After Qingteng's words fell, the director-general clasped his arms in front of his body, slowly turned sideways, raised his eyes, and met Qingteng's eyes.
The two people's eyes, full of various emotions, were entangled in mid-air.
The frozen time has not yet fully recovered.
Souji seemed to be stunned, his body felt as if it had been stabbed and pierced by a thick wire, and he was horribly stiff.
His expression was dull, his mouth was half-opened, his eyes were blurred and blank, and he was looking at Qingdeng blankly.
Qingto originally stared directly into the eyes of the Souji.
But after Souji turned his upper body sideways, his eyes began to drift downward uncontrollably...
Souji's fair skin was dyed a lovely light pink color by the heat evaporating from the pool water.
The crystal water droplets slid down drop by drop along her smooth black hair and her arms folded tightly in front of the bear.
Although Souji tried her best to cover with her arms, due to the large size difference, her slender arms could only cover the most important places. The northern and southern hemispheres were "overflowed" under the squeeze of her arms.
come out.
Perhaps it was because of Aoto's downward gaze that Souji's body had an instinctive reaction due to shame, and her eyes began to regain the brilliance called "sanity" little by little.
From another perspective... maybe it would be better if the Director-General never comes to his senses.
Because after she came back to her senses, she had to face the reality in front of her.
The reality of Qingden’s true gender being discovered.
"Ah, ah wow...ah wow wow wow wow..."
Souji spoke incoherently, just vibrating his vocal cords... his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he could only make meaningless "ah wow" sounds.
At this moment, Souji's pretty face as white as porcelain blushed at an incredibly fast speed.
The color of this blush was light red at first, and then in the blink of an eye, it turned into a deep red that looked like it would bleed at any time.
This was the first time Qingden saw Souji's face so red.
This is not evaporated by the heat of the bath...it is impossible for the heat of the pool water to evaporate such a color.
Her face was red and hot, coupled with her delicate look of holding her arms tightly to her chest, as if she was shrinking her whole body into a ball, making her look shy and timid.
The hazy cover of layers of water vapor put a layer of jade and softness on the entire delicate body of the General Secretary.
The looming steam, the slightly swaying water, the girl's blushing face... These scenes are intertwined into a beautiful picture, which appears in the bath at this moment and is clearly reflected in Qingdeng's eyes.
It was engraved deep in Qingdeng’s mind.
This beautiful scene of a prosperous age... Qingdeng has a self-confidence that will never be forgotten.
When Souji made a cry of "ah wow wow" without any specific meaning, Qingto's body was stimulated by Souji's voice and gradually regained control over the muscles in various parts of the body.
From the time he grasped the unspeakable thing in his right palm until now, Qingdeng's brain has been in chaos.
All kinds of fragmented and chaotic thoughts were flying and spinning in Qingdeng's mind.
Okita-kun is actually a girl?!
Has she always been a woman disguised as a man?
Why?
How does she hide such a large area of things on weekdays?
…
These thoughts and questions rotate so fast that Qingdeng still does not have the energy and spare energy to sort out every thread of the "ball of yarn" in his mind.
The overwhelmed brain even had the negative thought of "resisting the reality unfolding before our eyes" for a short period of time.
In any case, judging from the current situation, this is not the time for Qingden to slowly think about the questions that are filling his head.
It is a definite fact that Souji is a girl disguised as a man.
As a grown man, he is staring directly at a girl’s front part… and he is still looking at the girl’s front part without any clothes on. No matter how you think about it, it’s not good!
After regaining effective control over various body parts, Qingdeng immediately raised his eyes subconsciously and stared at the ceiling above his head, not daring to look elsewhere.
"Hug, sorry..."
An apology came out of his mouth like he was mumbling in his sleep.
Qingdeng's apology contained too many meanings.
Apologize for accidentally discovering Souji's true gender...
I apologize for accidentally grabbing a part that should never be touched by outsiders...
Apologize for my wandering gaze just now...
Qingteng's apology further restored the clear light in the General Secretary's eyes.
At the same time, the red glow on the General Secretary's face became even brighter.
Wow——!
He turned around quickly, causing the water in the pool to make a rippling sound.
Souji, who had completely recovered his consciousness, stopped shouting "Wow wow wow" and turned around suddenly, changing his sideways posture with only half of his face to Aoto back to his original posture with his back to Aoto.
