I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Having said that, Qingdeng, who had switched from drinking alcohol to tea, sipped his tea while watching the belly dancers performing in front of him with great interest.

Saito looked up and glanced at the performance before him.

Then he slowly turned his gaze to the crowd around him who were all laughing.

Saito, who usually has a blank expression and a stern face, slowly revealed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

After a moment, he looked away.

Like Qingdeng beside him, he sipped his tea while intently watching the belly dance performance.

However, he seemed completely unable to appreciate this art form, and his brow furrowed visibly.

……

……

At this very moment—

Edo, Okemachi, Kochiba Sword Hall, Bathhouse —

Whoosh!

Completely naked, Sanako knelt beside the bathtub in the most perfect posture, picked up a basin of cold water, and poured it over herself.

After pouring four buckets of cold water over herself, soaking her from head to toe, Sanako closed her eyes and placed her hands on her thighs.

Head held high, back straight.

As a prestigious school in the Japanese kendo world, Chiba Kenkan has neither lack of fame nor money, so Chiba Sadakichi generously opened a private bathroom in his home.

Sanako is very clean, and she takes a bath every day, whether it is summer or winter.

Every time she takes a bath, she has a habit—after washing her body and before officially entering the bath, she always kneels down next to the tub and splashes cold water on her body, letting the coolness of the water stimulate her brain and nerves.

After pouring cold water all over your body, close your eyes and carefully reflect on your gains and losses of the day, think about the mistakes you made, and consider how to avoid repeating those mistakes in the future.

At this moment, after Sanako closed her eyes, scenes from today's match flashed through her mind one by one.

—If… I could have stalled Tachibana-kun and Souji a little longer today, the outcome of the match might have been very different…

—If I hold on a little longer, Yamanami-kun and the others will be able to come and support me.

—With the support of Yamanami-kun and the others, there is a chance to reverse the decline and defeat Tachibana-kun and Souji…

Sanako kept reviewing the day's battle, listing her shortcomings and mistakes.

The hands, clasped together on the lap, slowly clenched and tightened.

Ultimately, it all comes down to my own lack of ability...

—If I were stronger, strong enough to take on both Tachibana-kun and Souji at the same time, I wouldn't have lost today's match.

—I must...become stronger...

—If I am strong enough, the events of today... and the events of the past... will all have a different ending...

Sanako's eyes, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.

Her bright, beautiful eyes, as clear as summer stars, now held a faint hint of bitterness and sorrow.

His appearance... seemed to indicate that he was recalling some unpleasant memories.

His head, which had been held high, drooped, his chin almost touching her collarbone.

The candlelight on the lampstand in the corner of the bathroom flickered slightly.

The flickering, dim candlelight shone down on Sanako.

It stretched Sanako's lonely figure into a very long, long shadow.

……

……

Chiba Sadakichi's room at the Little Chiba Sword Hall—

Chiba Sadakichi and his son Chiba Jutaro sat facing each other.

Dressed in pajamas, Chiba Sadakichi asked Chiba Jutaro in front of him with a faint smile:

"Jutaro, what are your thoughts on today's match?"

"...Father. After careful consideration, I realized that a significant part of the reason for today's defeat was our mentality."

"If our fighting spirit and mentality hadn't wavered because we couldn't break through Shiejeon's defenses, the outcome of today's match would have been very different."

"Hmm." Chiba Sadakichi nodded slightly. "Jutaro, since you can think of this, it means that you do have a very clear understanding of today's match."

Chiba Sadakichi's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile.

"The reason I agreed to the shrine priest of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine to allow the Chiba Sword Hall to hold the 'Red and White Battle' during the 'Plum Blossom Festival' was simply because I wanted to take care of my old friend and fulfill his wish that 'the people would have fun during the Plum Blossom Festival and boost morale'."

"After all, I have known the head priest of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine for many years, and he has helped me a lot in the past, so I couldn't refuse his request."

"I never expected that today's match would bring so many unexpected surprises."

"For me, today's defeat was a good one, making me and you all deeply realize how terrible it is to underestimate your opponent."

Chiba Sadakichi's tone gradually became serious.

"Today, too many of our members from Chiba Kendo Academy went into the match with the mindset of 'we will definitely win this match'."

"Because you underestimated your enemy, you panicked when you found out that the enemy was much stronger than you imagined. You could only use 60 or 70% of your strength at that moment."

"All martial arts are like this—courage is far more important than strength."

"As long as you are full of courage and unafraid of death and danger, you will have a chance to defeat even a stronger opponent who is far more powerful than you."

"This is why the Satsuma Jigen-ryu school, which 'never teaches people how to defend or dodge, but only how to attack with reckless abandon,' is so feared."

