I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Hijikata Toshizo understood his relationship with Aoto very well and was never confused about his own position—which is one of the important reasons why he can still enjoy drinks with Aoto to this day.

Of course, in private, they no longer need to follow these complicated rules.

If no outsiders are present, their relationship will revert to the purest form of kinship—Hijikata Toshizo is Souji's sworn brother, so he can be considered one of Seido's many brothers-in-law.

"Tetsunosuke! Get some tea..."

Before Hijikata Toshizo could finish speaking, a handsome young boy came running up to him, carrying a tray with two cups of hot tea.

"My lord, my lord, please have some tea!"

As he spoke loudly, the young boy steadily took two cups of hot tea from the tea tray and handed them to Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo.

Looking at the boy who was quick and efficient and brought tea without being ordered, Hijikata Toshizo was first taken aback, then nodded slightly and gave him an appreciative look.

"Yes, Tetsunosuke, thank you for your hard work. You can leave now. I need to have a short meeting with Tachibana."

"Yes!"

The boy, called "Tetsunosuke," bowed his upper body, placed three fingers on the ground, and respectfully greeted Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo.

"My lord, my lord, I must take my leave now!"

Having said that, he lifted the hem of his hakama and got up to leave.

Qingdeng raised his gaze and watched his retreating figure.

After the footsteps faded into the distance, Qing Deng withdrew his gaze, looked at Hijikata Toshizo, and smiled slightly:

"Ichimura-kun is getting smarter and smarter."

Hijikata Toshizo smiled, a hint of pride flickering across his face:

"Of course, after all, she's the young lady I chose at first sight!"

Ichimura Tetsunosuke—the real name of that young boy from earlier. He was born in the first year of Ansei (1854) and is exactly 10 years old this year. He hasn't even shaved his forehead yet.

As Hijikata Toshizo just said, this boy is now his page.

Prior to this, Hijikata Toshizo had never taken on any page and always lived a solitary life.

The process by which he broke with tradition and formed a relationship of ruler and subject with the other party is quite interesting.

It is the result of the superposition of various causes and coincidences.

Like most ambitious people, Ichimura Tetsunosuke and his older brother Ichimura Tatsunosuke had long admired the invincible Shinsengumi.

Therefore, when the "mass conscription" began at the beginning of this year, the two brothers rushed to enlist.

His brother passed the test smoothly, but he...

Although no specific age limit was set for the "Great Conscription", it was not a critical moment when "all able-bodied men had died and only children could be sent to the front", so the Shinsengumi's "Conscription Office" would not recruit 10-year-old children as soldiers.

"Young man, you're not even as tall as a katana right now. The battlefield isn't a good place for you. Wait until you're a bit older before you enlist."

Despite the recruiters' polite refusal, Ichimura Tetsunosuke persisted.

His face showed grief and indignation, and he raised his head and shouted loudly:

"Isn't your Shinsengumi supposed to recruit heroes from all over the world? Then why are you abandoning the truly outstanding ones?"

His boastful words were overheard by Hijikata Toshizo, who happened to be passing by.

Hijikata Toshizo chuckled as he looked at the small fellow who, despite his small stature, spoke with great arrogance.

He crossed his arms and swaggered over, asking:

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

Faced with this strange, eccentric middle-aged man (?) who suddenly appeared, Ichimura Tetsunosuke was startled, but he still forced himself to remain calm and introduced himself:

"My name is Ichimura Tetsunosuke!"

Hijikata Toshizo twitched the corner of his mouth:

"You're quite amusing, daring to shout such rude and disrespectful things in front of the Shinsengumi's gate."

"Uncle, who are you?"

“Uncle…?! Tsk, well then, given the age difference between us, it’s fine for you to call me ‘uncle.’ I am Hijikata Toshizo, the ‘Demon Vice-Commander’ of the Shinsengumi. Nice to meet you.”

"'Demon Vice-Commander'...?!"

Just a second ago, Ichimura Tetsunosuke was full of enthusiasm, but now he was like a deflated balloon, his expression changed drastically, his eyes wide open, and his face full of disbelief.

Hijikata Toshizo quietly continued the conversation:

“Although we can’t send children to the battlefield, how about this: you become my page! That way, you’ll be part of the Shinsengumi.”

"Xiao, Xiao last name...?!"

Upon hearing this, Ichimura Tetsunosuke immediately looked troubled.

"What? You're not happy? Let me be clear from the start, I'm giving you an extremely valuable opportunity. Countless people want to be my servants, but they haven't had the chance yet."

Meeting the sharp gaze from Hijikata Toshizo, Ichimura Tetsunosuke lowered his head pitifully and weakly spoke to his toes:

"Even if you are Hijikata Toshizo, I don't want to be your Kousaka Masanobu..."

Kosaka Masanobu—a page of Takeda Shingen, the typical figure who made a fortune by selling his genitals.

