I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Huh?" Sanako blinked a few times, puzzled.

"Your kendo uniform is too eye-catching. Even if you cover your face with a mask, a lot of people will still look at us curiously."

Upon hearing what Qing Deng said, Sanako looked up and around.

Every girl in sight was wearing brightly colored, flashy yukatas.

Just as Qing Deng said, she looked extremely out of place in her women's kendo uniform.

At this moment, Qingdeng suddenly noticed a clothing store not far ahead.

This wufu shop displayed a large banner at its entrance, with the words "Yukata for Rent" written on it.

“…Miss Sanako.” Aoto smiled at Sanako. “Shall we go rent a yukata?”

……

……

Aoto waited patiently for Sanako to change into her yukata at the kimono shop. He placed his hands on the scabbard of the sword, his right index finger tapping the tsuba (handguard) rapidly with impatience, making a "knock knock knock" sound.

It's a bit embarrassing to talk about... Qingdeng is feeling very anxious right now.

He was eager to see Sanako in her yukata.

He had never seen Sanako wear a yukata before.

Sanako, who is serious to the point of being a bit old-fashioned, usually dresses very elegantly and never wears yukata or other slightly casual clothing.

In fact, Qing Deng had just managed to persuade Sanako to rent a yukata from this kimono shop by appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her that "we would be too conspicuous if we didn't change our clothes."

Even though I don't have any particular fondness for yukatas... for some reason, I'm really looking forward to seeing Sanako in a yukata.

The thought of seeing Sanako in her yukata soon filled Aoto with both anxiety and anticipation.

However... along with the feeling of anxiety and anticipation, a sense of guilt surged up in Qing Deng's heart once again...

Kinoshita Mai's pretty face appeared in Aoto's mind once again...

"..." Qing Deng silently closed his eyes, clenched his right fist, and repeatedly tapped his forehead with the back of his fist as if knocking on a door.

When I first woke up this morning, I was fantasizing about rushing to the Senjiya and hugging Kinoshita Mai tightly. But less than 12 hours later, I'm already looking forward to seeing Sanako in her yukata.

Qingdeng vaguely felt that what he was doing seemed somewhat unethical...

Just as Qing Deng was engulfed in an exceptionally intense period of self-criticism—

"Amo, do you know? Those anti-foreign patriots who keep talking about 'expelling the barbarians' have recently made some big moves again."

"A big move? What big move? Could it be that another radical organization like the 'Extermination Group' has emerged?"

Patriots who resisted foreign aggression... Just over two months ago, Qing Deng had fought a fierce battle with a large group of patriots who resisted foreign aggression, so he was particularly sensitive to this term.

Forget about "self-criticism," Qingdeng quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

The two people having the conversation were a young couple standing side by side under the eaves of a shop not far away, munching on steaming hot dorayaki.

The man did not carry a knife and had a commoner's hairstyle.

The woman was plain-looking, and both her appearance and demeanor exuded a rustic, country girl vibe.

Free love was more common among commoners who were less constrained by traditional moral codes.

Qingdeng thought to himself that the man and woman must be a couple who came on a date during this grand event.

To be fair, when he heard the man use political topics as a starting point for conversation, Qing Deng's expression turned strange.

Talking about politics with a girl... what's the difference between that and talking about destroyers with a girl?

Qing Deng couldn't help but recall a friend from his past life: that person had some kind of quirk, but whenever he went on a blind date, he would love to talk to his date about how aircraft carrier battle groups carry out combat missions, why aircraft carriers are considered national strategic assets, and what the difference is between destroyers and cruisers...

Qing Deng originally thought that the woman would be uninterested in the topic of "patriots who expel foreigners" that the man had brought up.

But to everyone's surprise, the woman seemed quite interested.

"It's not that a new 'anti-barbarian group' has emerged, but rather that those guys who keep talking about 'expelling the barbarians' and calling themselves 'patriots' have become smarter... or rather, more cunning."

The man spoke eloquently.

"The current emperor despises foreigners and has repeatedly urged the shogunate to launch an expulsion campaign to drive out all foreigners who have set foot on our land without exception."

"Many patriots who advocated expelling the barbarians saw the current emperor's aversion to the barbarians and, under the pretext of 'sharing the emperor's burdens is their duty,' they raised the same slogan that Duke Huan of Qi had shouted to win over the people when he dominated the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period in Tang China: 'Respect the king and expel the barbarians.' They began to call themselves 'patriots who advocated expelling the barbarians.'"

The term "the current emperor" is an honorific title for the current emperor.

After listening quietly to the man's story, the woman asked, puzzled:

"It's just a change of slogan and a change of self-designation... It doesn't seem like a big deal."

“You don’t understand,” the man grinned. “The difference is huge. Let me put it this way: if the anti-foreign patriots of the past were just a scattered bunch, now that they have the banner of ‘Respect the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians,’ they have the opportunity and ability to gather into a mountain. Ah, I’ve finished my dorayaki, I feel a little hungry, let’s go buy some more good food.”

"Well, let's go."

The young couple walked away.

As he left, the man continued to explain to the woman in great detail why those who advocated for the expulsion of foreigners would undergo a complete transformation after raising the slogan "Respect the King and Expel the Barbarians," while the woman listened with rapt attention.