The body that was already tightening became even tighter.
She almost screamed because of the strong shame that was currently filling her heart, but the moment before the scream was about to rush out of her throat, she suddenly recalled that Kondo and others were still in the bathroom outside the pomegranate mouth.
With perseverance and willpower, he swallowed the scream at the critical moment.
The frozen time finally returned to normal flow again as Qingto and Souji's minds "awakened" one by one.
In this situation, neither Seito nor the General Secretary knows what to say or do.
A suffocating and embarrassing atmosphere brewed between the two and expanded rapidly.
Qingdeng racked his brains to think of ways to get rid of this embarrassing atmosphere.
However, as his brain had just resumed basic operation, he felt empty-headed at the moment... unable to think of any good way to get out of this predicament.
The General Secretary's silence and inaction made it even more difficult for Qingteng to handle, and he didn't know what to do.
At this moment, a piece of good news and a piece of bad news came to Qingdeng and the General Secretary at the same time.
Harada: "Let's go, let's go take a nice bath together!"
Outside Shiliu's mouth, Harada's loud voice and the sound of chaotic footsteps approaching the bathhouse could be heard.
The good news is that Kondo and the others are entering the bathhouse.
Their voices made Qingnobo and Souji wake up from a dream, and their footsteps dispersed the awkward atmosphere between Qingnobo and Souji like the wind.
The bad news is that Kondo and the others are about to enter the bathhouse...
"Oops, oops, oops." Souji's face was filled with fear and panic in an instant, and he was so anxious that he stamped his feet on the spot, "We can't let Nagakura-kun, Saito-kun, and Harada-kun find out that I am a girl..."
!”
Souji looked around helplessly like a poor puppy abandoned by its owner, looking for a place to hide.
However, in a bathtub with nothing but water and steam, where could there be a place to hide a living person like Souji?
Although I don’t know why Souji conceals her true gender and disguises herself as a man until now... But the helpless expression Souji is showing tells Qingto: She has a hidden secret that she really doesn’t want her daughter to be made public.
.
Qingdeng gritted his teeth when he saw this.
At this moment, he quickly made up his mind like a conditioned reflex - he raised his hand and grabbed the director's right arm.
"Okita-kun...ah, no, Miss Okita, you come with me."
"Eh? Go, where?"
Regardless of Souji's hesitation, Qingteng pulled Souji into the bathtub, turned his back to Souji, and pushed Souji into the corner of the bathtub with his back.
"Lower your body and tighten up a little."
Qingdeng lowered his voice and whispered to the commander-in-chief behind him.
"I'll use my body to block you, so just hide behind me."
After hearing this, the director immediately understood what Qingteng wanted to do, so he immediately followed the instructions, tightening his arms and legs like a baby in the belly of a pregnant woman, compressing his delicate body to the extreme.
Souji's body was already very petite. After contracting her arms and legs to the maximum extent, Aomori's strong body could just cover her entire delicate body.
Under Aoto's cover, Souji hid in the narrow gap between Aoto's body and the corner of the bath.
The moment Souji was about to hide behind Aomori, figures that were extremely familiar to Aomori and Souji strutted through the pomegranate mouth and stepped into the bath.
"Huh? Isn't this Mr. Tachibana?"
As soon as he entered the bathhouse, Harada was the first to spot Aotobu. He clasped his hands into palms and placed them on his eyes, looking at Aotobu sitting cross-legged in the corner of the bathhouse "alone".
At this moment...the talented "cheating master" has made a great contribution!
"Huh? Why are you here?"
Qingto greeted Kondo and others with a normal expression.
"We just went to catch rats..." Kondo told the whole process of killing the rats in the dojo in a concise and concise manner.
"So that's it..." Qingden nodded, and then smiled slightly, "Then you guys arrived in time. If it were a little later, Qianxun House would be closed."
"Ji Jun, why did you come to take a shower so late today?"
Nagakura stretched his feet into the pool and cast a doubtful look at Qingden.
"I have been sitting on the porch of the courtyard tonight thinking about swordsmanship. I accidentally overthought it, and I kept thinking until just now that I realized that I hadn't taken a shower yet."
The lie told by Qingdeng was impeccable.
If you want to leave the Trial Guard Hall, you must pass through a certain corridor adjacent to the courtyard.
