I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, even though he already knew the most likely answer to the question, Souji still clung to a sliver of hope, cautiously seeking confirmation from Aoto with a "what if?" mentality.

"..." Qing Deng remained silent.

To be more precise, I don't know how to start the conversation...

When Aoto made up his mind to bring Souji back to Shieikan on his own, he had already prepared himself for this day to come.

Qing Deng tried to cover it up, but by the time Souji started questioning him, it was too late to lie, and there was no way to keep such a thing from Souji forever.

Having thought this through, Qing Deng abandoned the idea of ​​deceiving the commander, let out a long sigh of relief, and then slowly said in as calm a voice as possible:

"Yes...that's right, I took you out of the bath by myself and helped you get dressed."

Because he didn't know what expression the chief would make, Qing Deng kept his eyes forward the whole time while saying this, not daring to look at the chief behind him.

At that moment, Qing Deng clearly felt the body of the commander on his back stiffen.

Then, he heard a shout that was distinctly Souji's personal style:

"Ah wah, ah wah wah wah wah..."

It wasn't until tonight that Qing Deng learned that Souji makes a strange "ah wah wah wah" sound when she's shy.

He turned his head and looked back, and as he expected, he saw a bright red face.

Like a face gradually tinged with a bright red by a red spray, it looked vivid and tempting.

When Qing Deng looked over and their eyes met, Souji immediately seemed to want to avoid Qing Deng, shrinking her head and burying her pretty face deep into Qing Deng's back, where Qing Deng could not see her.

The delicate fingers and toes clenched tightly... so tightly that the knuckles of the fingers and toes turned slightly white.

Seeing this, Qingdeng quickly said:

"Don't worry, when I took you away from Chihiro's house, I didn't touch or look at your body inappropriately!"

In order to help the girl, who was too ashamed to show her face, to "cheer up" as soon as possible, Qing Deng recounted in detail how he had taken Souji away from the bathhouse.

After saying everything he could and explaining everything he could, Qing Deng immediately focused his attention on his back—his back was quiet... Souji didn't say a word, still burying his face in Qing Deng's clothes.

Qing Deng thought that the commander was angry.

That's understandable... Although he kept saying that he didn't touch or look at Souji's body inappropriately, that was just his side of the story.

Even if Souji believed everything Aoto had said, she wasn't stupid. She must have known that Aoto couldn't have taken her away from Chihiro's house without any physical contact.

The era that Qingdeng is currently living in is not the open 21st century.

Even ordinary physical contact between a man and a woman can be considered an extremely ambiguous thing.

Just as Qingdeng was at a loss for what to do—

"Tachibana-kun...I'm so sorry..."

Attracted by the unexpected apology, Qing Deng immediately looked back.

The commander slowly raised his little head little by little.

Her face was still flushed with a bright red blush... but her eyes were no longer as dazed as before.

She raised her eyes and looked intently into Qingdeng's gaze.

"It's all my fault for getting drunk... I've caused you so much trouble..."

"You must have suffered a lot to get me out of the bathhouse without touching or seeing my body inappropriately, right?"

The commander did not ask Aoto whether what he said was true.

She wasn't angry that Qing Deng had touched her body.

The first thing I said was, "I'm sorry."

Her simple apology revealed a strong trust in Qingdeng.

Only if one completely believes that Qing Deng has not done anything improper to her will the first thing she says to him be an apology.

From the moment I discovered that Souji was a girl, Aoto's mind has been subjected to all sorts of "mental shocks."

Of all the "mental shocks" tonight, this one, which is happening right now, has the greatest "power" on Qingdeng.

At this moment, Qingdeng felt a peculiar sensation, like a rising tide, permeating his entire body.

"No, it's nothing. I'm the one who should be saying 'sorry'."

Qing Deng couldn't explain why—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't speak fluently.

"I'm sorry, but logically speaking, it shouldn't be my job as a man to bring you home after you've been soaking in the bath."

"It's alright..." Souji gently shook his head, "You only did it because of me..."

Qingdeng: "..."

Souji: "..."

After the commander finished speaking, the two fell silent.

Strangely, even though neither of them spoke again, there was no awkward or uncomfortable atmosphere between them.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept in from the distant horizon.

At that moment, Qing Deng, carrying the commander on his back, happened to walk by under a hydrangea tree.

