I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Serizawa Kamo curled her lips into a cold laugh.

"Of course! Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm very learned. I'm not only proficient in Chinese poetry, but also in waka poetry. In terms of knowledge and talent, I'm no less than those literary figures at the Shōheizaka Academy!"

……

"Do you know how I got this scar on my stomach? When I was still a junior officer in the Matsuyama Domain of Iyo, some scoundrel called me a 'lowly official who didn't even know the etiquette of seppuku.' I was so angry that I decided to commit seppuku on the spot to show him. Look! This is the scar left after I committed seppuku!"

Harada Sanosuke opened his shirt to show the geisha the scar on his stomach, and then told his ever-present story of "surviving seppuku".

……

"Um... Ms. Kinoshita, where is your hometown?"

"..."

"Ms. Kinoshita?"

"...in Osaka..."

"Eh? Ms. Kinoshita, you're from Osaka? What a coincidence! I'm from Osaka too!"

After saying this, the geisha switched to the Osaka dialect.

"Ms. Kinoshita, where in Osaka is your hometown? What did you do for a living before?"

"..."

"..."

"...Ms. Kinoshita?"

"Ugh...!"

This is what social anxiety is like.

Although Kinoshita Mai's shy and timid personality has improved considerably with Aoto's companionship and encouragement, she still has a long way to go before she can "communicate normally with strangers".

Faced with the geisha's enthusiastic welcome, she tensed up like a small animal, her face flushed, her gaze fixed on the tatami in front of her knees.

Weak, pitiful, and helpless.

No matter what the geisha said or asked, her replies were either several beats late or she didn't respond at all, making it impossible to establish a smooth conversation. Even the most experienced geisha couldn't help but feel awkward.

……

"Ms. Chiba, would you like another drink?"

Sanako thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Then let's have another drink."

As she spoke, she handed the empty cup in her hand to the geisha.

The geisha hurriedly picked up the sake pot, filled her cup, and then stood quietly by her side.

Just like Saito Hajime, Sanako did not interact with the geisha around her at all, and simply ate and drank in silence.

Only when her wine glass is empty does a geisha finally have a chance to perform in front of her.

The geisha was completely overwhelmed by Sanako's aloof aura.

They dared not even breathe, let alone speak.

As a result, the atmosphere between them was not like that of "guest and geisha" at all, but more like that of "master and servant".

……

……

The arrival and entertainment of the geishas was just a minor incident.

Gradually, the banquet hall returned to its original order.

Some were eating, some were playing around, some were chatting, and some were toasting.

"Lord Ju! I have truly offended you greatly regarding what happened the other day!"

Nose Ryōsuke, holding a wine cup, eagerly rushed to Aoto's side.

The "matter of the day before yesterday" he was referring to was naturally the matter of "Qing Deng being arrested by the officials of the Kyoto Magistrate's Office".

At that moment, Inaba Masakuni and Nose Ryosuke were truly terrified.

Qing Deng raised his gaze without making a sound, looking directly at the smiling Nose Ryohsuke in front of him.

"Oh...speaking of that—"

Boom!

Qing Deng slammed his wine glass heavily onto the table.

With a loud "thud," like a note of silence, all sounds and movements in the entire venue quickly subsided.

In an instant, the noisy banquet hall fell silent.

Everyone present—the Shinsengumi generals, the nobles of Kyoto, the geishas—turned their heads, their gazes all falling on Aoto and Nose Ryosuke.

"Lord Nongse, I have a very important matter to discuss with you in my capacity as the Governor of the Capital Region."

Qing Deng remained expressionless and spoke in a cold tone.

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Chapter 584 Qingdeng's "Collusion"! The Movements of Satsuma and Choshu! [4500]

Yoshisuke Nose stood frozen in place, his hands holding the wine glass suspended in mid-air, as if petrified.

Immediately afterwards, fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, shimmering in the candlelight.

"Mr. No need to be nervous."

A smile appeared on Qingdeng's lips.

“I am not a reckless person who doesn’t distinguish right from wrong.”

"What happened the other day has nothing to do with you, nor with anyone here."

At this point, he deliberately glanced at Inaba Masakuni not far away. Sensing his gaze, Inaba lowered his head in a humble and respectful manner.

“Nose-kun, I am not here to interrogate you.”

"I wanted to discuss with you what to do with Kinzaburo Takahashi."

Yoshisuke Nose swallowed hard and cautiously asked in return:

"Takahashi... Kinzaburo...?"

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"That's right, it's Kinzaburo Takahashi!"

The day before yesterday, the Shinsengumi and the Aizu Army jointly surrounded the Kyoto Magistrate's Office, and Takahashi Kinzaburo, Yamazaki Heijiro and his underlings were all taken into custody.

The latter went to the underworld with Ayase Taichi yesterday afternoon.

As for the former, he remains imprisoned in the dungeon of the Shinsengumi headquarters.

"As the chief of the Kyoto Magistrate's Office, Kinzaburo Takahashi should have fulfilled his duties diligently and been honest and upright. However, he willingly degenerated into a corrupt official who was greedy for money and embezzled from his post. His crimes are truly heinous!"

His sins are as deep as the sea!

"There are as many witnesses and physical evidence as you could use to accuse Kinzaburo Takahashi of embezzlement, bribery, and extortion."

“I have enough evidence to sentence him to death ten times over—and I have personally witnessed his cruelty and greed—such a wicked villain deserves to be killed to appease public anger!”

"I plan to take him to the Three Rivers Plain and behead him tomorrow."

"However... no matter what, Kinzaburo Takahashi is still your subordinate."

"If someone were to kill you without even giving you a heads-up, that wouldn't make sense..."

Before Qing Deng could finish speaking, Nōse Ryōsuke immediately seemed to realize something, straightened his face, and said in a righteous and loud voice:

"Kinsaburo Takahashi has knowingly broken the law and committed crimes; he is a disgrace to the Kyoto Magistrate's Office! A disgrace to the samurai! His crimes deserve to be punished!"

"Even if you don't kill him, I will definitely kill him!"

"Therefore, Lord Tachibana, you need not worry! Please execute Kinzaburo Takahashi on the spot!"

Looking at Yoshisuke Nose, who was striking a solemn pose as if he were "mortal enemies with Kinzaburo Takahashi," Aoto grinned, revealing his teeth.

"In that case, I am relieved."

Having said that, Qing Deng raised the wine glass on the table and extended it to Nose Ryōsuke.

Upon seeing this, the other person hurriedly leaned forward and handed over the cup in their hand.

When clinking glasses, he strictly controls the force and angle, never letting the rim of his glass go beyond the rim of Qingdeng's glass.

Just as the two glasses clinked together with a "ding" sound—

“...Nose-kun”.

Qing Deng suddenly spoke again.

As if under stress, Yoshisuke Nōse shuddered violently.

"Yes, yes!"

Qing Deng slowly withdrew the wine glass from his hand, his sharp gaze, like an arrow, piercing straight at Neng Shi Liang Bi.

Although he was smiling, with a noticeable curve at the corners of his mouth, and his smile was very gentle, Nose Ryōsuke did not feel any warmth at all.

"I am the Commander of the Capital Region, and I bear the heavy responsibility of pacifying the capital region and protecting the people."

"Just as I said yesterday on the execution ground—I will and will eventually eliminate all the villains and rebels who are disturbing the capital."

"Regardless of whether he is a high-ranking official or a wealthy and powerful man."

Qing Deng's gaze swept over the Kyoto dignitaries on his left.

"They are still his own subordinates."