I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"On this point, I share the exact same thought as you... However, no matter how much we dislike Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, it's no use. He's now a 'vice-general,' and whether it's handling government affairs or hosting banquets, we inevitably have to come into contact with him."

Qing Deng let out a long breath and shrugged.

"I understand, I'll be at the banquet on time... Hmm?"

Suddenly, Qing Deng stared intently at Tian Zhangyuan's pretty face.

A piece of rose-red sauce was visible on the left corner of Tianzhangyuan's mouth.

Because the color of this sauce is very similar to Tenshōin's lip color, it's easy to miss if you don't look closely.

"Hmm? Sheng Qing, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

As Tenshōin asked the question, she extended her delicate hand and gently stroked her cheeks with her slender fingers.

Qingdeng nodded.

"Yes, that's right, there's a little bit of something on it."

Souji is a very carefree girl. It's quite common for her to make herself look like a little cat when she eats, with a few grains of rice stuck to her left cheek and a layer of sauce on her right cheek.

Because of their romantic relationship, Qingdeng, who often sat next to her, would always quietly wipe her face clean at this time.

And so… upon discovering the sauce on Tenshōin's lips, Aōdō, his “DNA activated,” instinctively extended his right hand—

fondle……

A very slight sound, like fingertips lightly brushing against the lips.

"..."

Tenshoin suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze shifting like ripples on a lake.

Looking into Qingdeng's eyes, it was as if he were seeing a scene he couldn't believe.

The next moment, Qingdeng came to his senses and realized, a beat slow, how daring his actions had been.

He immediately withdrew his hand and quickly explained:

"Ah, I'm sorry, I just noticed your lips were dirty, so I couldn't help myself... Hmm? Your Highness?"

"..."

Tenshōin's eyes remained wide open, not even blinking, his gaze fixed straight at the void before him, much like a robot that had malfunctioned.

"Your Highness?"

Qingdeng extended his left palm and waved it in front of Tianzhangyuan's eyes.

In an instant, she screamed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost jumping up.

"Waaaah! I...I'm here! What...what happened?"

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly space out just now?"

"W-nothing! It's just... just... just suddenly remembered something, so I just spaced out for a bit!"

As he spoke, Tianzhangyuan sat up straight again, put on a serious face, tightened all the lines of his face, and looked very proper.

Seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but switch to a teasing tone and joked:

"Your Highness, were you shy just now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tianzhangyuan immediately flew into a rage.

"How could that be! Who do you think I am? I'm an elder who's six years older than you! I'm not some naive little girl who would freeze up with embarrassment just because a child touched my lips!"

Qing Deng was just making a small joke. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, he immediately stopped teasing Tenshōin. As he became more and more familiar with Tenshōin, he found this succubus, who loved to play pranks, to be surprisingly interesting.

To be honest, Qing Deng himself didn't quite believe the joke he had just casually made.

A woman who is almost thirty years old was so embarrassed that her brain went blank just because a man touched her lips?

Is such a thing even possible?

Given Tenshōin's magnanimous nature, she naturally wouldn't get angry at Seidō over such a trivial matter.

After saying irritably, "Don't do it again! Don't touch my body without even saying hello like you did before," the little incident was considered closed.

Qingdeng picked up the lunchbox and stood up.

"Then, Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."

"Ah, Sheng Qing, wait a moment!"

"Your Highness, is there anything else?"

"If I remember correctly, your Shie-e-kan is having a big celebration in three days, right?"

"um, yes."

"Give my regards to your fourth generation leader."

"Okay, I will."

"Ah! There's more!"

"Ok?"

"Um... thank you for today. Thanks to you, I feel much better now."

"..."

Qing Deng did not respond to Tenshōin's gratitude immediately.

After staring intently at the other person for a long time, the corners of his mouth spread to the left and right respectively.

"Your Highness, why are you turning your head to the side? Is it because you feel embarrassed to say 'thank you' while looking at the person you want to thank?"

"No way!"

……

Click.

Qingdeng closed the door with a soft "click".

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap...

Qingdeng's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Tenshōin maintained his upright posture, his expression solemn, as if Seidō were still standing in front of him.

The very next instant after Qingdeng's footsteps completely disappeared—

"Waaaaaah...!"

Tensho-in lay face down on the ground, covering his face with his hands, his eyes glazed over, and his fair cheeks flushed red at a visible speed.

"My lips... were touched by a man..."

Her hands, which had been covering her face, slowly moved down, her fingertips gently touching her lips.

Even though Qing Deng had already left, and even though it had been several minutes since Qing Deng touched her lips, Tenshōin still remembered that itchy, strange sensation that felt like an electric current was passing through her lips.

"Ughh ...

Tenshōin covered her face with her hands again, trying her best to open her palms wide, but she still couldn't hide the increasingly bright red glow.

At this moment, Tenshōin seemed to have thought of something, and he stopped abruptly.

Then, with a tone that was three parts curiosity, three parts annoyance, four parts suspicion, and ninety-seven parts embarrassment, she murmured to herself:

"He wouldn't put the fingers that wiped my mouth into his mouth and savor them, would he...?"

……

……

On the other side—

Qingdeng took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his fingers clean after wiping Tianzhangyuan's mouth, and silently stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket.

He remained expressionless throughout, not even raising an eyebrow.

He was insatiable with the women he loved; he was polite to ordinary women—even though he had just made the impolite gesture of "touching your lips" to Tenshōin, it did not stop Seidō from continuing to consider himself a "gentleman".

……

……

Three days later, in the morning—

In the second year of Wenjiu (1862), December 5th——

Edo, suburbs, somewhere—

Kondo Isami, dressed in a gleaming set of family-inherited armor, sat imposingly on a stool.

Kondo Shusuke sat to his side and behind him with a smile.

"Oh! Asheng! You are the pride of our Tama!"

"Sheng! From today onwards, you are the fourth head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family! You must work hard!"

"We must promote and carry forward the natural healing spirit!"

……

A large group of dark-skinned men dressed in rough clothes surrounded Kondo Isami, chattering and showering him with compliments in the Tama dialect, which was difficult for others to understand.

Kondo Isami's original name was Shimazaki Shota, but he changed his name to "Kondo Isami" after being adopted by Kondo Shusuke.

However, even though his name has been changed, his relatives in his hometown and his close friend Hijikata Toshizo still habitually call him "Katsu".

In early autumn of this year, Kondo Shusuke finally made up his mind to pass on the position of the fourth head of the Shieikan and Tennen Rishin-ryu main family to Kondo Isami! From now on, he would retire behind the scenes and live a leisurely life.

The succession ceremony is scheduled for December 5th.

From a humble farmer to the head of a certain swordsmanship school... from the perspective of this era, Kondo Isami has indeed achieved remarkable success.

Succession—this is the most important matter, the one that cannot be handled casually, in the arts, martial arts, politics, and business worlds.

The people of Shieikan brainstormed and planned for a long time on how to properly conduct Kondo Isami's succession ceremony.

If it were just like holding an "opening ceremony," with Kondo Shusuke and Kondo Isami standing on the stage giving dry speeches, that would be far too boring.

Such a simple succession ceremony would not only tarnish the reputation of the Natural Rishin-ryu school, but would also be unfriendly to the guests who have come from afar.