I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kiryu chuckled and glanced at Kinoshita Mai, who was curled up like an ostrich, before glancing sideways at the pile of bottles and jars beside her knees.

"...Young Master, let me help you with your makeup."

"Eh?"

Kinoshita Mai looked up in surprise.

"Mr. Kiryu, do you know how to do makeup?"

"I used to study how to do women's makeup in Kyoto."

If Qing Deng were here right now, he would probably be astonished and exclaim, "Kiryu-sensei, how come you even know how to do makeup for girls?"

Unlike Aoto, who hadn't spent much time with Kiryu, Kinoshita Mai seemed quite used to this situation.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and nodded vigorously with a hopeful expression.

"Then, then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Kiryu!"

"Alright. Young Master, please close your eyes first."

"Would you like to close your eyes?"

"I can only put on makeup when I close my eyes."

"All right……"

Mai Kinoshita nodded gently, then closed her eyes as Kiryu commanded.

The moment her vision was shrouded in darkness as she closed her eyes, she felt a tingling sensation on her lips—it was Kiryu applying lip gloss with a makeup brush.

The room, which resembled a "garbage dump," was filled with the constant rustling sound of makeup brushes brushing across Kinoshita Mai's red lips and pretty face from that moment on.

As she eagerly awaited the makeup look Kiryu would give her, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness slowly curved Kinoshita Mai's lips.

The silence of the room was suddenly broken during this tense wait.

"...I feel a bit conflicted."

Because Kinoshita Mai had her eyes closed, she couldn't see that a fleeting, melancholic smile crossed Kiryu's eyes.

"That little girl who wasn't even as tall as my waist has grown into a young woman ready to get married in the blink of an eye."

"Haha, it's been a long time since I've felt the fleeting nature of time so strongly."

"Ah, speaking of this..."

Kiryu paused, as if recalling something.

"Young Master, I have good news to tell you."

"Just now, Lord Feng arrived... a letter sent by your grandmother."

The letter said that she plans to visit you in Edo during the Spring Festival next year.

As soon as Kiryu finished speaking, Kinoshita Mai suddenly opened her eyes.

"Mr. Kiryu, is it true? Grandma is coming to see me?"

A dazzling light of excitement shot out from Kinoshita Mai's beautiful eyes.

"Yes, it's true. I'll show you the letter in a bit. Ah, please don't open your eyes, or you'll ruin your makeup."

"Ah, no, I'm sorry..."

Kinoshita Mai hurriedly closed her eyes again.

"Young Master, this is a good opportunity."

"Hmm? What good opportunity?"

Kiryu gave a meaningful smile.

"A chance for Tachibana-kun to meet your grandmother."

"?!"

Kinoshita Mai almost opened her eyes again instinctively. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and pressed her eyelids back down the moment they lifted slightly.

At this point, Kiryu continued:

“Young Master, I don’t need to explain in detail, you should already know: if you want to develop that kind of relationship with Tachibana-kun, you must first obtain the Lord’s permission.”

"..."

"The lord would never allow his precious granddaughter to be with a good-for-nothing she despises."

"..."

"So if you don't want your relationship with Tachibana to remain just 'friends' forever, then it's very necessary to let Tachibana meet the lord so that the lord can see for herself whether this young samurai named 'Tachibana Seiden' is qualified to become her grandson-in-law."

"..."

Kinoshita Mai has been completely silent since just now.

Although her face still wore the makeup that reflected her anticipation for what was to come, and a faint smile that showed genuine excitement at learning that her grandmother was coming to visit, Kiryu could clearly sense that Kinoshita Mai's mood had become somewhat downcast.

Kiryu stopped talking in time.

After a brief silence, he smiled calmly and said in a relaxed tone:

"Young Master, you don't need to feel so heavy-hearted."

"Don't you have any faith in the man you admire?"

"My lord prefers talented but not arrogant young people... and Tachibana-kun happens to be that kind of talented young man."

