I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Following Kondo into the hall was, naturally, his future wife: a young woman named Matsui Tsune.

Ever since Shusuke and Abi jointly announced that they would take Kondo to a blind date, the name "Matsui Tsune" has frequently appeared in Aoto's ears—however, Aoto has never met this woman.

Now, Aoto is finally able to see what this girl, whom Shusuke and Abi praised so highly and whom Kondo was obsessed with, actually looks like.

Indeed, just as Shusuke and Kondo had previously praised, this woman was extremely beautiful.

Overall, she has a very classical, oval face, as if she stepped out of an ancient literati painting.

From her eyebrows to her neck, every line was so beautiful and delicate.

She is a girl with a very gentle and delicate temperament.

Her face was painted with white powder to give it a beautiful, fair color, her eyebrows were shaped with an eyebrow pencil, and her lips were adorned with a small dot of high-quality lip gloss... Matsui Tsune, wearing bridal makeup, lowered her head slightly, placed her hands folded in front of her, and followed closely behind Kondo.

His hair was styled in a bun called "Wenjin Takashimada," and his kimono, jacket, undergarment, obi, and socks were all snow-white. The accessories on his chest, such as the sword, lace, and Suehiro, were also white. He wore a headdress called a "white cotton hat"—this was Matsui Tsune's current attire.

The "white cotton hat" is a large oval-shaped hat. Wearing a "white cotton hat" means that no one except the groom can see the bride's face before the wedding ends. It also means to prevent the groom's family from bringing the "spiritual power" hidden in the bride's hair and to ward off disasters.

The outfit Matsui Tsune is wearing is a white kimono, a wedding dress worn by girls in the Edo period when they got married.

In ancient Japan, white was the color of the sun, a sacred color, and a color representing purity and innocence.

Beginning in the Heian period (794-1192), pure white became a color that was respected.

From the Muromachi Shogunate period (1336-1573), samurai families gradually began using white kimonos as bridal gowns. By the Edo Shogunate period, the white kimono had become a wedding dress exclusively worn by brides.

It must be said that Matsui Tsune, with her beautiful light makeup and pure white kimono without a trace of dirt or impurity, was indeed extremely beautiful, exuding an aura of holiness.

"So beautiful..."

Suddenly, Qing Deng heard Kinoshita Mai's murmur.

He turned his head and saw Kinoshita Mai staring intently at Matsui Tsuneo, who was walking leisurely into the banquet hall.

Kinoshita Mai, whose attention was drawn to Matsui Tsune... or more precisely, to the beauty of the white kimono, had her eyes shining with the same brilliance as the sky outside the window.

Although her emotions were expressed subtly, Kinoshita Mai's feelings and emotions at that moment were well conveyed to Aoto.

When Aoto came to his senses, he realized that it wasn't just Kinoshita Mai who was like this—Sanako was also staring intently at the clothes Matsui Tsune was wearing.

Sanako, who was aloof and not good at expressing her emotions, also had a light shining outwards in her eyes, though faint, it was still powerful.

Seeing the two women staring blankly at Shiromuku... Aoto's hands, which were naturally resting on his legs, unconsciously tightened and gripped the hakama fabric on his thighs.

……

(Ju, which of the two do you like? Do you have any plans to marry either of them?)

……

(This kind of question shouldn't be that hard to answer, right? Just follow your desires and your heart.)

……

The words Hijikata and Souji said to Aoto last night flashed quickly through Aoto's mind.

A surge of unwavering determination, like leaping flames, burned fiercely in Qing Deng's eyes.

At that moment, Qingdeng made up his mind.

It's fine if they overestimate their abilities.

Whether it's on an empty stomach or with a high heart, it doesn't matter.

Qing Deng has no intention of withdrawing his decision.

However... it's a pity that although Aoto noticed Kinoshita Mai and Sanako's current appearance, he didn't notice the expression of a certain beauty who was very close to him.

Souji, who had been stuffing a konpeito into his mouth, paused the moment Matsui Tsune, dressed in a white kimono, entered. His face visibly contorted with a dazed expression, as if he had been stunned by some breathtaking sight...

……

……

"...I really miss those days."

As Komaki Goro gazed with a nostalgic smile at the newlyweds not far away, he turned his head and whispered to Atachi beside him.

"I remembered the scene when we got married."

“Me too.” Atachi smiled gently.

……

……

Publicly-attended weddings have fewer steps and a faster pace.

Kondo Isami and Matsui Tsune, kneeling side by side at the north end of the banquet hall, finished drinking wine in the "three-entry ceremony" and recited their wedding vows, after which the wedding ended.

Next, it was time for the banquet.

One after another, luxurious dishes and bottles of fine wine were served.

Before long, the solemn banquet turned into a chaotic mess.

More and more people who were drunk were singing, shouting, and dancing there.

More and more people spontaneously stood up to add to the fun, putting on all sorts of strange performances.

For example, Kondo Isami's older brother, Miyagawa Otogoro, performed his unique skill of "being able to stuff five steamed buns into his mouth".

