I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Tachibana-kun, you have a personality that is not afraid to fight against strong enemies and is not discouraged by your own weakness."

"And this... is the talent I just mentioned that you possess, a talent that perhaps only one in a million people has."

"I noticed your personality back in the previous swordsmanship competition."

"In the finals, you and that...who was it again?"

"I can't remember... Never mind, I won't think about it anymore. Anyway, when you faced your opponent in the finals, I could clearly feel that you were getting stronger as the battle progressed."

"You were just like this when you were sparring with me."

“Even when I was completely dominating you, you didn’t show any frustration or dejection; on the contrary, your fighting spirit only grew stronger.”

“I asked you, ‘Aren’t you frustrated that I beat you so badly?’ You replied, ‘Is recognizing your own weakness something to be frustrated about?’”

"Such a personality...is an extremely precious treasure for a martial artist."

"I have seen too many martial artists who originally had great talent, but because of their bad character, they ended up becoming just another ordinary person."

“Saito Kannosuke of the training hall is a good example.”

As Chiba Eijiro finished speaking, a hint of embarrassment slowly crept onto his face.

“Saito Kannosuke originally had extremely high swordsmanship talent, but after being defeated by me, he became discouraged and has not regained his former spirit until now.”

"In the path of martial arts, the most important thing is sharpness and spirit."

"Except for a very few people who are favored by the heavens, a person who has lost the courage to climb to the top will never be able to achieve anything new in martial arts."

"If Saito Kannosuke cannot recover soon, his swordsmanship will probably remain stagnant forever."

Upon hearing the name "Saito Kannosuke" from Chiba Eijiro's mouth, Aoto couldn't help but chuckle.

He felt that this guy was really pitiful. This was the second time that Qing Deng had heard someone use Saito Kannosuke as a negative example in martial arts teaching.

On the eve of the Aizu-no-Gi-Oh swordsmanship tournament, when Shusuke was teaching Seito about "momentum," he also brought up Saito Kannosuke to "whip his corpse," implying that if Saito Kannosuke didn't quickly recover from the shadow of his crushing defeat to Chiba Eijiro, his swordsmanship achievements would be limited to this point, and he wouldn't make any further significant progress.

Aoto gathered his slightly scattered thoughts and then carefully savored every word and sentence that Chiba Eijiro had just said.

Not afraid to fight against strong enemies, and not feeling frustrated by his own weakness... Qing Deng is aware of the latter, and he has always known that he does have this kind of personality.

For a long time, Qingdeng did not feel that realizing he was still weak and had a lot of room for improvement was something to be frustrated, annoyed, or sad about.

But regarding Chiba Eijiro's statement about "not being afraid to fight strong enemies"... if Chiba Eijiro hadn't mentioned it, Aoto wouldn't have really realized that there was such a hidden side to his personality.

For no apparent reason, Qing Deng suddenly recalled the fierce battles he had fought after transmigrating to this era.

He was incredibly excited and thrilled by Niizuma Hiroshi's display of skill that far exceeded his expectations during the finals of the sword tournament...

During the rescue of the Tibetan Affairs Bureau, even though the number of people on the Expeditionary Force far exceeded theirs, he fearlessly launched a charge...

During the chaotic battle on a snowy night, when he faced Suehiro no Kami-toyo alone, his nerves and muscles were taut, and he dared not relax for a moment. Although it was very hard, he also felt a strange and wonderful feeling of exhilaration.

"In conclusion," Chiba Eijiro spoke again, "you have exceptional talent and this extremely precious personality... Haha, I can't say for sure how far you'll grow in the future."

Chiba Eijiro, who spared no praise for Aoto, smiled and affectionately punched Aoto lightly in the chest.

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

"I look forward to the day I return to Edo and find that you have grown into a strong person that I must fight with all my might."

"Never lose your extremely precious spirit of not fearing strong enemies or your own weakness. Strive to improve yourself, Tachibana Aoto!"

……

……

At this very moment—

Chiba Jutaro's room at the Chiba Sword Hall—

Lying back on the tatami mat in his room, Chiba Jutaro was looking at his "Preparatory Brother-in-Law Handbook" with great confidence.

Over the years, Chiba Jutaro's "Preparatory Brother-in-Law Handbook" has recorded the names of too many outstanding young men.

Nowadays, most of the names have been marked with a big cross and a short comment saying that this person should not be chosen as a brother-in-law.

Only a handful of names remain that haven't been crossed out yet.

Aoto's name is one of the few names that Chiba Jutaro hasn't crossed out yet.

The manual was turned to the page with Qingdeng's name on it.

Looking at the name "Tachibana Aoto" written on the paper, Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

Chiba Jutaro was increasingly satisfied with Aoto!

After Aoto displayed strength and talent far exceeding his and Sanako's expectations, and won the Aizu-go swordsmanship tournament with overwhelming force not long ago, Chiba Jutaro began to think more highly of Aoto.

To put it simply and bluntly—Chiba Jutaro now finds Aoto pleasing to the eye no matter what.

Oh my, young people like this, who are good-looking, have a good personality, are tall, and have a bright future in both martial arts and officialdom, are truly rare and hard to come by!

Chiba Jutaro thought and thought, and the only flaw he could think of that made him dissatisfied with Aoto was probably that Aoto's hair was rather ugly, and he didn't have a neat and tidy chonmage hairstyle.

