"Miss Sanako, I finally found you..."
Qingden smiled helplessly and walked slowly towards Sanako.
"Tachibana-kun?" Sanako looked surprised, "Why are you here?"
Perhaps because she felt that it was rude to expose her thighs in front of outsiders, Sanako lifted her straight thighs, which were so white and tender that they glowed bluish-white under the moonlight, from the river, took out the pocket paper, and wiped her feet and calves.
then put on the white socks, tightened the clogs, straightened the hem of the hakama with one hand, and stood up with the other hand supporting the ground.
"After I just met Mr. Jutaro and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun at Ryogoku Bridge, I learned from Mr. Jutaro that you have been missing since this afternoon."
"Although you left a letter to report that you are safe, Mr. Jutaro...and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun and I are all very worried about you, so we don't care about any swordsmanship or martial arts."
"Let's spread out and go to the places you often go to look for you."
"This morning, you told me that this river bank is your 'secret treasure', so I wondered if you would be here... I'm so lucky, I didn't expect that I would find you here.
Already."
When he finished speaking, Qingto happened to be in front of Sanako.
"Meeting my elder brother and fourth cousin at Ryogoku Bridge? Swordsmanship and martial arts?" Sanako slightly raised his chin and gave Qingtou a confused look.
"Huh?" Aoto, who noticed the change in Sanako's eyes, tilted his head, "Ms. Sanako, didn't Mr. Jutaro tell you? I will also participate in the swordsmanship show at Ryogoku Bridge tonight."
Sanako really doesn't know.
Chiba Jutaro originally planned to confess to Sanako this afternoon the fact that "Aoto will also come to perform swordsmanship tonight."
However, throughout the whole day today, Sanako never saw Chiba Jutaro again except when he got up and briefly returned home at noon. Therefore, Chiba Jutaro was unable to tell the matter.
Tell Sanako.
"?!" Sanako's beautiful eyes shone with surprise.
Immediately afterwards, as if she had figured out something, her eyelids lowered slightly, showing a vague arc of helplessness.
"Brother...it turns out to be like this..."
After murmuring like this with a soft voice like breathing, Sanako closed her eyes, raised her head, took a deep breath, and then turned around, facing the silver glow of countless moonlights.
The dancing river faces Qingdeng.
"... Mr. Ju, I'm sorry that I bothered you to look for me. I'm really ashamed."
"Although it's rude to say this... but can you please stay away for a while?"
"Now...I want to watch the moon alone here for a while."
"Please go back and tell your brother and your fourth cousin: Don't worry about me, and don't go looking for me anymore. I will go home before the moon reaches its highest point."
Qingdeng: "..."
After Sanako's words fell, Qingto's facial lines that had just relaxed due to the successful finding of Sanako became tense again.
Is it a problem with the light? Or is it a problem with the viewing angle...?
Qingden always felt that Sanako's back at this moment... was much more delicate than usual...
He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say something to Sanako, but he couldn't spit out even a single word.
I have nothing to say...my mind is blank...even though I have racked my brains desperately, I still can't think of a word that applies to the current situation.
The difficulties Sanako faced were more severe and cruel than the ones Souji was facing now.
No, what Sanako faces cannot be summed up as a "difficulty"...it should be more accurately described as a "desperate situation".
Souji's sister just didn't allow her to practice martial arts anymore, while Sanako's future martial arts achievements were directly sentenced to death...
Qingto also knew what kind of feelings Sanako had towards martial arts.
Being abandoned by the things that he had been fighting for for most of his life... To be honest, it was hard for Qingto to say that he could empathize with the situation that Sanako was currently facing.
After all, he is not as passionate about martial arts as Sanako.
"Martial arts achievements stop here"... This kind of thing will not happen to Qingdeng for a long time in the foreseeable future.
If it is difficult to put yourself in other people's shoes and understand their feelings, any words of comfort you say will lose their power.
Telling people who value "results" "Don't take results so seriously, cheer up"... This kind of casual kindness is often more heartbreaking than pure malice.
In particular, Qingtou still remembers what he said to Sanako a few days ago... when he was facing off against the heroes of the Little Chiba Sword Hall.
An achievement that everyone applauds heartily.
At this moment, looking back at this statement, I feel full of irony...
The time in this space seems to have frozen at this moment.
Sanako looked at the river quietly without saying a word.
Qingdeng, who didn't know what to say or what to say now, tried repeatedly to say something, but until now he still couldn't form a single sentence.
