I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from the direction of the corridor.

Having lived in the Shieikan for so long, Qingdeng had long since developed the ability to "identify people by their footsteps".

Therefore, he immediately recognized the sound as Inoue Genzaburo's footsteps.

"Tachibana-kun! Tachibana-kun!"

Inoue Genzaburo stood outside the door and shouted loudly.

"what's up?"

"Tachibana-kun, Ms. Kinoshita from the Senjiya is here! She says she has something very important to discuss with you!"

"Ah Wu?"

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow in surprise.

—It's already this late, how could Ah Wu be... Ah! Could it be...?

Thinking of this, he suddenly realized something.

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

……

Qingdeng rode at full speed to the outside of the Examination Hall.

Outside the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall, a nervous-looking girl in red paced back and forth anxiously.

Seeing Qingdeng arrive, she immediately went to greet him and said impatiently:

"Qingdeng! Grandma's reply has arrived!"

In an instant, Qingdeng's eyes widened in surprise.

He was right... it really was Kinoshita Rin's reply!

"Your grandma's reply arrived? So quickly?"

No wonder Qing Deng was so surprised.

Even the most powerful and fastest flying kick would take at least four days to travel between Edo and Osaka.

Kinoshita Mai wrote the letter on the evening of January 4th and mailed it on the morning of January 5th.

It's the night of January 8th... only a little over three days have passed.

In other words, Kinoshita Mai's grandmother wrote a reply and sent it immediately after receiving the letter!

Otherwise, Kinoshita Mai would never have received a reply in just three days.

—She sent a reply so quickly… What did she write?

Thinking of this, Qingdeng hurriedly asked:

"Ah Wu, what did your grandma say?"

Kinoshita Mai looked uneasy.

"I don't know... I haven't opened the letter yet..."

Qingdeng was taken aback:

"Haven't you opened the letter yet?"

她轻轻颔首：

"I'd like to read this letter with you and Mr. Kiryu... Aoto, are you free now? Could you come to Senjiya?"

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously with a solemn expression.

"Okay, I got it. I'll go get my knife and change my clothes while I'm at it. I'll be right back."

……

……

Edo, the Thousand Things Shop—

Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, and Kiryu Boss sat in a "品" shape, facing each other.

On the tatami mat between the three people lay a spotless, perfectly sealed letter.

Kinoshita Mai sits upright, her two little feet in her socks gripping tightly, her expression tense, creating a restrained atmosphere.

Qing Deng was initially in a relaxed mood, but after seeing Kinoshita Mai's appearance, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

His increasingly intense heartbeat entwined his body like vines, stiffening his muscles and making his whole body tense.

To be fair, Aoto was very happy to see Kinoshita Mai become a member of the pacification army.

(Although I am far from "knowing" A-Wu as much as you have watched her grow up, this is truly the first time I have seen her with such a resolute look in her eyes.) — These were the words he had said when he advised Kiryu earlier, and they were truly from the bottom of his heart.

Even if he had no choice, he was unwilling to go against Kinoshita Mai's will and ideals.

Of course, his desire for Kinoshita Mai to join the garrison was partly due to a selfish reason—he didn't want to be separated from the girl he liked—but this was merely a trivial and insignificant secondary reason!

Strangely enough, compared to the nervous Aoto and Kinoshita Mai, Boss Kiryu looked completely calm... as if he already knew the contents of the letter.

Kinoshita Mai raised her gaze, glanced timidly at Aoto, and then at Kiryu-sensei.

"Well... I've opened it!"

Kinoshita Mai took a deep breath, her expression solemn as if she were about to be executed. With slightly trembling hands, she carefully picked up the envelope with the cautiousness of holding a fragile item and shakily opened it.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

At this moment, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's heart rates reached their peak.

Like ancient China, ancient Japan wrote texts from right to left and from top to bottom.

Therefore, in general, when ancient Japanese people sent letters, they would often fold the letter paper vertically into a long, thin strip.

Kinoshita Mai pulled a letter folded like a paper fan from the envelope, took a deep breath, and then, like unfurling a scroll, slowly unfolded the letter...

The first line is blank.

The second line is still blank.

The third line—still blank.

—Could it be that Ah Wu's grandmother sent over a blank piece of paper?

Just as Qing Deng had this thought in mind, he finally saw the dark, deep handwriting.

Nearly 80% of the letter was blank, except for a very simple line of delicate handwriting in the very center—

(Go for it, but be careful.)

"..."

"..."

"..."

The store was completely silent, not a sound could be heard.

Even after witnessing the facts firsthand, Qing Deng still doubted his own eyes.

It wasn't that he questioned the contents of the letter.

It was the carefree spirit and the trust in his granddaughter conveyed in those simple words that moved him.

He blinked, looking bewildered for a long time.

It took him a moment to come to his senses and subconsciously turn his head to look at Kinoshita Mai beside him.

Just like Qingdeng before, the girl blinked her beautiful eyes in a daze, repeatedly confirming the reality before her.

After a short while, she pursed her lips, lowered her head, and remained silent, desperately trying to endure and wait for the emotional turmoil to pass.

Qing Deng quietly looked away—it was best not to disturb Kinoshita Mai at this time.

At this moment, Qing Deng suddenly noticed that Kiryu's boss was unusually calm.

He remained expressionless and calm throughout, even after seeing the contents of the letter.

"..."

Suddenly, Mr. Kiryu silently stood up and strode into the back room of the Senjiya.

Seeing this, Qingdeng quickly asked:

"Huh? Kiryu-sensei, where are you going?"

"..."

The Kiryu boss did not respond.

His figure quickly disappeared into the shadows deep in the corridor.

In less than two minutes, he was back in Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's field of vision.

When he returned, he had a large red cloth bag in his left hand and an exquisite brocade box under his right arm.

As soon as he sat back down, Kinoshita Mai immediately asked:

"Mr. Kiryu, what are these?"

Kinoshita Mai's eyes were still red and her voice was clearly choked with sobs, but at least she could still speak.

"..."

After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Kiryu quietly pushed the large red cloth bag towards Mai Kinoshita's lap.

"I've packed all your clothes, travel expenses, menstrual medication, and your favorite snacks."

After Mr. Kiryu finished speaking, the store fell silent again.

Qingdeng's face was filled with astonishment.

Kinoshita Mai's expression was dominated by intense shock.

The whole trip between Kiryu and his boss only took about two minutes.

It would take more than this long just to find Kinoshita Mai's clothes out of the closet.

Then there's only one possibility—all of this luggage was prepared in advance by Kiryu-sensei!