I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qing Deng put on a serious expression.

"Admittedly, compared to Sanako and Mai, your body..."

In an instant, a laser-like, scorching gaze shot straight at Qingdeng.

Qingdeng suddenly shuddered, then quickly changed his words:

"But you possess something that neither Sanako nor Mai has that fascinates me!"

"Oh? For example?"

"For example, when I feel tired and want to lean on someone, the first person that comes to mind is always you."

After saying that, Qingdeng lay back down on the tatami, spread his limbs out, and his body posture changed back to the "T" shape.

Upon seeing this, the commander's gaze and expression immediately softened.

She no longer bothered to glare at Qingdeng with her laser-like gaze. She scurried to his side, gently stroking his hair, and softly asked:

"Tachibana-kun, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"Hmm? It's nothing. I'm just... worried about the vacancy of the head of the Shinsengumi."

The four heads of the newly elected corps—the deputy head in charge of military affairs, the director in charge of inspection, the chief of staff in charge of administration, and the head of the office in charge of logistics—have been appointed as the deputy head, director, and chief of staff respectively by Toshizo Hijikata, Isami Kondo, and Keisuke Yamanami. Only the position of head of the office remains undecided.

"War is all about logistics," "An army marches on its stomach," "When the cannons roar, gold flows like water"... These proverbs are probably familiar to everyone.

For a semi-independent military group like the Shinsengumi, the importance of logistics is self-evident.

In a sense, the head of the quartermaster is the most important position among the four heads of the Shinsengumi.

Since the Shinsengumi only has about two hundred members, which is not a large number, Aoto was able to take on the role of section chief in addition to handling his own job.

However, once the Shinsengumi grows larger and the logistical pressure increases exponentially with its expansion, Aoto will certainly not be able to hold both positions as he does now.

We must find a suitable candidate for the position of department head as soon as possible.

In Aoto's plan, the Shinsengumi had to be modernized.

The current Shinsengumi is a typical feudal army.

Not only had organizational discipline not been fully implemented, but the level of equipment was also stuck in the Warring States period hundreds of years ago. The entire army had neither firearms nor cannons, and there wasn't even a cavalry unit in sight.

No matter how capable a feudal army is, its limits are limited.

History has proven time and again that feudal armies are no different from eggshells in the face of modernized armies—utterly vulnerable.

It is imperative to introduce Western equipment and military systems to enable the Shinsengumi to complete its transformation!

The logistical pressures faced by feudal armies and modern armies are incomparable.

The former's equipment wear and tear was not significant; apart from arrows, swords, spears, and armor were not weapons that needed frequent replenishment.

Modern armies are not like that.

Bullets, shells, guns, cannon barrels... which one doesn't cost millions a day?

In modern warfare, weapons are consumed far faster than food supplies, requiring extremely high levels of logistics to maintain the army's combat effectiveness.

The commander of the Shinsengumi must possess exceptional management experience, outstanding mathematical mind, and extraordinary leadership skills; otherwise, he would not be able to handle the logistical work of a modern army.

Such a heavy responsibility can only be undertaken by an outstanding individual.

This is precisely why the question of "who should fill the vacancy of the section chief" has been giving Qing Deng a headache until now.

In Qingdeng's social circle, there are many fierce warriors who can take on a hundred or even a thousand men single-handedly.

There are practically no wise men who are proficient in mathematics and management and can work in logistics... After thinking it over, Aoto can only think of two people—my grandson, Tadaro, and Katsura Rintarou.

Despite having only two candidates, Qing Deng was unable to invite either of them.

The former had already passed away, and the latter could not possibly join his ranks.

Katsura Rintaro was one of Tokugawa Iemochi's most trusted ministers.

If Aoto were to recruit Katsu Rintaro, regardless of whether Katsu Rintaro himself would agree, he would not be able to get past Tokugawa Iemochi alone. Tokugawa Iemochi, who was desperately short of manpower, would never let him go.

After understanding Qing Deng's troubles, Souji put on a deep, thoughtful expression.

“...Tachibana-kun”.

A moment later, she leaned forward, her shadow falling on Qingdeng's face, and looked down at him, their eyes meeting.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath and said, slowly and deliberately, with a serious expression:

"How about... I become the head of the Shinsengumi?"

