I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The bright red yukata fluttered in the wind.

Kinoshita Mai rushed straight towards where that man was.

……

……

Although Aoto had previously explained to Kinoshita Mai why he called Sanako by her name, Kinoshita Mai still felt a strange sense of unease.

Especially after seeing in person what Sanako's face and figure looked like, hearing Aoto call her "Sanako-san" in such a casual tone now made Kinoshita Mai feel even more uncomfortable...

Kinoshita Mai lowered her gaze, looking at the ten fingers that were now tightly intertwined on her legs, and a light called "determination" gradually rose in her beautiful eyes.

At that moment, Kinoshita Mai made a rather bold decision for someone as easily embarrassed as her.

Kinoshita Mai closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and bolster her courage.

then……

"Tangerine, Orange-kun..."

"Hmm?" Qing Deng turned his face and gave Kinoshita Mai a questioning look, whose tone and manner of speaking had suddenly become very strange.

"We've known each other for quite a while now..."

Kinoshita Mai gripped her ten fingers tightly against her thighs with a force as if she wanted to break them off.

“I think… it’s a bit inappropriate for you to keep calling me by such an unfamiliar title as ‘Ms. Kinoshita’.”

Before Qing Deng could react or show any expression, Kinoshita Mai gritted her teeth and quickly blurted out the rest of her words in one breath:

"Just call me A-Wu from now on..."

When he first said this, his tone was very strong and assertive.

But the further he went on speaking, the weaker his voice and tone became.

As Kinoshita Mai's tone softened, her head gradually lowered until her chin was pressed against her collarbone.

After uttering the final title "Ama", Kinoshita Mai's voice was so soft that even Aoto, who possessed the "sensory of wind", almost couldn't hear her clearly.

Aoto stared wide-eyed at Kinoshita Mai, who had suddenly uttered such a startling statement.

Under Aoto's gaze, Kinoshita Mai's cheeks began to flush.

It started as a pale pink, then quickly turned into a bright red, and finally into a scarlet.

The blush first appeared on her cheeks, then spread to most of her face at a visible speed, and eventually even her two delicate little ears turned bright red.

In Japan, calling someone by their first name is a very affectionate gesture.

Aside from those who are there to provoke or cause trouble, only very close friends would call someone by their first name.

Strangers and casual friends should only be addressed by their surname; otherwise, it would be considered very impolite.

For Kinoshita Mai to be called "Omai" by Aoto is quite a bold and unrestrained act in Japan's naming culture.

While Qing Deng was still in a daze at the unexpected situation, he suddenly noticed that Kinoshita Mai was looking up at him.

With her chin pressed against her collarbone, as if she wanted to shove her head into her chest, Kinoshita Mai quietly raised her gaze to examine Aoto.

Nervousness, timidity, trepidation, anticipation... Kinoshita Mai's gaze contained a myriad of emotions.

Upon realizing that her act of peeping at Qing Deng had been discovered by him, Kinoshita Mai shuddered instantly, quickly averting her gaze. Then, as if unable to calm herself, she blinked frantically, narrowing her vision back to her knees.

But not long after, she slowly shifted her gaze upwards, stealing glances at Qingdeng's expression with anticipation and trepidation.

Aoto, snapping out of his daze at Kinoshita Mai's gaze, coughed lightly a few times, using the cough to mask his current chaotic expression and thoughts.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Kinoshita, then I would certainly welcome using a more affectionate term of address for you..."

After saying that, Qingdeng felt a tingling sensation in his chest.

Upon hearing what Aoto said, Kinoshita Mai showed a relieved and joyful expression.

But Kinoshita Mai's joy didn't last long; in the blink of an eye, her body tensed up again.

"Then, then..."

Her voice, trembling slightly from excessive tension, drifted out again from Kinoshita Mai's lips.

"In contrast... may I call you Sheng, Sheng Qing directly?"

quiet……

The atmosphere in the Senjiya suddenly became exceptionally quiet because of Kinoshita Mai's words.

If Aoto's expression was one of "dumbfounded" when he heard Kinoshita Mai tell him to call her "Mai," then his expression was one of "shock" when he heard Kinoshita Mai ask if he could call her "Moriharu."

During the Edo period, samurai typically had two names: a common name and their real name.

The term "common name" is similar to the "style name" used by ancient Chinese literati.

Like ancient China, ancient Japan considered it quite impolite to address someone by their first name.

