I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Previously, when he came to Chihiro-ya to bathe with Kondo and others, he would always go to the corner of the bath whenever there was an empty spot.

In the eyes of Kondo and his group, Aoto was simply doing what he usually did.

Moreover... Qingdeng is indeed sitting very comfortably now.

Souji is currently facing the corner of the wall with his back to Aoto.

Because it was necessary to hide Souji completely, Aoto's back was pressed tightly against Souji's back.

The feelings involved are... indescribable.

Qingdeng's "Gathering Spirit" was activated without his notice.

He concentrated all his mind and body, focusing all his attention, trying to ignore the restless sensations that were constantly being transmitted to his back.

In short, Qing Deng's explanation successfully fooled everyone once again.

Seeing that Aoto insisted on sitting in the corner of the bath, Kondo and his group said no more and did not force Aoto to sit next to them.

Seeing this, Qing Deng breathed a sigh of relief.

—Con artist… thank you…!

He had never been so grateful for his talent in transforming himself into a master liar.

—Now… let’s just wait patiently for Kondo and the others to leave.

—After Kondo and the others leave, I will leave with Okita-kun…Okita-san.

As Qing Deng mentally formulated this simple "battle plan," he secretly turned his head to peek at the commander-in-chief, who was hidden behind him.

When Aoto looked over, Souji raised his eyes in response to Aoto's gaze.

The two people, standing very close to each other, gazed at each other in this extremely cramped space.

Compared to before, Souji's emotions had calmed down considerably. His eyes, which had been dull and unfocused, were no longer bright and clear, and had regained their usual liveliness.

Although a trace of shame and helplessness remained on her face from Qingdeng discovering the truth that she was a woman disguised as a man, these unusual emotions and expressions on her face were temporarily forgotten by Qingdeng in the instant they met eyes.

At that very moment, Qing Deng saw a smile slowly spreading across Souji's cheeks.

It was the familiar, adorable smiling face that Qingdeng knew so well.

"Thank you," Souji said to Aoto with her eyes and her smile.

……

……

In order to earn back the 2-cent bath fee, Kondo and his group exuded an aura of "we're going to stay until the very last minute!"

They sat together, chatting about everything under the sun.

In places with many men, the most common topics of conversation are nothing more than girls and military and political affairs—and this is no exception among the people at the Shiwei Hall.

As soon as Kondo and the others settled into the bath, apart from Saito, who was expressionless and taciturn for years, the rest of them instantly transformed into spirited and energetic "great politicians" and "great military strategists."

"So, is there any chance that 'King and Warrior Unite' will succeed?" Nagakura continued their conversation among the diners. "Is the Great Tree King really going to marry the princess?"

"Who knows?" Hijikata shrugged. "Anyway, I think that whether the 'Koubu Fusion' succeeds or not, it won't have much impact on the current situation."

Although Hijikata had not read many books and his education level was only "just enough to read," he could often say some very insightful things.

This is probably the effect of the "heart of a demon".

Although not highly educated, they possess an extraordinary understanding of worldly affairs.

"If the shogunate wants to enhance its authority, the most important thing is to strengthen its financial and military resources."

"Any other means are nothing but unorthodox methods."

At this point, Hijikata paused for a moment, then changed the subject.

"Compared to that, I'm more concerned about the factional struggles within the shogunate."

"I heard from the bottom of the road that it's a foregone conclusion that Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi will be promoted to the position of 'General's successor,' which is often referred to as 'Vice General.'"

"Tsk tsk tsk... Once Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu ascends to the position of 'Shogun's successor,' the situation of Lord Daiki and Prince Tenshōin will likely become even more difficult."

"Lord Daiki is still too young and lacks prestige. Moreover, he inherited the position of shogun through adoption, so he has no foundation in the shogunate at all."

"Before Ii Sōbe-no-kami was assassinated, he was still able to rely on Ii Sōbe-no-kami's prestige to lead his ministers."

"Now that the head of the Ii Shobu is gone, it's questionable whether even the members of the 'Nanki Faction' will still obediently follow the orders of the Great Tree, let alone the members of the 'Hitotsubashi Faction'."

"Right now, the Great Tree Lord is truly all alone... It seems that the only person he can rely on is Prince Tenshōin."

"Isn't the old tree in a very difficult situation right now?" Kondo asked urgently.

Hijikata nodded, then grinned.

"Although the Big Tree is in a very difficult situation, it is not completely helpless yet."

"The way to break the deadlock is simple in some ways, but quite difficult in others."

"If you don't want to be a mere figurehead whose orders no one listens to, the most direct and effective way is to seize the time to cultivate your own people."

Tu Fang emphasized the words "our own people" in his speech.

"The biggest problem that Daiki-sama is currently facing is that he has no foundation in the shogunate."