Compared to Qingdeng, the other "brother-in-law candidates" pale in comparison.

After grinning foolishly at Aoto's name recorded in the manual for a while, Chiba Jutaro slowly stopped smiling, then frowned slightly, looked thoughtful, and muttered to himself:

"What should I do to improve the relationship between Tachibana-kun and Sana-ko...?"

How to bring Aoto and Sanako together—Chiba Jutaro has been pondering this question lately.

Although Chiba Jutaro is extremely fond of Aoto, whether Aoto can ultimately become his brother-in-law depends on whether Sanako can develop feelings for Aoto.

Although he was anxious about Sanako's marriage, who was already 22 and still single, Chiba Jutaro never thought of doing something as unreasonable as "forcing Sanako to marry so-and-so".

I can introduce Sanako to a hundred or a thousand outstanding young men, but in the end, Sanako must marry the man she truly loves—this is the principle that Chiba Jutaro has always adhered to.

All he could do was help his sister find a suitable partner and then do his best to provide an opportunity and environment for his sister and the man he liked to communicate with each other and see if they were compatible.

Chiba Jutaro was very bad at matters between men and women, so he was really worried about how to create an opportunity for Aoto and Sanako to interact and deepen their feelings for each other.

If Aoto were a member of their Chiba Sword Hall, then Chiba Jutaro could use his authority as a mentor to create opportunities for Aoto and Sanako to be alone together.

But Aoto is a member of the Shieikan... This really left Chiba Jutaro feeling somewhat at a loss.

Why not just tell Sanako, "I think Tachibana-kun is a really nice guy. Why don't you try to get to know him better?"

The moment the idea popped into Chiba Jutaro's mind, he frowned and shook his head slightly.

—That seems a bit too direct…

Chiba Jutaro was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a series of light footsteps approaching from outside his bedroom.

Chiba Jutaro's family consists of seven people: himself, his sister Sanako, his father Chiba Sadakichi, his mother, and three maids who are responsible for handling various household chores.

With only a few people in his family, Chiba Jutaro, who was already able to identify people by their footsteps, immediately recognized them as Sanako's footsteps!

As if by reflex, Chiba Jutaro quickly closed the "Preparatory Brother-in-Law Handbook" in his hand.

He intended to put the booklet back in the cabinet, but since Zanako's footsteps had already reached the door, he could only hurriedly stuff the booklet into his belt.

At the very moment Chiba Jutaro tucked the booklet into his back pocket, he heard Sanako's voice from outside the door:

"Brother, may I come in?"

"Oh, come in." Chiba Jutaro sat up straight.

Having received permission to enter Chiba Jutaro's room, Sanako raised her delicate hand and pulled open the paper sliding door to Chiba Jutaro's bedroom.

Because she is staying at home, Sanako is dressed very simply.

She wore a plain blue and white kimono, her long hair, which reached her waist, was not tied up and fell down. She was not wearing socks, revealing her slender feet that were as smooth as marble under the hem of her kimono.

"What's wrong?" Chiba Jutaro asked Sanako directly about the reason for his sudden visit.

Even when facing her close older brother, Sanako does not lose her elegant demeanor as a young lady.

She gracefully folded her hands in front of her and answered calmly:

"Brother, Father wants to see you. He wants you to go to his room right now."

"Did Father want to see me?" Chiba Jutaro raised an eyebrow sharply. "What is it?"

Sanako gently shook her head: "My father didn't tell me."

"I see... Okay, I understand."

Chiba Jutaro suddenly stood up and then habitually raised his hand to pat the fabric of his clothes on his buttocks.

"Then I'm going to find my father. Remember to close my room door for me."

After leaving those words, Chiba Jutaro rushed out of the room and turned the corner of the corridor on the right.

Sanako glanced briefly at Chiba Jutaro's departing figure, then raised her hand to close the door to his bedroom for him.

But just then... out of the corner of her eye, Sanako suddenly noticed a small booklet with a slightly worn cover lying at her feet.

“This is…?” Sanako muttered softly.

If Chiba Jutaro were here right now, his expression would change drastically upon seeing this booklet—this booklet… is none other than his “Preparatory Brother-in-Law Handbook”!

Sanako's arrival was so sudden that in his haste, Chiba Jutaro could only hastily tuck the booklet behind his back.

Because it was a casual parting, the parting wasn't very secure.

Then, something even worse happened.

Just as Chiba Jutaro stood up and habitually patted the fabric of his clothes at his buttocks, the already not-so-secured booklet loosened further.

Finally, as Chiba Jutaro went to find Chiba Sadakichi and passed by Sanako standing at the door, the booklet lightly slipped from his lower back and landed at Sanako's feet, without Chiba Jutaro noticing at all...

"It must belong to my brother..." Sanako thought to herself, pressing down on the hem of her kimono with one hand, squatting down to pick up the booklet and put it back on Chiba Jutaro's desk in his bedroom.

But just then—a gentle breeze came.

A gentle breeze drifted into Chiba Jutaro's bedroom through the open window.

The booklet's pages rustled as the breeze blew through it.

The wind stopped, and the book stopped.

The booklet, blown open by the wind, stopped on a certain page.

And the page that stopped... was the page with Qing Deng's name on it.

Sanako's delicate hand, which was crouching down to pick up the booklet, suddenly stopped.