Therefore, in order to prevent this situation, ancient China invented "characters", while ancient Japan invented "common names".

In ancient Japan, one's given name was only used by those with whom one was extremely close and by one's lord. Everyone else... including very close friends, could only use one's common name.

Because very few people were qualified to call themselves by their real names, samurai of this era generally did not include their real names when introducing themselves by their family name.

Aoto is a member of the Genji and Tachibana clans, and is commonly known as "Aoto," while his real name is "Moriharu."

Strictly speaking, the common name was not the samurai's official name. Therefore, in official documents such as government documents, each samurai was only referred to by his given name and not his common name.

For example, Qing Deng's official title in government documents is "Ju Yuan Sheng Qing".

To date, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai have been friends for nearly half a year.

Long ago, Aoto had mentioned his full name to Kinoshita Mai.

Under such a system of address, the closeness or distance between different titles is immediately apparent.

The most distant form of address is, of course, by surname.

Further, it is called the common name.

The most affectionate way to address someone is by their real name.

How intimate a relationship is required for someone to use your real name?

In short, Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita were as close as brothers, but Kondo and Hijikata never called Okita by his real name "Harumasa," only calling him "Sōji."

Once you understand the hierarchy of these titles and what a samurai's real name means, you can understand why Qing Deng is looking so shocked.

Kinoshita Mai will skip the "Aoto" level and be directly promoted to the top-tier "Moriharu" from her current title "Tachibana-kun"...

At this moment, Qingdeng was genuinely frightened.

Qingdeng didn't really care what others called him.

As a time traveler whose soul comes from the 21st century, "how others call him" is completely irrelevant to Qing Deng.

The problem is that in this day and age, in this kind of naming culture, if someone hears Kinoshita Mai calling Aoto "Moriharu"...

Of those 10 people, at least 10 would think he and Kinoshita Mai were a couple, and a very loving one at that...

At this moment, Qing Deng, who had not yet recovered from the unexpected incident, had no time to say anything when he saw Kinoshita Mai shaking her head like a rattle drum.

"No, no, no..."

Just now, after mustering all her strength to utter the name "Moriharu," Kinoshita Mai felt as if all her strength and energy had been completely drained in one breath.

Her face turned even redder, as if it might bleed at any moment, and the light in her eyes shimmered intensely.

"Hmm... calling her 'Sheng Qing' directly is too much... I can't bring myself to say it..."

Kinoshita Mai murmured in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Immediately afterwards, she raised her right hand and pressed it hard against her full breasts, letting out a long sigh.

Then, she slowly raised her head, mustered her courage and the last bit of strength in her body, and met Qing Deng's eyes with a slightly apologetic gaze.

"Tachibana-kun, forget what I just said."

"Calling you 'Sheng Qing'... is a bit too presumptuous..."

After speaking, Kinoshita Mai lowered her gaze, a faint look of disappointment appearing between her brows.

"..." Qing Deng pursed his lips, lost in thought.

Although Kinoshita Mai hid her disappointment well, the sharp-eyed Aoto still noticed the unusual look in her eyes.

“...Ms. Kinoshita.”

Aoto raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, then turned his head and smiled slightly at Kinoshita Mai:

"I don't really mind how you address me."

“If you feel uncomfortable saying ‘Sheng Qing’... then you can call me ‘Qing Deng’ for now.”

"Eh...?" Kinoshita Mai looked up, her gaze fixed on Aoto with surprise and delight.

As if trying to confirm she hadn't misheard, she asked in a cautious, soft voice:

"Can I... just call you 'Qingdeng'?"

Qingdeng nodded.

Even if Kinoshita Mai were to call him "Moriharu" now, Aoto, who is not sensitive to the naming culture of this era, wouldn't mind.

However, judging from the current situation, the title "Sheng Qing" is indeed a bit too early for Kinoshita Mai, who is shy and easily embarrassed.

If Kinoshita Mai were to call out "Seiharu" to Aoto in public... she would probably be so embarrassed that she couldn't even stand up straight.

"That...that..."

Kinoshita Mai's legs, buried under her buttocks, kept twisting.

Her hands, resting on her legs, kept grabbing and tugging at the fabric.

She observed Qingdeng's reaction with expectant eyes, and tentatively called out softly:

"Qing...Qingdeng...?"

“…Hmm.” Qing Deng’s body stiffened slightly, and he belatedly nodded in response.

This was the first time Aoto had heard Kinoshita Mai call him "Aoto".