It's strange... Looking at Sanako's soft and frail back, which felt like it would break into two pieces with just a slight break, Qingden could only feel something "something" rising up from the depths of his heart -
—a strong emotion.
Qingdeng knew what this emotion was called.
Anyone who is a normal human should know the name of this emotion.
This is the emotion called "sadness".
Why did he feel sad when he saw Sanako's frail back at this time? Qingden had no time to think about this problem at the moment.
Everything is good, he wants to do something for Sanako - driven by this strong impulse from his mind, Qingto has no spare time to pay more attention to himself and the outside world except for this "impulse".
of anything.
At this moment, the night wind brought a series of noisy sounds.
This string of sounds was very light, indistinct... but it was still keenly captured by Qingden, who has the "perceiver of wind" - this is the unique sound caused by the gathering of people.
Noise.
Sanako's "secret treasure land" happens to be located on a small high ground where you can overlook Edo from a high position.
In Qingdeng, I turned my head following the commotion and saw a dense light in the distance.
That is Ryogoku Bridge...that is, the direction of the fireworks display site.
"..."
Qingdeng's eyes widened slightly, and he pursed his lips as if he had realized something.
"...Ms. Sanako."
Then, he focused his attention on Sanako again.
"Please come with me. I will take you to see some good things."
Sanako turned her face silently and looked at Qingden with a confused look in her eyes.
Before she could say anything, she felt her left wrist being clamped by an iron pliers - Qingden raised his big hand unceremoniously, grabbed Sanako's left wrist, and then pulled her directly without any explanation.
We strode towards Edo.
"Huh? Wait, wait a minute!"
Qingden's sudden and strange behavior caused a trace of panic to flash across Sanako's cheeks unconsciously.
"Where are you taking me?"
Sanako subconsciously leaned back, trying to resist Qingden's pull.
But in terms of strength, how could she be a match for Qingdeng, who is both a man and full of muscles?
After struggling for a while, except for causing great pain to my wrist, nothing came of it.
"Where to go... we'll keep it a secret for now."
Qingden, who had no intention of letting go, turned his head and smiled at Sanako.
"When you reach your destination, you will know where you are going. The place I want to take you to is not very far from here and you will be there soon."
After a short while, Aoto dragged Sanako back to Edo and came to the street where pedestrians were gradually appearing.
A young warrior dragging a beautiful woman striding down the street... Such a strange sight attracted a lot of strange eyes.
Sanako As a general, Yamato Nadeshiko, who values etiquette and image very seriously, how could she bear the attention of others like this?
"I see."
Sanako quickly said to Qingden.
"I'll just go with you, don't hold my hand anymore."
Seeing that Sanazi did not seem to have any intention of running away when he let go of his hand, Qingden nodded, let go of Sanazi's wrist.
Sanako gently rubbed his finally free Hao wrist a few times, then raised his eyes and looked at Qingden's back with a slight frown.
"Tachibana-kun, seriously...where are you taking me?"
Sanako walked a few steps faster and walked side by side with Qingto.
"I've said it all, let's keep it a secret for now." Qingdeng smiled mysteriously, "When we get to the destination, you'll know where I'm going to take you."
"...You must never take me to any strange places."
"No. The place I want you to go to is serious. It is a place where men, women, old and young can pass freely."
While talking with Qingdeng, Sanazi suddenly heard the sound of people in front of him.
As she and Qingto walked forward, they heard the noise getting louder and louder, and looked at the surrounding streets... Sanako suddenly seemed to have guessed the purpose of her and Qingto's trip.
A clear expression of where the earth is.
"We're here." Qingden said abruptly with a smile.
Sanako raised his eyes and looked forward.
The complex and colorful lively scene unfolded before Sanako's eyes in a compelling manner that made it difficult to look away.
What you see is a sea of brilliant lights, row upon row of shops and vendors, and a sea of bustling people.
What I hear in my ears are various accents from all over the world; the cadences of the merchants hawking; and the performances of entertainers who are full of praise.
What you smell in front of your nose is the mouth-watering aroma of food and wine; the sour and unpleasant odor of body sweat; and the spicy and pungent smell of gunpowder.
This is the venue where the fireworks display is held.
"Tachibana-kun, you...do you want to take me to watch the fireworks display?" Sanako asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Qingden nodded without thinking, then lowered his head and said to Sanako, "This is an annual festival... If I don't come and have a good time, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"
"...Tachibana-kun." Sanako looked at the lively scene beside him, then looked at Qingto in front of him, his red lips slightly flattened, "I..."
