!【6600】

Kinoshita Mai was seen wearing a bright red dress as always. Because she was short, in order to better see Aoden in the crowd, she tried to stand on tiptoe with her little feet covered with plain white socks and cute red button clogs.

The situation of Boss Kiryu is very similar to that of Chiba Jutaro.

He, who accompanied Kinoshita Mai to see off Qingto, stood behind Kinoshita Mai with his arms slightly outstretched, like a solid stone statue and a loyal guard, blocking the flow of all approaching people for Kinoshita Mai.

No matter who he was, there was nothing he could do to move the old man's body.

Thanks to the protection of Boss Kiryu, Kinoshita Mai did not feel crowded even though she was surrounded by mountains and seas. There was a narrow "vacuum zone" around her.

After Kinoshita Mai discovered Aoden, a happy smile immediately broke out on her round, white face.

"Qingden!"

She raised her hand vigorously and waved, trying to attract Qingdeng's attention as soon as possible.

However, before Qingdeng's eyes came over, a certain woman's eyes came first.

"..." When Sanako heard Kinoshita Mai's voice, her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pursed slightly, and she slowly turned her face, taking advantage of her height to overlook Kinoshita Mai, who was only a few steps away from her.

At this moment, Kinoshita Mai suddenly felt an... indescribable sharp gaze locked on her.

He couldn't help but tremble slightly, and quickly looked in the direction of the sharp gaze.

The two gazes, like two sharp blades, collided fiercely in mid-air.

"Gu...!" A short moan came from Kinoshita Mai's throat.

She almost felt inferior again because her appearance, figure, and temperament were not as good as Sanako's, so she subconsciously wanted to avoid looking at Sanako.

But after thinking of something, she straightened her eyes away, her little face tightened, and she showed an unyielding attitude towards Sanako, as if she wanted to stare Sanako down.

He opened his eyes wide and unblinking. Deep in his pupils, there were complex emotions composed of envy, jealousy, and hostility.

Sanako was not like Kinoshita Mai, who had her hostility clearly written on her face. She looked calm, as if she was looking at something... an insignificant person.

Compared with Kinoshita Mai, the only thing she has in common is that the look in her beautiful eyes is equally complex and indescribable.

Chiba Jutaro and Kiryu boss discovered the strangeness of the two girls in no particular order. They felt very strange in their hearts: What happened between the young master (Sanako) and Miss Chiba (Miss Kinoshita) that caused the relationship between the two parties?

Something about discord?

If these two knew what happened to the two women, they would immediately turn their murderous eyes on Qingdeng.

The confrontation between Kinoshita Mai and Sanako made Qingto very embarrassed.

He couldn't explain why, but such an image appeared in front of his eyes: a beautiful white fox with half-closed eyes, calm eyes, and elegant manner, facing a powerful enemy, with its back slightly arched and the hair on its tail exploding.

of bantam cats looking at each other.

As a man who is determined to marry both Kinoshita Mai and Sanako, Aoto naturally wants to see the two women get along harmoniously and harmoniously.

But he also saw it: Kinoshita Mai and Sanako seemed to have some differences in their horoscopes...

A long time ago, before he confessed his love to them, the relationship between the two women was quite tense. As soon as the two parties came into contact, regardless of whether there were outsiders around, the atmosphere would immediately become extremely awkward.

In order to stop the two girls from flirting with each other like that, Qingdeng quickly raised his arms and waved to them with a warm smile.

The two girls who found Qing Deng greeting them no longer cared about "fighting" at this time.

As agreed in advance, they turned their beautiful eyes at almost the same time and focused their attention on Qingdeng's face again.

Sanako still looked the same, with a solemn expression and a solemn expression, looking like a brave woman who calmly watched her husband go off to fight.

As for Kinoshita Mai... her emotions fluctuate greatly.

The corners of her mouth were slightly drooped, and her beautiful eyes were blinking frequently. Her eyes were moist and moist, which made people feel pity for her.

With such an expression, it's almost as if "worry" and "reluctance" were written directly on his face.

The two completely different looks shown by the two women at the moment are the most realistic portrayal of their personalities.

Qingdeng couldn't help but smile helplessly when he saw this.

The last time I saw Kinoshita Mai showing such an expression was when she was bidding farewell to the Komaki couple.

More than 2 months ago, just a few days after the successful wedding of Isamu Kondo and Tsune Matsui, the couple Komaki Goro and Komakicho left Edo on the grounds that "it's time for us to return to Kyoto and continue selling wagashi."

.

Qingden quite liked Goro Komaki, an uncle who spoke very interestingly, so he also participated in the farewell ceremony for the couple.

At that time, Kinoshita Mai was crying hard, hugging Omachi's waist tightly, and begged them to stay in Edo for a few more days.

It's a pity that Gu Mu and his wife have decided to leave.

Except for the fact that Mai Kinoshita burst into tears, the entire farewell was very simple in both form and atmosphere.

The only people who came to bid farewell to the middle-aged couple were Boss Kiryu, Mai Kinoshita and Aoto.