So in order to be able to detect the sound of Souji walking to the bathhouse to take a bath at the first time, Qingtou stayed on the corridor of the courtyard and waited all night.
He insisted that the reason why he stayed on the porch of the courtyard tonight was to think about swordsmanship, but Kondo and the others had no way to prove it.
As expected - after hearing Aoshito's explanation, Kondo and his team no longer doubted his presence, and no longer wondered why Aoshinobu, who usually took a bath very early in the morning, visited the bathhouse so unusually late at night tonight.
Like diving penguins, they jumped one after another into the water that was still at a comfortable temperature, and then sat together in a circle.
"Tachibana-kun." Hijikata waved to Aoto, "Why are you sitting so far away? Sit closer and let's chat together."
Aoto, who was sitting alone in the corner of the bathing pool, seemed so abrupt and out of place compared to Kondo and others who were sitting in a circle.
"I'll just sit here."
Qingdeng said without hesitation.
"You know Hijikata, I like to sit in the corner the most when taking a bath. Sitting on the corner between two walls is indescribably comfortable."
Qingdeng's words...are half true and half false.
When he takes a bath, he really likes to sit in the corner of the bathtub.
When he and Kondo and others came to take a bath at Chihiro House before, whenever there was room in the corner of the bath, he would definitely go there.
In the eyes of Kondo and his friends, Qingto was just doing what he usually did.
And... Qingden is indeed sitting very comfortably now.
The general's current posture is facing the corner and his back to Qingto.
Because Souji needed to be hidden tightly, Aomori's back was pressed against Souji's back.
He concentrated his whole body and mind, concentrated all his attention, and tried hard to ignore the unsettling touch that was constantly being transmitted to his back.
All in all - Qingdeng's rhetoric successfully deceived everyone again.
Seeing that Aoto insisted on sitting in the corner of the bath, Kondo and his party stopped talking and did not force Aoto to sit next to them.
Qingdeng couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.
——Fraudster...Thank you...!
He has never been more grateful than now that he has such a talent that makes him a master liar.
——Now... just wait slowly for Kondo and the others to leave.
——After Kondo and the others leave, I will leave with Okita-kun...Okita-san.
While Qingdeng was formulating this simple "battle plan" in his mind, he secretly turned his head back and took a peek at the commander-in-chief who was hiding behind him.
When Qingto looked over, Souji raised his eyes as he sensed Qingto's gaze.
The two people, so close together, stared at each other in this extremely small space.
Compared to just now, Souji's mood has stabilized a lot, his eyes are no longer dull and blurred, and he has regained his former agility.
Although there was still a bit of embarrassment and confusion on her face when Qingdeng found out that she was disguised as a man, the strange emotions and expressions on her face were all noticed at the moment when she looked at Qingdeng.
Qingdeng temporarily forgot about it.
Because at this moment, Qingden saw a smile slowly rising between the Souji's cheeks.
It was the cute smiling face that Qingdeng was familiar with.
Thank you - Souji said to Qingden with her eyes and smile.
…
…
In order to earn back the 2 cents of bathing fees, Kondo and his party exuded the aura of "We have to wait until the last minute to leave!"
Sitting together, they chatted about mountains and rivers all over the world.
In places where there are many men, the most common topics of conversation are girls and military affairs - this is no exception for everyone in the Imperial Guard Hall.
Kondo and others had just sat down in the bathtub. Except for Saito, who had been expressionless for many years and did not like to talk, the others instantly transformed into "great politicians" and "great military strategists" who were vigorous and high-spirited.
.
"So does that 'combination of public and military affairs' have a chance to succeed?" Nagakura picked up the topic they had just discussed among the diners, "Is Mr. Dashu really going to marry the princess?"
"Who knows." Hijikata shrugged, "Anyway, I feel that whether the 'public and military integration' is successful or not, it will not have much impact on the current overall situation."
Although Hijikata has never read any books and his education level will only reach the level of "barely literate", he can often say some very penetrating words.
This is probably the effect of "Ghost Heart".
Although their cultural level is not high, they have extraordinary understanding of worldly affairs.
"If the shogunate wants to enhance its authority, the most important thing is to strengthen its financial and military strength."
"All other methods are just heresy."
Having said this, Hijikata paused for a moment, and then changed the subject.
"Compared to this, I am still more concerned about the factional struggle within the shogunate."
