As soon as this statement came out, Nagakura Shinpachi was once again "fired" by curious eyes.
"Yes, yes! Captain Nagakura, it's rare to take a bath together, so I took this opportunity to tell us! Everyone is curious!"
"Ah? You guys are really boring! This kind of rumor is just a rumor made up by those guys who hate Niou-sama!"
"That's right! Don't you know? Nioh-sama has long been privately engaged with Sanako Chiba of the Chiba family...that is, with the captain of the seventh division! It is said that the two of them will get married soon!"
"That's right! Two years ago, Nioh-sama single-handedly attacked the Shimizu Residence, and then kissed Sanako Chiba in public. This beautiful story is still being circulated in the streets of Edo to this day!"
"But...at the beginning, I thought this was nonsense, but after seeing Nioh-sama and Captain Okita getting very close, I couldn't help but wonder if this rumor was really false!
"
"Could it be that...Nioh-sama is the kind of person who can be both male and female?"
"It's not unusual even if he is this kind of person. Aren't this kind of people always common?"
"Captain Okita is so good-looking, is it not surprising that Nioh-sama likes him?"
"I'm ashamed to say that even though I'm not a Taoist, after seeing Captain Okita's pretty face, I couldn't control myself..."
"Yeah, I can understand that, I feel the same way."
"Until the moment I saw Captain Okita, I didn't know that such a beautiful boy existed in this world."
"Captain Nagakura, you are an old friend of Niou-sama. You should know whether this rumor is true or false, right?"
…
When a lot of men get together, this situation can easily happen.
Men are never short of things to talk about.
Because they have an eternal topic: Sese.
No matter what kind of man he is, whether he is a weak scribe or a rough warrior, even if they have different hobbies, they can still talk happily about obscure topics.
The public, the indomitable heroes, the fresh and handsome young man, the love between the boss and his subordinates...the combination of these elements is so fascinating!
I don’t know since when, the rumor that “Aoto and Souji are lovers” suddenly spread within the Shinsengumi.
Although I don’t know who its origin came from, its birth can only be regarded as a matter of course.
After all, anyone who is not blind can see that the relationship between these two people is of great importance!
Qingbo obviously spent much longer time with Souji than with other men.
And Souji always looked at Qingden with a very gentle look, as gentle as if he was about to drip with water.
How can this scene and this situation not make people think about it?
However... one side is the general of the entire army, and the other side is the strongest swordsman under Qingto - who has the courage to openly discuss the relationship between these two men?
Ever since, this rumor has only been spread quietly in private.
At this moment, except for Nagakura Shinpachi, there were no other officers present in the huge bathroom - it was a good time to verify the authenticity of this matter!
The people making noises were mainly the soldiers of the Second Division.
Based on their sense of distance from Nagakura Shinpachi, it is not difficult to see that the relationship between the two parties is very close.
Nagakura Shinpachi's bold, upright, affectionate and righteous character is not only easy to make friends with, but also easy to control.
He never shows off or uses his power to bully others; he will scold you severely if you make a mistake, but he is really brave enough to get into trouble.
For example, in the "Kusunoki-gumi subjugation operation" a few days ago, Nagakura Shinpachi took the lead, leading the second division to attack fiercely, and even left the team members far behind because of the too fast attack speed.
Who would disrespect such a leader?
Nagakura Shinpachi's upright style created a great atmosphere within the second team.
In private, the soldiers of the Second Division can get along with him naturally.
Otherwise, they would not blatantly ask him about the privacy of their general.
Since just now, Nagakura Shinpachi's brows have been furrowed, forming a "chuan" character, as if he could pinch mosquitoes to death.
"Enough, this is all a mess!"
Saying that, Nagakura Shinpachi straightened up and cleared his throat.
"Listen up! How can Mr. Tachibana be a member of the Taoist community? He and Souji are just very close friends, not the kind of...relationship you are talking about...?"
The more Nagakura Shinpachi continued to speak, the weaker his tone became, and his tone dropped all the way, as if even he doubted the authenticity of what he said.
At the end of the sentence, the tone of the declarative sentence changed directly to the tone of the interrogative sentence, as if he was asking the soldiers in front of him, and he was also asking himself.
No wonder Nagakura Shinpachi is like this.
Even ordinary team members who are completely unfamiliar with Ayoto and Souji can tell that their relationship is unusual, let alone Nagakura Shinpachi, who lives under the same roof as these two people?
In fact, everyone in the Trial Guard Hall has long suspected their relationship!
In the beginning, any interaction between Ayoto and Souji was within the category of "very close friends".
