I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Master, please don't pour me any more wine..." Qing Deng, whose face had already turned flushed, hurriedly waved his hands at Zhou Zhu, who was about to refill his cup. "If I drink any more, I'll really get drunk..."

The result of today's match... is perfect for both Shieikan and Yushima Tenmangu Shrine.

The spectators who came to watch the game thoroughly enjoyed it, and the God's vision of boosting morale through a popular event was successfully realized.

A match that was initially considered hopeless was miraculously won? It would be a shame not to throw a grand celebration!

So, as darkness fell and the "Plum Blossom Festival" came to a successful conclusion, Zhou Zhu generously invited everyone who had participated in the competition that day to a lively celebration banquet at a restaurant of decent quality.

It was extremely rare for Ah Bi, who always valued money so much, not to object to Zhou Zhu's generous decision to host a banquet for everyone.

Having defeated the Chiba Sword Hall... and on such a grand stage as the "Plum Blossom Festival," the Shieikan members, feeling extremely triumphant, ate, drank, and made merry with abandon.

As the biggest contributor to today's victory, Qingdeng naturally became the absolute protagonist of tonight's victory celebration banquet.

One by one, Kondo and the others came to toast Aoto.

Qingdeng is the kind of person who neither hates nor likes alcohol.

His principle when drinking is: never get drunk.

Therefore, after being forced to drink several rounds of sake by Kondo and the others, Aoto, who was already feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded, firmly declared: I won't drink anymore, please stop pouring me sake.

By the way—Kiryu and Kinoshita Mai also attended tonight's celebration party.

Shusuke invited the two to their victory celebration, and Kiryu readily agreed.

At this moment, Kiryu was standing in a corner of the banquet, quietly eating his meal and sipping his wine. He had just toasted Aoto and the others with a few celebratory drinks.

Sitting next to him, Kinoshita Mai was tense and reserved because there were too many unfamiliar strangers around.

"Speaking of which... Tachibana-kun, you're really eloquent." Sitting next to Aoto, Kondo, who had also drunk quite a bit and was now slurring his words, said haltingly, "Today, before the match... after hearing your 'I want to win' speech, I felt full of energy and in great shape..."

As soon as Kondo finished speaking, voices of agreement rang out from the banquet hall.

"Yeah, me too. I was so nervous at first, but after listening to Ju's speech, I felt less nervous."

"Me too, me too. Thanks to Tachibana-kun's eloquence, I'm in particularly good shape today! I haven't felt this good in a long time!"

……

Hearing what Kondo and the others said, Aoto involuntarily raised an eyebrow.

—I have a very good speaking ability...?

Aoto suddenly recalled that a month ago, after defeating the "anti-foreign" thugs, Komuro and the others had said something similar to him.

They said that after hearing Qingdeng's voice, for some reason, they suddenly felt much better physically, less tense, and less panicked.

Qing Deng didn't pay much attention to it at the time, thinking it was just a coincidence.

However... if this had only happened once, it could have been a coincidence, but since it happened twice in a row, it can't be explained away with a simple "coincidence"...

—Could it be... that this is my own talent...?

Qingdeng couldn't help but ask himself this question.

—His voice is very infectious; he can inspire people with just a few simple words…

Qingdeng half-closed his eyes and began to carefully review the process and details of today's match in his mind.

He realized that his condition in today's game was very similar to his physical condition during the "snowy night battle" more than a month ago.

They were both extremely calm.

The only difference between these two battles was that I didn't gain that strange, ultra-wide field of vision today, nor did I see those strange gusts of air.

When did I revert to that extremely calm state I had during the "snowy night battle"?

It seems like it was at the squid stand that I overheard those contestants from the Chiba Kendo Club saying those things.

My mind instantly became extremely calm.

Then suddenly I thought of the tactic of "Kondo and others holding the line while he and Okita cut down enemy generals and captured the flag".

—Is this… also one of my own talents? That I become extremely calm in emergency situations…?

—But if these are all my own talents, then why don't my system list show corresponding entries like "inspiring" or "calm-headed"...?

Suddenly, a flood of questions arose in Qingdeng's mind, questions that he couldn't answer no matter how hard he tried.

At this moment, because he had drunk too much alcohol, Qingdeng gradually felt his bladder begin to swell.

After telling those around him that he had gone to the outhouse, Qingdeng stood up unsteadily and walked out of the room.

As soon as Qing Deng left the room, Kinoshita Mai, who had been mostly silent and tense since the banquet began, immediately looked up like a kitten that had smelled blood, staring at the door that Qing Deng had just opened and stepped out of.

After a few moments of hesitation flashed across her face, she turned her head and said to Kiryu beside her, "I need to use the restroom." Then, without waiting for Kiryu's response, she hurriedly got up and ran out of the room.

