I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

But now, Aoto has absolutely no energy or leisure to care about or think about anyone or anything other than Souji.

Why did Chiba Jutaro have to come at this exact moment? Aoto, Kondo, and Inoue all thought this same frustrated sentiment in unison.

As if things weren't going to go wrong... Before Aoto and the others could even come up with a perfect plan on how to get Souji to a place where she could rest in peace, a brand new and troublesome problem popped up...

Aoto doesn't need to ask Kondo and Inoue—Chiba Jutaro, who is just an ordinary friend of Souji, certainly doesn't know Souji's true gender.

In order to protect Souji's secret, Aoto and the others definitely couldn't take Souji away from the bath in front of Chiba Jutaro.

Qingdeng wasn't sure if it was just his imagination... but he felt that the faint panting coming from behind him seemed to have become heavier, and the pain in the tone seemed to have intensified...

The change in Souji's breathing made Aoto grit his teeth slightly—he had to find a way to get Mr. Jutaro away as soon as possible!

However… just as Aoto was beginning to figure out how to get Chiba Jutaro out of there, he heard the sound of splashing water slowly approaching him…

Chiba Jutaro made a special trip to Chihiro's house to meet Aoto in order to get closer to him.

Sitting so far apart... that seems a bit too formal! It's not conducive to building rapport!

Therefore, Chiba Jutaro waded slowly towards Aoto, saying to him in a leisurely manner:

"Tachibana-kun, let me get straight to the point..."

His massive frame, like a sturdy icebreaker, "crashed" through all the water blocking his path.

Chiba Jutaro's move startled Aoto, Kondo, and Inoue.

If Chiba Jutaro is allowed to get close to Aoto... he is very likely to discover Souji hiding behind Aoto!

At this critical moment, a resolute look flashed in Inoue's eyes.

"Tachibana-kun, from August 23rd to August 25th..."

"Ugh...! Ugh...! Ahh...!"

Inoue suddenly raised his hand and covered his face with force, letting out a painful groan.

The groans weren't loud, but the volume was just right to reach the ears of everyone present.

Inoue's sudden groan of pain naturally drew the attention of Aoto, Kondo, and Chiba Jutaro.

"Mr. Inoue." Chiba Jutaro stopped in his tracks, turning to Inoue with a surprised look. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Inoue said weakly, covering his face with his hands and burying his head low, "I just feel... dizzy..."

"Dizzy?" Chiba Jutaro's pupils contracted slightly. "Mr. Inoue, are you out of your mind?"

"Hmm...maybe...ah...I feel so nauseous...I feel like throwing up..."

Looking at Inoue, who was just a moment ago full of energy but now suddenly "dazed" by the water... almost at the same instant, Aoto and Kondo's eyes suddenly lit up - they both instantly understood what Inoue wanted to do.

With a look of sudden realization, Kondo glanced at Inoue and Chiba Jutaro, then strode anxiously to Inoue's side.

"Uncle Yuan! Uncle Yuan!" Kondo steadied Inoue's swaying body. "Are you alright? Are you alright?"

"Ugh..." Inoue closed his eyes tightly, tilted his head, and rested it against Kondo's chest. "It feels so bad... I'm getting more and more dizzy..."

"Tsk... This is troublesome. It seems that Uncle Yuan is really out of his mind."

Kondo pretended to touch Inoue's forehead, then turned to Chiba Jutaro and said seriously:

"Jutaro, could you come and lend a hand? Uncle Yuan's symptoms seem quite serious. Let's take him to see a doctor!"

"Okay!" Chiba Jutaro nodded vigorously without hesitation.

At this moment, Aoto joined in and worked together seamlessly with Kondo and Inoue!

"I'll go with you!"

As Qingdeng spoke, he spread his arms and braced himself against the walls on either side of the bathtub, making it look as if he wanted to stand up.

"Tachibana-kun, don't come here!"

Kondo said quickly.

"Jūtarō and I will take care of taking Uncle Yuan to see a doctor!"

“Someone needs to go back to Shiwei Hall and tell everyone there, ‘Uncle Yuan and I probably won’t be back until very late tonight.’”

"Tachibana-kun, this task is entrusted to you!"

Taking someone to see a doctor definitely shouldn't involve so many people accompanying them. Therefore, Chiba Jutaro actively spoke up for Kondo:

"Tachibana-kun, leave Mr. Inoue to me and Yu!" Chiba Jutaro said earnestly.

With your words of comfort... I feel relieved!

Qing Deng almost blurted out those words.

Upon hearing Chiba Jutaro's statement, Aoto, Kondo, and Inoue, who was currently "dazed with love," all felt greatly relieved!

