I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The first time I caught a persimmon so close to my skin.

These memories surged and churned wildly in my mind.

Even the skin on my back and palms felt that unparalleled, indescribable, wonderful sensation again.

At this moment, the recollection was interrupted by a sudden, rhetorical question:

"Hmm? Tachibana-kun, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly spacing out?"

Okita Hikaru stood beside Aoto and winked at him with a puzzled look.

Qingdeng, snapping out of his reverie, quickly chuckled awkwardly.

"Uh, it's nothing, it's nothing. It's just... it's just that Okita-kun feels so heavy."

“Oh…” Okita Mitsuhiro nodded in agreement. “Tsukasa is indeed quite heavy, even though she looks very slim.”

Seeing that he had successfully fooled Okita Hikaru, Aoto breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he shook his head imperceptibly, as if trying to shake all sorts of distracting thoughts out of his mind.

—Focus! Stop thinking about those messy and filthy things!

After silently cursing himself, Qing Deng took a deep breath, composed himself, steadied himself on his back to Souji, and walked out of the banquet hall one after the other with Okita Hikaru, up the stairs, and headed to Souji's room.

……

The commander's bedroom remained the same, with very simple furnishings.

Okita Hikaru quickly laid out the bedding on the tatami mats, then took Souji from Aoto's back.

Helping Souji undress, tucking Souji, who was now only wearing an undershirt, into the bedding, and covering Souji with the blankets—all these actions were done in one smooth motion.

When Okita Hikaru helped Souji take off his clothes, Aoto consciously turned away and did not take advantage of Souji in any way.

"Huh...huh...huh..."

The blanket covering Souji rose and fell rhythmically with his soft breathing.

The commander was sleeping soundly, a glistening sheen of water escaping from the corner of his lips.

After smoothing out the last wrinkle on the bedding, Okita Hikaru straightened up, wiping away sweat as he turned to Aoto with a slight smile:

"Tachibana-kun, thank you so much, you've been a huge help."

"You're welcome."

Qingdeng replied politely without hesitation.

"I just did something small that I could manage."

Having said that, Qing Deng, feeling that he had completed his mission, turned around without the slightest hesitation and prepared to leave the commander's bedroom.

But at that very moment, a sudden and unexpected event occurred without any prior warning—

“...Tachibana-kun, recently...I have been following your advice and keeping a close eye on Tsukasa.”

Unintelligible words drifted from behind.

"what?"

Qing Deng blinked in confusion, then stopped and turned around, where he was met with intelligent eyes staring straight at him.

My brain belatedly realized what Okita Hikaru meant by "I'll listen to your opinion."

Just over three months ago, when Okita Hikaru had just arrived in Edo to attend Kondo Isami's wedding, she and Souji had a sharp disagreement about whether to continue practicing kendo.

Okita Hikaru once tried to get Aoto to help her persuade Souji to give up kendo.

At that time, Qing Deng already knew that Souji had been disguised as a man because she had taken a bath with her, and through her conversation with Souji, she understood Souji's passion for kendo and her desire to continue practicing kendo.

Therefore, Aoto, who was on Souji's side both rationally and emotionally, gave Okita Hikaru a piece of advice while confessing that he already knew Souji was a girl: Souji is no longer that little girl who can't stand on her own. Try to look at Souji properly and try to listen to Souji's thoughts seriously.

"Tachibana-kun, I'm going back to Hino-juku tomorrow."

"So... if I don't hurry up and tell you what I've been wanting to say, I might not have the chance again."

Having said that, Hikaru Okita narrowed her eyes, which shone with intelligence and rationality, and a subtle, intriguing smile spread across her face as she smiled.

"What you've always wanted to tell me?"

Qing Deng looked puzzled.

I don't know what Hikaru Okita was trying to say.

Her tone sounded as if she were speaking to somewhere far away, and her intentions were impossible to discern.

All Qingdeng can do right now is listen quietly.

"Tachibana-kun, I've figured it out."

With his hands folded in front of him, Hikaru Okita slowly approached Aoto.

As Okita Hikaru gradually approached, Aoto suddenly noticed that—Okita Hikaru's face had inexplicably displayed a kind smile, like that of an old mother seeing her long-awaited son-in-law.

