I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 451

"Miss Sanako?"

The person who suddenly called out to Qing Deng was none other than Sanako.

Even in the sweltering summer heat, Sanako maintained her elegant and refined attire.

She wasn't wearing a yukata, which was quite revealing but rather casual in style. Her small feet were always neatly covered with clean white cloth socks.

Strangely enough, Sanako was not dressed as a "Yamato Nadeshiko" in a women's kimono and with her hair styled in a Shimada bun. Instead, she was dressed as a "Hime Samurai" with her long black hair quickly tied into a light high ponytail and wearing a white top and blue bottom kendo uniform.

As far as Aoto knows, Sanako only wears the "Hime Samurai" outfit when she needs to practice martial arts.

"Good morning, Ms. Sanako." Aoto greeted Sanako, who was walking slowly towards him. "What are you doing here?"

Qing Deng raised his gaze and looked around at Sanako, discovering that Sanako had come alone without any companions.

"Good morning, Tachibana-kun."

Sanako bowed slightly with a blank expression, greeting Aoto while giving him a light salute.

Then, she abruptly changed the subject.

"Tachibana-kun, do you have time now?"

"Eh?"

Completely bewildered by Sanako's sudden outburst, Qing Deng paused for a moment before replying:

"I'm free now... What's up? Is there something you need?"

"Mr. Tachibana, could you please come with me now? I need your help with something."

"Help? That's no problem... What do you need my help with?"

"I can't say anything about that yet. I can only tell you the truth once we reach our destination."

"I see... alright then." Qingdeng nodded vigorously. "I understand. Please wait a moment while I change my clothes."

Although Sanako's current appearance seemed strange, Aoto agreed to her request without hesitation, out of consideration for their friendship.

Aoto turned back to the Shieikan, put on hakama and socks, slipped on straw sandals, secured his twin swords, and, led by Sanako, headed straight for an unknown distance.

……

Aoto had just left with Sanako not long ago—

Test Guard Hall, Courtyard —

"Good morning, Saito-kun and Harada-kun..."

Still not fully recovered from her "wake-up daze," Souji's eyes were squinted shut, her head and shoulders slumped, and her messy hair was casually draped behind her. Clutching her water cup and willow branch, she walked with unsteady, crooked steps toward the well, babbling incoherently to Saito and Harada, who were standing beside it.

Saito: "Good morning."

Harada: "Good morning, Okita-kun!"

Despite looking confused, Souji still managed to draw water accurately from the well and brush his teeth and wash his face in an orderly manner.

"Saito-kun, Harada-kun."

Feeling a little more refreshed after washing his face, Souji put down the face cloth and casually asked Saito and Harada a question.

"Where did Tachibana-kun go? I haven't seen him since earlier."

Saito shook his head slightly.

“I know!” Harada grinned. “I just saw him with that… who was it again? What was the name of that really pretty woman from the Chiba Sword Hall?”

Souji was taken aback: "Chiba Sanako?"

"Ah, yes, yes! It's Chiba Sanako. I just saw Mr. Tachibana, dressed neatly, leaving with that Chiba Sanako."

"Why did Sanako suddenly come to our Shieikan? Where did she and Tachibana go?"

The commander asked a barrage of questions.

"Well... I don't know." Harada shrugged, then grinned and said in a half-joking tone, "Maybe they went somewhere to have fun together."

"..."

"Look, Mr. Tachibana and that Chiba Sanako have been getting along really well lately. Mr. Tachibana goes to the Chiba Kenkan every few days to show his face."

"..."

"Although Mr. Tachibana says that he frequently visits the Chiba Sword Museum to see his pet cow... I highly doubt that this is just an excuse of Mr. Tachibana's."

"..."

"The reason he keeps visiting the Chiba Sword Hall is most likely to be to meet with Chiba Sanako. Watching the cows is just an excuse to cover it up."

"..."

"If Mr. Tachibana really has some special relationship with Chiba Sanako... it wouldn't be surprising, after all, I personally think the two of them are quite a good match. A handsome man and a beautiful woman."