"If that's the case, then let's establish a foundation."

“Select talented people, bring them under your command, cultivate them vigorously, and turn them into your trusted confidants.”

"When you have solid and reliable subordinates, you will naturally stand tall and speak louder."

Kondo, Inoue, Nagakura, and the others... to put it bluntly, they were a bunch of uncultured and ignorant bumpkins.

Kondo and the others listened to Hijikata's words with utter rapt attention! They felt as if "a single conversation with a wise man is worth more than ten years of study!"

"So how exactly do we identify those who are worth cultivating into trusted confidants?" Nagakura craned his neck toward Hijikata's seat, looking intently eager to learn.

Hijikata also enjoyed the feeling of talking freely and discussing important national affairs. When he heard Nagakura's question, he immediately answered without hesitation.

Tu Fang was having a great time talking.

Kondo and the others were delighted to hear this.

Only one person listened with great pain...

—When are you guys going to stop talking?!

Qingdeng roared in his heart like a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Before Kondo and the others arrived, Aoto and Souji had already been soaking in the bath for quite some time; Aoto's skin on his hands and feet was already wrinkled from being soaked.

After soaking in the water for a long time, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel a little bored and eager to get "ashore" as soon as possible.

The boredom of soaking in the bath for too long and the anxiety of wanting Kondo and the others to leave quickly... these two emotions overlapped in Aoto's heart, making every minute and every second feel extremely agonizing.

Fortunately... in order not to arouse suspicion from Kondo and the others by being too silent, Aoto consciously joined their conversation from time to time.

It also allows you to talk and chat with people, so it's still a place where you can pass the time and relieve your emotions.

Aoto couldn't possibly urge Kondo and the others to leave quickly; doing so would only make him seem extremely suspicious.

We can only patiently wait for Kondo and the others to leave on their own... There is no other way.

But "accidents" always happen suddenly.

"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."

Suddenly… Qing Deng noticed that the commander behind him was breathing heavily in pain.

He quickly turned his head to the side and glanced at the scene behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Souji's eyes were half-open, her small mouth slightly parted, and she was constantly emitting painful gasps as if she couldn't breathe. Her face was unnaturally red... This was not a blush of shame, nor a pale red tinged with steam, but a dark red that conveyed to the outside world that her body was extremely uncomfortable!

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng immediately realized—Souji had lost his mind!

The space formed by Qingdeng's body and the corner of the bath was too small, with poor air circulation, and the heat from the pool water swirled repeatedly in this cramped space.

To give a more vivid example... this narrow space filled with stuffy air is now just like a sauna.

Souji stayed in this "sauna" for quite a while...

It's only natural that the commander-in-chief, caught in such a predicament, would be delirious.

Getting dizzy while taking a bath... that's no small matter.

The so-called "dizziness from being in a daze" has many causes.

One cause is that excessive sweating leads to insufficient fluid volume in the body's circulation, or vasodilation, causing blood to concentrate in the limbs and lower body, resulting in reduced blood supply to the brain.

Secondly, excessively hot water can cause changes in blood pressure and heart rate, leading to an intolerance reaction in the body.

Regardless of the reason, we must quickly pull Souji out of the bath and give her some water, otherwise her life might be in danger.

In this era where medical care is underdeveloped and even a fever can be fatal, we should try our best to avoid any disease.

The urgent need to get Souji out of the bath made Aoto, who had originally planned to wait for Kondo and the others to finish their baths and leave, instantly restless.

Judging from the relaxed expressions on Kondo and his group's faces, they definitely have no intention of leaving the bathhouse until the very last moment before Chihiro-ya officially closes.

If we keep waiting like this... God knows how much longer we'll have to wait.

After all, the owner of Chihiro-ya, Yubaba, is known for being kind and gentle.

The group from Shieikan are regulars at Chihiro-ya and have a pretty good relationship with Yubaba. It's possible that Yubaba might extend Chihiro-ya's closing time so that Kondo and the others can soak a little longer.

—We can't wait any longer! We have to find a way to get Souji out of here as soon as possible!

Qingdeng withdrew his gaze from surveying the scene behind him and gritted his teeth.

Is there any way to get Kondo and the others to leave...?

Anxious and worried that something might happen if Souji continued to soak like this, Aoto's mind was racing.

Suddenly, Aoto recalled a sentence that Souji had said just as Kondo and the others were about to enter the bath:

(I can't let Nagakura-kun, Saito-kun, and Harada-kun find out I'm a girl...!)

——Nagakura-kun... Saito-kun... Harada-kun...

Qing Deng pondered in his heart the names that Souji had unconsciously uttered back then.

Souji, worried about her true gender being exposed, only mentioned her fear of being discovered by Nagakura, Saito, and Harada, without mentioning Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue...