I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Aoto had no idea what kind of topics Sanako, who usually had a serious and unsmiling "ice queen" demeanor, liked.

Aoto, unsure of what to do or what to say to Sanako, felt extremely uneasy and helpless, unsure of how to respond.

Compared to Aoto's awkwardness, Sanako seemed unaffected by the awkward atmosphere, remaining calm and composed.

Just as Aoto was racking his brains trying to think of a topic he could talk to Sanako about to break the awkward atmosphere between them, two light footsteps suddenly sounded from the corner of the corridor behind Aoto and Sanako—two young women were walking side by side toward Aoto and Sanako.

Judging from the appearance of the two girls, they must have come to Renyitang to visit a patient. Their footsteps and laughter broke the tranquility of the corridor.

As the two women walked toward the stairwell, they inevitably passed behind Aoto and Sanako.

Just as the two girls were about to pass by Qing Deng, who was standing facing the window, a small incident occurred.

One of the two girls casually glanced at Qingdeng... It was just a normal look as she observed a passerby.

But the moment her gaze fell on Qing Deng's face, the girl's expression suddenly froze.

Soon, her lazy expression vanished, replaced by one of astonishment.

The girl, whose expression suddenly changed, excitedly brought her lips close to her companion's ear: "Hey, look, it's Tachibana Aoto."

"Tachibana Aoto? The one who almost single-handedly crippled the Toi-gumi and killed their leader?" The girl's companion turned her head and secretly sized up Aoto. "Are you sure it's him?"

"It's him, it's him. I've heard that Ju Qingdeng is currently recuperating in this Renyi Hall, I didn't expect it to be true."

"That's Tachibana Aoto... He's so tall, and his face is quite handsome and refined."

……

The two women slowed their pace slightly as they walked towards the stairs, talking excitedly about "discovering a famous person," while frequently glancing sideways at Qing Deng.

Although they did lower their voices, their voice-lowering techniques were quite mediocre.

Let alone Qingdeng, who is a "sensor of the wind".

Even Sanako heard every word of the two women's conversation.

After the two girls' figures and voices completely disappeared into the distance, Qing Deng felt Sanako's gaze move towards his face.

"Tachibana-kun, you're a complete celebrity now."

Sanako still had an expressionless "ice queen face," but her voice had taken on a mischievous and playful tone.

"A celebrity..." Qing Deng chuckled to himself, and at that moment, the phrase "a celebrity" suddenly reminded him of something.

Things related to Sanako.

Aoto raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, then glanced sideways and met Sanako's gaze, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"I'm not the only one who's become a celebrity."

"You agree, right, Black Bull Princess?"

Qingdeng used a teasing tone to draw out the pronunciation of the term "Black Bull Princess" for a long time.

An interesting scene unfolded at that moment.

Even after being kidnapped by the Exile Group, Sanako, who had never lost her elegance and poise, suddenly changed her expression the moment Aoto finished speaking... or more precisely, the instant Aoto uttered the name "Black Bull Princess".

The "ice queen face" has disappeared.

Instead, her facial features froze and two blushes rose to her cheeks.

"No, don't do this..."

Sanako looked upset, her two soft hands clasped tightly together in front of her because of her shame.

Her face grew increasingly flushed, and she looked at Qing Deng with a fiercely reproachful gaze, blaming him for making her say those words.

"Please don't mention that strange title anymore..."

After speaking, Sanako seemed to want to hide her blushing face, so she forcefully shook her head, pulled her gaze away from Aoto, lowered her head, and stared intently at her small and cute toes.

Qingdeng blinked hard, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and a look of novelty that he couldn't hide spread across his face.

Sanako is usually very serious... to the point that you could describe her as "old-fashioned".

No matter when or where, her face and demeanor were always so poised, graceful, and elegant.

This is the first time Aoto has seen Sanako like this.

—So, Sanako-san can blush too…

Unable to contain his feelings, Qing Deng involuntarily fixed his gaze on Sanako's pretty face, staring intently at this rare and spectacular sight.

Sanako was already blessed with stunning beauty, and the rosy blush on her pretty face added a unique and captivating touch to her beauty.

At that moment, Sanako noticed Aoto's gaze.

Without even looking in the mirror, just by feeling the temperature of her own face, Sanako knew that her face must be very red.

The intense heat emanating from her cheeks intensified Sanako's sense of shame.

Aoto kept staring at her embarrassed face... This seemed to be making Sanako unhappy.

She was determined to fight back.

She took a deep breath, and while suppressing the shame that Qing Deng had caused her to call him "Black Bull Princess," she raised her eyes and glared at Qing Deng.

Although Sanako's gaze could be described as a "glare"... because the blush on her face had not yet faded, her "glare" had no effect on Aoto at all. On the contrary, Aoto found her action rather cute.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tachibana, you witnessed a rather indecent scene of mine."

