I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The lively, cheerful, and somewhat quirky disciple that Qingdeng knew so well has returned.

At that moment, Qingdeng felt a surge of joy and peace of mind in his heart.

It felt like a weight that had been binding me had been reduced by more than half.

Qingdeng took a deep breath, composed himself, then turned his back and knelt on one knee.

"bring it on."

Qingdeng pointed to his back and laughed.

Let's go see the fireworks.

"Ok!"

Elodie laughed heartily, then quickly ran up behind Qingdeng in two strides.

With a light leap, it clung tightly to Qingdeng's broad back like a koala.

"Hurry up!"

After making sure Elodie was seated firmly... ah, no, after holding him securely, Qingdeng suddenly pushed off with his hind feet—running, leaping, and flying out of the window!

The night view rushed past.

The damp night breeze made their clothes flutter.

Elodie pressed her headscarf tighter as she craned her neck upwards, her gaze passing over Qingdeng's shoulder to look straight ahead at the horizon.

The moonlight illuminated Elodie's slightly flushed face, which was flushed with excitement.

……

……

Edo, Okemachi, Chiba Sword House, second floor, Sanako's boudoir—

Passa... Passa... Passa... Passa...

Sanako, kneeling upright by the bed, reads Li Shizhen's great masterpiece, "Compendium of Materia Medica," by candlelight and moonlight.

Slender, pale fingers gently turned the pages of the book.

The rustling of pages turning and the crackling of candles were the only two sounds in this spotless room.

Reading is Sanako's greatest hobby besides martial arts, and she often spends her free time reading.

Of all the books, medical books were Sanako's favorite.

Sanako, who possesses extremely high cultural literacy and profound medical skills, can read even "original imported Chinese books" that are not written in vernacular Chinese without any difficulty.

The so-called "plain writing" refers to Chinese writing without punctuation or phonetic symbols.

At that moment, Sanako was engrossed in reading.

Suddenly, a conversation drifted in from outside the window, causing Sanako's consciousness to uncontrollably detach from the world of the book.

"Wow, Ashu, your new yukata looks so good."

"Thank you~~ I saved up for three whole months to buy this yukata."

……

Sanako slowly put down the "Compendium of Materia Medica" in her hand, and looked out the window expressionlessly.

The conversation takes place between two young women walking side by side, hurrying across the street below the window.

Sanako watched the two girls' figures grow smaller and smaller as they walked away...

The word "yukata" is like a fishing line.

A fishing line dangling into the sea of ​​memories.

Suddenly, the end of the thread felt like it was tangled with something... something had taken the bait.

It's a dialogue.

……

(Sanako-san, this yukata suits you so well! I was really looking forward to seeing you in it. You look so beautiful!)

……

"..." Sanako raised her right hand as if she was troubled and annoyed, and gently rubbed the bridge of her nose.

The blue yukata that Qingdeng praised so highly last night was returned to the shop after watching the fireworks and as she was preparing to go home.

Sanako, who dislikes wearing informal clothing like yukatas, never considered buying one, even when Aoto praised it for suiting her well.

but why……

Why……

She couldn't quite explain why—in fact, as early as last night when she got home, a certain emotion had been repeatedly disturbing Sanako's mind.

Sanako had been consciously ignoring this emotion, treating it as if it didn't exist.

Facing and acknowledging this guy's existence... would make the proud Sanako feel ashamed...

Because this feeling is called "regret"...

After overhearing the conversation between the two girls, he stood up again, intending to block Sanako's way.

Sanako subconsciously resorted to the same old trick, trying to ignore her regret and refocus her attention on the medical skills in her hands.

However... this thing has grown into an undeniable behemoth without anyone noticing.

His expression gradually became dazed... He couldn't concentrate and his gaze swept around. Although he looked like he was reading seriously, he didn't actually absorb a single word.

The soft sound of turning pages stopped.

The sound of candlelight rising dominated the room.

After an unknown amount of time, Sanako lowered her head and glanced at the gorgeous clothes she was wearing.

What happened next happened in a completely unexpected instant.

Snapped!

A tense atmosphere instantly filled the room.

The person who created this atmosphere was naturally Sanako.

Sanako slammed the "Compendium of Materia Medica" shut with a loud "snap".

After placing the closed book back on the desk beside her, Sanako, with an expression as if she had made up her mind, slowly stood up, pressing the hem of her kimono...

……

"Lulu~ Lululu~ Lulululu~"

Chiba Jutaro hummed an extremely unpleasant tune as he swaggered down the corridor leading to his bedroom.

Suddenly, a bright, sparkling aura rushed towards us from the front.

"Huh? Sanako?"

Chiba Jutaro looked at Sanako, who was walking towards him, with surprise.

Why are you dressed like you're going out? Where are you going?

"Um. I'm going out... to buy something."

After quickly giving a brief explanation, Sanako brushed past Chiba Jutaro without pausing for a moment and walked away...

……

……

Edo, Ryogoku Bridge —

Wow! It's so lively!

With her eyes sparkling like little stars, Elodie surveyed the magnificent scene before her like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

The fireworks display on the last day was just as lively as ever... no, it was even more lively than the previous two days!

At least in Qingdeng's view, the density of tourists is much higher than yesterday and the day before.

"Elodie, hold on tight to my clothes and stay close, or you'll get pushed around in the crowd."

Qing Deng waved his left sleeve at Elodie beside him.

Understanding perfectly, Elodie extended her right thumb and forefinger and tightly gripped Qingdeng's left sleeve, hiding most of her delicate body in Qingdeng's shadow.

Qingdeng is like an icebreaker—leading the charge in the waves formed by countless people, cutting through the waves for Elodie.

"Oh—hey! Mr. Orange! Over here!"

It's Harada's voice.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw everyone gathered at the agreed meeting place. Souji, Harada, Kondo, and other generous people were waving vigorously at Aoto and Elodie.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone." Qing Deng quickened his pace slightly and led Elodie to reunite with the others.

"Hahaha, it didn't take long!" Harada put his hands on his hips, laughed a few times, then glanced sideways at Elodie, "Mr. Tachibana, is this your little apprentice?"

"Nice to meet you." Elodie released Qing Deng's sleeve, folded her hands in front of her thighs, and gave Kondo and the others a polite but respectful bow. "I am Mr. Tachibana's apprentice: Elodie de Angoulême. Please take care of me."

Facing so many unfamiliar adults, some of whom had rather intimidating faces, Elodie not only showed no stage fright but also politely greeted them and introduced herself... Elodie's composure is truly remarkable.

Qingdeng couldn't help but feel a little proud at this moment.

Although Elodie's politeness had nothing to do with him and was entirely due to her good upbringing and kind nature, Qing Deng couldn't help but cast a smug look at Kondo and the others.

See that? That's the message conveyed in the eyes of my apprentice, Qingdeng.

“Hello, young lady.” Kondo smiled and bowed, returning the bow to Elodie. “We’ve met a few times at Jin-i-do. Although you probably already know who I am, let me give you a formal introduction. I’m Kondo Isamu, the instructor at Shiei-kan.”

"I am Hijikata Toshizo, a disciple of Shieikan."

"Saitoichi."

"I am Harada Sanosuke!"

……

One by one, everyone introduced themselves to Elodie.