reckoned, to truly win one of their hearts. Theirs were the hardest hearts to win – hearts full of experience.

"You can always duel me, master."

His apprentice attempted to comfort him.

"No lad... It would not be the same. To put one’s life on the line for the sword – that is what I seek. Hahaha!"

He let loose a hearty laugh as though to disguise his emotion.

"Can you not challenge one of the guards? It would be an honour to see you fight..."

The quiet woman asked, looking up at him with big round eyes. It was the first time she had showed direct interest all evening, and his heart fluttered slightly at the look she gave him. She was certainly the prettier one of the two women.

The man averted his gaze, searching for a suitable way to turn her down, and then his gaze landed on Gengyo, eating his food messily as though he was an animal, still attempting to keep the façade of being a simple-minded travelling merchant who was low on coin.

"I have something better."

He announced loudly, so that Gengyo could hear, as he slowly got to his feet, stumbling slightly under the influence of the alcohol. But he soon regained his bearings, and after dusting off his kimono, he walked over confidently, with the eyes of his table members firmly pinned to his back, curious as to what would happen.

A hand found it’s way to Gengyo’s shoulder, and he twitched with irritation at the touch. He shot Kitajo a dark glance, letting him know how he felt about the matter.

"Excuse my intrusion."

Came his voice. The young man slowly turned round to meet his gaze. He set aside his merchant persona, and allowed his true emotion to be manifest on his face.

"Ah..."

The man gulped upon meeting his savage gaze. Those startlingly clear golden eyes bore down upon him, and he felt an immense pressure.

’...This is not an enemy I can face.’

Within seconds he came to that realization. He was no swordsman. It was a mere act that he had adopted in order to feel some degree of success.

But he could not back down here.

"D-do you wish to duel?"

He managed to spit out, hoping with all his heart that the man would decline.

"Fine."

Gengyo stood up.

"Ah... I did not mean now – on the morrow. I am... much too drunk."

He decided. The young man raised an eyebrow, but let it slide.

"Do as you want."

’Though if you do dare to come tomorrow, you will.’

He intoned. The attempt at disguising his wealth had been successful, but there were still rabbits who feigned to be foxes, and could sniff out that supposed weakness he was letting loose – it was a smell they were rather familiar with.