Qingdeng watched the couple leave in silence, his brows furrowed.

—Respect the King and Expel the Barbarians…

Qing Deng suddenly realized that he had been living too comfortably lately, spending his days in four places that gave him a sense of warmth: Shieikan, Senjiya, Kochiba Kenkan, and Elodie's house.

The overly comfortable life made Qing Deng unconsciously overlook the fact that the world at that time was full of chaos and bloodshed.

Unbeknownst to many, the "expelling the barbarians" faction has evolved...

The current emperor's aversion to foreigners provided a legal basis, thus gaining political ground and theoretical support.

Don't underestimate these two things.

For an organization or a force, the presence or absence of these two things can be said to make a qualitative difference.

Although the man was a commoner, he had a good eye and was quite knowledgeable. What he said was basically correct.

Although the real power to rule the country was in the hands of the Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, the imperial family, which had existed for a thousand years, had an unparalleled influence on culture.

With the Emperor as their backer, the anti-foreign patriots shouted the political slogan of "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians," which was equivalent to obtaining a banner with a clear action plan and the ability to unite people's hearts, and thus gaining the ability to step onto the political stage...

The evolution of patriots who sought to expel foreign invaders was something Qing Deng could not ignore.

After all, in a while... on November 1st, he will officially take office as the new captain of the Fire Thief Third Division and the leader of the First-Hand Archer Seventh Division.

At that time, I might have more frequent contact with anti-foreign patriots than when I was working at the Northern Barbarian Garrison...

Qingdeng's brows furrowed even more deeply.

However, suddenly—

"Tachibana-kun... I've changed my clothes."

A somewhat hesitant voice came from behind.

Qingdeng, whose thoughts had been interrupted, relaxed his brow, turned around at the sound, and looked behind him.

The moment the gaze shifted to the back... all that self-criticism about reflecting on one's "immoral behavior" that night vanished instantly.

*******

*******

Ding! Qingdeng has successfully achieved the achievement: 2 ship jumps! Congratulations!

To celebrate Qingdeng unlocking the "2-ship jump" achievement, please vote for this book with a monthly ticket! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

P.S.: In real life, please don't be like Qingdeng. You'll get chopped to death with a machete.

Chapter 236 [A Thousand-Year Bloodbath] and the Survivors of the Battle of Osaka [5400]

First, a clear, pale blue, like the autumn sky, caught Qingdeng's eye.

Then, the beautiful scenery composed mainly of this light blue color made Qingdeng momentarily dazzled.

The person who created this beautiful scene, which seemed to absorb all the light around her and make the surrounding shadows mere backdrop, was none other than Sanako, who had changed into a light blue yukata and stood gracefully in front of the kimono shop, behind Aoto.

Aoto had noticed long ago that Sanako seemed to have a particular fondness for blue.

The ribbons she used to tie her hair, the straps on her wooden clogs, the colors she often wore in her kimonos... were all primarily cool colors, with blue as the main tone.

So, while waiting for Sanako to come out after changing her clothes, Aoto had a guess that Sanako might pick out a blue yukata for him.

As it turned out, Qingdeng was right.

The fine, light blue fabric embroidered with white flowing cloud patterns clung tightly to Sanako's delicate body.

The wide, pure white belt added a touch of girlish charm to Sanako.

This beautiful white sash, so pristine that one dares not look at it too long, for fear of accidentally soiling it with one's gaze, was tied behind Sanako with a bow larger than Aoto's two palms, yet it looked incredibly cute.

There are specific rules and customs regarding how women should tie their kimono obi (sash). There are approximately 20 different ways to tie an obi.

When Sanako wears a women's kimono, the obi she chooses to tie is the very common and classic "taiko knot".

The so-called taiko knot is made by folding the ends of the tied belt into a square with sides of 30 centimeters.

The name is taken from the "Taiko Bridge" in the Kamedo Tenjin Shrine in Edo City.

To make the knot look like a bow-shaped "Taiko Bridge," the end of the belt and a small pad called a "belt pillow" are stuffed into the square.

The attractive design of the taiko knot makes it extremely popular among women of all ages.

Aoto was used to seeing Sanako with a taiko knot around her waist... so when he saw the bow on Sanako's back, which was quite large but in perfect proportion to her waist, he found it quite novel.

Because people generally think that bows are too flashy, only unmarried women who are lively and like to dress themselves up in a more eye-catching way tend to favor this style of tying.

Sanako, who usually has a serious expression and loves to tie her taiko knot, suddenly changed into a bow tie full of fashion and liveliness... This strong contrast created a wonderful sense of contrast, which made Aoto's eyes light up.

The neat and dignified taiko knot is indeed a good match for a woman like Sanako who exudes an aura of elegance and nobility... but this youthful and cute style is also quite good, with a special kind of beauty.

Such a beautiful yukata can only be worn by a top-tier beauty—and Sanako happens to be just that kind of beauty.

Even when wearing clothing like regular kimonos and kendo uniforms, which slightly conceal one's figure, Sanako's breasts, which are a size larger than Kinoshita Mai's, are still quite noticeable.

The effect of wearing this light and thin yukata now is self-evident.