I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that a quiet commotion broke out.

The first person to speak was surprisingly Saito Hajime, who was usually very taciturn and hadn't uttered a word since the meeting began:

"...I agree with Ms. Kinoshita's opinion."

After saying this, he closed his mouth again and returned to his "stone statue" state.

With Saito Hajime taking the lead, the others began to express their opinions.

"Ms. Kinoshita's words are quite good..."

Heisuke Todo murmured to himself while nodding slightly.

Genzaburo Inoue grinned:

"Hey, after hearing what Ms. Kinoshita said, I also think light green is quite nice!"

Yamanami Keisuke appears deep in thought:

"The color of the ceremonial robes worn by samurai when committing seppuku... That's right. According to ancient customs, light blue was indeed the color of the ceremonial robes worn by samurai when committing seppuku. Ms. Kinoshita, you know quite a lot! I'm afraid many people don't know this little-known fact!"

Souji softly repeated Kinoshita Mai's exact words:

"This demonstrates our fearlessness in the face of death, our unwavering determination to fight to the last breath to protect our dignity and honor, until death do us part..."

Then, as if she had a spasm, the corner of her lips twitched slightly and uncontrollably curled upwards.

Immediately afterwards, an irrepressible burst of joyful laughter escaped from his lips.

"Hmph hmph hmph~~ So handsome..."

Kinoshita Mai blinked a few times, her expression blank and dazed.

Seeing that her proposal was welcomed and supported by the vast majority of people, she was first stunned, then an expression of disbelief appeared on her face, and finally she laughed foolishly.

Sanako silently watched Kinoshita Mai's every move.

When she saw the girl in red with a happy expression that showed she felt recognized, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

At the same time, Qing Deng stared straight ahead into the void, seemingly lost in thought, but in reality, he was imagining himself wearing a light blue haori.

—Light green...not bad.

His favorite color is burgundy, but he doesn't dislike refreshing shades like light green.

Kinoshita Mai's proposal perfectly met his requirements in every aspect.

It has both vibrant black and deep, graceful white... Ah, no! It has both eye-catching colors and profound meanings.

At this moment, Kondo Isami looked around nervously.

Seeing that Kinoshita Mai's proposal seemed poised for unanimous approval, he hurriedly said:

"Wait a minute! Although light green is nice, I still think it's best to imitate the attire of the Ako warriors!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the commander-in-chief casually remarked:

"Then let's combine the two—a light turquoise base with white mountain-shaped embroidery on the cuffs."

Kondo Isamu attempted to argue his case logically:

"That won't do! It's better to do it exactly as it was!"

To be fair, both Kondo Isami's "Ako-kaze" and Kinoshita Mai's "Azuki-iro" are excellent suggestions.

Ultimately, while uniforms are important, they are not so important as to warrant an endless investment of time in them.

Since we already have two proposals that have received broad support, there is no need to waste any more time!

So Qingdeng clapped his hands forcefully:

"Alright, it's settled then! Our Shinsengumi's standard haori will be 'light blue with white mountain-shaped embroidery on the cuffs'!"

The commander-in-chief had already made the decision himself... so there was no reason for anyone to continue the discussion.

Although Kondo Isami looked regretful, he could accept the result of keeping the "mountain-shaped cuffs".

Kiyokawa Hachiro: "Now that the design of the uniform has been decided, the next step is to discuss the design of the military flag."

"Ah, there's no need to discuss that anymore. I've already decided on the design for the military flag."

As he spoke, Qingdeng smiled slightly.

"I've decided to use a word that's very important to me as our military flag!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cast curious and puzzled glances at Qing Deng.

Commander: "Words?"

Harada Sanosuke: "Mr. Tachibana, what character is it?"

Hijikata Toshizo asked in a half-joking tone:

"You wouldn't be using your own family name as a military flag, would you?"

The Miao character - Qingdeng's surname: Orange.

Qingdeng glared at Hijikata Toshizo with annoyance and scolded:

"I would never do something so tasteless."

The commander-in-chief impatiently pressed for answers:

"Hey, stop keeping us in suspense! Just tell us! What character is it?"

Qing Deng glanced at the commander after hearing the sound.

He remained silent for a few seconds, as if deep in thought.

In an instant, his expression was dominated by a look that resembled malice.

"Don't rush me, let me keep you in suspense for a moment."

"Anyway, it won't take much time to make the military flag."

"You'll soon find out exactly what word was chosen as the Shinsengumi's shining symbol!"

……

……

"Ah Wu, you did a great job tonight."

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai walked side by side.

Their footsteps echoed in the long, wide corridor.

"hey-hey……"

Kinoshita Mai played with a strand of hair that fell from her temple, and smiled shyly.

"To be honest, I also find it incredible... that the idea I came up with on a whim actually received unanimous approval from everyone..."

After saying that, she covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

That silvery laughter could not be hidden.

"Ah Wu, keep up this momentum from tonight and keep going."

Qing Deng smiled.

"Your biggest problem right now is that you lack confidence."

"Afraid of strangers, afraid of speaking in public."

"To be honest, these problems are nothing serious."

"By interacting with strangers more often and speaking in public, these shortcomings can be overcome one by one."

"So-called 'confidence' is forged through repeated successes."

"Keep up the good work!"

At this point, he paused as if he had remembered something.

When he spoke again, his tone became serious:

"Ama, you should find a chance to properly thank Sanako later."

“If it weren’t for Sanako’s half-forced prompting to speak, we would never have known your thoughts.”

Upon hearing this, Kinoshita Mai immediately lowered her head, gazing at the ground in front of her toes, her eyes flashing with an unusual light.

A moment later, she hastily and abruptly changed the subject:

"Hmm... let's talk about something else! Aoto, I've already heard from Okita-kun! You're planning to earn money for the Shinsengumi's military expenses by trading, right?"

As she spoke, she changed her posture—left hand on her hip, right hand patting her ample breasts, her pretty face full of confidence.

"No matter what, I'm still a businessman's granddaughter!"

"Although I never asked my grandmother for business advice, I still have some insights into how to do business thanks to her influence!"

"Furthermore, during my training under Mr. Kiryu, I also learned a lot about doing business from him!"

"And another thing! I was born in Osaka and can speak fluent Osaka dialect! I'm very familiar with the local customs and culture of the Kyoto region!"

"If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know! I'll do everything I can to assist you!"

Hearing Kinoshita Mai's self-recommendation, Aoto gave a wry smile, then stared at the empty space in front of him with a complicated expression.

"...Ah Wu, let me tell you the truth."

"Because there were too many people in the cafeteria at noon today, I didn't tell Souji the truth."

"Actually... I haven't even thought about how to make money by trading."

"...Huh? What did you say?"

I said: I haven't even thought about how to make money by trading.

"..."

"..."

quiet……