I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Sanako blinked her big, bright eyes a few times, giving Aoto a meaningful look.

The emotions conveyed through the eyes are hard to discern, but they are not mixed with any negative feelings.

"...I used to think that you, Tachibana-kun, were a lot like one of my...acquaintances."

"Now it seems that was just an illusion."

"Hmm?" Qing Deng turned his head and looked at Sanako, who was looking at him with a look of reminiscence.

"You don't resemble my acquaintance at all, Mr. Orange."

"Compared to my acquaintance, you are more... unpredictable."

"Huh?" Qing Deng was taken aback.

Sanako's sudden remarks and strange language immediately filled Aoto's expression with intense doubt.

What's even more perplexing is that when Sanako said those words, her tone was very calm and her expression was completely still. Qing Deng couldn't quite figure out whether Sanako was praising him or criticizing him.

Sanako understood Aoto's question.

"I'm not saying anything bad about you."

"How should I put it..."

Sanako pursed her alluring, full red lips, as if deep in thought.

"You can take what I just said as a compliment to your exceptional qualities."

"I used to think that you were only outstanding in swordsmanship, Tachibana-kun."

“But I now realize that you are not only exceptional in swordsmanship, but also in character.”

"I'm starting to look at you a little more favorably now."

After saying that, Sanako smiled.

It was just a very ordinary, faint smile.

But after Sanako revealed that faint smile, it felt as if the surrounding air and light rushed towards Sanako.

This was the first time Qing Deng had seen Sanako, who was usually so serious that she seemed old-fashioned, smile at him.

Qingdeng felt his field of vision was being compressed at this moment.

The field of vision was compressed to only a small area in the center of Sanako's smiling face.

The eyes cannot focus on anything else.

This is different from being focused.

In short, Qingdeng's eyes were now only on her, only on that smiling face that had stolen away the light, the air, and his gaze from the surroundings.

Chiba's Oni Komachi, Edo's Number One Beauty... Aoto had never really felt the significance of these beautiful titles bestowed upon Sanako.

Sanako is indeed very beautiful. Both her looks and figure are stunning, but Aoto had always felt that he "couldn't quite appreciate Sanako's beauty".

Until now.

It wasn't until he saw Sanako's smiling face at this moment that Aoto had a sudden realization.

He finally understood why Sanako was praised by so many people as "the most beautiful woman in Edo".

"Tachibana-kun?"

Sanako's soft call restored Aoto's vision to normal, and his eyes returned to the state where he could see everything except Sanako.

Confusion, bewilderment... Sanako looked at Aoto with such eyes, and the smile on her face naturally disappeared.

"Sorry, I was rude." Qing Deng smiled awkwardly and turned his gaze away with a slightly sly movement.

Why were you looking at me like you were seeing me for the first time?

Sanako raised her hands and gently touched her face a few times. She probably wanted to check if there was something strange on her face that made Aoto stare at her with such a strange look.

Qing Deng clicked his tongue in amazement... Sanako's perception was truly sharp.

In a sense, Aoto had indeed met Sanako for the first time.

Aoto didn't know how to respond to Sanako's question earlier.

After a moment's thought, Qing Deng slowly put away the smirk on his face, straightened his gaze, and met the eyes of Sanako, who was still looking up at him with a puzzled expression.

Their gazes locked once more.

“…Miss Sanako, you are very beautiful.”

"Now I finally understand why you, Miss Sanako, are known as 'Chiba Oni Komachi' and 'Edo's Number One Beauty'."

I don't know how to respond.

I might as well just tell Sanako everything I was thinking and all the insights that came to me in that instant, without holding anything back.

"Huh?" Miss Sanako was stunned, and the look of doubt on her pretty face only increased.

She intended to press Qingdeng further for speaking out of the blue, but a pleasant female voice, though somewhat annoyed, preemptively took control of the space before she could speak.

"Mr. Ju, you've been out for a long walk. It's about time you went back to your ward to rest."

The owner of that pleasant female voice was Tachibana Saki, the only female doctor in the Renyi Hall who suddenly appeared at the corridor to the right of Qing Deng and the others.

Qingdeng has always held the doctors at Renyitang Hospital, who have devoted themselves to treating him during this period, in the highest esteem.

