I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Why do you always like to call yourself an old lady? Auntie Machi, you're still young!"

"..." Atachi smiled without saying a word, and silently hugged A-Wu tightly.

A moment later, Atachi reluctantly released Kinoshita Mai.

It was only at this point that Aoto finally had the opportunity to communicate with Kinoshita Mai.

Aoto sat down next to the Komaki couple. When she noticed the Komaki couple, Kinoshita Mai naturally noticed Aoto at the same time—but she was busy greeting the long-lost Komaki couple, so she didn't pay attention to Aoto for the time being.

As if they had agreed beforehand, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai looked up at each other with perfect understanding.

The two locked eyes.

Their gazes intertwined.

This was the first time the two had met since the chaos of the fireworks display.

Kinoshita Mai's delicate body trembled slightly, then her eyes flickered as if she couldn't calm down, and she even made a move to look away...

But in the end, she mustered her courage and opened her cat-like round eyes wide, conveying a series of complex emotions to the young man before her.

“Ah Wu.”

Aoto smiled and was the first to greet Kinoshita Mai.

Based on my current bond with Mai Kinoshita... there's no need for any unnecessary small talk when facing Mai Kinoshita.

A simple call of name is more effective than a thousand "long time no see" or ten thousand "hello".

The instant Aoto softly uttered "A-Mai," Kinoshita Mai's eyes flashed intensely.

As the saying goes, "The eyes are the windows to the soul."

The change in Kinoshita Mai's eyes revealed the turmoil in her heart at that moment.

Joy, delight, displeasure, resentment... all sorts of emotions flashed rapidly through Kinoshita Mai's eyes.

Ultimately, these emotions merged into one.

It transformed into a gentle smile that seemed to melt away even the hardest ice, a smile that conveyed a sense of bewildered panic and an irrepressible tenderness.

"Aoto..." Kinoshita Mai nodded shyly to Aoto.

Kiryu and the others, who already knew that Aoto and Kinoshita Mai were in a relationship where they could call each other by their names, were not surprised by their series of interactions.

But for the Old English Sheep couple, this was perhaps a bit too much of a shock.

In this country during this era, young men and women call each other by their first names... even a ten-year-old knows what that means.

Komaki Goro and Atachi both looked surprised, scrutinizing Aoto and Kinoshita Mai with their eyes.

Finally, their gaze settled on Kiryu.

Kiryu noticed their gazes and turned to look.

What is the relationship between these two...? Goro Komaki asked Kiryu with his eyes.

Although Goro Komaki asked the question in the form of a "question," his expression already revealed his answer to the question, indicating that he was confident in his answer.

After a moment's hesitation, Kiryu gave a helpless smile.

Then, he nodded slightly to the two of them.

In an instant, the expressions on Komaki Goro and Atachi's faces became "exciting".

Qing Deng's expression became quite interesting at this moment.

Just then, a loud voice came from afar.

"Hahaha! Tachibana-kun! So you were here!"

Qingdeng didn't need to turn his head to look; he knew who it was... after all, the male voice was all too familiar to him.

“Mr. Jutaro, Ms. Sanako…” Qing Deng slowly turned around, looking at the two young figures walking straight toward him with a strange expression.

The Chiba and Kondo families have been on good terms for generations, so it is only natural to invite members of the Chiba family to attend the grand celebration at Shieikan today.

Aoto and Sanako haven't seen each other since the fireworks festival ended.

Aoto had anticipated that he would most likely see Kinoshita Mai and Sanako at today's wedding banquet.

But he never expected that he would reunite with both women at the same time...

Today, Sanako wore an exquisite blue kimono with a white obi, and her hair was styled in a simple and elegant Shimada bun... Aoto had not seen Sanako in her "noble lady" form for a long time, so looking at Sanako's appearance today, he felt quite nostalgic.

After Aoto turned around because of Jutaro's shout, Sanako bowed to Aoto with a normal expression.

Qing Deng returned Sanako's bow in a daze.

Sanako's calm reaction... surprised Aoto a little.

He had expected Sanako to show him a complex expression and look in her eyes, just like Kinoshita Mai had...

Expressionless and aloof—isn't this Sanako's usual appearance?

Sanako's demeanor made it seem as if... nothing awkward had ever happened between her and Aoto.

This moment not only marks the first time Aoto has reunited with Kinoshita Mai and Sanako since the fireworks festival... but it's also their first reunion since the two girls stumbled upon Aoto's "exquisite time management"...

As soon as Sanako appeared, Kinoshita Mai's expression changed immediately.

Her facial features tightened instantly, and she instinctively stepped back while bending over and lowering her center of gravity, her gaze fixed on Sanako with a wary expression, as if she had encountered a formidable enemy.

However, no one, including Aoto, noticed Kinoshita Mai's little gesture—except for Sanako.

As if sensing something, Sanako's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly, and she turned her head to meet Kinoshita Mai's eyes.

Because Sanako is much taller than Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, who can look down on Kinoshita Mai and exert an invisible pressure on her when the two women look at each other, can be said to have a huge advantage.