The boisterous guests not only made the banquet extremely noisy, but also turned the originally orderly seating into a chaotic mess.

Now it's impossible to tell which "table" is which... Everyone sits down randomly, and the seating has become chaotic.

At that moment, Kiryu suddenly stood up and said he needed to relieve himself.

Less than three minutes after Kiryu left his seat, Goro Komaki suddenly said he also needed to relieve himself.

Immediately afterwards, Atachi also said she needed to go to the restroom...

The "parents" of Kinoshita Mai left in an instant...

Kinoshita Mai was not "lonely"—because as soon as Atachi left, Okita Hikaru abruptly dragged Okita Rintaro towards another corner of the banquet hall, claiming that he "wanted to say hello to Mr. Sato Hikogoro and the others."

Chiba Jutaro silently watched the Okita couple's retreating figures... Then, his eyes darted thoughtfully left and right.

A strange smile slowly appeared on his lips, then he suddenly raised his hand and forcefully covered his face.

"Ugh...! Ugh...!"

"Brother, what's wrong?" Seeing this, Sanako quickly reached out and supported Chiba Jutaro's shoulders.

"It's nothing... I think I drank a bit too much... I feel a little unwell."

"Did you drink too much?" Sanako frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air... I'll be back later. You can eat by yourself for now, Sanako."

After saying that, Chiba Jutaro, without waiting for Sanako to respond, covered his head and dashed out of the banquet hall like a gust of wind.

In the blink of an eye, Chiba Jutaro's figure disappeared from Sanako's sight.

The once lively group of people at the table dwindled to just Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, and Souji in less than five minutes...

*******

*******

I didn't write 8000 words today... I'm extremely sorry! (Leopard kneeling.jpg)

Yesterday was Saturday, and since it's winter and people tend to get sleepy, I overslept a bit... I'll definitely make up for it with an 8000+ word chapter tomorrow! (Leopard dead.jpg)

So, can you guess what Qingdeng's determination is in today's chapter?

Chapter 263 The War of Women: Sanako and Kinoshita Mai "Fight"! [7100]

"I am Yu's older brother, Miyagawa Otogoro! Next, I will perform a dance from Tama for everyone! Please enjoy!"

Miyagawa Otogoro truly lives up to his reputation as Kondo Isami's older brother; the two brothers are cut from the same cloth, sharing the same bold and passionate nature.

After performing "stuffing five steamed buns in his mouth," Miyagawa Otogoro immediately began performing a folk dance from his hometown of Tama.

Many of the guests at today's banquet are fellow townsmen of Kondo and Hijikata from Tama.

So when Miyagawa Otogoro was about to dance the Tama dance, many of Kondo and Hijikata's fellow Tama natives... such as Hijikata's brother-in-law Sato Hikogoro, spontaneously stood up and joined the dance.

The banquet hall was transformed into a dance hall in an instant.

It must be said that having a "club bean" like Miyagawa Otogoro, who is good at creating a lively atmosphere, at a banquet with a "celebration" theme is not a bad thing.

Thanks to Miyagawa Otogoro and the enthusiastic fellow villagers from Tama who joined him in dancing, the banquet became even more lively.

The guests rose to their feet and pushed their seats to the four corners of the room, making room in the center of the banquet hall for Miyagawa Otogoro and the others to dance.

With the central position in the banquet hall being vacated, the seating density suddenly increased. The empty seats left behind by Kiryu, Komaki Goro, and others were squeezed in, and Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, and Souji had to sit together.

The current seating arrangement at Aoto's "table"... if we take Aoto as the center and proceed clockwise, it is as follows: Aoto, Souji, Sanako, and Kinoshita Mai.

Why did the "parents" of the three girls suddenly leave at the same time? Was it a coincidence? Or was it intentional?

If it's the former, then it's a bit too much of a coincidence...

But if it's the latter, then it seems unlikely.

The three parties had never communicated before the wedding banquet began.

The Komaki couple and Chiba Jutaro and Okita Hikaru couple were complete strangers.

They couldn't possibly have agreed in advance to leave at the same time, could they?

Regardless of the answer to this question... Qing Deng can't worry about that for the time being.

At this moment, Qing Deng, whose neck felt slightly tight, glanced tentatively at the pretty faces of the three charming women around him.

At the same time, Kinoshita Mai, with her legs tightly pressed together and shoulders hunched, lowered her gaze and stared nervously at the tatami in front of her knees. Every now and then, she would raise her trembling eyes to secretly peek at Aoto and the others who were standing close to her... Whenever her gaze fell on Sanako, it would reflexively look away as if she had been scalded by boiling water.

Sanako maintained her aloof and calm demeanor... but she noticeably increased the frequency with which she picked up the teacup beside her to drink tea.

Only one person showed no abnormality—that was the now drunken Souji.

The souji, who usually doesn't drink, is now completely drunk, with half-closed eyes, a hazy gaze, a flushed face, and a state of being half-drunk and half-awake.

Normally, Qing Deng would have snatched the wine cup from the chief and stopped her from drinking anymore.