I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 477

I don't know if it's because today is the last day of the fireworks festival, but everyone who doesn't want to have any regrets this year has flocked here... In any case, there are so many people tonight that it's impossible to move an inch.

The phrase "walking" is no longer sufficient to describe Qing Deng and his group's progress.

It would be more appropriate to call it "peristalsis".

If the crowd in front moves forward a little, you quickly follow; if the crowd stops moving, you can only stay still.

They just kept squeezing in every available space and slowly "crawled" forward.

If viewed from above, this street... no, this entire area encompassing several miles around the Ryogoku Bridge, resembles a gigantic kaleidoscope.

The tourists dressed in colorful and diverse costumes are like the flower petals inside this kaleidoscope.

The constantly moving and changing "floral fragments" together create a colorful world that is quite different from the current chaotic world.

All the officials from the nearby local government offices were mobilized.

They stood on both sides of the street, carrying long sticks, to maintain order.

Thanks to the hard work of these officials, the fireworks display was packed, but the atmosphere remained orderly and well-coordinated.

Elodie, who is only about waist-high, is easily pushed to the ground by someone who "doesn't notice there's a small guy in front of him" in such a crowded environment.

For Elodie's safety, Qingdeng pondered for a moment, then said:

"Elodie, you're going to get knocked over easily like this. Why don't you sit on my shoulders?"

"Hmm? Is that okay?"

"of course can."

Considering that using Qingdeng as a mount might be too impolite, Elodie hesitated...

At this moment, Souji, who had overheard Qing Deng and Elodie's conversation and noticed the hesitation on Elodie's face, smiled slightly:

"Elodie, there's no need to worry too much about 'etiquette.' Do you think Tachibana-kun is the kind of person who would fuss over the little details of etiquette?"

Hearing what the commander said, the "mist" on Elodie's little face gradually dissipated.

"Then... Master, I'll have to trouble you."

Qing Deng Wan Er:

Why be so polite to me?

After saying this, Qingdeng stretched out his arms, hugged Elodie under his armpits, and lifted Elodie over his head like a doll, letting Elodie sit on his neck like a horse.

Suddenly, her gaze rose higher, revealing a view she rarely had the chance to see—this seemed to make Elodie very happy.

His smile grew brighter and brighter, and the excitement in his eyes became more and more dazzling.

And just at this moment... Qingdeng had just reminded us to be careful and not to get separated by the crowd.

result--

……

"Ok?"

Hijikata's eyes widened suddenly, like a hunting dog spotting its prey, and his handsome nose twitched violently.

He stared intently at a young woman walking towards him, about five steps to his right, without blinking.

The young woman looked to be 18 or 9 years old. She was wearing a peach-colored yukata, and her hair, styled in a Shimada bun, was jet black and glossy. Her delicate and pretty features were lightly made up.

The woman was alone, wandering the street by herself.

Hijikata stared intently at the woman's slender back as she walked away into the distance, and then—

“…Ah Sheng.”

"Ok?"

Kondo, who was standing next to him, turned around with a puzzled expression after being suddenly called upon. Hijikata, with a solemn expression as if he were about to undertake some noble and great undertaking, said to Kondo, word by word:

"You guys go ahead and have fun. I'll have to excuse myself for a bit."

Without waiting for Kondo's response, Hijikata took off running after the young woman.

"Miss!"

The woman stopped in her tracks when she heard someone calling her from behind, and then turned around slowly and gracefully.

Judging from the woman's reaction at this moment... she seems to be particularly used to being approached by men on the street.

With a calm and composed expression, and a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, she conveyed a sense of smugness, as if to say, "Heh, another fool who's been captivated by my good looks..." However, this calm and smug expression only lasted until she saw Hijikata's face.

The moment her gaze fell upon Hijikata's handsome face, a stark contrast to everyone else around him, the woman's face flushed instantly, her beautiful peach blossom eyes shimmering softly.

"Miss," Hijikata said with an exceptionally clean and cheerful smile, "are you alone?"

"Yes, yes..." The woman, who had accidentally swallowed a screw due to nervousness, lowered her head shyly while frantically brushing a few strands of hair hanging near her ears behind her head.

……

"Ok?"

Harada suddenly raised his head and twitched his nose like a dog.

"It smells so good... Where is it coming from?! Where is that smell coming from?!"