The wind swirls, and the flowers rise.

The two figures, their bodies pressed tightly together, were bathed in the moonlight and the gentle breeze that took shape in the petals.

……

For no apparent reason, Aoto suddenly remembered the murmur that Souji had unconsciously uttered before he had even woken up.

“…Ms. Okita, I understand now.”

Qing Deng turned his gaze back to the Souji.

A hint of helplessness flickered in his eyes.

"The main reason your sister stopped you from practicing swordsmanship... is because you're a girl, right?"

The commander looked troubled, his eyebrows and lips drooping slightly—this gesture lasted only a moment.

A moment later, as if she had expected Qingdeng to ask this question, she smiled helplessly.

With that faint smile, she acknowledged everything Qingdeng had said.

"um, yes."

“Things like ‘very few people can support themselves by swordsmanship’ and ‘worrying that I will become obsessed with frivolous pursuits’ are all secondary reasons.”

"The main reason is because I'm a girl. My sister thinks women shouldn't study swordsmanship in depth..."

"..." Qing Deng was silent for a moment, then asked the question that had been lingering in his mind ever since he discovered Souji's true gender, "Miss Okita, did you disguise yourself as a boy so that you could learn swordsmanship smoothly?"

The commander smiled and nodded slightly.

“Tachibana-kun, I think I’ve mentioned this to you before… I was born in the Shirakawa Domain in Edo and grew up in Edo.”

"Because my parents died young, I was basically raised by my two older sisters."

“My older sisters had to go to work to earn money on weekdays and couldn’t play with me all the time, so my childhood was basically spent wandering around the streets of Edo and playing around.”

"It was probably when I was 9 years old... that I came to Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi-cho by chance and saw Shieikan for the first time."

"The Imperial Guardian Academy was much quieter back then than it is now; there were hardly any apprentices there."

"It's quite funny, my connection with the Shieikan (Sword Training Hall) started with my curiosity about this quiet sword hall."

"At that time, I was thinking: Why are all the other sword clubs so lively, but this one is so quiet?"

"Out of curiosity, I secretly climbed over the wall and slipped into the museum."

"Then... I saw my master, who was still quite healthy at the time, training his apprentices in the dojo."

"That was the first time I had ever seen the Natural Rinnegan style."

A gentle, nostalgic smile slowly spread across Souji's face.

"Perhaps this is what they call being compatible."

"The moment I saw the Tennen Rishin-ryu, I was captivated by this swordsmanship style that focuses on explosive power and offense."

"The moment I saw the Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsmanship, I made up my mind—I must learn this swordsmanship, I absolutely must learn this swordsmanship."

"My second sister doesn't object to me learning martial arts, but my eldest sister thinks that it's useless for women to learn martial arts."

"I remember it very well."

"In order to persuade my older sister to allow me to study the Tennen Rishin-ryu at the Shieikan, I pestered her every day."

"As soon as I saw my older sister, I rushed over, hugged her leg, and begged her to 'have mercy' on me."

"In order to win over the older sister, I even resorted to all sorts of methods, such as acting cute, throwing a tantrum, rolling on the ground, and bribing her with money."

“When my older sister was young, she wasn’t as heartless as she is now. I persuaded her with a reason that she could barely accept: ‘I only practice swordsmanship to improve my health and temper my mind.’ After several attempts, I finally managed to convince her to allow me to go to the Shiwei Hall to learn swordsmanship.”

"I finally got past my older sister's hurdle... but then a new situation immediately arose."

"The Imperial Medical Academy does not accept female apprentices."

"My master was very easygoing and open-minded in his dealings with people, but he was quite rigid in swordsmanship, insisting on the principle of 'not passing on swordsmanship to women'."

"But this little trouble is much easier to solve than 'persuading the older sister'."

The commander smiled with delight.

"Since they only accept men, I can just dress up as a boy."

"I changed into men's clothing, claimed to be the son of a samurai: Okita Sojiro, and successfully became a disciple of the Shieikan."

"And so, after overcoming numerous difficulties, the 'genius pretty boy' you know so well was born~~"

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I successfully fulfilled yesterday's promise and updated 1 words today!

After soaking for so many days, Ms. Okita has finally come out.

For those who love Ms. Okita, it would be a real shame not to vote for this book after reading this chapter! Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)