I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As Kiryu spoke, he lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the tatami mat in front of him.

It was difficult to see his eyes clearly through the reflection of his glasses.

"Young Master, please understand the feelings of an old man like me."

"I am no longer as open-minded and optimistic as I was when I was young."

"As I get older, I hate the pain of separation and death more and more."

"In my entire life, I have seen far too many people leave me..."

"I don't want to witness anything happen to important people... especially my granddaughter whom I treat like my own daughter, in the last few years of my life."

"I can't go to Kyoto with you."

"In other words, if you join the Zhenfu Army, I will no longer be able to protect you silently as before."

"If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to my master? How am I supposed to explain it to myself?"

It's okay if you hate me.

"It's fine if you think I'm being too nosy."

"I'd rather endure your hatred than have you fight against the Party that seeks to destroy the law."

Words that showed no mercy.

A hesitant expression gradually appeared on Kinoshita Mai's pretty face.

She clutched the fabric of her kimono tightly at her legs, and whispered resentfully:

"Mr. Kiryu, I can protect myself..."

Even though her tone sounded fearful, the will behind her words remained firm.

However, when it comes to "unwavering will," the other party is no less impressive.

"Protect yourself? What will you use to protect yourself?"

"I rebuked him without thinking," Kiryu the boss said.

"Indeed, your ninjutsu and martial arts skills are indeed very impressive."

"When you unleash your true skills, even 10 swordsmen who have obtained the Manuka Kaiden (a high level of mastery in martial arts) will not be able to get close to you easily."

"But times have changed!"

"If your opponent suddenly pulls out a revolver from their pocket, how would you react?"

"Even I would have to avoid the onslaught of artillery fire and the barrage of dozens of muskets, let alone you?"

"Or do you think that as long as Tachibana-kun is around, your personal safety will be guaranteed?"

"Let's set aside the fact that Tachibana-kun's energy and time are limited."

"Can you comfortably let Tachibana-kun be like your nanny, never leaving your side?"

Kinoshita Mai bit her lower lip, speechless—she couldn't refute it either, since what Kiryu-sensei said was true.

Although some radical patriots who advocated for the restoration of the monarchy and the expulsion of foreigners still regarded "spiritual theory" as their guiding principle, believing that as long as they were brave and fearless, there was no enemy they could not defeat, the fact that "swords and other weapons could no longer compete with firearms" was ultimately an inescapable trend of the times.

The situation has once again reached a stalemate...

The stalemate is even more severe than before.

The Kiryu boss laid his cards on the table, his attitude incredibly tough.

Although Kinoshita Mai lowered her head and remained silent, Aoto could clearly see the resentment on her face.

Kinoshita Mai and Sanako have a very bad relationship; their tastes and personalities are completely different.

But there's one thing they're remarkably alike—they're both incredibly stubborn!

Clearly, earnest persuasion alone was not enough to change Kinoshita Mai's mind.

At this moment, Qing Deng keenly noticed that Kiryu's emotions only began to spiral out of control after Kinoshita Mai confessed that she was going to fight the Fazhu Party to the death.

Furthermore, Kiryu's boss consistently focused his remarks on "opposing Kinoshita Mai's involvement with the Fa-ju Party," rather than "opposing Kinoshita Mai's presence in the perilous city of Kyoto"...

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but ponder to himself:

—Did something happen between Kiryu-sensei and the Fa-ju-dang?

Qingdeng neither dared to ask further about this idea nor wanted to think about it further.

(In my whole life, I have seen far too many people leave me.)

The words that Mr. Kiryu had just said flashed through Aoto's mind like lightning.

Every family has its own troubles...

A bitter expression appeared on Qingdeng's face.

If the old man and the young man are allowed to continue arguing and fighting, Qingdeng, who is caught in the middle, will also feel uncomfortable.

In short, let's continue to gather intelligence and get a full picture of the situation.

With this thought in mind, Qing Deng cleared his throat, turned his head, and asked Kinoshita Mai:

“Ah Wu, if you want to fight against the Fa Zhu Party, you don’t necessarily have to join the Zhenfu Army, right? The Hulu House and the Fa Zhu Party are mortal enemies. You can work directly under your grandmother’s command later, and that way…”

Before he could finish speaking, Kinoshita Mai interrupted:

"I don't want to! Putting aside my grandmother for now, others will definitely take special care of me because of my status."