Harada followed the enticing aroma, slowly shifting his gaze inch by inch.

Finally, his gaze settled on a grilled squid stand.

……

"Well……"

This kind of crowded environment is extremely unfriendly to people like Heisuke Todo, who is petite and light.

Not only are they easily pushed or pushed aside by taller people, but their vision is also extremely poor.

Despite his best efforts to keep up with Qingdeng and the others, the thick crowd gradually separated him from the main group...

……

"Come on! Come on! Don't miss out! There's a spectacular swordsmanship performance to watch! Next, I'll throw this radish into the air, and then, just before it hits the ground, I'll use my superb swordsmanship to slice it in two!"

A down-on-his-luck samurai, dressed in extremely shabby clothes and forced to make a living by performing martial arts on the street, shouted energetically to attract an audience. Yongcang, a martial arts fanatic, became very interested when he heard that the man was going to perform a sword-drawing technique, and stopped to watch.

After a crowd had gathered, the down-on-his-luck samurai casually tossed a small carrot into the air. Once it landed above his head, he swiftly and beautifully cleaved the carrot in two with a single, skillful sword draw. The onlookers applauded and cheered.

"Oh, oh..." Nagakura grinned, "Not bad."

Having thoroughly enjoyed watching Nagakura, I turned my gaze back to what was in front of me.

However, his companions were nowhere to be seen ahead...

……

"Huh? Where did Todo-kun and Harada-kun go? Oh? Nagakura-kun is gone too."

Inoue's sudden exclamation caused Aoto, Souji, and the others to turn around and look back.

"Where did everyone go?" the commander asked, bewildered.

Before leaving, Hijikata, who was the first to leave, at least told Kondo before disappearing from sight. Kondo later explained to everyone that "Hijikata had something to do and left temporarily"—because there were young children like Elodie present, Kondo couldn't say directly that "Hijikata must have gone to pick up women."

Compared to Hijikata, Nagakura, Harada, and Todo have truly vanished without a trace...

"Where did those idiots all go..." Qingdeng, who had just reminded everyone to be careful not to get separated, looked annoyed.

"They're such a headache..." Kondo shook his head with a wry smile. "I guess I'll have to go find them."

“Ah, I’ll go too.” There are three missing people. Considering that Kondo might not be able to find them all by himself, Inoue volunteered to help Kondo.

Saito shared the same idea as Inoue.

“…I’ll go too,” Saito said calmly. “There are three missing people; it would be more appropriate to send three people to look for them.”

“Uncle Gen, Saito-kun, are you both coming with me to find Nagakura-kun and the others? Alright then—Tachibana-kun, Souji, you two take little Elodie and go play around. The three of us will go find those lost idiots. Let's meet at the east end of the Ryogoku Bridge when the fireworks show is about to start.”

"Uh... okay, I understand." Qingdeng nodded.

It's easy to see from Kondo's arrangement that he was looking out for Elodie.

Nagakura and the others have disappeared... We cannot ignore them, neither out of sentiment nor out of reason.

The only people Elodie was familiar with were Aoto and Souji.

If Aoto and Souji are sent to find Nagakura and the others, then the rest of the people won't even know what to talk about with Elodie.

Therefore, from the perspective of "taking care of Elodie", Kondo's arrangement is quite reasonable.

……

After watching Kondo, Inoue, and Saito set off to find the lost idiots, Aoto looked up at Elodie, who was straddling his neck, and then at Souji beside him.

Just moments ago, there was a large, imposing group of people, but in the blink of an eye, only the three of them remained... This left Qingdeng feeling both helpless and amused.

"Let's go. Let's meet up with Mr. Kondo and the others at Ryogoku Bridge after the fireworks show starts."

"Mm." Souji nodded gently.

After walking several dozen steps forward, Qingdeng and his group finally made it through the incredibly crowded street.

After leaving the street, Qingdeng and his companions suddenly felt enlightened.

Although there were still many people, it was no longer so crowded that people could only crawl forward.

Qingdeng scanned his surroundings—they seemed to have entered the "game area".

The stalls on both sides of the street are all kinds of game stalls.

"Elodie," Qingdeng looked up at Elodie, "Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Ugh... Ah! I want to play that!"

Elodie raised her hand and pointed to the left front.

Qingdeng looked in the direction Elodie was pointing.

Then my heart skipped a beat...