So he didn't argue with Tachibana Saki, and quickly turned to her, nodding and smiling:

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Seeing that Aoto was so easy to talk to, Tachibana Saki's expression immediately softened.

She glanced at Qing Deng, then at Sanako standing beside him.

Saki Tachibana, a helpless smile on her face, sighed silently.

"Mr. Ju, this is a medical clinic."

"It's a bit inappropriate to be all lovey-dovey in a place like the hallway."

After leaving behind this subtle reminder, Tachibana Saki turned and left, disappearing from Aoto and Sanako's sight in the blink of an eye.

Aoto and Sanako stood there for a moment, then turned their heads at the same time, looking at each other with perfect understanding.

Qingdeng had no idea what kind of expression he was wearing.

But he guessed that his face must be filled with embarrassment and awkwardness.

Saki Tachibana probably heard Aoto say to Sanako, "Miss Sanako, you are very beautiful," and thought that Aoto was flirting with Sanako.

Qingdeng could clearly feel the embarrassment rapidly accumulating on his face.

On the other hand, Sanako... she was quite calm.

Her expression and demeanor remained calm, showing no abnormality whatsoever. It seemed that Tachibana Saki's misunderstanding had not affected her at all.

—What do you mean, blushing so easily… Miss Sanako, who is already a 22-year-old young woman, is indeed very mature and composed.

He felt flustered because of Tachibana Saki's misunderstanding, while Sanako remained calm... Compared to her, Aoto seemed a bit naive.

Silently realizing that what Tsunako had said earlier, "I blush easily," was indeed just a casual lie, Aoto, not wanting to continue in this awkward situation, took a deep breath and tried to restore his expression to normal.

"Miss Sanako, it seems I can't continue my walk outside. Let's go back to the ward."

"Mm." Sanako nodded gently.

Qingdeng took the initiative to walk ahead, heading towards his ward which was located not far away.

Sanako moved lightly, following closely behind Qing Deng, about three steps behind.

Because Aoto was walking ahead, he didn't notice that at this moment, Sanako behind him had undergone some... subtle changes in expression and demeanor.

Sanako, who had been holding her graceful swan neck high, slowly lowered her head and stared at the ground in front of her toes.

Gently clasp your hands together in front of you.

Her delicate face flushed slightly, and her gently blinking eyes rippled with tears.

……

……

Bei Fangren wasn't talking nonsense.

On June 1st, he told Qing Deng, "If your injury is still healing well in 10 days, then you can go home."

Time passed quietly, and on the morning of June 11th, Bei Fangren checked Qingdeng's wound recovery as usual.

"Hmm...not bad. All the injuries have healed very well, and there's nothing seriously wrong. Mr. Ju, you can leave Renyitang and go home now."

"Remember, being able to leave Renyitang does not mean you are completely cured."

"You need to continue to rest for a while."

"Avoid strenuous exercise for at least one and a half months starting today."

"Go back to Renyitang every 7 days for a check-up on your injury. Don't be lazy."

"As a martial artist, you shouldn't need me to explain to you how terrible it is to neglect your injuries and cause hidden damage to your body, right?"

And so—after a rather long-winded chatter from Bei Fangren, Qingdeng was successfully discharged from the hospital.

Although he only stayed at Renyi Hall for about 20 days, when he returned to the familiar Shiwei Hall, Qing Deng felt as if three years had passed.

Finally back at the Shieikan, I've regained my freedom... Qingdeng first went to the Chiba Sword Hall to see Radish.

After being separated from Luobo for more than 20 days, Qingdeng was worried that the big black ox might have forgotten him as its owner.

Unexpectedly, the radish's intelligence once again surprised Qingdeng.

Radish actually remembered its owner.

As soon as Qing Deng arrived at the entrance of the Chiba Sword Hall, he heard a series of mooing sounds getting closer and closer. Then he saw a big black bull huffing and puffing as it rushed out of the courtyard of the Chiba Sword Hall, ran to his side, raised its head, and gently nuzzled Qing Deng's waist with its big, furry head.

Radish was so obedient and well-behaved that Qingdeng was even more convinced that "it was definitely the right decision to raise Radish as a pet and a mount."

After the Chiba Sword Hall, the second place that Qing Deng couldn't wait to visit immediately after regaining his freedom was the Senjiya.

The Senjiya... Aoto has wanted to come here for a long time.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask Kiryu-sensei one by one.