I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I see, so you're airing out the freshly washed bedding... Your bedding is indeed soaking wet. But... Souji, there's something I don't understand, could you please enlighten me?"

Before the commander could respond, Hijikata Toshizo asked on his own:

"You said your bedding was just washed, but I didn't hear any sound of water being drawn or used at all."

The commander's expression and body froze instantly.

"This...this...you didn't hear me, did you?"

Hijikata Toshizo gently shook his head.

"Even if I didn't hear the sound of water being drawn or used, if you were washing the bedding, there should still be traces of the wastewater you dumped on the floor, right?"

Having said that, Hijikata Toshizo gestured with his lip towards the ground of the courtyard.

"The ground is dry; there's no water at all."

"Well……"

The commander pressed his pale lips together, hesitating to speak, his small face turning a strange crimson.

"Also, your complexion looks a bit strange. Your cheeks and lips are pale. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Ugh...!"

Looking at Souji's increasingly embarrassed expression, Hijikata Toshizo's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Speaking of last night... Souji, I have another question for you."

"W-What problem...?"

“I kept hearing strange noises coming from your room last night. What was that? If I’m not mistaken, those strange noises were your shouts.”

The moment he finished speaking, Souji seemed to freeze, standing there motionless.

It wasn't until three seconds later that she came to her senses and shouted:

"Did you hear that?!"

"Yes, I heard it perfectly clearly. Souji, you shouted really loudly. This is the first time I've ever known you have such a loud voice."

Confusion, shame, panic... an immeasurable mix of emotions beautifully etched on the commander's face.

It is difficult to accurately summarize and describe the changes in her expression using only human vocabulary.

Nearly 10 seconds passed before she—

"Awaa ...

She crouched down, covering her flushed face with her hands while letting out a cute scream.

Hijikata Toshizo observed Souji's every move with great interest.

After a short while, he finally couldn't contain himself and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Alright, Souji, I'm not teasing you anymore. I was just joking with you. I didn't hear anything last night, and I'm sure everyone else did too. The size, structure, and decoration of this testing hall are nothing special, except that the soundproofing of the rooms is quite good."

At this point, Hijikata Toshizo paused for a moment, then adopted a serious tone:

"Although it's not my place to say this... but you and Tachibana should be more restrained."

He raised his gaze and looked again at the damp bedding.

"What on earth did you do to turn such a perfectly good quilt into this mess...?"

After leaving those words, Hijikata Toshizo turned and left.

"Just kidding... Oh, is that so..."

The commander muttered to himself, his expression finally improving somewhat.

Once Hijikata Toshizo's footsteps had completely faded away, she hurriedly stood up, spread out the quilts on the clothesline, and scurried up the veranda and back into the house as if fleeing.

However... she had only taken a few steps when she bumped into someone—the radiant Qing Deng.

"?!"

Looking at Qing Deng in front of him, Souji subconsciously hunched his shoulders, his face showing fear.

This posture and appearance are just like those of an injured little animal.

"Um... I'm really tired! I'll go now!"

Having said that, the commander lowered his head and walked on in silence, passing by Qing Deng, who had a meaningful smile on his face...

*******

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Ms. Okita's disastrous defeat! (Leopard's wicked grin.jpg)

It's not too much to ask Okita fans to vote for this book with monthly tickets, right? Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting recommendation tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

To write the "Kyoto Chapter" well, Leopard has been reading books about Kyoto lately, and it's making me want to experience the charm of Kyoto's geisha... Ah! No! I mean, to experience Kyoto's beautiful scenery and ancient architecture!

Chapter 541 Niou vs. Edo's Strongest: The Decisive Battle at Mount Atago Begins! [4300]

Edo, Mount Atago —

A heavy snow fell at noon, and although it stopped after only an hour, the accumulated snow still covered the entire Atago mountain.

The ridgeline originally resembled a sleek samurai sword, stretching from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain. However, the snow has softened the mountain's outline, making its shape appear somewhat gentler.

The once gray and dark sky, with its thick, leaden clouds, has dispersed, revealing a light blue that brings joy through the gradually splitting and expanding gaps.

It's the end of January, and spring, when everything comes back to life, is still a long way off.

Looking around, Mount Atago has almost no other color, only the "white" of the snow, the "gold" of the sunlight, and the "brown" of the dead trees.

As the highest peak in Edo City, Mount Atago's summit reaches the blue sky. The soft, pale golden sunlight shines on the white snow, reflecting a silvery shimmer. The interplay of "gold" and "silver" creates an incredibly beautiful scene.

