By the time Gintoki, Kagura, Shinpachi, and the Shinsengumi finished off the Naraku forces sent to destroy the Shinsengumi, it was already dusk. Despite most of the soldiers being exhausted, they received orders from Matsudaira to head straight to Edo Castle without rest.

On the way...

After hearing Matsudaira's explanation, Kondo's face showed disbelief. "What?! You're saying this whole mess was orchestrated by Lord Dingding alone?! But why?! Isn't he the Shogun's uncle? Hasn't he always silently supported the Shogun from behind the scenes, resisting other factions?"

Matsudaira, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, stared resolutely ahead at Edo Castle's gates in the distance, his expression grim.

"He probably couldn't handle seeing his puppet develop thoughts and actions of its own, so he lost his composure and decided to step into the spotlight."

"Tch," Hijikata scowled. "So we were almost wiped out by one of our own. That's seriously annoying."

"It wasn't just us…" Matsudaira shook his head. "There were also the Mimawarigumi brought into the castle, and... key figures from the Hitotsubashi faction. Lord Dingding planned to clean out the Hitotsubashi faction completely. And of course... what's now the Shige faction."

"And us... we belong to…" Hijikata cast a sideways glance at Matsudaira.

"Obviously, we're part of the 'Nightclub Old Man' faction!" Matsudaira proudly pointed to himself, then sighed. "Honestly, barging in while I was having a good time with the hostess at the club—no manners at all."

"If you really got assassinated while you were out partying, it would go down in history as a cautionary tale for future generations," Hijikata muttered. "Dying in a bar while indulging would make a great lesson in textbooks."

Sougo, who had been bickering with Kagura, suddenly turned to Matsudaira and suggested, "Old man, let's use Hijikata's head as payment for the commission fee. Seems fair."

Hijikata's temper flared instantly. "What did you say?! Do you want me to cut you down right now, Sougo?!"

"I don't want some dirty head as payment," Gintoki grumbled, flicking off some dirt from his pinky. "Just hand over the commission fee when this job's done."

"Whose head are you calling dirty?!" Hijikata fumed, veins popping. "If anyone's head is filthy, it's yours, with that natural perm! It looks so grimy no one would want to touch it!"

"Don't underestimate Gin-chan's head!" Kagura complained, wiping her nose and smearing the snot onto Gintoki's hair. "Gin-chan's head isn't dirty at all! He washes it every now and then!"

"That's not convincing at all!" Hijikata shouted, pointing at Gintoki's head. "You literally just wiped your snot on it! Anyone who sees that would be grossed out!"

"What?!" Gintoki, startled, raised his fist and whacked Kagura on the head. "Don't go wiping stuff like that on me!"

"Enough!" Matsudaira shouted, his tiny voice filled with fury. He turned back toward Edo Castle, gritting his teeth. "Dingding, you bastard… You nearly killed my beloved Ayane. Even if you are the Shogun's uncle, I won't let you off easily!"

"Old man, isn't your hatred for Lord Dingding a little misplaced?" Kondo muttered. "And why are we moving so slowly? Isn't the Shogun in danger? Shouldn't we hurry up?"

Matsudaira glanced sideways at Kagura, who had started bickering with Sougo again. "There's no need to worry about that side."

"Huh? What are you saying, old man?" Kondo asked, panic rising. "We've faced so many of Dingding's hidden guards and countless Naraku forces. The Shogun's side must be even more dangerous! We need to get there fast!"

"Relax. There's no fight waiting for you over there," Gintoki said lazily. "That idiot isn't the type to leave the fun fights to others."

"That guy?" Kondo asked, confused.

…

When they arrived at the tightly closed gates of Edo Castle, with no one guarding it, everyone except Gintoki felt a foreboding sense of dread.

For some reason, they all had the same feeling—that this deathly silent castle had become a place no human should enter, an actual hell.

They all had the sense that opening those gates would reveal a sight they could never forget.

Gintoki, unfazed, stepped forward and reached out to push the unguarded gate open. However, at that crucial moment, they heard footsteps approaching from inside, growing louder.

Everyone swallowed nervously and tightened their grip on their weapons.

Clack, clack, clack.

Judging by the sound, it was just one person. But those calm, deliberate footsteps carried a weight and pressure that far exceeded that of a marching army.

Everyone, except for Gintoki's group and Rokuro Mukuro, stood on high alert, weapons ready, eyes locked on the door.

Creak...

As the footsteps stopped, the gate slowly opened, and at that moment, everyone's heart leapt into their throat.

Especially as the scent of blood wafted out from the barely cracked door.

"Huh?" Kawaki, stepping out, looked at the tense Shinsengumi members and the Yorozuya trio, confused. "Why are you guys here?"

Immediately, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Isn't that... the boss of Yoshiwara?" Yamazaki murmured. "Wait, why is the boss of Yoshiwara here in Edo Castle?"

"I just…" Kawaki began but then noticed Rokuro Mukuro standing nearby and sighed. "Old man, underestimating people is never a good idea. Go settle your debt. There's nothing holding you back here anymore."

Rokuro Mukuro's eyes widened in disbelief as he realised what Kawaki meant. "You... you mean…"

"Anyway, hurry up and go. If you go back into that castle now, it won't be so easy to get out," Kawaki said nonchalantly. "After all, the guys in there are a bunch of petty, chicken-eyed cops."

"You mean Lord Sasaki and the others are still…" Rokuro Mukuro began but was interrupted by Sasaki himself, who had somehow appeared at the front of the Mimawarigumi group behind Kawaki.