Hijikata Toshizo paused for a moment, then, quite unusually, displayed an expression of exasperation:

"Who said I wanted you to be Kosaka Masanobu! Don't worry! I'm not Takeda Shingen! I don't have that kind of hobby! Do you want to be my page or not? Give me a straight answer! I'm busy!"

Finally, after a fierce internal struggle, Ichimura Tetsunosuke reluctantly nodded and became Hijikata Toshizo's page, responsible for taking care of his daily life.

When it was learned that Hijikata Toshizo had taken a 10-year-old boy as his page, a considerable wave of discussion broke out within the Shinsengumi.

From the generals to the ordinary soldiers, everyone participated:

"That 'Demon Vice-Commander' actually has such an interest..."

"Isn't this kind of thing normal? What's the big deal?"

"I never expected that the 'Demon Vice-Commander' would also favor the Path of the Demon... If I have the chance, I must have a good chat with him!"

……

Similar statements are countless.

In fact, it's no wonder that people would react this way.

Although the original meaning of "小姓" (xiǎoxìng) simply referred to a personal attendant, but...

The affairs orchestrated by Oda Nobunaga and Mori Ranmaru, Takeda Shingen and Kosaka Masanobu... have made the term "guest" no longer pure.

Upon learning that Hijikata Toshizo, who had always been alone, had suddenly recruited a handsome young man as a page, it was indeed hard not to have strange associations...

And Hijikata Toshizo happens to be a guy with a "serious criminal record".

Considering his philandering and womanizing nature, it's no wonder he pulls all sorts of stunts!

The crowd was buzzing with discussion... In contrast, those who were acquainted with Hijikata Toshizo—such as Aoto, Souji, and Kondo Isami—were all remarkably calm.

Because they knew Hijikata Toshizo so well, they all knew in their hearts that Hijikata Toshizo was a straight man of steel! He would never do anything like the "Shudo" (a term referring to a specific type of martial arts sect).

Moreover, Hijikata Toshizo is definitely not the kind of person who would harm a child.

If he were such a scumbag, there would be no need for others to speak ill of him; Qing Deng himself would personally take up his sword and go to Hijikata's residence to have a proper "detailed talk" with him!

Although he is Qingdeng's close friend, personal feelings are insignificant in the face of matters of principle! The ethical and moral issues that need to be corrected must be corrected!

Faced with the doubts of the crowd, Hijikata Toshizo, who had expected this, chuckled a few times and then calmly replied: Ichimura Tetsunosuke reminded him of his former fearless self, so on a whim, he took him under his wing and trained him.

In this way, everyone's suspicions were finally dispelled.

The saying "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal" can be applied to China in the Western Zhou Dynasty, medieval Europe, and is also true in Japan during the Edo period.

From Aoto's perspective, Ichimura Tetsunosuke is a typical "vassal of a vassal".

Therefore, there is no master-servant relationship between them.

However, because Ichimura Tetsunosuke greatly admires Aoto, after receiving instructions, he addresses Hijikata Toshizo as "Lord" while also referring to Aoto as "Great Lord".

……

After a few brief pleasantries, Hijikata Toshizo picked up the hot tea on his lap, took a small sip, and his expression gradually became serious:

"Ju, let's leave the small talk aside and get down to business."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng nodded slightly, but his facial expression tightened as he said calmly:

"Yes, if there's anything you want to say, feel free to say it."

Hijikata Toshizo drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, then took out a thin booklet from his pocket.

"Ju, take a look at this."

After saying that, he opened the booklet, turned to a certain page, placed it on the tatami mat, handed it to Qing Deng's lap, then casually picked up the shamisen beside his leg, draped it diagonally in his lap, made a graceful hand gesture, and began to play it by himself.

It must be said that the reason why Hijikata Toshizo was able to become a super player was not only because he was as handsome as Pan An, but also because he was multi-talented and possessed many talents that were very popular with the opposite sex, such as playing the piano and singing.

His current elegant demeanor, "holding the zither in his arms and gently stroking the strings," would surely win over many young women if they saw him.

Just as Qingdeng was about to reach for the booklet, a gentle breeze blew in from the window, causing the booklet to turn its pages.

Hijikata Toshizo, who was focused on playing the piano, did not notice this little accident.

Qingdeng was about to speak up to remind him, but his sharp eyes suddenly noticed that there seemed to be something very interesting written on the booklet after turning the page.

So he picked up the booklet, cleared his throat, and then read aloud what he saw:

"The warbler, and the sound of the duster too..."

In an instant, Hijikata Toshizo's face changed color. He didn't even bother playing the shamisen anymore. He hurriedly put the shamisen back in its place and snatched the book back.

"Idiot! Where are you reading from?! Tsk... how did we end up on this page...!"

Ignoring Hijikata Toshizo's complaints, Qing Deng asked with a curious expression:

"Toshizo, is this a haiku you wrote?"

After a slight hesitation, Hijikata Toshizo, while touching his nose, coldly replied:

"What bad luck, you actually saw it... Yes, it's a haiku I wrote."

Qingdeng drew out the words, adopting a half-joking tone: