I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Many of the people around Qingdeng are far less fluent in Japanese than Elodie.

Take Kinoshita Mai for example. Because she grew up in Osaka, her way of speaking always carries a subtle Osaka flavor.

Because he hadn't seen his young apprentice for so long, Qingdeng couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

At that moment, he suddenly realized something—

—Huh… Elodie’s height… is still the same?

Qingdeng paused, his expression turning strange.

Logically speaking, a girl of this age should still be developing.

But then... something very strange happened: certain parts of her body stopped growing!

For example, her height.

Elodie's current height is exactly the same as when Qing Deng first met her! Absolutely the same! Still just over 1 meters tall (42 meters)!

For example, her face.

Even though she's almost an adult, she still has a face that... has a very girlish feel.

She didn't grow taller, her face didn't change, but strangely... the rest of her body was developing normally.

Because of the loose kendo uniform he was wearing, Aoto couldn't see very clearly.

But based on his rich experience, Qing Deng dared to conclude that Elodie's development was probably about to catch up with Souji's.

—No wonder they're best friends; they even have the same "growth style."

Both of them were "not tall, their faces did not change, and all their nutrition was concentrated in specific places."

Thinking of this, Qing Deng subconsciously shifted his gaze from Elodie and turned to look at Kinoshita Mai, who was sitting in the opposite direction.

Compared to Elodie, Kinoshita Mai's senses are undoubtedly much more acute.

She noticed Qingdeng's gaze immediately.

"..."

Although she didn't know why Qing Deng suddenly looked at her, her intuition told her that Qing Deng must be thinking about something very rude!

So, Kinoshita Mai lowered her eyelids, squinted, and glared back at Aoto with an air of "staring back".

Qing Deng silently withdrew his gaze, then picked up the teacup that A-Machi had just handed him, took a small sip of tea, and used "drinking tea" as an excuse to cover up his guilty expression.

The moment the tea entered his mouth, its lingering, refreshing aroma immediately filled Qing Deng's mouth, lingering for a long time.

Qing Deng blinked, thinking: It seems that what Atachi just said, "I am very good at making tea," was not just boasting.

Since the beginning, no one has spoken; the hall is eerily quiet.

If things continue to remain this quiet, it would be rather awkward.

Therefore, Qingdeng took the initiative to speak:

“Mr. Gomak, this used to be your home.”

Komaki-cho nodded with a smile:

"Yes, this is my husband's and my home. What do you think? Isn't it quite beautiful?"

Just now, Qingdeng learned from Elodie that this house belonged to the Old Shepherd couple.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense that this couple would be here.

"Oh? Auntie Machi, so you live here?"

Kinoshita Mai was stunned on the spot.

It's easy to see that, like Qingdeng, she only realized at this point that this slightly old-fashioned house was actually the home of the Gu Mu couple.

Aoto looked at Kinoshita Mai with a helpless expression.

"Ah Wu, I can understand, but how come even you don't know the address of the Gu Mu couple?"

"You have a very close relationship with the Old Shepherd couple, don't you?" Qing Deng almost blurted out that question.

Faced with Aoto's questioning, Kinoshita Mai gave an awkward few dry laughs:

"I only know they live in Kyoto, but I don't know their exact address..."

To save face, she tried her best to make amends:

"This is normal, isn't it? Not everyone can remember the exact addresses of their relatives and friends!"

This is the address of the Old Shepherd couple.

So why is Elodie here?

In fact, the reason is very simple.

Elodie said obediently:

“Master, Miss Wu, haven’t you noticed yet? My father, Miss Leroy, and I are living next door.”

After saying that, she pointed to the window not far away—the ordinary-looking bungalow outside the window was the Angoulême family's new home in Kyoto.

After Elodie's reminder, Qing Deng belatedly realized: Oh right! The Angoulême family's new house is right next door, not far from here!

This location is on the outskirts of Kyoto, where houses are sparsely distributed and the density of buildings is far less than in the town, so Aoto didn't think of it for a moment.

Elodie continued speaking:

"Mr. and Mrs. Gomak are both very kind people!"

"They often treated me to wagashi (Japanese sweets) and always invited me to their house."

"Because of a lack of guidance, my swordsmanship has become much rusty."

"After learning about this, Madam Gu Mu personally taught me swordsmanship."

"Mr. Old Mu occasionally gives me some pointers."

“I’ve been coming to their house to practice swordsmanship almost every day lately.”

As she spoke, she subtly turned her head, raised her gaze, and looked at Qingdeng with a wistful expression.

In an instant, Qingdeng sensed a resentful and reproachful gaze...

Why has Elodie's swordsmanship become rusty?

Why would she lack swordsmanship instruction?

Where did her swordsmanship master go?

Fortunately, at that moment, Kinoshita Mai asked Atachi a question, easing the awkward atmosphere surrounding Aoto.

"Auntie Machi, you actually know swordsmanship?"

Kinoshita Mai wore an expression of utter shock, completely genuine... as if she were meeting him for the first time.

It seems she really didn't know that Atachi knew swordsmanship.

At this point, Qing Deng had confirmed that although Kinoshita Mai and the Komaki couple had a very good relationship, the former didn't seem to know the latter very well...

Atachi laughed heartily a few times:

"To be honest, my swordsmanship is not very good; I can only be considered to have a smattering of knowledge."

"Although it's just a novice's skill, it's more than enough to give pointers to newcomers."

No sooner had Atachi finished speaking than Komaki Goro chimed in:

"Me too."

"In the world of swordsmanship, I am far from being a master."

"However, teaching newcomers how to hold and wield a sword is not a problem."

After listening, Qing Deng nodded thoughtfully.

Qing Deng had no idea how skilled the Komaki couple were at swordsmanship.

However, one thing he was certain of was that the couple had excellent parenting skills!

Qing Deng had seen everything Elodie did while she was practicing her sword in the courtyard.

Compared to before, both the posture of holding the sword and the momentum of wielding it have made great progress.

It's easy to see that all of this is thanks to the Old Shepherd couple.

Thinking of this, Qingdeng felt even more guilty.

—I'm such a terrible mentor...

At this moment, Atachi said again:

"Because we were neighbors, I often saw this child sitting on the veranda with a forlorn look on his face, staring blankly at the sky."

"Besides spacing out, she always does things that make my heart ache."

"Or draw on the ground with a twig."

"Either play chess against yourself."

"Or he plays Hanafuda by himself."

"In short, it's about playing games that you can enjoy alone."

"Although she is not alone in her family, she has a grandfather and a young maid, but they are usually very busy and cannot spend much time with her."

"I am a mother who has given birth to many children."

"That's why I hate seeing children with such lonely expressions."

"So, whenever I have free time, I spend some time with her."

"Oh, she's such a good girl!"

At this point, Atachi gently cupped her cheeks with both hands, revealing an expression of ecstasy.

"She's cute and has a great personality."

"There were several times when I wanted to pull her into my arms tightly."

"It's just a pity that I'm too old to have children now."