"..."

"..."

quiet……

In an instant, the boudoir fell into an eerie silence.

"Hey, Tachibana-kun, are you thinking about something really rude?"

The laser-like gaze is back again...

"I do not have……"

As he spoke, Qingdeng quietly looked away...

If I were to make you the commander of the Shinsengumi, the Shinsengumi would be doomed! I asked you to calculate yesterday's battle losses, and you told me that we used -187 shells yesterday, the number of shells actually increased, while only 3 bullets were used -Aoto couldn't say such hurtful things to Souji's face.

Souji is very bad at arithmetic—a fact that Aoto had already learned well long before he became acquainted with her.

The ability to calculate 107 by adding 27 to 9 is still fresh in Qingdeng's memory to this day.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "when God opens a door for you, He will inevitably close a window."

Souji's swordsmanship talent and physical abilities are truly exceptional.

But her mathematical talent... is truly indescribable.

Her motivation for learning mathematics was to help manage the accounting books of the Imperial Examination Hall in the future, filling the gap that "no one in the Imperial Examination Hall knows how to do accounting".

Therefore, it can be said that Souji was very dedicated and hardworking in learning mathematics.

However, the results... it wouldn't be accurate to say there was absolutely no progress.

After arduous self-study, and with the meticulous guidance of Qing Deng, Hijikata Toshizo, and others, she can finally do addition and subtraction within 100. Congratulations!

Although Aoto was deeply moved by Souji's sincere desire to share his burden, he was reluctant to accept the position of head of the Shinsengumi... but please allow him to refuse with righteous indignation!

Just as Qing Deng was pondering what words to use to politely decline the commander's offer, he saw her put her hands on her hips and purse her red lips:

"I was just joking! Of course I know that with my skills, I could take down the Shinsengumi in less than two days. But jokes aside, the way you looked at me like I was an idiot just now was really rude!"

The chief's resentful gaze stung Qing Deng's skin.

Speechless, he could only silently turn his gaze away in a more secluded direction.

To cover up his embarrassment, Qingdeng quickly changed the subject:

"Alright! Let's not talk about this anymore! Let's get down to business!"

"Is this serious business?"

Qing Deng turned to the left, lying on his side facing the commander, propping his head up with his left arm.

“Xiao Si, you always tell me: ‘I alone can exhaust you. Where do you get the confidence to say you want to marry three wives?’”

"?"

The commander blinked, looking completely bewildered.

But then, as if she had realized something, she showed a look of sudden understanding and gave Qingdeng a teasing look.

"Hehe~ I get it~~ So that's why you suddenly barged into my room tonight. What? You're not convinced by what I said, so you want to prove me wrong with your actions?"

As he spoke, Souji narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a "ω" shape. He extended the index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand, lightly touching his lips with the tips, and deliberately adopted a sarcastic tone as he continued the conversation:

"Hey, don't blame me for not warning you. You've tried so many times before, haven't you? And it all ended in failure. Don't push yourself too hard for the sake of some so-called male pride~"

Faced with the commander's "provocation," Aoto remained silent.

He merely curled the corners of his lips into a smile, gazing into the commander's eyes, without uttering a word...

……

……

The next day—

Edo, Koishikawa, Kohinata-Yanagi-cho, Shieikan, Garden—

The chief laid the freshly washed bedding flat on the clothes rack.

For some reason, her face was slightly pale, and her movements... especially when she walked, were particularly stiff.

"Commander?"

At that moment, a magnetic male voice suddenly rang out behind Souji.

Souji's body trembled violently a few times, just like a Shiba Inu whose tail had been stepped on.

She hurriedly turned around, forcing a stiff smile:

"Good morning, Mr. Hijikata!"

Recently, Hijikata Toshizo has been staying at the Shieikan.

He stood on the veranda with his arms crossed, scrutinizing the commander from head to toe.

"Shogun, what are you doing so early in the morning?"

"N-nothing..."

As he answered, the commander quietly stepped to the side, using his body to block the bedding on the clothes rack behind him.

"I was just airing out the freshly washed bedding. I accidentally got it dirty last night, so I got up early to wash off the dirt..."

"Freshly washed bedding?"

Hijikata raised his gaze, looked thoughtfully at Souji's face, and then at the bedding behind her.