I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kinoshita Mai, still lacking the courage to finish her sentence, remained blushing, her shoulders hunched, her petite body tense.

"Do I want to go to the fireworks display with A-Wu?" Qing Deng asked himself.

Almost instantly, a firm and powerful answer flashed through Qingdeng's mind.

“...A-Wu”.

"Eh, eh?"

Kinoshita Mai, who was suddenly called by Aoto's name, reflexively raised her face and met Aoto's eyes.

Kinoshita Mai, who only becomes bold and shameless when she covers her face with a mask, forcefully extends an invitation to him to "watch the fireworks together" despite her shyness... No matter what, Aoto doesn't want to take Kinoshita Mai's feelings lightly.

Some things are better said by a man himself.

Qingdeng took a deep breath.

"Ah Wu, would you like to go see the fireworks display with me on August 23rd?"

After saying that, Qingdeng paused for a moment.

Then he took another deep breath and added:

"Just the two of us will go."

The moment Qing Deng finished speaking, Kinoshita Mai's delicate body visibly stiffened.

She opened her beautiful eyes wide and stared at Qing Deng with a surprised look.

After blinking hard a few times, she gradually revealed an emotional expression.

"Okay! Yes!"

The excitement on her pretty face transformed into a tender smile as she nodded vigorously.

Qing Deng felt that Kinoshita Mai's smile was like the sun.

Just one glance was enough to make me feel warm all over.

Being greeted with such a smile at such close range, Qing Deng felt as if his cheeks were burning.

"..." Qing Deng silently raised his teacup again, using the teacup and his palm to cover his face.

The strange, inexplicable atmosphere that had filled Aoto and Kinoshita Mai vanished at that moment.

Instead, there was a strange atmosphere that made people want to escape from Aoto and Kinoshita Mai as soon as possible if there were a third person present.

Under the influence of this atmosphere, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai looked away at the same time.

No longer... or rather, no longer daring to look at each other.

With a restrained expression, Qingdeng frantically raised his cup to drink tea, but not a drop of tea was lost.

Kinoshita Mai lowered her head and gaze, staring intently at the wooden corridor in front of her knees, occasionally glancing sideways at Aoto.

Every time Kinoshita Mai glanced at Aoto, a cute dimple would appear on her face.

In just a moment, a radiant smile appeared on Kinoshita Mai's face.

While secretly chuckling, she subtly shifted her rounded knees, carefully closing the distance between herself and Qingdeng.

But at this very moment—

"...What are you doing now?"

wow...

The door to the Senjiya shop was slowly pushed open...

Kiryu, dressed as a carpenter, with a white headscarf wrapped around his head, wearing a short-sleeved shirt suitable for manual labor, and carrying a large suitcase full of hammers, nails, saws, and other items, did not enter the house.

He stood outside the open shop door, his lips pressed tightly together, scanning Aoto and Kinoshita Mai inside the shop with a complex mix of emotions.

Startled by Kiryu's sudden appearance, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai both trembled.

Kinoshita Mai, who had just tried to get closer to Aoto, reacted the most strongly.

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, she leaped up from her kneeling position, her knees landing back on the wooden walkway only after she had been about 2 centimeters off the ground.

A scene that seemed familiar...

However, the situation this time is slightly different from the last time.

In this day and age, it's truly difficult for Kiryu, who has a close relationship with Kinoshita Mai that's almost like a "grandfather and granddaughter," to bring up something like a single young man inviting a similarly single young woman to a fireworks festival...

A sense of unease, like a thief caught in the act, rose within Qing Deng. His body tensed instantly, his gaze darting around, unable to meet Kiryu's eyes.

While feeling nervous, Qingdeng was also somewhat shocked.

Despite possessing the extraordinary ability to enhance her hearing—the "Senser of the Wind"—she couldn't hear Kiryu's approaching footsteps at all...

"Kiryu-sensei...!" Kinoshita Mai hurriedly straightened her posture and asked Kiryu anxiously, "When did you get back?"

"It came back right when you said 'Uh-huh! Okay!'"