"Today's defeat has served as a wake-up call for me: from now on, I must put more effort into correcting the mindset of certain people in the organization."

At this point, Chiba Sadakichi suddenly paused.

"Speaking of which—Jutaro, has Sanako's mood improved at all?"

“Sanako has gone to take a bath now,” Chiba Jutaro replied. “Her mood… doesn’t seem to have improved. I saw her with a somber face before she went to take a bath.”

“I see…” Chiba Sadakichi smiled helplessly, “Sanako is so competitive, and she lost the match today in front of so many people… She must be extremely resentful right now.”

"Jutaro, remember to pay more attention to your sister from now on, and give her some advice when necessary."

“...Father.” Chiba Jutaro’s expression changed slightly as if he had remembered something. “Speaking of Sanako…Father, I want to tell you something.”

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"Father," Chiba Jutaro looked up, asking Chiba Sadakichi with a hint of urgency, "what do you think of... Tachibana-kun?"

Chiba Sadakichi's expression froze for a moment.

Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at his son with a meaningful gaze.

"...Jutaro, you wouldn't...have added Tachibana-kun to your 'potential brother-in-law list', would you?"

"Father, don't you think Tachibana-kun and Sanako are a good match?"

"First of all, Tachibana's age is just right. He is 18 years old this year, and Sanako is 22 years old. Tachibana is only 4 years younger than Sanako, so the age difference is not much."

"Secondly, Tachibana-kun's appearance and height are quite good. Tachibana-kun is very tall, a full head taller than Sanako, and he is also quite good-looking with regular features. The only shortcoming is that Tachibana-kun doesn't have a neat chonmage hairstyle, but that's not a big deal."

"Then, Tachibana-kun has a respectable job as the chief of the Hokuban-sho in Edo. If Sanako marries him, there is no need to worry that Sanako will live a poor life."

"Finally—and most importantly, Tachibana-kun is truly a rare and outstanding talent."

“Father, based on the rumors I’ve heard about Tachibana-kun recently, and what I saw on the field today, you should be able to see that he is indeed a brave and resourceful person, possessing both wisdom and courage.”

"They possess both the bravery to face axe and the wisdom to strategize."

"Yasu once told me: Tachibana-kun is a swordsmanship talent that is in no way inferior to Souji's."

"I didn't believe it at the time, but after witnessing Tachibana-kun's swordsmanship firsthand today, I'm finally convinced: Yuu really wasn't lying, and Tachibana-kun's swordsmanship talent is indeed quite amazing."

"Father, can you believe it? Just over a month ago, Tachibana-kun knew almost nothing about swordsmanship. In such a short time, his swordsmanship has reached such a level! He's truly an incredible genius!"

Chiba Jutaro became more and more excited as he spoke.

"With a talent like Mr. Ju, he is destined for a bright future!"

"When I first met Tachibana-kun, I already asked him if he was currently unmarried or engaged."

“Father, this kind of outstanding talent, who might only appear once in a thousand... no, ten thousand people, must be given special attention!”

"Jutaro, calm down." Looking at his son, who was getting more and more agitated, Chiba Sadakichi couldn't help but smile wryly. "Look at how nervous you are... Are you in such a hurry to get your sister married off?"

“Of course!” Chiba Jutaro replied without hesitation. “Father, Sanako is already 22 years old this year.”

"Go all over Edo and ask around—how many samurai women are still unmarried and unengaged by the age of 22?"

“In a few more years, when Sanako gets older, it will be difficult to find her a good family.”

"Now is the time to be anxious about Sanako's future!"

Chiba Sadakichi smiled helplessly: "I don't object to you helping Sanako find a suitable and outstanding man."

"But don't find Sanako any random boyfriends."

"How long have you known Tachibana-kun? Have you thoroughly investigated his character? You haven't even done a detailed investigation into his character, yet you want your sister to change her name to 'Tachibana Sanako'?"

“Father, you misheard me. I didn’t say that Sanako and Tachibana should get together right now,” Chiba Jutaro corrected. “What I said just now was that ‘Tachibana deserves special attention.’”

"Of course I know I can't let someone who's all show and no substance become my brother-in-law."

"I've made up my mind: starting tomorrow, I will focus on investigating Tachibana-kun's character."

"As far as I know, Tachibana-kun's character shouldn't be too bad."

Chiba Jutaro smiled slightly.

"Today, he directly asked Brother Duomen to retract his rude remarks about Shiwei Hall in front of everyone."

"A person who dares to uphold the dignity of their fencing school is a person whose character is worth looking forward to."

“…I admit that Tachibana-kun is indeed a very capable person,” Chiba Sadakichi said slowly. “If his character is also very good, then I would be happy to have such an outstanding young man as my son-in-law.”

"but--"

Chiba Sadakichi abruptly changed the subject.