"You should marry Xiao Si. If you marry Xiao Si, I will agree to let Xiao Si continue to practice swordsmanship."

*******

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Okita-san's great victory! This chapter is Okita's long-awaited home turf. Readers who like Okita, please vote for this book with your monthly tickets—that's not too much to ask, is it? (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

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

P.S.: When writing battle scenes, people who wanted slice-of-life scenes criticized me for "writing rubbish"; when writing slice-of-life scenes, people criticized me for "only sword fights advance the plot, everything else is just padding"... It's really tough (deadpan).

This book is a "bond-driven" novel, not a "protagonist causing trouble for no reason" novel.

To use a game analogy, it's a combination of visual novel and Japanese RPG, like Persona.

The protagonist forms relationships with various people, unlocks communities, and then gets to know even more people and trigger various events.

Haven't you noticed that the plot of this book has always progressed in this way?

We become connected with people, then with events, and finally with history.

Therefore, without dedicating time and effort to the female lead and supporting characters, and without depicting the relationships between Qing Deng and the female lead and supporting characters, the plot cannot move forward.

Chapter 311 The Souji's Best Husband [6000 words]

Hikaru Okita's eyes shone with a clear light reminiscent of dawn, as if possessing a captivating power.

In fact, Qingdeng's "soul" was indeed taken away.

A sudden tingling sensation ran through my eardrums.

Qingdeng: "..."

Hikaru Okita: "..."

Commander: "Huff...huff...huff"

Silence descended between Aoto and Okita Hikaru, and the breathing of Souji, who was sleeping soundly behind Okita Hikaru, sounded strangely distant.

It seemed that all the sounds in this space were gradually drifting into the distance in the present tense.

A tense atmosphere instantly arose.

The person who created this atmosphere was, of course, Hikaru Okita, who had just made a sudden outburst.

About five seconds later, the surprise finally turned into a sound.

"……what?"

Qingdeng tilted his head and let out a dumbfounded "Ha".

It's no wonder Qing Deng reacted this way.

In Aoto's worldview, Okita Hikaru is synonymous with "reason" and "intellect".

I never do anything rude or offensive.

He never utters strange or incomprehensible statements.

However, Okita Hikaru's words and actions just now were completely contrary to Aoto's perception of him.

Just seconds before, he was thanking Aoto for helping carry Souji back to his room, but a few seconds later he bluntly said, "You and Souji should get married."

There's no room for jokes.

Hikaru Okita exudes a serious aura.

Anyone who saw the expression and aura that Okita Hikaru displayed could be certain that this woman was not joking.

She spoke those words with great seriousness.

Okita Hikaru seemed amused by Aoto's stunned expression, and the corners of his mouth curled up even wider.

"Tachibana-kun, this isn't a good place to talk."

Hikaru Okita turned his head and glanced at Souji behind him.

As luck would have it, just as Okita Hikaru's gaze fell upon her... perhaps she was having a sweet dream, Souji's lips moved a few times, then she pulled the quilt around her body to her right, the thick quilt tightly wrapping around her body, and an adorable silkworm appeared before Aoto and Okita Hikaru's eyes.

"..."

Okita Hikaru raised an eyebrow, his eyelashes trembling almost imperceptibly.

She stared intently at Souji, whose head was partially obscured by his side profile, before looking away after a moment.

"Tachibana-kun, please come with me. Let's go somewhere where we won't disturb anyone and we can talk slowly."

Before Aoto could respond, Okita Hikaru strode out of Souji's bedroom.

Aoto's body seemed to be controlled by Okita Hikaru's voice, following closely behind Okita Hikaru at a distance of half a body length—he was eager to know what "as long as you and Koji get married, I will agree to let Koji continue to study kendo" meant.

Okita Hikaru and Aoto went down to the first floor of the Shieikan one after the other, and walked to the paper sliding door connecting the corridor.

Hikaru Okita reached out and grabbed the doorknob. The moment the door opened, a gust of wind and a burst of cold air rushed out.

It snowed lightly this evening.

Although the snow had long since stopped, traces of its presence remained on the ground.

The moonlight, as light as dust, pierced through the thin clouds and spilled onto the snow-covered courtyard.

The "silver" of the moonlight, the "white" of the snow, and the "black" of the shadows combine to create a hazy atmosphere, like a vast wilderness shrouded in mist.