After Aoto and Sanako kissed passionately in the street, "the Tachibana family will marry the Chiba family" became something that everyone firmly believed.
Although Aoshito has not yet married Sanako, everyone already regards Sanako as "Tachibana Sanako".
Therefore, no one even thinks about the relationship between Qingto and the General Secretary.
But gradually, no matter how slow and stupid the person is, he gradually realizes that something is wrong.
I don’t know when it started, but the relationship between these two people seems to be too close!
The two always go together together when they go out.
The two always sit side by side when eating.
The two of them would suddenly disappear while practicing swordplay in the dojo, and then reappear one after another - and then they would always have satisfied expressions on their faces.
There are so many of these.
Although Nagakura Shinpachi is a rough-and-tumble man, he is also a rough-and-tumble person.
According to his observation, if Qingto and Souji didn't have an affair... it would be absolutely impossible!
Although he respects Ayoto very much and subconsciously wants to protect Ayoto's personal image, no matter how much he deceives himself, he has to admit that in terms of lechery, Ayoto seems to be as good as Toshizo Hijikata...
In addition to Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Kazuo, Yamanan Keisuke, Toudo Heisuke... everyone - including the unclear Harada Sanosuke - all saw the unusual relationship between Aoto and Souji.
.
Because they didn't want the atmosphere in the trial hall to become strange from now on, everyone kept silent about the matter in a tacit understanding, and when they witnessed the two people's intimate behavior, they all pretended not to see it.
Nagakura Shinpachi's sudden silence naturally made the atmosphere in the room become weird.
Everyone exchanged glances and looked at each other.
Their eyes flashed with excitement, "I heard some important gossip!"
Their eyes convey this message:
Oh! It’s true!
Even Captain Nagakura acquiesced in the relationship between Niou-sama and Souji.
Nioh-sama is indeed a man of all virtues!
Nioh-sama has two tricks up his sleeve! The most beautiful woman in Edo, who has conquered the country, and the handsome young man who is as beautiful as a crown jewel, both ends are taken advantage of!
Nagakura Shinpachi belatedly realized that his silence had caused everyone's "carnival", so he quickly made up for it:
"Okay, okay! Stop talking about this kind of topic!"
"In short, you all have to remember! Mr. Tachibana is definitely not a man of common sense! His relationship with Souji is not unclear! They just have a very good relationship!"
"Don't talk about this topic again!"
As Nagakura Shinpachi spoke, he leaned back and changed into a more relaxed sitting position.
"Let's talk about something serious."
"What's wrong with each of you? Why are you all crying? Was today's training so hard?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Shimada Kui next to him:
"Akui, that's all the others, why do you look like you've lost all your fighting spirit?"
Shimada Kui smiled bitterly when he heard this.
"Xinpachi, I'm different from a genius like you...at the end of the day, I'm just an ordinary person."
Although Kui Shimada is ambitious, he is still self-aware of his abilities.
At the age of 18, Nagakura Shinpachi received the Shinto Muken-ryu Master's Certificate.
And the rank he has obtained so far is just the catalog level of the Heart-Shaped Sword Style...
He has always been in the company of geniuses, so he knows very well that his little weight is not worth mentioning.
Nagakura Shinpachi's question opened up everyone's conversation.
In an instant, there was a chorus of complaints:
"Captain Nagakura, it's not that I don't have ambition! But this training is too hard!"
"In addition to standing, we stand from morning to night. No one has ever trained like this before!"
"I will have to live like this from now on... To be honest, if it weren't for the delicious food, I would have wanted to apply to withdraw from the Shinsengumi..."
Nagakura Shinpachi remained silent, quietly watching the grumbling team members.
For a moment, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly:
"...Hey, do you want to hear about the past between me and Mr. Tachibana? Are you interested in knowing how we fought side by side in the past?"
Although they didn't quite understand why Nagakura Shinpachi suddenly changed the topic so abruptly, everyone's eyes lit up.
The past history of Nioh-sama and Captain Nagakura...this is really worth hearing!
Everyone fell silent, stood up straight, sat still, and looked at Nagakura Shinpachi expectantly.
Nagakura Shinpachi thought for a moment, coming up with words,
"My acquaintance with Mr. Tachibana... must start from an employment agency called 'Senshiya'."
Nagakura Shinpachi talks eloquently.
He talked from his first acquaintance with Aoto, to how he became Aoto's Okabiki, and then to how he, Aoto, Saitoichi, Toudo Heisuke and Harada Sanosuke worked together to fight against the surprise attack on Tibet.
The anti-barbarian group of the Shu Diao Institute, and the subsequent series of battles and security operations.