Goro Komaki simply said "Take care" to Boss Kiryu - the two of them seemed to be very accustomed to such partings. Therefore, everyone on both sides looked indifferent and spoke calmly.

However, Goro Komaki gave quite a few farewell words to Qingnog.

"Tachibana-kun, we are destined to meet again. I have a hunch that we will meet again - in the near future." - Goro Komaki said with a peaceful smile.

It's strange to say that Qing Deng still feels that his fate with this uncle who likes to wear light green feather fabrics is not over yet.

I will see him again - this day is just around the corner.

Kinoshita Mai is a very emotional girl, so it's no wonder that she is showing her worry and reluctance without any concealment.

Although Kai is very close to Edo, if you walk at a normal speed and avoid extreme weather such as storms, a round trip only takes 7 or 8 days. But Aoto's trip is not for tourism, but for

With his head tied to his waist, he picked up a knife and fought against the vicious bandits.

When will he come back? No one can say this. No one knows how long this battle will last.

Moreover, to put it harshly and to be extreme... after this separation, Qingdeng may never come back - after all, Qingdeng does not have the talent of "absolutely immortal".

At this moment, Qingdeng spotted another wave of familiar people on the side of the street ahead.

"Tachibana-kun! Tachibana-kun! Tachibana-kun!"

If Sanako is a white fox and Mai Kinoshita is a cat, then Souji is an enthusiastic, clingy little dog who likes to wag his tail at people.

At this moment, the little dog, who had just recovered from a serious illness and had just returned to his usual spirit, was riding on Genzaburo Inoue's shoulders, smiling cheerfully and waving vigorously to Aoto.

Kondo, Tsune Matsui, Shusuke, Abi, Hijikata, Saito, Nagakura...everyone from the Imperial Guard Hall is here.

Harada Sanosuke, the "big shrine cow", ignored the strange looks from the people around him and held up a flag with a big word "test" written on it and waved it vigorously - this flag was Hijikata, Harada, Nagakura and the others.

I made the “hall flag” out of boredom a while ago.

Except for Kyuubei, an old servant who had served the Tachibana family for most of his life, who was full of worry, neither the passionate Souji nor the calm Saito showed any sadness or worry to Aonto.

Waiting for any negative emotions - only pure encouragement and encouragement can be found on their faces and eyes.

There are very few people...such as Nagakura Shinpachi, who is very ambitious about fame, and Hijikata Toshizo, who likes to fight for entertainment on weekdays. There is a hint of envy in the depths of their pupils.

Not only the Chiba Kenkan and Chishiya, but also the Imperial Guards Hall came to see him off...and all the staff came to see him off. Qingto felt a warmth in his heart, but belatedly realized that the corners of his lips were wide.

Bend to the ground.

"Tangerine-kun."

At this time, my grandson who was riding in front of Qingdeng suddenly turned around and smiled at Qingdeng.

"You are so popular, so many people came to see you off."

"Um……"

After Qingdeng nodded and smiled slightly, he raised his face and looked up at the clear blue sky above his head.

"...Unconsciously, there are so many people I want to protect that I can't even count them with two hands..."

He murmured softly in a tone that sounded like he was responding to my grandson, but also seemed to be expressing his true feelings to himself and to the sky.

…

…

From Edo to Kai, there is a very convenient "expressway", which is Koshu Kaido, one of the "Five Streets".

Koshu Street: It starts from Naito Shinjuku in Nihonbashi, Edo, passes through Hachioji and Kobi, and finally merges with Nakayama Street, another of the "Five Streets", at Shimosu. There are a total of 43 inns in the entire street.

Thanks to the smooth roads and relatively high morale, the expeditionary army moved fairly quickly.

They set off in the morning and paused several times to rest in the middle of the journey. It was not until late in the evening that the expeditionary army finally arrived at the planned destination tonight before the sun completely set: Hachioji Juku in Koshu Street.

The "Five Streets" campsites play the important role of "providing supplies and a resting place for all passers-by", so they naturally attract a large number of businessmen to do business. They open teahouses, izakayas, and wandering girls in the campsites.

Houses and other shops specializing in business for travelers.

The convenient transportation of the "Five Streets" ensures the flow of people, and the presence of merchants ensures economic development and exchanges. The two complement each other, making the dormitory an excellent "population gathering place."

Over time, the area of ​​​​many shukubos became larger and larger, and the population became more and more large, almost indistinguishable from castle towns. Such castle towns evolved from shukujos, and they were often called "shukubo towns".

For example, Souji's sister Hikaru Okita and her brother-in-law Rintaro Okita live in Hino-juku in Koshu Street.

The Hachioji-juku that Aomori and others arrived at tonight is one of the most prosperous shrine towns in Koshu.

The head of Hachioji Juku, the man who manages the inn, had received the news in advance that the Hufu Thieves Kai army was scheduled to arrive here tonight, so he led a large group of people to wait outside the inn early in the morning to welcome the arrival of the army.
To be continued...