As expected of a noble lady from a prestigious family whose every smile and frown exudes the elegance of a Yamato Nadeshiko, even her first words were so cultured and graceful.

After saying this, Sanako took another deep breath, raised her head again, straightened her back, and although her face was still slightly flushed, her expression had returned to its usual calm and expressionless state.

Aoto then belatedly realized that his action of staring intently at Sanako's pretty face without blinking was a little impolite, so he quickly looked away and turned his gaze back to the scenery outside the window.

"I'm actually quite prone to blushing."

Before Sanako could finish speaking, she continued to defend herself as if trying to cover up her earlier embarrassment.

"My face turns red as soon as I get even slightly emotional."

"Please excuse my poor appearance, Mr. Tachibana."

Aoto, who was skeptical of Sanako's explanation, which was of dubious veracity, smiled calmly after Sanako finished speaking.

Then, without thinking, he blurted out:

"You blush easily... that's actually quite good."

Sanako blinked her big eyes a few times, looking at Aoto with a questioning gaze: "What do you mean by 'that's pretty good'?"

"Miss Sanako, you look beautiful when you blush. It would be the greatest blessing in the world to see you blush more often."

Qing Deng's words were not tainted with any evil intentions or a desire to curry favor with Sanako.

He was simply and sincerely expressing his true feelings.

Sanako, sensing Aoto's sincerity from his eyes and words, looked stunned.

However, Sanako quickly regained her senses.

Suppressing her panic, she shifted her gaze away from Qingdeng with slightly flustered movements, looking out the window with him, leaving only her profile for him.

"Thanks……"

Out of the corner of his eye, Qing Deng keenly noticed that the blush on Sanako's face, which had just begun to fade, seemed to have become even more vibrant.

Sanako's reaction made Aoto feel somewhat puzzled.

—I was just offering a casual compliment based on what I felt in my heart…

All he did was speak his mind and compliment her by saying, "You look beautiful when you blush," and Sanako's face flushed crimson again...

Sanako's delicate face flushed twice due to her new nickname "Black Bull Princess" and his casual compliment... This made Qing Deng think to himself:

—Perhaps, contrary to her dignified and composed mature appearance, Ms. Sanako is surprisingly thin-skinned and shy inside.

As Qingdeng thought this, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"In short, don't mention the term 'Black Bull Princess' in front of me again. I don't like that nickname."

After a brief moment of emotional and physical adjustment, Sanako regained her aloof and elegant demeanor as a "high-society lady" and "ice queen."

"I'll get angry if you mention that annoying nickname in front of me again."

"I was very, very angry."

With a serious expression, Sanako spoke in a firm tone, as if to say, "I will not allow you to refuse me."

"Ah."

Aoto, who had only mentioned "Black Bull Princess" to make a little joke to Sanako, nodded without hesitation.

"I will. I totally understand how it feels to be given a nickname you don't like."

Black Bull Princess... This is a new title that Sanako recently acquired, following her titles such as "Chiba's Oni Komachi," "Genius Female Swordsman," and "Edo's Number One Beauty," and it carries a somewhat humorous tone.

Where did the nickname "Black Bull Princess" come from?

This brings us back to the night half a month ago when Qingdeng rushed to the aid of the settlement and engaged in a decisive battle with the anti-foreign group.

When Aoto charged forward alone to engage in a life-or-death battle with more than sixty samurai from the Exile Group, Sanako kept trying to step forward and lend Aoto a hand.

However, Sanako was truly powerless to help with the leg injury.

However, the moral education she had been instilled with since childhood, along with her pride as a daughter of a samurai family, made Sanako unwilling to just stand there dumbly and do nothing.

Driven by the desire to do something, to do something to the best of her ability, Sanako finally found something she could do even with her injured leg.

That was to ride a carrot to help the civilians in the settlement evacuate from the fire.

The fire suddenly started by the madmen of the Expeditionary Group caused many people in the settlement to be injured by the sudden fire and the houses destroyed by the fire, making it very difficult for them to move around.

Radish is quite docile and intelligent. Even Sanako, who has an injured leg, can ride Radish without any hindrance. Radish never resists when asked to carry other people.

The radish, which grows very sturdy and strong, can still move swiftly even when carrying 3 or 4 adults... ah, no, it can move swiftly with its "hooves".

Having found what she could do, Sanako rode her radish without hesitation, rescuing civilians in need throughout the settlement.

And so—in the fiery settlement, this bizarre scene unfolded: a peerless beauty, with a face that could rival the most beautiful women in history, rode a large black ox that constantly mooed as it charged into battle, running back and forth through the streets of the settlement…

Sanako's actions were quite successful.

That night, she successfully assisted 18 residents of the settlement to evacuate to safety, including 7 Westerners.