"Thank goodness," Sasaki said, looking at Rokuro Mukuro. "We almost failed to deliver our report. If you had left, we would've been blamed. But it seems you never stepped outside the castle, so…"

"No, he has stepped out," Kawaki interrupted, glancing sideways at Sasaki. "I sent him out myself. Handle the accountability on your own."

Hearing this, Nobume, who was standing next to Sasaki, rushed toward Kawaki, sword drawn.

But…

Thud!

Kawaki stuck out his foot, causing Nobume to trip and fall flat on the ground. Kawaki smiled, squinting his eyes. "You know, from the moment I saw you…"

"Oh, I see," Sasaki cut him off. "Love at first sight, was it? In that case, I'll take responsibility for Nobume and propose the marriage. How about tomorrow? If not, we can exchange email addresses and set another date."

Before Kawaki could respond, Kagura had already pulled out her phone and started calling her mother. "Moshi moshi, Mama! Uncle's getting married soon, aru! Ah! Ow!"

"Don't say weird stuff!" Kawaki scolded her, smacking her on the head before taking the phone. With a sweet, polite tone, he spoke to the receiver. "No, no, Sis, there's no wedding. Kagura was just making things up. Yes, I'll let you know when I have a girlfriend. Bye now~"

After hanging up, Kawaki wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief, only to notice everyone staring at him in disbelief.

Unfazed, he turned back to Nobume, who was just getting up, her nose red from the fall, and smiled. "For some reason, I feel like your face really suits the clumsy tripping type. Don't you all agree?"

"Boss, clumsy, klutzy characters aren't trendy anymore," Sougo said, shrugging. "That trope is so outdated, back when Otae was using it."

"Shut your mouth!" Kawaki snapped, then smiled again. "But I really think this Nobu... whatever her name is, suits being a klutz…"

As he said this, Kawaki tilted his head slightly, dodging another strike from Nobume's sword.

Thud!

Once again, Nobume fell face-first onto the ground.

Watching Nobume sprawled out, Sougo scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, maybe it does suit her, Boss. But it's too soon to decide. We need to see her trip from a few more angles to make a proper judgment."

"That's such an old trope, aru!" Kagura scoffed, folding her arms. "In this day and age, clumsy and ditzy characters are totally out of style! It's not even a little refreshing anymore!"

"This idiot has had terrible taste in women since forever," Gintoki whispered to Kagura. "Did you know? He used to dream about the most cliché girls from romance manga. Back in the day, he even—"

"What are you whispering about over there?" Kawaki asked flatly while dodging another strike from Nobume.

Thud!

This time, Nobume tripped and fell sideways.

Seeing her fall again, Sougo gave an earnest critique. "Hmm, the expression was a bit off that time. When you trip, you need to have that 'oops' look. Keep trying."

Nobume stood up, glaring at Kawaki. So fast… I couldn't catch his movements at all. Not just his foot but his speed…

Before she could finish her thought, her foot slipped on a stone, and she stumbled backwards again.

Thud!

"Now that's the right look!" Sougo praised. "The expression was almost perfect that time! You've got a real knack for this!"

As Nobume got up, she stared intently at Kawaki. Two stones… one rolled under my foot, the other hit my knee. When did he…

"Haha…" Kagura suddenly snickered, covering her mouth and looking at Kawaki mischievously. "I can't believe Uncle once had a dream about running into a girl in the hallway on his first day as a transfer student and knocking her down, haha…"

"Your allowance for next month is halved," Kawaki said flatly.

"Ah! No fair!" Kagura pouted.

"Alright, let's head back," Kawaki said, stretching as he stepped through the castle gates, knocking Kagura lightly on the head. "You're coming too."

"Eh?! Why do I have to go back too?" Kagura whined, rubbing her head. "I wanted to play with Tsukuyo-chan some more, aru…"

Just then, Sasaki, noticing that Rokuro Mukuro had disappeared, muttered, "Well, well. Looks like the mouse managed to escape again. Guess I really will have my pay docked this time."

"What are you talking about?" Kawaki, dragging Kagura by the arm, waved dismissively without turning around. "You just scored big by protecting the Shogun. Losing a little sand while finding a jewel on the beach is no big deal. Don't be such a worrywart, you lecherous cop. Of course, if you want to hold onto every grain of sand and the jewel, you'll need a smaller jewel…"

"Sorry, but I'm not in the habit of giving away jewels I've already claimed," Sasaki replied. "And… it's 'elite.'"

Kawaki didn't respond. He just started walking ahead. But before he could leave, Gintoki asked him a question.

"Why did you come here in the first place?"

"To settle an old debt for a courtesan whose wages were withheld," Kawaki replied casually as he continued walking away.

As they watched him leave, Gintoki seemed deep in thought.

"I almost forgot we were still on guard duty," Sasaki suddenly said, as if remembering something. "Time to close the gates. We can't let any suspicious characters in this time."

"Sasaki…" Matsudaira began, but Sasaki cut him off.

"Matsudaira-san, the duty of guarding Edo Castle has nothing to do with the Shinsengumi. Please don't make this difficult for me. After all, our job is to clear out any suspicious individuals attempting to enter the castle."

Hijikata immediately scowled, but before he could act, Kondo held him back.

"Sasaki, is everything inside the castle taken care of?" Matsudaira asked.

"All the assassins were torn apart by a certain beast passing through. The mastermind behind the assassination plot… has already been dealt with and locked up in the castle's dungeon by us, the elite, who are different from the likes of you."

"You used that idiot, didn't you?" Gintoki glared at Sasaki.

"Hard to say. In the end… I'm not sure who really won. It seems like everyone lost," Sasaki replied.