Nagakura Shinpachi's eloquence is by no means good, but he excels in his concise words, true events, and sincere emotions.
Shimada Kui and others were fascinated by what he heard.
After finishing talking about his past with Aomori, Nagakura Shinpachi paused for a few seconds before continuing:
"Mr. Tachibana...he is an amazing man."
"You are obviously younger than me, only 21 years old this year, but you are calmer and wiser than anyone else."
"When he drew his sword from its sheath, he was braver than anyone else."
"He has an incredible 'magic' that I don't know how to describe. This 'magic' has caused countless heroes to gather around him."
"A long time ago, I made up my mind: I will follow him for the rest of my life!"
"So I became a patron of the Imperial Guard Hall, and now I'm a general under his command."
"The reason for this is not to pursue fame and fortune."
"It's because... being able to fight side by side with such an upright man is a very happy thing in itself!"
"All I want in my life is the ultimate in swordsmanship and... a worthy death!"
Having said this, Nagakura Shinpachi raised his head and looked around at the people around him.
"Do you want to join me and fight with this man until the end of his life?"
As Nagakura Shinpachi finished speaking, some people were deeply inspired and nodded vigorously and emotionally.
Although some people have not spoken, their eyes have undergone significant changes. The confusion and hesitation have faded a lot, and have been replaced by a determined light.
"In that case, don't give up easily!"
Nagakura Shinpachi suddenly raised his voice.
"As far as I know, Mr. Tachibana never does anything stupid."
"Since he has designed this type of training content, he must have a deep intention."
"I am willing to always believe in him and always follow him!"
"Those who are traveling with us, please grit your teeth and catch up!"
After he finished speaking, he specifically turned his gaze and glanced at Kui Shimada beside him.
Then, he stood up, and water trickled down along the gaps between his muscles, which were like cracks in masonry.
"That's all I want to say. I'm done washing up and leaving first."
Shimada Kui blinked.
"Shinpachi, are you leaving so soon? Why don't you stay here for a while longer?"
Nagakura Shinpachi shrugged and said helplessly:
"I also want to hang out for a while longer, but... Mr. Orange said that he will have a small meeting at 4 o'clock in the evening (10 p.m.), so I can't stay any longer, so I'll take the first step."
After finishing speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi stepped out of the bath and strode away with a loud clang of birds.
Shimada Kui and others stared blankly at Nagakura Shinpachi's back.
Although his speech just now was not long, it had already left a deep imprint in everyone's hearts.
Of course, different people remember different things.
Some people remember Aoto's heroism and Nagakura Shinpachi's admiration for Aoto.
Others remembered the most critical piece of information——
"His Majesty Renwang is indeed a man of all virtues..."
…
…
Shinsengumi Residency, Conference Room——
"Sorry, I'm late."
Saying that, Nagakura Shinpachi pushed open the paper sliding door with a bang.
Harada Sanosuke said angrily:
"Shinpachi, you're late! I'm missing you!"
"I'm sorry, when I was taking a bath in the bathroom just now, I accidentally chatted a few words with the team members."
Nagakura Shinpachi apologized and quickly sat down in his seat.
In the conference room, the officers of the Shinsengumi gathered together.
Deputy Chief Hijikata Toshizo, Director Isamu Kondo, Chief Keisuke Yamanan, Staff Officer Hachiro Kiyokawa, and all the captains of the Battō Team have all arrived.
Qingdeng undoubtedly sat in the main seat, with his deputy commander, director, chief and staff officer sitting on his left and right respectively. As for the captains of the Ba Dao team, they sat in order according to the number of their respective units.
below.
Seeing that Nagakura Shinpachi had arrived and everyone was gathered, Qingden immediately said:
"Because it's late at night, I'll keep my story short."
"Prime Minister Yagi Gennosei of Mibu Township is willing to order uniforms and military flags for us free of charge."
"Since there is no need for money, there is no reason not to agree."
"Concerning the Shinsengumi uniforms—to be honest, I don't have a proper idea in mind."
"So... let's all work together to design the Shinsengumi's military uniforms!"
*******
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It took a lot of time to pay homage to my grandma. Bao Baozi worked overtime and pounded on the keyboard, and finally got out today’s update! (Bao Baozi’s head is in tears)
For the sake of Leopard Leopard's hard work, please be sure to vote for this book! (Leopard's head cries)
PS: Anyone who has heard a little bit about the Shinsengumi should know what kind of military uniforms Aomori and his friends will design next. Leopard posted an ukiyo-e depicting the Shinsengumi. For details, please see the paragraph on the right→
This chapter has been completed!