I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He came to mediate the fight.

However, judging from the current situation, a fight might break out next.

Aoto glanced sideways, quietly confirming the positions of the Vairocana and the Ghost God placed to his right, and mentally prepared himself to receive Kiryu's slash and engage in a fierce battle with him.

The tense atmosphere that had been hanging over Kinoshita Mai and Kiryu's boss quietly dissipated—in a way that Aoto had never imagined…

……

……

Fortunately, Kiryu's sword did not come down, and the two did not start slashing at each other.

It took Qingdeng a great deal of effort to finally quell this "unwarranted disaster".

"Ama and I did do those things! But that's all!"—Just like that, after Qing Deng repeatedly assured that he and Kinoshita Mai had not crossed that final line, this unexpected incident that caught everyone off guard was finally put to rest... or rather, temporarily put to rest.

To be honest, after all this, Qingdeng feels really tired... but the urgent matters at hand leave him no time to relax.

Qing Deng took a deep breath, straightened his posture, faced Kinoshita Mai, and asked a crucial question, word by word:

"Ah Wu, does your grandmother know about 'joining the Zhenfu Army to resist the Fa-Zhu Party'?"

Kinoshita Mai paused for a moment, then quietly shook her head.

"No... I haven't told her yet, but it wouldn't matter anyway."

"why?"

"...Grandma will definitely not agree to this."

Qing Deng suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that?" Qing Deng asked with his eyes.

Kinoshita Mai remained silent for a long time, trying to come up with her words.

"Although my grandmother is very strict with me, she has always been very concerned about my personal safety."

"When I was in Osaka, I was always accompanied by incredibly skilled bodyguards."

"When I was sent to Edo for training, the scholar Kiryu was appointed as my guardian."

"I am very grateful for my grandmother's love and care."

"But to be honest... her care for me was a little too much."

"Besides strictly protecting my personal safety, they also forbade me from knowing the details of the Gourd House."

"As the young master of the Gourd House, it wasn't until more than two years ago, right after the Extermination Group was destroyed, that I learned the true face of the Gourd House and that Mr. Kiryu was the once-renowned 'Ryuko Hachiman - Mamiya Kuro'."

“I remember you were there too, Qingdeng.”

"You and I learned the truth at the same time."

"Before this, I always thought that my grandmother was just a relatively wealthy businesswoman and that Mr. Kiryu was just an old man with great swordsmanship."

"Legally speaking, I'm the next head of the Calabash House, but it turns out I don't know much more about it than outsiders..."

"Furthermore, I will be excluded from all dangerous missions... especially those related to the Faju Party."

“During the previous attack on Shimizu Residence, Mr. Kiryu strictly ordered me to stay in the store and not go anywhere.”

"How could my overprotective grandmother possibly agree to let me go to the turbulent Kyoto? How could she possibly agree to let me join the front lines of the fight against the Fa-ju Party..."

As Kinoshita Mai continued speaking, her tone became increasingly somber.

Having listened to and digested everything Kinoshita Mai said, Aoto pursed his lips and looked at Kiryu-sensei.

"Mr. Kiryu, the power to decide whether Kinoshita Mai can join the garrison rests in Ms. Kinoshita Rin's hands, am I right?"

"...That's right."

"If Ms. Kinoshita Rin agrees to Kinoshita Mai's request, then you have no right to object, right?"

"..."

The Kiryu boss remained silent.

However, his behavior was tantamount to acquiescence.

“In that case—Awu, write a letter to your grandmother and ask her to allow you to join the Zhenfu Army.”

Upon hearing this, both Kinoshita Mai and Kiryu, the shop owner, were speechless.

"Qingdeng, didn't I just say that? Grandma, she..."

"'I don't want you to get hurt' and 'I hope you spread your wings and fly high' are not contradictory!"

Qing Deng spoke in a resolute tone, enunciating each word clearly.

"Although I have never had any dealings with Ms. Kinoshita Rin and do not know much about her character, I think she will definitely agree to your request to join the army."

At that moment, Kiryu's expression turned strange.

Kinoshita Mai asked in a daze:

"Grandma will agree to my request to join the army? Why do you think so?"

Qingdeng smiled and shrugged.

"It's my intuition."

After saying that, Qing Deng turned his head to the side and turned his gaze to Mr. Kiryu.

"Mr. Kiryu, isn't it about time you held your head high?"

"I don't know if you've noticed... but you've been avoiding Kinoshita Mai's gaze ever since just now."

"Does the energetic, sparkling look in the eyes of young people really make you feel so out of place?"

*******

*******

Leopard wants to take a day off tomorrow...

I have a personal matter to attend to—the female leopards at the aquarium miss me, so I need to go take care of them.

Chapter 515 A Thousand Pieces of Gold for a Precious Sword! [5000]

Kiryu's expression changed slightly.

He seemed to want to hide his face, burying his already lowered head even lower.

The candlelight shone on his face, and in the flickering light and shadow, his expression was indistinct and difficult to discern.

"Mr. Kiryu, please raise your head."

Compared to just now, Qing Deng's attitude and tone were much more forceful.

"With your head down the whole time, how could you see Ah Wu's eyes? How could you feel Ah Wu's will?"

"Is it really as I just said, that the energetic and sparkling eyes unique to young people make you feel so lost?"

At that moment, Kinoshita Mai gently tugged at Aoto's sleeve and whispered:

"Qingdeng..."

She gestured to the other person with her eyes: Watch your manner of speaking; your words are somewhat rude.

Aoto completely ignored Kinoshita Mai's physique.

He brushed her small hand, which was tugging at his sleeve, aside, and then continued speaking to himself:

"I have known A-Wu for almost three years."

"Although I am far from 'knowing A-Wu' as well as you, who watched A-Wu grow up, this is indeed the first time I have seen her with such a resolute look in her eyes."

"Although I am not qualified to comment on your actions and thoughts in terms of my status, I sincerely hope that you can look at A-Wu with a more equal attitude."

"One of them enthusiastically and energetically explained his goals and ideals."

"The other party kept their head down the whole time, pretending to be blind and deaf. They were unwilling to look the other person in the eye or listen to their voice."

"How can this be considered fair?"

"I don't expect you to give A-Wu your full support, but at least give her a chance to use her power, right?"

"Let A-Wu write a letter to her grandmother to ask for her opinion—she surely has that right, right?"

After speaking, Qing Deng stared straight at Mr. Kiryu, waiting for his response.

At the same moment, Kinoshita Mai leaned forward unconsciously, casting an expectant and hopeful look at Kiryu's boss.

"..."

Mr. Kiryu crossed his arms and remained silent.

He didn't keep them waiting for long.

After a short while, he half-closed his eyes and muttered to himself:

"Despite having no blood relation, this unwavering resolve once he's made up his mind is exactly like our lord's..."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up.

"If the lord does not agree to you joining the Zhenfu Army... then don't blame me for being heartless."

After leaving those words without any emotion, Mr. Kiryu turned and left without lingering for a moment.

Soon, his figure disappeared into the depths of the inner room of the Senjiya.

Qingdeng let out a long breath.

"I guess we've achieved a partial victory..." he thought to himself.

With just words, he managed to change Kiryu's mind—from the very beginning, Aoto had no hope of achieving this.

Success would be achieved if he could be persuaded to allow Kinoshita Mai to send a letter to Kinoshita Rin.

As Aoto let out a long sigh of relief, Kinoshita Mai also showed a relieved expression.

However, in the blink of an eye, his expression changed to a faint worry.

"Aoto, although Mr. Kiryu has conceded, I don't have the confidence to persuade Grandma..."