I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The long-awaited, evenly matched battle ignited the fighting spirit in his eyes.

From being "completely powerless" to now being "evenly matched"... this is truly a huge improvement!

This visible change greatly encouraged Qingdeng.

His mind was racing, devising battle strategies, and he longed to fight Kiryu-sensei for another three hundred rounds.

However... the other party did not do as he wished.

The rhythm of his chest rising and falling gradually returned to normal, and the strange light in his eyes also disappeared.

It's obvious—Kiryu has withdrawn from the "state of selflessness".

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

The moment he exited the "state of no-self," Kiryu was like a diver who had just surfaced from the deep sea after running out of oxygen, greedily and gulping in oxygen.

Within just a few minutes, Mr. Kiryu was no longer the dashing figure he had been before.

He was covered in sweat, his face was pale, and his back was bent over from exhaustion. He had to lean on the ground with his knife to make himself feel better.

Looking at Aoto, who was still standing there in a daze, Kiryu said half-jokingly:

"Hey, what are you standing there for? Come help me up."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng belatedly sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and steadily supported Kiryu's back, helping him to the edge of the dojo so that he could sit down and rest.

"Mr. Kiryu, would you like some water?"

Mr. Kiryu waved his hand.

"No need, just let me catch my breath."

As he spoke, he reached behind him and rhythmically massaged his lower back with varying pressure.

"Mr. Kiryu, are you... giving me a massage?"

"Yes, I learned a little massage in Nara before. I was so excited just now that my back is a little sore."

"Do you need my help?"

Do you know anything about massage?

"If it's just a simple push..."

"Then there's nothing you can do to help. Don't worry, it's not a big problem, you'll recover quickly."

Aoto stared intently at Kiryu, who was "healing himself," with a complicated expression.

Looking back, no matter when, what kind of thing to deal with, or what kind of trouble to face, Kiryu always had a composed and elegant demeanor.

So much so that Qingdeng often subconsciously forgets his actual age.

In contrast, look at Mr. Kiryu now – he's sweating profusely, massaging his aching back...

At first glance, he just looks like an ordinary old man.

It was only at this moment that Qing Deng truly realized: no matter how capable Kiryu-sensei was, he was still an elderly man...

Kiryu had been watching Aoto's eyes and the changes in his emotions all along.

"Tachibana-kun, why do you have such an incredulous look on your face?"

He smiled slightly and continued:

"Look at my wrinkles, and look at my gray hair."

"I'm already this old, you can't expect an old man like me to recklessly abuse my body like a young man."

"Sigh... Although 'birth, aging, sickness, and death' are the fate of mankind, my body has truly aged quite thoroughly..."

"I'm already out of breath after just a couple of moves."

"This won't do..."

When he said, "That won't do..." a complex emotion, hard to describe, flashed in Kiryu's eyes.

That glance vanished in an instant.

He quickly put on a smile again:

"Ju-kun, your growth rate always surprises me greatly."

"I never thought that even now, after entering the 'state of selflessness,' I still wouldn't be able to defeat you."

Even if they used 'Flowing Light', they could only manage a draw.

"I'm sure it won't be long before you surpass me in every way."

No sooner had Kiryu finished speaking than Aoto immediately said:

"Mr. Kiryu, you can't say that."

"You haven't used your 'secret technique' yet, have you?"

"In that case, it is still uncertain who will emerge victorious."

"To be honest, I can't guarantee that I can definitely handle the 'profound meaning' you unleash in the 'state of selflessness'."

The "secret technique" that Qingdeng mentioned is none other than Liuguang's ultimate killing move—Moment!

Kiryu's boss smiled but remained silent in response to Aoto's assertion, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Speaking of 'secret techniques'... Tachibana-kun, how about it? Have you mastered 'Moment' yet?"

Upon hearing this question, Qing Deng's facial expression was immediately dominated by intense embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Unfortunately... not yet. After accelerating to top speed, it becomes extremely difficult for my body to stop smoothly at the precise moment."

"I see... That's truly a pity. If one cannot master 'Moment,' then it will be difficult to defeat certain powerful enemies in the future..."

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself:

—Hmm? Is it just my imagination?

He felt that Kiryu's words just now seemed to have a hidden meaning.

Although puzzled, Qingdeng didn't take it to heart.

"Oh, right, right. Mr. Kiryu, what brings you all the way to Kyoto? Are you here to visit Mai?"

It would have been better if Qingdeng hadn't asked; once he did—the atmosphere changed drastically…

He witnessed the Kiryu boss's body suddenly stiffen.

Immediately afterwards, he vaguely saw wisps of translucent stuff called "resentment" emanating from the other person.

"...We've been discovered."

"Huh? What has been discovered?"

"Your 'grand ideal' has been discovered by the lord."

"……what?"

"Your grand ambition of 'marrying three wives' has been discovered by the lord."

Mr. Kiryu explained in more detail.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The silence between the two was deafening.

About 10 seconds later, Mr. Kiryu said again:

"Because I covered for you, I got a severe scolding from the lord... I had a really tough time that day."

Qingdeng lowered his head consciously.

He looked just like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished, his face covered in cold sweat, his gaze shifting and his hair fidgeting.

His mind was racing, and he was racking his brains for the right words.

Ultimately, all he could think of to say was—

"Um... how should I put it... I'm so sorry!"

Folding one's body like a folding chair to "reinforce the apology" is a traditional Japanese art.

Qing Deng never imagined he would have to use this move one day...

Mr. Kiryu put down his hands that were massaging his lower back and sat up straight with a blank expression.

"To be honest... if I weren't too tired to lift the knife right now, I would... never mind, I won't say anything more."

I'm sweating more and more cold sweat...

The sweat I broke out during my fight with Kiryu-sensei wasn't nearly as much as the cold sweat I'm sweating now...

He now understood why he had sensed a faint murderous aura when he saw Boss Kiryu at the entrance of the military camp.

"My lord asked me to tell you—come to Osaka to see her within a month."

"Although it's obvious, I still have to tell you this: the reason our lord wants to see you is definitely to have an in-depth discussion with you about your 'grand ideals'."

"So... be prepared."

"The only thing I can do for you right now is to tell you: the lord does not mind that the young master's future husband has many concubines."

"But... her behavior of 'having a bunch of wives' and 'falling in love with three girls at the same time, including the young master' is quite... confusing."

After hesitating for a while, Kiryu finally stammered out a "confused" answer.

He probably didn't want to use overly strong language, lest he frighten Qingdeng.

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng touched his forehead with his hand.

Shock, astonishment, fear... a beautiful mix of emotions clung to his face.

"Go to Osaka to see her... That's perfect, just what I wanted to do! I've been wanting to see her for a while now!"

Aoto's words surprised the Kiryu boss.