I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In terms of physical strength alone, Serizawa Kamo is in no way inferior to Kondo Isami.

In a matter of seconds, everyone's eyes quickly shifted and focused on Serizawa Kamo, while Yu and Gen, who were still showing off their muscles, were abandoned.

Suddenly, a new situation arose—

"Ugh... I feel so dizzy..."

Saito Hajime pressed his forehead, panting heavily, his brows furrowed.

Immediately...it really is immediately! Everyone showed unprecedented enthusiasm in caring for Saito Hajime.

Harada Sanosuke said urgently:

"Saito! Are you alright?"

Nagakura Shinpachi's expression was eager:

"Lying down will make you feel better! Lie down quickly! Right now!"

Kondo Isami leaned closer to Saito Hajime:

"Open your coat! Let it breathe! Let me help you!"

Although Inoue Genzaburo and Serizawa Kamo did not speak, they both cast concerned glances at Saito Hajime.

Saito raised his gaze, glancing at the crowd with neither joy nor sorrow.

"I'm fine... Thank you for your concern... Please don't come near me..."

Kondo Isami, who had just propped himself up halfway, silently sat back down in his original seat.

Although everyone managed to maintain their composure, an inexplicable and strange atmosphere persisted, growing increasingly intense...

Nagakura Shinpachi pursed his lips and swallowed hard.

—What's going on...? This restlessness...I can't suppress it...!

Harada Sanosuke clutched his chest tightly:

—It feels like a fire is burning inside me…! How can I release it…!

Just as everyone was at a loss, Kondo Isami suddenly said in a deep voice:

"I can't take it anymore... I can't take it anymore...!"

After saying that, he stood up abruptly, took off his bathrobe, revealing his strong, scarred body.

Upon seeing this, everyone was stunned, and then subconsciously assumed a fighting stance.

No matter what happens, no matter what difficulties they face, there are things they must protect!

However, what Kondo Isami did next exceeded their expectations.

He pounded his chest twice like a gorilla, and shouted loudly with great momentum:

"Let's play sumo!"

A single word awakens one from a dream.

In an instant, Nagakura Shinpachi and the others all showed expressions of sudden realization, as if they had been enlightened.

They shouted in unison in their hearts:

—I see! Oh right!

Although it was sudden, a unique sumo wrestling match unfolded abruptly!

Nobody cares about sea otter meat anymore.

There was no gyoji (judge) at this sumo match.

[Note: Gyōji (行司) is the official in sumo wrestling responsible for organizing and managing the matches and determining the winner; it also refers to the person holding this position.]

There were no spectators shouting "Sun opens the mountain" from the sidelines.

[Note: "Sunset Mountain Opener" refers to unparalleled skill in sumo wrestling, martial arts, etc.]

There was no competition area, no salt-sprinkling or squatting rituals, and not even opponents—the five engaged in a free-for-all, fighting each other without distinction of friend or foe.

Under the starlight, by the hot spring, the scene was quite intense...

……

……

"...What are they doing?"

Qing Deng twitched his lips and turned to look at the east end of the pond, where Kondo Isami and the others were.

The sounds of a fierce fight could be heard from afar.

Elodie murmured to herself:

"That sound...are they playing sumo wrestling?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Sumo wrestling is a national sport in Japan and a common game played at parties.

It's not surprising that Kondo Isami and others suddenly decided to use sumo wrestling to test their strength.

—Are they drunk? How come they're having so much fun... Oh well, it's good this way. They've really worked hard lately, they deserve to relax.

Just as Qingdeng was pondering this, Elodie suddenly twitched her nose, a look of confusion on her face:

"Hmm? Master, do you smell anything strange?"

"Oh, this, this must be the smell of boiled sea otter meat."

With the help of his innate "dog nose," Qing Deng had already smelled the strange odor long ago.

[Note: Dog's nose: Enhanced sense of smell, the brain's ability to process "smell" information is enhanced, and the brain will not have difficulty processing excessive information due to enhanced smell.]

"Sea otter meat? Is sea otter meat edible?"

"Shinpachi said it's edible."

"Master, aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not used to eating late at night. Elodie, would you like to try some? It's a specialty of Ouyu."

"Sea otter meat... I'd be interested, but I'm not hungry right now."

"..."

"..."

After exchanging a few words, the two fell silent and neither started a new topic.

Although the two bathed together, they were about 5 meters apart.

Elodie submerged most of her body in the water, leaving only her head above water.

Qingdeng consciously turned his head away, staring intently at the distant horizon, not daring to let his gaze wander.

Just now, thanks to Elodie's concise explanation, Qingdeng finally understood what had happened in all those unexpected events.

Simply put, Elodie got tired of staying at the east end of the pool, so like Qingdeng, she wanted to go and see other parts of the pool.

After swimming to the middle of the pool, she suddenly wanted to test her current lung capacity, so she submerged in the water and silently counted how long she could hold her breath.

What happened after that is self-explanatory.

This is probably what is meant by "divine will".

Elodie just happened to want to leave the east end of the pool, just happened to want to test her lung capacity, and just happened to bump into Qingdeng... A series of "just happened" events led to the current "shared bathing".

The silence between the two made the surroundings quiet, and even the chirping of insects seemed far away.

Although he couldn't see Elodie's expression, Qingdeng instinctively sensed that she was now pursing her lips, looking conflicted.

So, after a moment's thought, he spoke first:

"Elodie, if you have anything on your mind, please feel free to speak. I will listen quietly."

Elodie was startled, and her body trembled slightly.

"Master, how...how did you know I had something on my mind..."

Her increasingly weak tone proved that Qing Deng was not wrong.

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"How long do you think we've been master and apprentice? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

When Elodie asked him to stay, Qingdeng immediately realized that she must have something important to say to him privately.

Besides, Qingdeng really couldn't think of any other reason why Elodie would disregard their mutual "sincerity" and insist on being together in this delicate environment.

Elodie: "..."

She lowered her head and stared intently at her reflection in the water.

Qingdeng wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently.

About 10 seconds later, her voice finally drifted over:

"When Shuten-dōji attacked... ah, no, even earlier, when we were defending Hachiō-dōji, a certain executive of the Hōshū-dō recognized me."

“He knew my real name, he knew I was Alice de Orléans…”

"After Shuten-dōji stormed Edo Castle, he recognized me and even threatened to capture me alive..."

"Logically speaking, the cadres of the Party that punishes the law should not possibly know my real name."

"So...I suspect..."

Elodie stopped abruptly, not continuing.

Qingdeng, who had been listening quietly since the beginning, slowly spoke, calmly summarizing and finishing what she was about to say:

"So, you suspect your father has ties to the Fazhu Party?"

Elodie didn't say anything, but lowered her head even further and nodded.

Throughout Japan, only a handful of people, including Aoto and Elodie's grandfather, knew Elodie's real name; at most, they could count them on two hands.

Aside from them, the only person in Japan who knew Elodie's real name was her biological father, Mael de Orléans.