I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

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Qing Deng inexplicably thought: Yang Yong, Zhao Kuangyin, Tokugawa Ieyasu and other heroes who overthrew their superiors probably had the same mental journey - looking around the world, they had no rivals, and as long as they took one more step forward, they could ascend to the highest throne!

However, the "force" driving Qingdeng is not limited to this.

It is not about letting Qing Deng usurp the throne and establish himself, but about pushing him to a higher position... not about establishing a completely new samurai regime, but about building an even more glorious legacy!

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but fall into deep thought, pursing his lips as his mind wandered in an endless sea of thoughts.

Just as he was lost in thought, out of the blue, A-Wu abruptly asked:

"...Aoto, is the only person you want to marry really Oomidai-sho?"

Qingdeng was startled and subconsciously turned to look at Awu—and thus, their eyes met.

But then A-Wu turned her head and stared intently at Qing-Deng with a deep, meaningful gaze—her beautiful eyes radiating a slightly eerie light.

“I have a feeling that you’ve been getting extra close to Elodie lately, and you go to chat with her every now and then.”

"You not only want to marry Tenshōin, who is 6 years older than you, but also Elodie, who is 6 years younger than you?"

In an instant, as if stunned by A-Wu's gaze, Qing Deng's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

He's been getting close to Elodie lately... The above is largely correct.

Mael is still imprisoned in the Shinsengumi's jail and is under close guard—Elodie has never visited him.

Her petite frame concealed extraordinary courage.

After being deeply disappointed in Mael, she adopted a resolute attitude of "never speaking to him again," and the father and daughter were clearly on the verge of a complete break.

It's easy to imagine that this complex feeling of both love and hate is not so easy to let go of.

To comfort Elodie and alleviate her pain as much as possible, Qingdeng has been frequently talking to her and having heart-to-heart talks with her recently.

To put it bluntly, he wanted to do everything he could to fill the void in her heart as the "father."

In other words, his excessive closeness to Elodie was entirely benevolent and he had absolutely no ill intentions.

Faced with A-Wu's terrifying gaze, Qing Deng coughed twice:

“Ah Wu, you’re overthinking it. Elodie and I don’t have that kind of relationship. I’ve always treated her like a younger sister.”

"...That's good."

As A-Wu spoke, she looked away, her expression returning to normal.

"If you really marry Elodie... I don't even know what kind of expression I should make."

"I'm sharing a husband with my best friend... Just imagining it makes me feel conflicted..."

Qingdeng repeated it again:

You're overthinking it.

For some reason, he felt a little guilty when he said those words.

Now that he had told the two women his determination to marry Tenshōin, there was no reason to discuss the topic any further.

So, he abruptly changed the subject:

"Wow, look! The snow is getting heavier!"

The snowfall outside the window was indeed gradually intensifying.

Snowflakes fluttered down, adorning the night sky, and a thin layer of white carpet had accumulated on the ground in the courtyard.

Sanako and Ama obediently cooperated with Aoto and stopped talking about Tenshōin and Elodie.

A peaceful and tranquil atmosphere spread.

The three of them quietly admired the snow... Although it gave a sense of desolation, it was also quite endearing.

At this moment, although no one spoke, the three of them had the same thought: If Xiao Si were here.

The absence of the commander cast a shadow of gloom over the atmosphere.

Since last month, Souji's coma has been lasting longer and longer.

She used to wake up briefly every time she slept for a while.

Now, she spends longer and longer periods in a coma and shorter and shorter periods when she is awake.

The longest record so far is seven days and seven nights of continuous sleep. I would fall asleep again shortly after waking up. Even when I did wake up, I was groggy and could only mumble some broken, incoherent words. I couldn't even open my eyes.

The last time the commander woke up was six days ago... He may break the record.

Fortunately, her vital signs were relatively stable.

Even after a long period of fasting, he did not show signs of weakness, and all his muscles maintained their elasticity and vitality.

This seems to be a sign of improvement.

Suddenly, Qingdeng said softly:

"...Shall we go visit Xiao Si together later?"

Sanako and Ama nodded in unison.

……

At this very moment—

Tachibana Mansion, Souji's Sickbed—

The pitch-black darkness and the utter silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, were just like the depths of the ocean, where the only sound was the faint sound of breathing.

Souji lay in his warm bed, fast asleep, with a large amount of konpeito (Japanese candy) piled up beside his bed as always.

Though almost imperceptible, her slender fingertips did indeed twitch slightly for a fleeting moment…

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, a certain street——

"Back in the day, before I became a ronin and was still an official in the Matsuyama Domain of Iyo, there was this annoying guy who slandered me as a 'lowly clerk who didn't even know how to commit seppuku.' I'm the kind of person who likes to take things seriously. Didn't he say I didn't even know how to commit seppuku? I immediately pulled out my wakizashi, stabbed it into my stomach, and performed seppuku on the spot to show him!"

Harada Sanosuke, completely drunk, was recounting his glorious past of "surviving seppuku".

Inoue Genzaburo and Todo Heisuke, who were supporting him on either side, both wore wry smiles.

Hijikata Toshizo, standing nearby, showed an impatient expression:

"Here we go again... I'm so sick of hearing this. Sanosuke, can't you tell me something new?"

Harada Sanosuke chuckled:

"This is the pride of my life... I want to talk about it for the rest of my life... Would you be willing to be my audience for the rest of your life...?"

At this point, he seemed to remember something and paused.

After a moment, he grinned and chuckled softly.

"However... after following Mr. Tachibana to Kyoto... there are several things that I'm proud of..."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled.

Ironically, apart from Kondo Isami, the rest of the "Shieikan faction" were all eligible bachelors.

Although Kondo Isami was the only exception, his wife (Otsune) was far away in Edo, and they could not be together.

In other words, the "Shiekan faction" members can simply pick up their chopsticks and lunchboxes and start eating their New Year's Eve dinner... It's unbearable to hear about.

And so, Sanosuke Harada stepped forward like a hero.

Let's go for a drink!

And so, at the call of Harada Sanosuke, the members of the "Shieikan faction" decided to hold a long-awaited drinking party tonight.

As evening approached, they swarmed into a popular izakaya and began their "heavy drinking spree."

The specific details of the gathering will be left aside for now.

In short, about four hours later, they cleared out the entire store's stock of alcohol, which moved the store owner deeply. He not only personally saw them off but also excitedly exclaimed, "Please come back often in the future!"

Such a record is indeed astonishing.

So, what's the cost?

The price was that Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke, and Kondo Isami were completely drunk and could only be helped home by the relatively sober Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Saito Hajime, Inoue Genzaburo, and Todo Heisuke.

Hijikata Toshizo patted Kondo Isami's face without any hesitation:

"Hey, Sheng, we're almost home, hang in there a little longer."

"Ugh... Oh no... I feel like throwing up..."

"Let me make this clear: if you dare to vomit on me, I'll throw you out onto the street."

Nagakura Shinpachi blinked hard, staring blankly at Saito Hajime who was supporting him:

"Hmm...wait...? Strange...Saito...how come there are four of you...?"

After asking the question, he raised the half-finished sake in his hand and took another big gulp.

Saito Hajime said calmly:

"Look again in a while, I'll have eight."

"Huh? It really is... You've become ten..."

"Then it will become twelve in a while."

The Shinsengumi executives all lived in the center of Otsu-cho, but their specific residences were different.