I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"And regard the doubts of others as flickering will-o'-the-wisps, and boldly walk your own dark path."

"I will stay by your side and protect you."

"If your family members object to you going to Kyoto, just let me know."

Qing Deng adopted a half-joking tone.

“I will help you. I will use the title of ‘Gyeonggi Garrison Commander’ to pressure them and force them to agree.”

Sanako smiled gently:

“Your father and brothers are not afraid of you.”

She let out a long breath, then revealed an incredibly refreshed expression.

"I even prepared my rebuttal beforehand, but now I don't need any of it."

Just then, a gust of north wind suddenly blew in.

Their sleeves fluttered in the wind.

Sanako's hair swayed in the wind, and she pressed it down with her slender, snow-white fingers.

Hidden by the wind, the corners of her mouth subtly turned up.

Just then, Qing Deng suddenly reached out his left arm and took Sanako's right hand.

"Tachibana-kun?"

Sanako looked at her hand in surprise and instinctively tried to pull away, but Aoto responded with an even tighter grip.

"Since there's no one here anyway, let me hold your hand for once, since it's been so long."

"..."

Sanako looked sullen.

"I think I should get some reward after saying such a cool thing."

"..."

Sanako raised her eyes and glared fiercely at Aoto.

However, just a second later, she lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, staring intently at her slightly clenched toes, while adjusting the position of her right hand.

His fingers slid between Qingdeng's fingers.

From "being held" to "interlocking fingers".

He gripped Qingdeng's hand tightly in return.

"...Don't let go of me until I say 'that's enough.' If you dare to let go of me, from tonight onwards, we are strangers. And this is a one-time exception."

Qingdeng smiled but remained silent.

In this setting and atmosphere, no words are needed.

And so, the two held hands and gazed at the world in the distance.

The night wind passed by them.

The blades overhead rubbed against each other in the wind.

The slender crescent moon grew even whiter.

The sound of water lapping against the riverbank transforms into a melodious tune.

……

……

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town——

"Moo moo moo~~"

After sending Sanako home, the two of them, one human and one ox, finally returned to the Shieikan.

After a long day of running around, even Radish was tired.

"Moo moo moo..."

Radish obediently crawled into the cowshed.

The professional shepherds hired by Qingdeng at great expense to take care of Luobo immediately and skillfully took out hay and brushes to feed and brush Luobo.

Qingdeng dragged his body, stumbling along the path to the mansion.

—So tired…I need to go to sleep…

He had also planned to go to Chihiro-ya and take a relaxing hot bath.

However, it is now late at night, and Chihiro-ya will be closing soon.

Moreover, after his rendezvous with Sanako, his already exhausted body was even more overwhelmed, and he really had no desire to take a bath.

Qingdeng reached out and opened the door—click-clack—and then he saw a magnificent "gorilla".

"Tachibana-kun! You're finally back! You're back just in time!"

Kondo Isami stood in the entryway with his arms crossed, looking radiant.

"Kondo-kun, what's wrong?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Tachibana, may I take up a little of your time?"

I'm sorry, no—to be honest, that's the answer Qingdeng really wanted to give.

He really wants to go to sleep right now!

However... after seeing Kondo Isami's extremely serious expression, Aoto buried his true feelings deep inside.

Is there something urgent?

"Well, you could say that. It won't bother you for long, just a little while."

"……I see."

Aoto took off his shoes and unfastened the sword from his waist, then followed Kondo Isami.

Upon arriving at their destination: the hall of the Shiwei Hall, Qing Deng was taken aback by what he saw inside.

Kondo Shusuke, Okita Souji, Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Inoue Genzaburo, Saito Hajime, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke, Todo Heisuke... They all gathered together, sitting upright.

Even the usually impulsive Sanosuke Harada adopted an unusually upright posture.

"What's going on? Why is everyone here?"

Qingdeng asked, stunned.

Kondo Isami faced Aoto, his expression solemn, and spoke in a clear and righteous voice:

"Mr. Tachibana, I'll keep it short."

"Tonight, during the time you've been away, we've had a lively discussion."

"In the end, we all decided: I, Souji, A-Sui, Gen-shu, Yamanami-kun, Saito-kun, Nagakura-kun, Harada-kun, and Todo-kun will all join the Zhenfu Army! We'll go to the capital with you!"

Qingdeng stared wide-eyed in surprise.

After a moment, he gave a bitter laugh, then muttered softly in a voice only he could hear:

"Did you and Sanako agree on this beforehand? Why are you all saying the same thing at the same time...?"

After calming himself down, he turned his gaze, scanning the faces of Souji and the others, and asked:

"You all want to join the Zhenfu Army? Why?"

Yamanami Keisuke smiled slightly.

"This is all thanks to Mr. Kondo's impassioned speech just now."

Kondo Isami laughed loudly:

"Yanan-kun, you flatter me. I didn't do that much. It's clear that you all really wanted to go to Kyoto, and my encouragement only acted as a catalyst!"

Keisuke Yamanami slowly closed his eyes—this action was tantamount to acknowledging what Isamu Kondo had said.

After laughing heartily, Kondo Isami's expression returned to a solemn one:

“My lord, when I learned that you had been promoted to ‘Golden Region Garrison Commander’ and would soon be leading troops to Luoyang, my heart was filled with excitement.”

"A voice in my head kept telling me: This is my best chance to make a name for myself!"

Hearing this, Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

He couldn't help but recall the night Kondo Isami officially inherited the title of "Fourth Head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu Main Family," the look of unfulfilled ambition on his face, and the words he uttered about "desiring greater achievements."

"I am not dissatisfied with my current life."

At this point, Kondo Isami glanced at Kondo Shusuke beside him.

"But... a true man born in chaotic times should carry a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats!"

"Today, at the recruitment meeting of Zhenfu Army, looking at everyone who climbs onto the high platform, I feel a strong sense of envy."

"At that moment, I was finally certain—I really did want to achieve great things!"

"I yearn to be like the heroes of the Warring States period three hundred years ago, wielding my sword and riding my horse to achieve great fame and become the lord of a city or region!"

"To be honest, after making this decision, I felt like I was floating on air with excitement."

"Driven by this excitement, I gathered everyone together and laid out all my thoughts, wanting to see if there was anyone who shared the same aspirations and was willing to go to Kyoto with me."

"Unexpectedly... the final result far exceeded my expectations—everyone wanted to go to Kyoto."

As soon as Kondo Isami finished speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi wiped his nose, grinned, and said:

"To be honest, before Kondo-kun even realized his ambitions, I had already intended to sign up to join the Zhenfu Army!"

"After all, the reason I came to Shieikan as a customer is because I want to follow Mr. Tachibana!"

"Mr. Tachibana is going to Kyoto, so naturally I have no reason not to go with him!"

Todo Heisuke excitedly chimed in:

"Me too!"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded silently.