I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"My lifelong pursuit is nothing more than the ultimate swordsmanship and... dying a worthy death!"

At this point, Nagakura Shinpachi raised his head and looked around at the people around him.

"Do you want to fight alongside me, alongside this man, until the very end?"

As Nagakura Shinpachi finished speaking, some people were greatly encouraged and nodded vigorously with great emotion.

Although some people did not speak, their eyes had changed significantly. The confusion and hesitation had faded, replaced by a determined light.

"If that's the case, then don't give up so easily!"

Nagakura Shinpachi suddenly raised his voice.

"As far as I know, Mr. Tachibana never does anything stupid."

"Since he designed this kind of training content, he must have had a profound purpose."

"I am willing to always believe in him and follow him!"

"Those who wish to walk with us, grit your teeth and keep up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he deliberately glanced sideways at Shimada Kai beside him.

Then, he stood up abruptly, and a trickle of water flowed down the gaps between his brick-like muscles.

That's all I wanted to say. I'm done washing up, I'm leaving now.

Shimada Kai blinked.

"Shinpachi, you're leaving so soon? Aren't you going to soak a little longer?"

Nagakura Shinpachi shrugged and said helplessly:

“I really wanted to stay a little longer, but… Mr. Tachibana said he had to have a short meeting at 10 p.m., so I can’t stay any longer and have to go now.”

After speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi stepped out of the bath and strode away with a jingling sound.

Shimada Kai and the others stared blankly at Nagakura Shinpachi's retreating figure.

Although his speech was not long, it has left a deep impression on everyone.

Of course, different people remember different things.

Some people remember Qingdeng's heroic spirit and Yongcang Xinba's admiration for Qingdeng.

Others remembered the most crucial piece of information—

"Lord Ren-ou is indeed a man of the highest order..."

……

……

The newly selected group's residence, meeting room—

"Sorry I'm late."

As he spoke, Nagakura Shinpachi pushed open the paper sliding door with a "whoosh".

Harada Sanosuke said irritably:

"Shinpachi, you're late! You're the only one left!"

"I'm sorry, I was taking a bath in the bathroom just now and I chatted with the team members for a few extra minutes without realizing it."

While apologizing, Nagakura Shinpachi quickly sat down in his seat.

Inside the meeting room, officers from the newly formed detachment gathered together.

Vice Commander Toshizo Hijikata, Director Isao Kondo, Chief of Staff Keisuke Yamanami, Staff Officer Hachiro Kiyokawa, and all the captains of the Draw Sword Squad were present.

Qing Deng sat in the main seat without a doubt, with his deputy, director, chief of staff and staff officer, who were second only to him, sitting on his left and right respectively. As for the captains of the sword-drawing squad, they sat below him in order of their respective unit numbers.

Seeing that Nagakura Shinpachi had arrived and everyone was present, Aoto immediately said:

"Since it's late, I'll keep it brief."

“Yagi Gennojo from Mibu Township is willing to make uniforms and military flags for us free of charge.”

"Since it's free, there's no reason not to agree."

"Regarding the Shinsengumi's uniform—to be honest, I don't have a suitable idea in my mind."

"So... let's all brainstorm and design the Shinsengumi's uniforms together!"

*******

*******

I spent a lot of time paying respects to my grandmother, so I worked overtime, furiously typing away, and finally managed to finish today's update! (Tearful Leopard head.jpg)

Please vote for this book with your monthly ticket, considering how hard Leopard has worked! (Leopard cries.jpg)

P.S.: Anyone who's even slightly familiar with the Shinsengumi should know what kind of uniforms Aoto and his crew will be designing next. Leopard is posting a ukiyo-e depicting the Shinsengumi; see the commentary on the right for details →

Chapter 597 Kinoshita Mai: Sanako! You wretched woman! You betrayed me! [5100]

"Uniform? Military flag?"

Serizawa Kamo raised an eyebrow forcefully, then gave a bored look.

He braced his right elbow against his right leg, propped himself up with his right arm, rested his chin on his right palm, and played with the large iron fan he always carried with him in his left hand.

"The military flag is one thing, but as for uniforms, couldn't you just design any old set and call it a day?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamanami Keisuke, who was sitting to Qing Deng's left, shook his head:

"Serizawa-kun, you are mistaken. Uniforms are the face of an army. A conspicuous and memorable uniform will greatly benefit the image of our army."

No sooner had Kondo Isami finished speaking than Kiyokawa Hachiro added:

"That's right, the design of the uniforms and military flags cannot be taken lightly!"

As these two cultural figures made their statements, a variety of emotions swirled in the air of the conference room.

Some people's faces clearly showed "whatever," "it doesn't matter," and "does this kind of trivial matter really need a special meeting? Let's get this over with!" For example, Saito Hajime, and Serizawa Kamo.

Some people looked delighted and eager to try, such as Souji, Kinoshita Mai, and Harada Sanosuke.

At this moment, Hijikata Toshizo interjected:

"Ju, do you have any specific ideas about the style of the uniform?"

Qingdeng answered quickly without hesitation:

"Although Yagi Gennojo is willing to order military flags and uniforms for us free of charge, I don't want to make them spend too much money."

"I intend to form a long-term, mutually supportive relationship with the other party."

"If you ask for too much, it will offend the other party."

"Therefore, I plan to design a standard haori first."

"As for the other parts of the clothing, such as hakama and undergarments, let's leave that for later."

Hijikata Toshizo nodded slightly:

"Should we design the haori first...?"

Suddenly, Harada Sanosuke's questioning voice rang out:

"Speaking of which... do we really need to accept that Yagi something-or-other's aid?"

"From the moment we accept someone's help, no matter how much money we spend, we already owe them a favor."

"To be honest, I don't really like the feeling of owing someone anything."

"Although our military budget is tight right now, we should still have enough money to make a military flag and a hundred or so sets of uniforms, right?"

—You make it sound so easy! You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household!

Qingdeng thought to himself with a hint of annoyance, then changed to a helpless tone and said slowly:

"Harada-kun, it's not a bad thing to accept people's kindness at the right time."

"If you are stubborn and overly calculating, unwilling to let others owe you anything, you will only cause precious friendships that you could have to slip away."

"Yagi Gennojo's willingness to order military flags and uniforms for us free of charge shows that the other party is showing goodwill towards us and intends to forge a strong, win-win friendship with us."

"When we accept someone's kindness, we can convey the message that 'we are willing to help each other.'"

"In this way, the deal became the 'stepping stone' for the relationship between the two parties."

"Conversely, ignoring all the other party's goodwill will make it difficult for them to understand our thoughts, thus making it difficult for the relationship to progress further."

"Sometimes you help me, sometimes I help you—that's how many friendships are formed."

Harada Sanosuke listened and nodded slightly, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"I see... I understand now!"

"Okay, I'm glad you understand."

In other words, we should eat more of what others have, use more of what others have, and take more of what others have!

Okay, he didn't understand.

Qingdeng let out a long sigh.

Even Kiyokawa Hachiro, Serizawa Kamo, and Niimi Nishiki, who were not from the Shieikan faction, knew that Harada Sanosuke was a dim-witted idiot.

Therefore, no one showed any surprise despite Harada Sanosuke saying such incredibly stupid things.

The scene was unusually harmonious.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic!"

Qingdeng clapped his hands forcefully, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"I only have two requirements regarding the style of the haori."

"First, it's best to have a sufficiently eye-catching color."

"Second, it's best if it has a profound and inspiring meaning."

"As Keisuke just said, the military flag and uniform are the face of an army."