"I will never give up Swordsmanship!"
"I will keep wielding my sword, keep wielding it... until I can no longer hold it!"
Toshisuke finished speaking.
The room was instantly enveloped in a silence so profound that one could hear even the sound of breathing.
Chokata Mitsuo's eyes were wide open, lips slightly parted.
Chokata Rintaro, on the other hand, was initially startled and then wore a look of bewilderment, cautiously glancing back and forth between his wife and his sister-in-law with a worried expression.
Toshisuke fearlessly met Chokata Mitsuo's gaze.
His smile exuded an unembellished candidness and boldness.
Confronted with Toshisuke's utterly rebellious declaration, dismissing all her recent admonitions... Chokata Mitsuo did not fly into a rage, nor did she shout at Toshisuke.
She only silently pressed the hem of her kimono and sat once more at the bedside of Toshisuke.