Because of its beautiful scenery and its convenient location within Edo City, Mount Atago has always been a well-known tourist attraction and snow-viewing spot in Edo, and is very popular with the public.

Every winter, countless tourists come to enjoy the snow scenery.

The name "Atago" comes from the Atago Shrine.

Atago Shrines enshrine the god of fire prevention and enjoy immense popularity and prestige. There are over 900 Atago Shrines throughout Japan.

In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was appointed Shogun and established the Edo Shogunate, ordered the construction of the Ai-tō Shrine on the highest peak in Edo in order to protect the Shogunate's ruling center from fires and natural disasters.

From then on, this highest mountain in Edo was named "Mount Atago".

Coincidentally, there is also a Mount Atago in Kyoto, which is far away in the Kinai region.

Mount Atago in Kyoto is far more famous than Mount Atago in Edo.

It is also the highest mountain in Kyoto, and the Atago Shrine built on its summit is the head shrine of all Atago shrines in Japan, namely "Moto Atago".

Because the God of Fire is said to have the divine power to "light fires," in addition to preventing fires and disasters, he can also bless love and wealth, making relationships more passionate and businesses more prosperous.

For this reason, even in the snowless season, many merchants and young couples would climb Mount Atago in Edo to visit the shrine at the summit and sincerely pray for the protection of the fire god.

It's not unusual for a large number of tourists to come and go from Mount Atago.

However... today's situation is completely different from the past.

Today, Mount Atago is incredibly lively, its prosperity unprecedented.

From the mountaintop to the mountainside, and from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, everywhere was filled with throngs of people and endless noise.

From the air, the bustling crowds look just like a swarm of ants marching out to hunt for food.

The chirping of birds could be heard from time to time in the bushes.

Among the crowd, some walked, some rode in sedan chairs; some wore simple clothes, some were adorned in fine silks; some were covered in mud, some carried two swords at their waists…

Despite their different ages and backgrounds, there is one thing that everyone shares—they are all heading in the same direction… straight towards the mountaintop!

The path leading to the mountaintop was covered in snow, making it difficult to walk in some places, and slipping and falling were common occurrences.

Even so, the crowd still strode forward with great strides, moving slowly and busily yet in an orderly manner.

The battle between "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto and "Technique of Chiba" Chiba Eijiro at Atago Mountain... No further introduction is needed; this one sentence alone is enough to attract thousands of people to come and watch the battle!

Those shrewd businessmen set up stalls along the mountain road, selling snacks, water, and other food items, or goods that are beneficial for climbing, such as walking sticks and snow boots, and made a fortune.

Mount Atago, with an elevation of 25.7 meters, is the highest naturally formed peak in Edo City.

The elevation of most areas in Edo is no more than 5 meters.

Therefore, one can overlook the entire Edo region from Mount Atago.

Qingdeng arrived at the mountaintop early and waited quietly for his opponent to arrive. Facing the distant street scene, he unsheathed the Vairocana sword from his waist, placed the bottom of the sheath on the ground, put his hands on the hilt of the sword, pursed his lips, and looked solemn.

He was dressed exceptionally formally today, his hair was neatly combed and pinned to the top of his head, and the hem of his wine-red haori and his black scarf fluttered in the wind, along with the family crest embroidered on the back of the haori, the sleeves, and the sides of his chest: "Gentian Leaf".

Behind him stood a group of his relatives and friends.

Souji, Kinoshita Mai, Kiryu, and the rest of the Shieikan group led by Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo...

Apart from the busy Katsura Rintaro, the inconvenient Elodie and Tenshōin, almost everyone who was on good terms with Aoto was here.

Today's battle is the decisive one that will determine who will win the title of "Strongest in Edo". How can you not come and witness it with your own eyes?

Even Kiryu, the owner, temporarily put aside his business at the Senjiya to come and witness the grand occasion.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

The agreed-upon duel time (2 PM) is drawing ever closer.

Meanwhile, more and more people successfully reached the summit.

The duel took place at the southeast corner of the mountaintop, not far from Atago Shrine. From there, you can see the ancient temple.

The crowd that had come to watch the game stood aside spontaneously, as if an invisible rope had been stretched across the center of the field, clearing out a large open space.

To the east of the open space is Qingdeng's "rest area".

The western side of the open space, where Chiba Eijiro was supposed to stand, remained deserted.

Because Qingdeng was standing in a high place, most of the people present could see him.

Looking at his upright posture, hands supporting his knife, eyes gazing into the distance—a perfect embodiment of the phrase "standing like a pine tree"—many felt a sense of respect and sincerely exclaimed:

"As expected of Niou, who was invincible throughout Edo! He has the demeanor of a master!"