I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

At this very moment, somewhere in the Orange Mansion, Qing Deng stomped his feet on the corridor floor, making a loud thumping sound.

He was looking for the commander-in-chief.

Regarding the expansion of the First Division, he had several important matters to discuss with the Souji.

Just now, he learned from the maid that the commander-in-chief was admiring the flowers in the courtyard.

He quickened his pace and hurried over.

Soon, a familiar figure came into his view.

The commander sat alone on the veranda, facing the spacious courtyard.

She was dressed in purple casual clothes, her hands supporting her body on the floor on either side, calmly admiring the courtyard view.

Two small, unsocked feet dangled below the corridor—because of their petite stature, they couldn't touch the ground and could only hang in mid-air—swaying back and forth like kicking water, their translucent texture appearing under the sunlight, making one want to gently hold them.

Before Qingdeng arrived, his voice preceded it.

"Huh? Qingdeng, what brings you here?"

To Souji, the footsteps of Aoto, Sanako, Omai, and the other members of the "Shieikan Faction" were so familiar that there was no possibility of mishearing them.

Because he has been very busy lately, he has not been able to find the time to meet with the women much less often.

His last meeting with the chief was five days ago.

Looking at Souji, whom he hadn't seen for many days, Aoto unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth.

However, he quickly noticed something, his expression changed slightly, and he frowned slightly.

"Xiao Si, did you not sleep well last night?"

Bathed in the warm sun, under its radiant glow, the commander appeared unremarkable at first glance.

Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that her complexion was not good; it was pale and bloodless, as if she had applied a layer of white powder...

Souji blinked, then realized a beat late that it was his expression that had caused Aoto's worry.

She touched her face and calmly explained:

"I slept very well last night. I probably look tired because I've been too busy and tired lately."

"...Xiao Si, if you're feeling unwell, don't force yourself to endure it."

The commander smiled gently:

"Well, I will."

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by.

The breeze was gentle and slow, and when it blew, it felt like silk gliding over the skin.

The commander stood tall and straight, closed his eyes, and savored the gentle caress of the breeze.

"What a pleasant breeze... Ah, cherry blossoms."

She opened her eyes, her face filled with surprise as she watched the cherry blossom petals swirling in the wind.

Dozens of cherry blossom petals, carried by the gentle breeze, tumbled over the wall and spread out, rolled, and swirled in front of Qing Deng and his companion.

It is currently cherry blossom season, and lush, beautiful cherry trees adorn the streets and alleys of Otsu.

Souji raised her slender hand and gathered a few cherry blossom petals in the wind.

Looking at the glistening petals in her palm, a childlike smile appeared on her cheeks.

"Qingdeng, if you don't have anything urgent to do, could you keep me company for a while? It's rather boring to enjoy the scenery alone."

To be honest, Qing Deng is not exactly free right now; he still has a lot of official business to attend to.

However... for some reason, at this moment, faced with the Souji's invitation, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

So, without a second thought, he sat cross-legged beside her without hesitation.

"Qingdeng, I had a dream last night."

Qingdeng had barely sat down when she began to speak slowly to herself:

I dreamed of a black cat.

"This black cat is jumping around in the yard; it's very lively."

"Logically speaking, when I encounter such an adorable cat, I should pick it up and play with it."

"But in my dream, I drew my sword and fought it."

"However, even though my opponent was just a cat, I had no way to deal with it."

"No matter how many times I tried, even using the 'Secret Technique: Three-Stage Thrust of the Blue Eye', I couldn't even scratch a hair on its head."

"I can't cut anymore... I can't cut anymore..."

After saying that, she looked up at the sky, her eyes sparkling, as if she were gazing at the heavens, or perhaps at a more distant world.

"Fighting a cat? What kind of weird dream is that?"

The commander chuckled to himself:

"I don't know, maybe it's foreseeing my future—becoming a weak woman who can't even handle a cat."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng said irritably:

"Don't say such unlucky things."

Faced with Qing Deng's rebuke, Souji smiled and remained silent.

She lowered her head again, staring at the cherry blossom petals in her palm while playing with them with her fingers.

"...Upon closer reflection, although we have a deep friendship, we have never enjoyed cherry blossoms together."

"The cherry blossoms only bloom once a year."

"So... I want to go see the cherry blossoms."

"Qingdeng, can you come with me to see the cherry blossoms tomorrow?"

At this point, she seemed to remember something, paused, and then hurriedly turned her head to look at Qingdeng with a nervous expression.

"Just the two of us, okay?"

The final "Okay?" carries a hint of pleading.

That's understandable...

Strengthening Qin Jin's national power, sowing discord among the western vassal states, rescuing the Emperor... these were just some of the important national tasks that Qing Deng had to handle one by one, piling up like mountains.

Asking Qingdeng to put aside these important matters and accompany her to admire the cherry blossoms... no matter how you look at it, this falls into the category of "nonsense".

However... for Qingdeng, this type of choice doesn't require much thought at all.

As soon as the commander finished speaking, he said solemnly, word by word:

"Don't even mention tomorrow, next year, the year after, the year after that... as long as you ask, I will always be by your side."

It's just official business; I can make up for it by missing a few nights of sleep!

Qingdeng, who possesses nearly a hundred talents and an extraordinary physique, has never heard of "choices" or "the dilemma of loving one's own love."

In an instant, the tension on her face vanished, replaced by a bright smile.

"Then it's a date!"

As if afraid that Qingdeng would change his mind, she quickly extended the pinky finger of her right hand.

Seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but show a helpless expression.

"Isn't this childish trick unnecessary?"

"Since it's an agreement, there should be a 'contract signing ceremony,' right?"

The commander's gaze was serious. It seemed she wouldn't back down unless her demands were met.

Qingdeng had no choice but to extend his right pinky finger as well.

Just as the two little fingers were about to intertwine—

"Cough cough! Cough cough cough cough!! Cough cough cough cough cough cough—!!"

A sudden, violent cough shattered the warm atmosphere...

Uncontrollably, she curled her pinky finger, covered her lips tightly with both hands, and coughed violently! Her breathing became erratic! Her delicate body trembled violently! She couldn't catch her breath!

His cough was so violent that it seemed as if he was about to vomit out his own lungs!

Immediately afterwards... a splash of blood entered Qingdeng's field of vision.

Clumps of blood gushed from between his lips and teeth, instantly turning his hands into horrifying "bloody hands"!

Everything happened too fast, too unexpectedly... Qing Deng's expression was dominated by intense fear.

By the time he realized what was happening and went to help her up, she had already closed her eyes and fainted, with a lot of blood still remaining on her lips.

The few cherry blossom petals she had just clutched in her hand—petals stained with blood—slipped off and drifted to the ground…

……

……

Volume 5, "The Land Divided in Two"—The End!

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Volume 6, "Operation Marineford," is coming soon!

Waaaaah! Souji, my Souji! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Postscript to Volume 5