When saying "Uh-huh! Okay!", Kiryu deliberately imitated Kinoshita Mai's tone of voice.

Kiryu's ability to imitate is surprisingly strong!

Despite being a 92-year-old man, he can accurately grasp the tone and intonation of a girl's voice.

Kiryu successfully imitated Kinoshita Mai's line with 8-9% similarity.

Kiryu's incredibly lifelike imitation... brought a powerful spiritual impact to the thin-skinned Kinoshita Mai.

Kinoshita Mai froze for a moment, then her face turned bright red, and wisps of steam seemed to rise from her forehead and the top of her head.

"So what are you guys up to this time?" Kiryu focused his gaze on Aoto.

There's no way to hide it from Kiryu... so I might as well just tell him everything.

Having mentally prepared himself, Qingdeng cleared his throat forcefully.

"...Mr. Kiryu."

Qing Deng straightened his back forcefully and said to Kiryu solemnly, word by word.

"On the day of the fireworks display, I want to take A-Wu to watch the fireworks."

"Fireworks display? August 23rd?"

"Yes."

"...Just the two of you going?"

"Um..." Qing Deng's words faltered involuntarily, "Yes..."

"..."

Kiryu fell silent.

He scanned Aoto and Kinoshita Mai with his deep gaze, then let out a heavy sigh...

"The progress is too fast..."

After muttering something that even Aoto, who possessed the "sensory of wind," couldn't understand, Kiryu finally entered the room.

"...In that case, please be careful. There will be a lot of people at the fireworks display. Don't come back too late."

Kiryu agreed to let Kinoshita Mai and Aoto go to the fireworks festival together.

Kinoshita Mai, still reeling from the mental shock Kiryu had just delivered, hadn't even had a chance to react.

It wasn't until a moment later that Kinoshita Mai belatedly revealed her delight.

At almost the same moment, Qing Deng also showed a relieved expression.

Kiryu entered the shop, casually placed the woodworking box he was carrying on the side of the shop door, pulled off the white towel on his head, and strode towards the counter.

"Orange-kun".

Once Kiryu sat down behind the counter with the air of a "master of a thousand tasks," his expression returned to normal, and he stopped staring at Aoto with that oppressive gaze.

"You've come to visit and chat again today."

After taking several deep breaths to try and forget the awkward incident that had just occurred between him and Kiryu, Qing Deng smiled and said:

"Mr. Kiryu, the reason I've come to visit today is to tell you some good news—I've fully recovered, and I believe I can now begin training in sword drawing techniques."

"Oh?"

Kiryu raised an eyebrow, then shifted his gaze to carefully examine Aoto from head to toe.

"Looks like you're not lying after all... Hehehe." After a few low laughs, Kiryu the Boss said seriously, "So what are your plans? Are you going to start practicing your sword-drawing technique today? Or do you want to wait a few more days?"

“I want to start cultivating today,” Qing Deng replied without hesitation.

Kiryu was straightforward and didn't mince words.

Seeing Qing Deng say that, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he slowly stood up...

"Then... come with me, let's go to the yard."

……

……

The courtyard of the Senjiya, which was neither too big nor too small, became noisy for the first time in a long time because of the arrival of Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, and Kiryu.

Kinoshita Mai stood obediently at the edge of the yard, watching.

Aoto and Kiryu stood side by side in the center of the courtyard, with a rolled-up bamboo mat about 5 centimeters in diameter standing in front of them.

"Tachibana-kun, you probably already know without me explaining that our swords and scabbards are curved and have a certain curvature."

"The so-called sword-drawing technique is to use the arc of drawing the sword to create an instantaneous burst of power, thereby increasing the speed and power of the strike."

Kiryu calmly explained the principles of the sword-drawing technique to Aoto, who had never been exposed to it before.

Standing next to Kiryu, Aoto listened attentively with a solemn expression.

"This skill only pursues one goal—'a single, fatal blow'."

"When a knife is drawn, blood will surely be drawn."

"The most important thing in sword drawing technique is the posture."

"If you can't even get the posture right, there's no point in talking about anything else."