Without giving Chiba Jutaro any chance to back out, Kondo hurriedly set up Inoue.

"Jutaro, let's go!"

"it is good!"

Kondo and Chiba Jutaro supported Inoue on either side, and they rushed out of the bathhouse with the speed of a boar charging forward.

"Isn't Mr. Inoue always in good health...? How come he suddenly got dizzy from soaking so much..."

"Now that the weather is hot, people are more prone to heatstroke and getting dizzy from soaking in hot water."

……

The sound of Kondo and Chiba Jutaro's conversation gradually faded into the distance...

Just as the two figures were about to disappear into Shiliukou, Qing Deng noticed that Kondo secretly turned around and gave him a deep look with trusting eyes.

"I'm entrusting the Souji position to you"—Kondo's eyes conveyed this message with fervent emotion.

After the presence of Kondo, Inoue, and Chiba Jutaro had completely faded away, the large bathhouse was once again left with only Aoto and Souji, a lone man and woman.

Ever since Chiba Jutaro appeared, the huge weight that had been hanging over my heart has finally been lifted... Aoto couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Following Hijikata, Kondo and Inoue also made great contributions!

Without their clever cooperation, it would have been impossible to get Chiba Jutaro away so easily.

At this moment, Qing Deng couldn't help but sigh: Souji really has a very reliable family.

Thanks to the assistance of Kondo and others, those who could have further exposed Souji's secrets have now disappeared.

But at that moment... Qing Deng suddenly realized something and opened his mouth wide, staring dumbfounded at the empty bathtub in front of him.

A dreamlike murmur escaped his lips:

"Am I... all alone now...?"

Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue—the three people who knew Souji's true gender and could provide Aoto with assistance—were all gone at this moment.

In other words, Aoto now has to find a way to bring Souji back to the Shieikan on his own!

For a moment, Qingdeng's face was filled with embarrassment, and an awkward atmosphere dominated the entire bathhouse...

In the silence that seemed to freeze time, a jumble of chaotic thoughts swirled in Qingdeng's mind.

In this situation where he was all alone, he couldn't even run to get help.

Given the current state of the commander, it's clear that things can't be delayed any longer.

If we delay any longer, minor symptoms will develop into major symptoms.

And so—Qingdeng, who felt that every minute and every second was incredibly long, made up his mind at that moment.

"...Miss Okita, come on, can you stand up?"

Qing Deng tensed every muscle in his face, trying to suppress the embarrassment on his face, and quickly turned around to face Souji, who had his back to him. He reached out and gently pressed Souji's shoulders to steady him.

"Hmm...uh...uh..."

Souji let out a soft moan, like a cat that had just woken up.

The commander, who was able to have a normal conversation with Aoto just now, can now only respond with a weak murmur.

His lips were pale, and his eyes were tightly closed.

—Has your consciousness become so hazy...?

As Qing Deng felt a sinking feeling in his heart, he became even more determined to bring Souji back to Shieikan as soon as possible!

Without time to hesitate any longer... Qing Deng took a deep breath, then reached his hands under Souji's fair armpits from behind, gently lifted Souji up, and dragged him out of the bath.

“Come here, Miss Okita.” Regardless of whether Souji could hear him clearly, Aoto said in a gentle tone, as if coaxing a baby to sleep, “Watch your step.”

Adhering to the principle of "do not look at what is improper", Qingdeng kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead and never glanced at the beautiful woman he was carrying.

"Mmm...mmm...mmm..."

Throughout the journey, Souji kept groaning incoherently, as if in a daze, without any concrete meaning.

The two cute little feet, now powerless, could only be dragged on the ground like ornaments.

Besides trying his best to prevent his eyes from seeing things he shouldn't see, Aoto's hands also tried to avoid any overly intimate contact with Souji.

However... Aoto's hands are currently resting under Souji's armpits.

Such movements and postures... can easily lead to accidents.

For example, right at that moment, a small accident happened unexpectedly—

"Ugh... Ugh...!"

Perhaps it was because Qing Deng's dragging her along made Souji uncomfortable.

She let out a low moan of pain and gently twisted her body.

This kind of feeble struggle is naturally unlikely to escape Qingdeng's control.

However, her slight twist caused two small objects very close to her armpits to brush against Qing Deng's palm.

Qingdeng's palms clearly perceived a tactile sensation that was difficult to describe in detail with specific words...

This sensation awakened a still-fresh memory in Qingdeng's mind—the scene of accidentally using it as a handhold flashed before his eyes.

Although some time has passed... the feeling from that time is still clearly etched on Qingdeng's right palm.

The embarrassment and awkwardness that he had managed to suppress finally surged onto Qingdeng's face like a flood.