"Miss Sanako."
Qingto seemed to have anticipated what Sanako would say. Just when Sanako could say "I", he interrupted him:
"Just now... when Jutaro said that you were missing, I told Mr. Jutaro and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun that you suddenly came to me for discussion this morning."
"After learning of your whereabouts this morning, Mr. Jutaro showed a worried expression."
"Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun and I saw this and asked him if he knew anything."
"Then...he briefly described to me and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun the entire conversation between him and your father last night, as well as the whole story that you may have heard."
"!" Sanako's pupils shrank slightly, and her beautiful eyes widened a bit, flashing with a complicated light that was dominated by shock.
Qingdeng pretended not to notice the change in Sanako's expression and continued to talk to himself:
"To be honest, an incident of this level is beyond the scope of what an outsider like me can get involved in."
"But even so, even a little bit, I want to do my best to do something for you."
"Even if it just makes you feel better, I'll be satisfied."
"Your second cousin... Chiba Eijiro once said to me: When you are confused and don't know what to do, you might as well try to change your mood."
"Try a life you've never experienced before."
“Go to places that you rarely go to or have never been to before.”
"As long as your mood gets better, maybe many problems can be solved naturally."
"I think Chiba Eijiro-kun's theory is very reasonable."
Having said this, Qingden paused for a moment, and then showed a peaceful smile to Sanako.
"This year's fireworks display only lasts tonight and tomorrow night."
"If you miss these two days, you will have to wait until next year to experience such a lively celebration again."
"Miss Sanako, please temporarily break away from the 'secret treasure land' you are used to staying in tonight."
"Tonight, just think about nothing and enjoy this annual summer celebration."
As if hearing something unexpected and unexpected, Sanako looked at Ayoto with an expression full of elusive emotions.
After a while, she seemed to be amused by Qingdeng's words just now, and a half-smile appeared on her cheeks.
"You brought me to the fireworks display just to make me happy..." She said in a half-joking tone, "What if I not only don't become happy, but instead become more depressed?"
"Well, this is..."
Qingden gently scratched the hair on the back of his head, then sneered as if he was embarrassed, and blurted out subconsciously:
"I don't dare to say that what I do tonight will definitely make you feel better."
"But I can at least promise you that I will stay with you tonight until you are willing to smile."
Sanako's body trembled slightly...with a dumbfounded look on his face, his wandering eyes swaying repeatedly on Qingden's face, chest, his hands folded in front of him, and the ground in front of his toes.
Not only Sanako was stunned.
Qingdeng also showed a dazed expression at this moment.
——What were I talking about just now...?!
At this moment, Qingdeng's heart was turbulent.
What he just said... basically went through his head!
They are all words that blurt out unconsciously as soon as they are formed in the mind.
It wasn't until he finished speaking that Qingto realized that he seemed to have said some ambiguous words to Sanako that were not qualified for their current relationship...
At this moment, Qingden recalled Kinoshita Mai's pretty face...
There is a strange feeling of guilt that creeps into Qingdeng's heart...
The two people, who looked dazed at the same time, both fell silent... However, before the atmosphere around them became strange, Sanako, who had been standing next to Aoden since just now, suddenly made a move.
She folded her hands in front of her body and moved forward, towards the dense flow of people in front, and towards the world surrounded by candlelight.
Qingdeng, who was still standing there, stared blankly at the beautiful figure gradually blending into the sea of lights.
"……What's wrong?"
Sanako stopped, turned his upper body slightly, and looked at Qingto with the left side of his face.
The clear dawn and flickering candlelight shone from behind her.
The dazzling light, although keeping Sanako's figure in relative darkness, also perfectly outlined Sanako's extraordinary body curves.
"Didn't you say you would stay with me until I am happy?"
Although Sanako's face was in shadow, and because she only showed half of her face to Qingto, Qingto could not clearly see the changes in her facial expressions.
But he could vaguely see a hint of embarrassment and anger appearing on Sanako's cheeks.
The legs suddenly "moved on their own."
Qingden took two steps quickly, keeping up with Sanako's pace.
The two walked slowly...the backs of one big and one small were covered with a hazy film of light in the company of the moonlight and candlelight.
…
…
Traveling with Sanako... is the first time.
He was obviously very familiar with Sanako, but now he couldn't explain why, and he had no idea what to talk to Sanako next to him.