"I heard from the gossip that it is certain that Hitotsubashi Keiki will be promoted to the position of 'post general', which is also known as 'deputy general'."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... After Ichibashi Qingxi takes the position of 'post general', I'm afraid the situation of Mr. Dashu and His Highness Tianzhangin will be even more difficult."
"Oshugong is still too young and has no prestige. He inherited the position of shogun through an adoptive method, so he has no foundation at all in the shogunate."
"Before Jing Yisao's leader was assassinated, he could still rely on the power of Jing Yisao to lead his ministers."
"Now that Jing Yisao's leader is gone, there is a question as to whether people from the 'Nanji Sect', not to mention members of the 'Ichitsubashi Sect', will still obey Dashu Gong's orders in a well-behaved manner."
"Right now, Dashu Gong is really alone...it seems that the only person around him who is worth relying on is His Highness Tianzhangyuan."
"Then the current situation of Mr. Dashu is very difficult, isn't it?" Kondo asked anxiously.
Hijikata nodded, then grinned.
"Although Dashu Gong's current situation is very difficult, it is not completely helpless yet."
"The way to break the situation is easy to say the least, but quite difficult to say difficult."
“If you want to stop being a decoration whose orders no one wants to listen to, the most direct and effective way is to seize the time to cultivate ‘one of your own’.”
Hijikata specially emphasized the tone when he said the words "one of our own people".
"The biggest problem with the various difficulties Dashu Gong is currently facing is that he currently has no foundation in the shogunate."
"That being the case, it's time to establish the foundation."
"Choose talented people, take them under your command, train them vigorously, and train them into your most capable confidants."
"When there are solid and reliable subordinates under your hands, your waist will naturally be straight, and your voice will naturally become louder when you speak."
Kondo, Inoue, Nagakura and the rest... to put it harshly, they are all a bunch of bumpkins with little education and little knowledge.
Kondo and others were fascinated by Hijikata's words! They felt like "listening to your words is worth ten years of reading"!
"Then what exactly do we need to do to identify those who are worthy of training as confidants?" Nagakura stretched his neck in the direction where Hijikata was sitting, looking attentive and thirsty for knowledge.
Hijikata also enjoyed the feeling of talking freely and talking about important matters of family and country. When he heard Nagakura's question, he immediately answered it without thinking.
Hijikata talked very happily.
Kondo and others listened happily.
Only one person heard it in great pain...
——When exactly are you going to talk?!
Qingdeng roared like a Tyrannosaurus rex in his heart.
Before Kondo and the others arrived, Aoto and Souji had been soaking in the bath for a while. The skin of Aoto's hands and feet had become wrinkled from soaking.
After being soaked in the water for a long time, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel a little bored because he was tired of soaking, and he eagerly wanted to "go ashore" as soon as possible.
The boredom of taking a long bath and the anxiety of hoping that Kondo and the others would leave quickly...these two emotions were superimposed on each other in Qingdeng's heart, making Qingdeng feel that every minute and every second at this time was extremely painful.
Fortunately... in order not to arouse the doubts of Kondo and others by being too silent, Qingto consciously joined in their chat from time to time.
I can still chat with people, so I still have a place where I can spend my time and emotions.
It was impossible for Aomori to urge Kondo and the others to leave quickly, as doing so would only make him look extra suspicious.
We can only continue to wait patiently for Kondo and others to leave on their own...other than that, there is no other way.
But things like "accidents"... always come suddenly.
"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."
Abruptly... Qingto suddenly noticed that Souji behind him was breathing in pain.
He quickly turned his head to the side and used the corner of his eye to look at the scene behind him.
I saw Souji's eyes half-opened, his mouth slightly open, and he kept breathing out painful gasps as if he couldn't breathe. His face was unnaturally red... This was not a shy blush, nor was it caused by the steam.
The dizzy light red is a dark red that sends a message to the outside world that the body is extremely uncomfortable!
When Qingteng saw this, he immediately realized that the General Secretary was in a daze!
The space formed by Qingden's body and the corner of the bathing pool was too small, and the air circulation was not smooth. The hot air of the pool water repeatedly filled this small space.
To give a vivid example... this narrow space filled with hot and stuffy air is now like a sauna.
The Souji has been staying in this "sauna" for a long time...
It is only natural that the general manager who is in such a predicament would be confused.
Fainting while taking a bath...this is no small matter.