Although Qingdeng had drunk quite a bit of wine, he was not so drunk that he couldn't even walk.

As he slowly walked down the corridor toward the outhouse on the first floor of the restaurant, a delicate female voice, slightly trembling with nervousness, called out to him from behind:

"Th-that... Tachibana-kun!"

"Hmm? Ms. Kinoshita?" Qing Deng stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Kinoshita Mai, who was now standing a few steps behind him, with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

When Aoto looked over, the tension on Kinoshita Mai's face immediately intensified.

"that……"

She didn't even have time to say anything.

Qingdeng then spoke first with a smile:

"Ms. Kinoshita, have you been drinking too? Your face is very red now."

"Huh?" Kinoshita Mai was taken aback, then quickly raised her hands to touch her cheeks—they were indeed a little hot...

"Y-yes," Kinoshita Mai chuckled awkwardly. "I had a few drinks earlier... I'm sorry, you must have seen this..."

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing." Qing Deng, who was a little out of it from drinking quite a bit, waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Miss Kinoshita, you've always been a very cute girl."

"Now that her face is flushed, she looks even cuter."

In an instant, a blood-red glow spread across Kinoshita Mai's face, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears.

"Um, I wanted to ask you something!" Kinoshita Mai, now blushing furiously, took the initiative to change the subject, "In today's match, why did you, as the captain, dare to personally take to the field?"

Weren't you afraid that someone would smash the porcelain bowl on your head and cause the whole team to lose?

Kinoshita Mai's eyes held a hint of urgency, indicating that she was indeed extremely curious about this issue.

"Ah... well..." Qing Deng raised his hand and scratched his head. "How should I put it... it's impossible not to be afraid."

"I was scared at the time, but no matter how scared I was, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it."

"If we want to defeat the Chiba Sword Hall, everyone must fight and give their all. No one can just sit idly in the 'main camp' waiting to be protected."

At this point, Qingdeng paused for a moment before continuing:

"The reason I decided to personally charge into battle today is that I also considered that doing so would greatly boost the morale of Kondo and the others."

"Whenever important figures who should have stayed in the rear to be protected personally and bravely charged ahead, it would greatly boost the morale of their own side."

"after all--"

Qingdeng smiled nonchalantly.

"If the king doesn't lead by example, how can his subordinates be expected to fight bravely?"

I saw this line on the internet in Qing Deng's previous life. I thought it was pretty cool, so I unconsciously memorized it.

It's said to be from an animation, but Qingdeng doesn't know which animation it is.

Kinoshita Mai was taken aback.

Immediately afterwards, a hint of excitement appeared on his face: "That line is so cool!"

"Haha..." Qingdeng chuckled, "Really... You think this line is cool too? I think it's pretty cool too."

Qingdeng's bladder is about to burst; if he doesn't go to the toilet soon, it's going to leak.

So after chatting with Kinoshita Mai for a few more minutes, Aoto ended the brief "corridor conversation" and hurriedly continued to the outhouse.

Kinoshita Mai stood there, silently watching Aoto leave.

Once again, those brilliant lights shone in his eyes.

"Cute...is it..." Kinoshita Mai raised her hands, covering her cheeks, which were burning up again at a visible speed...

Her gaze gradually became hazy due to the growing shyness.

Chapter 100: Let Aoto and Sanako get together?

Zhou Zhu really went all out for this victory celebration tonight, not only covering everyone's food and drinks but also inviting entertainers to perform.

When Qing returned from using the outhouse, the performers that Zhou Zhu had invited happened to arrive. They performed a comedic act in the center of the room that was very similar to belly dancing, making everyone in the room laugh.

Aoto sat back down in his seat and noticed that Saito, who was sitting next to him, had a sullen face.

"Saito, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Saito also attended the celebration banquet.

Saito refused to sit with Aoto and the others, saying, "I am not a member of the Shieikan, so I will wait outside the room."

But Aoto ignored Saito and said to him:

"During the time you stayed with me at Shieikan, didn't you help with some trivial matters like 'cleaning the floor of the Shieikan dojo'? So, you're practically a member of Shieikan now. Alright, relax and join us for the victory celebration."

With Shusuke's permission, Aoto semi-forced Saito to sit next to him, so that Saito could enjoy the lively celebratory atmosphere with him.

“…I’m not feeling unwell,” Saito said softly. “I’m just a little embarrassed.”

“I am not a member of the Shiwei Hall, yet I am sitting here attending this banquet with you all…”

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but chuckle.

“Saito, as I’ve already said, you’re practically a member of our Shieikan. Even our master has acknowledged that.”

"Stop thinking about these things, relax and enjoy this celebration."

"It would be such a waste to have such a lively banquet if we just sit here with sullen faces."

"Let's watch the performance, it's quite interesting."