“It’s ‘a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman’,” Saito silently corrected Harada’s misuse of the word.

Harada kept talking to himself, so he didn't notice Souji next to him. Ever since he learned that Aoto and Sanako had gone out alone, Souji had been silent and had a strange, rather...memorable expression on his face.

……

Edo, somewhere in the suburbs—

Cicadas! Cicadas! Cicadas!

The unique "music" of summer also surrounds Qingdeng with an overwhelming presence that is hard to ignore.

—Where exactly is Sanako taking me...?

Qing Deng glanced at the cicadas flying overhead, then focused his puzzled gaze on the back of Sanako, who was leading the way ahead of him.

After leaving the Shieikan, Sanako led Aoto Nao towards the outskirts of Edo.

Along the way, in order to pass the boring journey, Qing Deng found a lot of topics to chat about with Sanako.

As a result, Sanako always seemed uninterested in the various topics that Aoto brought up.

Or they just agree without thinking.

Or they would use "um" or "oh," the "best perfunctory words" that never fail to kill the conversation, to brush off Qingdeng's topics.

This made Qing Deng even more certain that Sanako's condition today was indeed a bit strange.

Since Sanako seemed unwilling to chat, Qing Deng didn't force the conversation and shut up halfway through the trip, saying no more.

The two walked silently through the bustling city of Edo and arrived at the outskirts of Edo, where there were many flowers, insects, plants and trees.

Looking at the natural world far away from the hustle and bustle of the world... Qing Deng became more and more confused about where Sanako was taking him, and what kind of help she needed from him.

After following Sanako for quite a while without thinking, Qing Deng suddenly heard a melodious "ding-dong" sound like a silver bell coming from ahead.

It was the sound of a flowing stream.

After walking more than forty steps towards the sound of flowing water, passing through a thick thicket of bushes, a wide-open, flat riverbank suddenly appeared before Qingdeng's eyes.

The riverbanks, made of solid loess soil, are covered with soft, tender grass.

Perhaps because it is adjacent to a river, the temperature on the riverbank feels quite pleasant.

Heading north along the riverbank, there is a small river about 3 meters wide.

The riverbed is very shallow; as far as Qingdeng can see, the deepest part of the river is no more than 40 centimeters.

Under a clear, cloudless summer sky, countless rays of sunlight dance like sprites on the calm, emerald-green water.

Like a gentle, white ribbon of water, it flows through the riverbed, uttering a monotonous but melodious murmur.

Suddenly, a bird whose name I couldn't identify swooped down from a nearby treetop and plunged into the river. Then, in the next instant, it leaped out of the water and soared into the sky, returning to the heavens with a still-wriggling fish in its beak.

The calls of birds and their hunting bring a unique "dynamism" to the tranquil river.

The beautiful river view before him made Qingdeng feel slightly intoxicated.

Qingdeng had little knowledge of literature and couldn't think of any words or phrases to describe the scene before him.

Right now, the only phrase he could think of to describe the beauty of this place was—this spot is perfect for a picnic campsite…

"...We've arrived."

Suddenly, Sanako said this to Aoto.

"We've arrived?" Qing Deng exclaimed in surprise. "This is our destination?"

"Yes, this is my 'secret training ground'."

"'Secret training ground'?"

“I occasionally come here to relax and practice martial arts in order to change my mood. The scenery here is beautiful, and I won’t be disturbed by irrelevant people. It’s my precious ‘secret treasure’.”

After saying that, Sanako walked straight to a towering tree with a huge hollow in the distance.

She reached into the tree hole and pulled out a bamboo sword and a wooden naginata.

"Orange-kun".

Sanako said expressionlessly as she tossed the bamboo sword to Aoto.

"I would like to challenge you to a match now."

"……what?"

Sanako steadied her naginata, assumed her stance, took a deep breath, and then shouted with great force:

"Hokushin Ittō-ryū".

"Chiba Sanako."

"Come on!"

Completely bewildered, Qingdeng hurriedly asked:

"Wait, wait a minute! Sanako, what's going on..."