The same was true for Sanako. She didn't say a word the whole time and just stayed by Qingden's side quietly.
The two of them were silent the whole time, wandering aimlessly around the fireworks display venue.
But it doesn't feel boring or dull either.
Although he had been mentally prepared, Sanako's popularity far exceeded Qingto's expectations.
…
"Hey, look at that woman, she's so beautiful."
"Eh? Isn't this Chiba Sanako?"
"Chiba Sanako? That 'Chiba's ghost town'?"
"Oh, it's really her. Oh, I really can't get tired of looking at her face."
…
No matter where they go, there are a lot of eyes focused on them from all directions.
Most of the owners of these gazes actually don't know who the beautiful woman in front of them is, and they don't care who she is. They just want to admire the beauty with their astringent eyes.
Comparatively speaking, the attention paid to Ayoto, the "Nioh", has become much smaller. Both men and women only focus on seeing Sanako.
Forced by Sanako's popularity, Qingto couldn't help but murmured: "If this continues, it will be difficult to move forward..."
Although no one has come forward to harass them so far, but being watched by people like animals in a zoo will eventually make people feel very uncomfortable.
"I'm going to buy a mask to cover my face." Although Sanako had long been used to being watched by people, the current situation of being watched by dozens or dozens of people was beyond her endurance.
Qingden turned around and looked at Sanako carefully from head to toe.
"...Miss Sanako, I think you should change your clothes."
"Huh?" Sanako blinked a few times in confusion.
"Your kendo uniform is too conspicuous. Even if you cover your face with a mask, there will definitely be many people looking at us curiously."
Hearing Qingden say this, Sanako raised his head and looked around.
Everywhere you look, girls are wearing colorful and fancy yukatas.
Indeed, as Qingto said, she looked very out of place in this place wearing women's kendo uniform.
At this time, Qingdeng suddenly noticed that there was a Wufu shop not far ahead.
This Wufu shop has a big banner at the door, with a line of big characters written on it: Yukata for rent.
"...Miss Sanako." Qingden smiled at Sanako, "Shall we rent a yukata?"
…
…
Aoto, who was waiting quietly for Sanako to change into a yukata in the Wufu shop, folded his hands and put them on the scabbard of the Ding Kishin. The index finger of his right hand quickly tapped the sword tangent with an impatient frequency, making a "knock, knock, knock, knock" sound.
.
It's a bit hard to say... Qingdeng feels very anxious now.
Because he was anxious to see Sanako in her yukata.
He had never seen Sanako wearing a yukata.
Sanako, who has a serious and somewhat old-fashioned temperament, dresses quite dignified on weekdays and never wears casual clothes like a yukata.
In fact, Aoto just now used the reason "if we don't change clothes, we will be too conspicuous". Akatsuki was moved by emotion and reason, and finally persuaded Sanako to go to this Wufu store to rent one.
bathrobe.
Obviously I don't have any special preference for yukata as a clothing item...but for some reason, I just look forward to seeing Sanako wearing a yukata soon.
When he thought that he would be able to see Sanako in a yukata later... Qingto was anxious, but he also felt very much looking forward to it.
However... while feeling anxious and looking forward to it, guilt surged up in Qingdeng's heart again...
Kinoshita Mai's pretty face appeared in Qingden's mind again...
"..." Qingdeng silently closed his eyes, clenched his right fist, and repeatedly tapped his forehead with the flat of his fist as if knocking on a door.
When I first woke up this morning, I was still dreaming about rushing to Senshiya in one breath and hugging Mai Kinoshita into my arms. But within 12 hours, I began to look forward to seeing Sanako put on a yukata.
.
Qingdeng vaguely felt that what he did seemed a bit unethical...
Just when Qingdeng was falling into particularly strong self-criticism——
"Ah Mo, did you know? Those anti-foreign patriots who keep talking about 'repelling the foreigners' have made big moves recently."
"A big move? What big move? Is there another radical association like the 'anti-barbarian group'?"
Anti-foreigners... Qingdeng, who had just fought a desperate battle with a group of anti-foreigners more than two months ago, was particularly sensitive to this term.
Not caring about "self-criticism" anymore, Qingdeng quickly followed the sound.
The two people talking were a young man and woman standing side by side under the eaves of a shop not far away, munching on the steaming Dorayaki.
The man did not carry a sword and had a civilian hairstyle.
The woman has an average appearance, and both her face and manner exude the rustic air of a village girl.
Free love is more common among civilians who are less disciplined by ethics and education.