"I don't like the feeling of being treated differently!"

"While others are risking their lives, I'm staying in the safe rear playing with cats... I would never do that, even if you killed me!"

It was another righteous speech, very much in the style of Mai Kinoshita.

Come to think of it.

If she were the kind of person who was afraid of death and averse to work, why would she go around robbing the rich and living in poverty in order to build a "technical school"? And why would she not hesitate to join the army in order to fight against the law and the party?

Aoto had never been to the headquarters of the Gourd House, nor did he know any of the Gourd House members other than Kiryu and Makimura.

Therefore, he was unaware of Kinoshita Mai's actual status within the gourd house.

However, judging from the attitudes of Kiryu and Makimura towards Kinoshita Mai, she is probably quite a pampered princess in the Gourd House... at least in the upper echelons of the Gourd House.

At this moment, Mr. Kiryu suddenly interjected:

"Young Master, aren't you worried that you'll be treated differently after joining the Zhenfu Army?"

"Of course I'm not worried."

Kinoshita Mai responded without hesitation.

"Among all the officers and soldiers in the town, only Qingdeng knows my true identity."

"Everyone else thought I was just an ordinary job placement agent who was only exceptionally good at hand-to-hand combat."

“I know Qingdeng’s character well.”

As she spoke, Kinoshita Mai raised her head and stared straight at Aoto, her eyes shining brightly.

“I am quite certain that Qing Deng will not grant me any special privileges after I become a member of the Zhenfu Army.”

Kinoshita Mai's enthusiastic praise made Aoto's lips unconsciously curl up slightly.

However... perhaps due to a moment of emotional excitement, the girl gradually entered a state of "oblivious to her surroundings".

She cupped her face in her hands, her cheeks flushed, her eyes dreamy, and she murmured, her expression one of rapture, shyness, and bliss:

"When I'm with Qingdeng, he's not always gentle and kind. Don't be fooled by his usual refined and polite demeanor; when it comes to giving me **, **, and **, he often reveals a rather rough side."

"Ah Wu?!"

"Although I wasn't used to it at first, I don't know why, but after getting used to it, it actually felt quite good. I even hoped he could be rougher, preferably taking off my clothes..."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

While making a huge noise, Qing Deng reached out and covered Kinoshita Mai's mouth.

However... it was too late.

"...Tsk."

A smacking sound filled with annoyance.

In an instant, Qingdeng felt an incredibly sharp gaze that stung his skin.

"So you've already done that kind of thing... That makes sense. After all, you're energetic young people; it would be abnormal if you didn't do that kind of thing."

Mr. Kiryu crossed his arms, looked at Aoto, then at Kinoshita Mai, his expression a mixture of emotions.

At that moment, Kinoshita Mai suddenly realized what she had just said.

Her face flushed red at a visible speed.

In the blink of an eye, her entire face turned bright red, as if it might bleed at any moment.

"No way! No way! No way! No way!"

Kinoshita Mai pushed away Aoto's hand covering her mouth and hurriedly said:

"Mr. Kiryu, we didn't do that kind of thing!"

Qingdeng nodded vigorously in agreement.

"We've only done **, **, **, ***, and **** so far!"

"A-Wu?!!"

Kinoshita Mai came to her senses and, realizing she had spoken out of turn again, instinctively raised her hand to cover her mouth.

But what's the use of trying to remedy the situation now?

If Kiryu's expression just now was merely "helpless," then his expression now is one of "disbelief."

"'Only'? Is this what you call 'only'? And what's with *** and ****? Even married couples wouldn't do something like this, would they?"

That sharp, knife-like gaze shot towards Qingdeng once more…

Too embarrassed to watch Kiryu's boss perform Kinoshita Mai, she covered her face with both hands, burying her head in the sand like an ostrich.

Similarly, Aoto, who also dared not look at Kiryu's boss, silently lowered his gaze and stared straight at the tatami in front of him, while putting on a silly expression as if to say, "Wow! This tatami is so tatami!" and swallowing hard.