There are many causes for the so-called "dizziness".
First, the body's excessive sweating causes insufficient fluid in the systemic circulation, or the blood vessels dilate, causing the blood to concentrate in the limbs and lower parts of the body, causing the intracranial blood supply to weaken.
The second is that the water temperature is too hot, which causes changes in blood pressure and heart rate, causing the body to have an intolerance reaction.
No matter what the reason is, Souji must be dragged out of the bath quickly and rehydrated, otherwise her life may be in danger.
In this era when medical treatment is still underdeveloped and a person may die from a fever, any disease must be avoided as much as possible.
The fact that Souji had to be taken out of the bath without delay made Aoto, who originally wanted to wait for Kondo and others to finish soaking and leave on their own, unable to sit still.
Judging from the current expressions of Kondo and his friends who were definitely not in a hurry... they definitely had no intention of leaving the bathhouse until the moment before Chihiro House officially closed.
If we keep waiting like this... God knows how long we will have to wait.
After all, the boss of Chihiro House, Yubaba, is famous for being kind to people.
The members of the Trial Guard House are frequent visitors to Chihiro House, and they have a very good relationship with Yubaba. There is no doubt that Yubaba would delay the closing time of Chihiro House in order to let Kondo and others hang out for a while.
——We can’t wait any longer! We must find a way to take Souji out of here as soon as possible!
Qingdeng looked back at the situation behind him and gritted his teeth.
——Is there any way to drive Kondo and the others away...?
The anxiety of worrying that something unexpected might happen to Souji if he allowed Souji to continue soaking like this caused Qingteng's head to spin at high speed.
Suddenly, Aoto recalled what Souji had said just before Kondo and others were about to enter the bath:
(I can’t let Nagakura-kun, Saito-kun, Harada-kun and others find out that I am a girl...!)
——Nagakura-kun... Saito-kun... Harada-kun...
Qingden chewed in his heart the names that Souji blurted out unconsciously at that time.
Souji, who was worried about his daughter's identity being exposed, only mentioned that he was worried about Nagakura, Saito and Harada discovering her true gender, but did not mention Kondo, Hijikata and Inoue...
Thinking of Souji's daily close relationship with Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue... a conjecture and a plan gradually took shape in Qingnobo's mind.
——Try it!
Qingdeng secretly made up his mind and took a deep breath.
"Ah, right!"
Aoto suddenly shouted, attracting the attention of Kondo and the others.
"Kondo-kun, did you see Okita-kun on your way to the bathhouse just now?"
"General Secretary?" Kondo was stunned.
"Before you guys came, Okita-kun and I had been bathing together in the men's bath." Qingto said calmly, and activated his talent "Trickster" again, "Because he was a little dizzy, he went home before me.
As soon as he leaves with his front feet, you are coming with his rear feet."
When talking about the term "men's bath", Qing Deng specially emphasized his tone slightly.
"It turns out Okita was here just now." Harada grinned, "We didn't see him on the way to Chihiro House."
"That's it..." Qingdeng said casually, "Didn't you meet him on the road... Then he must have slipped away to buy something to eat."
"Probably." Nagakura-kun smiled, "Okita-kun has always been very greedy. According to my observation, he basically only travels for two things: to buy Jinpei candy and to eat his favorite snacks."
Faced with Aonto's words just now, Nagakura, Saito, and Harada looked as usual.
But Kondo, Hijikata and Inoue all looked at each other with shocked expressions...
In the end, the three of them focused their disbelieving eyes on Qingdeng.
*******
*******
Really physical stickers. Ms. Okita is so cute! Sure enough, this energetic and cheerful girl is so cute!
Seeing how cute Ms. Okita is in today’s chapter, please be sure to vote for this book! (Leopard Head Cries.jpg) If book friends who like Ms. Okita don’t vote for this book in the past two days, it will be too much.
It makes no sense!
Please give me monthly votes! Please vote for recommendations! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)
PS: This book is a semi-fictional sword and halberd novel, not a historical novel. In order to facilitate the creation of the plot and facilitate the readers' understanding, the author has made magical changes to many historical backgrounds and historical details, so please do not use this book as a historical novel.
Read it as a history book! Don’t read the plot of this book as official history! If you tell others that Okita Souji is a beautiful girl, people who understand the history of the Bakumatsu will only give you a blank look.