Qingdeng thought to himself that this man and woman should be a couple taking advantage of this grand ceremony to go on a date together.
There is a saying that when he heard that the man used political topics as an introduction to the conversation, Qingdeng's expression became strange uncontrollably.
Talking about politics with a girl...how is this different from talking about destroyers with a girl?
Qingdeng couldn't help but recall a friend from his previous life: I don't know what was wrong with that person, but every time he went on a blind date, he loved to talk to his date about how the aircraft carrier battle group performed combat missions, and why the aircraft carrier was the crown jewel of the country.
Heavy weapons, what is the difference between a destroyer and a cruiser...
Qingdeng originally thought that the woman would be uninterested in the topic of "anti-barbarian patriots" raised by the man.
But who would have expected that the woman actually looked very interested.
"It's not that a new 'anti-barbarian group' has appeared, but that those guys who keep saying 'anti-barbarian' and call themselves 'patriots' have become smarter...or in other words, they have become more cunning."
The man talked eloquently.
"Today, the emperor hates the barbarians very much. He has urged the shogunate several times to quickly launch anti-barbarian operations and expel all barbarians who have landed on our land without leaving a trace."
"Many people with anti-barbarian ideals saw clearly the current emperor's dislike of the barbarians, and on the grounds of 'it is their duty to share the worries of the Holy One', they used the slogan that Duke Huan of Qi used to rally people when he dominated the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period of the Tang Dynasty:'
'Respect the king and reject the barbarians', and began to change his name to 'respect the king and reject the barbarians'."
The so-called "Emperor Today" is the honorific title given to the current Emperor.
The woman who listened quietly to the man's story said in confusion:
"I just changed my slogan and my name...it doesn't seem to be a big deal."
"You don't understand this." The man grinned, "The difference is huge. Let's put it this way, if the patriots who fought against the foreigners in the past were just a piece of loose sand, then with the banner of 'respecting the king and fighting against the foreigners'
Now, they have the opportunity and ability to gather together to form a mountain. Ah, we have finished eating the Dorayaki, and I seem a little bit hungry. Let's go buy some more delicious food."
"Well, let's go."
The young couple walked away.
When leaving, the man continued to explain eloquently to the woman why the patriots who fought against the foreigners would be transformed as if they had been reborn after they raised the slogan of "respecting the king and fighting against the foreigners", while the woman listened with fascination.
Qingdeng watched the couple leave silently, frowning.
——Respect the king and fight against the barbarians...
Qingden suddenly realized that his life had been too comfortable recently. Every day he spent time in four places that gave people a sense of warmth: the Trial Guard Hall, the Thousand Things House, the Little Chiba Sword Hall, and Elodie's house.
The days that were too comfortable made Qingdeng unconsciously ignore that the current world is full of chaos and blood.
Unknowingly, the "rejection faction" evolved...
Taking the current emperor's dislike of the barbarians as legal support, it gained political soil and theoretical support.
Don't underestimate these two things.
For an organization or a force, the presence or absence of these two things can be said to be a qualitative difference.
Although the man just now is a civilian, his vision and knowledge are very good. What he just said is basically correct.
Although the real power to rule the country is in the hands of the shogunate, the emperor's clan has an unparalleled cultural influence that has existed for thousands of years.
With the emperor as the platform behind them, the anti-barbarian patriots chanted the political slogan "Respect the king and repel the barbarians". This was equivalent to obtaining a banner with a clear program of action that could gather people's hearts, and the ability to leap onto the political stage...
Qingdeng couldn't help but care about the evolution of those who fought against the foreigners.
After all, it will take some time... On November 1st, he will officially take office and become the new captain of the third division of the Fire Thief Kai team and the leader of the seventh division of the starting bow team.
By then, I might have more frequent contact with anti-foreign patriots than when I was on duty at Beifan Station...
Qingdeng's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
However, suddenly——
"Tachibana-kun...I've changed my clothes."
Sanako's... somewhat squirming voice came from behind.
Qingden, whose thoughts were interrupted, frowned, turned around and looked behind him.
The next moment his eyes turned to the back... Lao Shizi, who was reflecting on his "immoral behavior" tonight, self-critically disappeared in an instant.
*******
*******
Ding! Qingdeng successfully achieved the achievement: 2 ship jumps! Congratulations, congratulations~
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ps: Don’t imitate Qingdeng in real life. Someone will chop you to death with a hatchet.
This chapter has been completed!