"Based on my understanding of my lord, she only dislikes three types of people."

"A person with an impure mind."

"Those who crave the various paths."

"And those lecherous, womanizing men who only think about marrying many, many wives."

So, relax.

"Although I dare not guarantee that my lord will definitely favor Tachibana-kun, I dare say that my lord will definitely not dislike Tachibana-kun too much."

Upon hearing Kiryu's words, the faint "black mist" lingering between Kinoshita Mai's brows dissipated considerably.

Suddenly, Kinoshita Mai's facial features froze.

Everyone said... The word that Kiryu just mentioned has stirred up a memory in Kinoshita Mai's mind.

A very "fresh" memory—the scene of Aoto and Souji interacting intimately at the celebration banquet three days ago flashed quickly through Kinoshita Mai's mind.

"...Speaking of the various paths..." Kinoshita Mai stammered, "Mr. Kiryu, the other day when I was taking a walk in the street, I saw two samurai who were as strong as bears, flirting and swaggering through the city."

"That happens all the time," Kiryu replied casually.

"It's really amazing, isn't it? Some men have faces that are very popular with girls, but they are surprisingly people who crave other things."

“I have heard that some people from various sects are particularly wicked. They have no interest in women at all, but in order to successfully continue their lineage, they deliberately deceive women who do not know that they are from various sects into marrying them.”

Kinoshita Mai paused deliberately at this point, then casually asked the elderly woman before her, who had "crossed more bridges than she had walked roads," in a low voice:

"I wonder if there is any effective way to identify who are members of the community?"

"There are ways... there are still ways."

Upon hearing Kiryu take over the conversation, Kinoshita Mai's hands, which were naturally resting on her lap, clenched tightly with excitement.

Kiryu, oblivious to Kinoshita Mai's subtle gesture, spoke casually and slowly, as if chatting with her:

"To put it bluntly, the biggest difference between Taoist practitioners and ordinary people is that they are only interested in people of the same sex."

"Except for the very few exceptional cases where both men and women can have sex, most people would not want to have sex with the opposite sex."

“A person who wants to have sex with the opposite sex is not a member of the righteous path.”

"Oh, I see..."

Kinoshita Mai pursed her lips tightly, then softly repeated Kiryu's words in a voice only she could hear.

"A person who wants to have sexual relations with the opposite sex is not a member of the righteous path..."

Thankfully, Kinoshita Mai has her eyes closed right now.

Otherwise, Kiryu would have seen a faint, thoughtful look appearing deep within Kinoshita Mai's pupils.

At that moment, Kinoshita Mai suddenly felt that the tingling sensation that had been pressed against her face after Kiryu helped her with her makeup had disappeared.

"Alright, young master, I've finished your makeup. Open your eyes and take a look."

As soon as Kiryu finished speaking, Kinoshita Mai immediately opened her eyes and turned to look at the Western-style mirror beside her.

The instant her gaze fell upon the mirror, a look of surprise and disbelief flashed in Kinoshita Mai's beautiful eyes.

……

……

That night--

Edo, near Ryogoku Bridge —

"Cold water! Cold water! Cold water that's both cool and sweet!"

"Grilled eel! Freshly grilled eel! Come and smell it! It smells so good!"

"Wherever your beanbag lands, that thing is yours!"

"Wow, sir, your arms are so strong!"

……

Before even reaching the area where the bridge between the two countries could be seen, the dense crowds and noisy chatter overwhelmed Qingdeng with their overwhelming presence.

Aoto had anticipated that the fireworks display, as the most popular public event in Edo throughout the year, would attract countless visitors.

However... despite having made thorough mental preparations, Qing Deng was still taken aback when he arrived at the bridge between the two countries and saw the actual flow of people at the event.

Even the bridge between the two countries is still there, and there are so many people... Qing Deng can hardly imagine how terrifying the crowds will be once he enters the core area of ​​the conference.

Tonight, the weather is perfect.