As soon as Sanako looked over, Kinoshita Mai's delicate body trembled slightly under the pressure of Sanako's aura and the sense of weakness that always arose when she was in front of Sanako. Her gaze shifted uncertainly for a moment.

Seeing Kinoshita Mai's gaze begin to dart away, avoiding her eyes, Sanako pursed her lips.

Then--

"Ah……"

Sanako's left lip curled up in a barely perceptible arc, and she let out a cold laugh that even she herself couldn't hear.

Although Kinoshita Mai didn't hear Sanako's laughter... she did see the faint smile on Sanako's lips!

"Ugh...!"

Kinoshita Mai gracefully clenched her hands tightly at her abdomen. Her small face flushed red and swelled up like a pufferfish.

At this moment, someone finally noticed Kinoshita Mai's unusual behavior.

"A-Wu, what's wrong?" A-Machi asked.

"N-nothing." To cover up her strange behavior, Kinoshita Mai took out a tissue she always carried and repeatedly and vigorously wiped non-existent beads of sweat from her face...

……

……

Although the Chiba family received an invitation from Shieikan, unfortunately... Chiba Sadakichi, whose health has been deteriorating with age, recently suffered a relapse of an old injury. Needing rest, he will be unable to attend Kondo Isami's wedding banquet today.

Chiba Eijiro was far away in the Mito Domain.

Both Chiba Michizaburo and Chiba Tamon Shiro happen to have important matters to attend to today.

Therefore, only Chiba Jutaro and Sanako were present at the Chiba family gathering today.

Due to the limited space of the venue, the banquet adopted a "round" seating arrangement so that each guest would have enough space to sit.

Simply put, it's like eating at separate tables, with about a dozen people sitting around a table.

Hikaru Okita and Rintaro Okita naturally sat with Souji.

Kiryu and Kinoshita Mai will definitely not be separated from the familiar and long-lost Komaki couple.

After Kiri and Mai took their seats, there were exactly two empty seats left at the table where Aoto was sitting... Upon seeing this, Chiba Jutaro said without hesitation, "Oh! Tachibana-kun, you still have empty seats here? Then Sanako and I will sit here!"

After saying that, Chiba Jutaro plopped down without saying another word, adopting a "I'd rather die than move" stance.

And so—at Qingdeng's "table"...starting with Qingdeng, and proceeding clockwise, the seated individuals were:

Aoto, Souji, Hikaru Okita, Rintaro Okita, Jutaro Chiba, Sanako, Mai Kinoshita, Boss Kiryu, Omachi, Goro Furumaki.

Qingdeng + 3 girls + the parents of these 3 girls...

It wasn't until Chiba Jutaro and Sanako sat down directly opposite him that Aoto realized his situation at their "table"... seemed a little awkward.

Although Sanako and Chiba Jutaro knew the Okita couple, they weren't very close.

As for the Komaki couple, they were even less familiar with them. Apart from Kiryu, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji, there was no one else around them they knew.

However—despite everyone being unfamiliar with each other, the atmosphere was unusually harmonious…

Chiba Jutaro is a "socially awkward person" who doesn't know what "stage fright" or "introversion" means.

Okita Hikaru, who had to take on the responsibility of managing the household early due to the death of his parents, is polite, courteous, and shrewd.

As a son-in-law, Rintaro Okita was honest and kind, but he was not someone who was bad at socializing or speaking in front of strangers.

Kiryu and Komaki exuded the air of seasoned veterans. Their conversation revealed a mature and composed demeanor.

The parents of the three girls got along very well... but the three girls themselves were quite quiet...

Sanako remained silent, keeping her head down and quietly drinking her tea—but since Sanako was usually a quiet person who didn't like to talk, no one noticed anything unusual about her.

Although Kinoshita Mai frequently spoke to the Kiryu and Komaki couple beside her, she kept glancing sideways at Aoto, Sanako, and Souji with a restless expression.

The usually cheerful Souji has become much quieter since Kinoshita Mai and Sanako arrived one by one.

She repeatedly scanned Aoto, Sanako, and Kinoshita Mai with an observant gaze... then silently stuffed a large mouthful of konpeito into her mouth.

The banquet hall, which was empty just an hour ago, is now completely full.

Amidst everyone's eager anticipation, the clock finally struck 11:30... and the newlyweds finally appeared!

With his hair perfectly combed, Kondo Isami strode into the banquet hall with an air of confidence yet a nervous expression.

Kondo Isami was wearing a long-sleeved, long-hemmed black haori (traditional Japanese garment) draped over his upper body. The haori was embroidered with his family crest in five places, including the back. The undergarment beneath the haori was also black. He wore black and white striped hakama (traditional Japanese kimono), with the obi (sash) tied in a cross knot, and white socks.

Kondo's current outfit is a very standard "Montsuke haori hakama".

The so-called "montsuke haori hakama" was the highest-ranking men's formal attire in the Edo period, and it was generally only worn on special and important occasions such as weddings and a child's full moon celebration.