My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 20: Chapter 12: Chokata Toshisuke and the Copied Talent: [Sword Genius]_3

”Running around to protect civilians... that’s quite tiring, you know,” Aoto responded in a half-joking tone.

”If we can eliminate the villains and protect the civilians, then a little hardship and fatigue are worth it,” Chokata said, flashing Aoto a radiant smile once again.

Chokata seemed especially curious about Aoto’s ”police” identity, and he continued to ask Aoto:

”I’ve always been interested in the ’Rope Capture Skill’ passed down among the ’Three Times’!”

As Chokata spoke, he swung his arms in strange motions as if casting a spell.

”I once had the fortune of seeing a ’Three Times’ samurai capturing a thief on the street using the Rope Capture Skill.”

”When the thief threw a punch, that ’Three Times’ samurai raised his hand and captured the thief’s fist, then swiftly twisted the thief’s arms behind him and tied them up firmly with the capture rope.”

”It’s truly amazing to be able to tie someone’s hands at such speed.”

The Rope Capture Skill—an art passed down through generations in the government offices of the Edo Era, used to quickly bind thieves with a rope.

It’s one of the essential skills for the ’Three Times’ samurai responsible for maintaining public order.

”Original Tachibana Aoto” was quite adept at the Rope Capture Skill, so after inheriting his memories, Aoto became proficient in another Hand-to-Hand Combat skill.

”I’ve always wanted to ask you guys—how do you manage to instantly bind someone who was swinging a punch at you just a moment ago?”

Upon asking, Chokata blinked with curious eyes.

”Ah, well... how should I put it...” Aoto raised a hand to his chin, ”It’s hard to explain just by talking about it.”

”How about this—punch at me, and I’ll directly demonstrate how we bind someone attacking us in one go.”

Aoto stood up as he spoke, taking out a sleeve binder from his pocket.

[Note·Sleeve Binder: The sleeves of a Japanese kimono are very wide, making it inconvenient to do anything. So, before working, people often use a sleeve binder to tie up the kimono sleeves. The sleeve binder became an essential item for people going out during the Edo Era.]

Seeing Aoto ready to demonstrate, Chokata’s eyes showed even more anticipation.

”Should I just punch you directly?” Chokata stood upright.

”Yes, just come at me,” Aoto said, switching to a half-joking tone, ”But don’t punch too hard, my Rope Capture Skill isn’t that advanced. If you punch too forcefully, I might not be able to handle it.”

”Then... I’ll just pretend to be a frail old lady!” Chokata chuckled.

”There’s no need to act too weak. Alright, now you can punch.”

”Okay! Here I come!”

Chokata took a deep breath, then aimed a slightly lighter straight right punch at Aoto’s chest.

Instead of immediately countering Chokata, Aoto stepped aside to dodge the attack.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the perfect opportunity to bind Chokata securely at once.

Seeing the first punch miss, Chokata quickly retracted his fist and threw another punch at Aoto, but Aoto dodged again.

From Chokata’s actions, it was easy to see—he was entirely in a playful mood. He wasn’t using his full strength at all.

But perhaps due to his Swordsmanship training, Chokata’s positioning and attack angles were quite skilled, making it difficult for Aoto to find the best opportunity to counter.

It wasn’t until Chokata threw his fifth punch that Aoto finally seized the perfect chance to counter—

As Chokata’s small fist was about to hit Aoto’s chest, Aoto, following the Rope Capture Skill techniques from the ”Original Tachibana Aoto” memories, quickly sidestepped. He then pulled Chokata’s right fist and left hand behind him, deftly binding Chokata’s hands securely with the sleeve binder.

How about it? How does it feel to be arrested by a ’Three Times’ samurai—Aoto wanted to jokingly say to Chokata.

But just as he opened his mouth, a series of system sounds in his mind made Aoto feel as if he’d been struck by lightning, leaving him stunned on the spot.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: ”Sword Genius”]

[Talent introduction: Swordsmanship Talent Amplification is 50 times the average level of ordinary people]

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