I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Tachibana-kun, although you didn't say anything just now, your expression told me everything. If you hated Xiaosi, or had no feelings for Xiaosi, you wouldn't have shown such an expression for so long."

At this point, Hikaru Okita let out a joyful "ha," as if he had finally let go of a heavy burden.

"That's wonderful! You and Xiao Si are in love."

"Miss Hikari, I..."

Hikaru Okita raised his hand and made a "shush" gesture.

"I'm not forcing you to marry Xiao Si right away; that's too unrealistic."

"Suddenly asking you to start a family with Xiao Si must be very troubling for both of you."

"I'm telling you all this tonight just to confirm your feelings for Xiao Si."

"Marriage is a major life event, and I have no right to interfere in your future marriage."

"It is your freedom to choose who you want to marry."

"I only hope that from tonight onwards, you will focus more on Xiao Si, and that one day in the future, when you want to get married, Xiao Si's face and name will come to mind—if that's the case, I will be content."

"The rest is up to fate."

"Xiao Si really likes you—I can vouch for that with absolute certainty."

"No matter which outstanding woman you marry in the future, I will sincerely send you my blessings."

"Of course, I would be even happier if my husband were my son, Xiao Si."

After saying that, Hikaru Okita lightly jumped down the corridor, stretched lazily on the ground in the courtyard, and stood up straight.

"Before I knew it, it was already so late. Tachibana-kun, I'm a little tired, so I'll be going now."

As Okita Hikaru spoke, he bowed slightly and gave Aoto a light greeting. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he strode away along the veranda.

Just as this graceful figure was about to disappear behind Qingdeng's gaze at the other end of the sliding door connecting the outside and inside of the courtyard—

"Oh, right... Tachibana-kun, let me... say a few more words to you."

Hikaru Okita's figure suddenly froze.

She simply turned her upper body around quietly.

The meaningful gaze inexplicably made Qing Deng feel uneasy.

"Although I welcome you to marry Xiao Si... I will only accept you as your legal wife."

The first wife—Aoto reacted to this phrase as if he had suddenly remembered something, his gaze shifting left and right, avoiding eye contact with Okita Hikaru.

Okita Hikaru seemed oblivious to Aoto's current strange behavior, and continued speaking on her own:

"Although my Chongtian family is not a wealthy and powerful family with thousands or tens of thousands in wealth, and none of our ancestors have produced any noteworthy figures, we still have the dignity of a samurai family."

"I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not allow Xiaosi to become someone else's mistress or concubine, not even if the other party is the General of the Expedition."

Hikaru Okita used the word "absolutely" three times in a row.

The three "absolute" statements were increasingly heavy and serious.

"Although I am just a weak woman with neither extraordinary skills nor powerful connections, I still understand the principle that 'a common man's anger can cause bloodshed within five steps.'"

"Even if it costs me my life, I will never let anyone who dares to bully my sister get away with it."

Not only her tone, but also her eyes and face showed no trace of a smile—this older sister who deeply loved her younger sister was serious and not joking with Qingdeng.

"Because you're surprisingly popular, Tachibana-kun, and you seem to have a good relationship with those two beauties... Kinoshita Mai from the Senjiya and Chiba Sanako from the Chiba Kenkan, that's why I'm reminding you—I can accept Tsukasa's future husband taking a concubine, but I can't accept Tsukasa being the one taken as a concubine."

"The legal wife must be Tsukasa. No one, whether it's Ms. Kinoshita Mai, Ms. Chiba Sanako, or anyone else, can surpass Tsukasa in status."

When Kinoshita Mai and Sanako's names were mentioned, Okita Hikaru's eyes flickered slightly, and the meaningful look in his gaze deepened.

Okita Hikaru had met the two women before—at Kondo Isami's wedding.

At that time, Aoto, the Okita sisters, the Senjiya group, and the Kochiba Kenkan group were sitting at the same table.

Therefore, Hikaru Okita witnessed firsthand how good the relationship was between Aoto, Kinoshita Mai, and Sanako.

"Goodnight, Tachibana-kun, sweet dreams"—after saying this, Okita didn't linger for a moment. His figure disappeared on the other side of the sliding door within two breaths, vanishing from Aoto's sight.

In the courtyard, gently caressed by the moonlight, only Qingdeng remained, sitting motionless in place.

He stared blankly at the empty air in front of him.

The night wind blew away his hair and his thoughts.

……

……

Back to Okita Hikaru's side—

After saying goodbye to Aoto, Okita Hikaru did not return to her room. Instead, she walked at a leisurely pace to the top floor of the Shieikan.

Her breath and footsteps echoed through the corridor and around the corner.

It finally stopped in front of the Chief's bedroom door.

"Xiao Si, I'm going into my room."

Hikaru Okita gave a one-sided message to the door in front of him.

"..."

There was no sound coming from inside the room, only the faint sound of steady, even breathing.

Seeing that the room was quiet, Okita Hikaru chuckled to himself as he reached out to pull the door open.

The moonlight from the corridor seeped into the room through the slowly opening door, falling on Souji, who was fast asleep.

The room was divided perfectly in two by the moonlight.

On one side was a door covered in silver frost.

On one side is the half of the room near the window, still shrouded in shadow.

The commander-in-chief is situated in the space between light and darkness.

She was lying on her side on the bed, her cute back of her head peeking out from under the blankets, facing Okita Hikaru.

Hikaru Okita closed the door behind him, letting the room sink back into the deep darkness of the sea. Then, he listened carefully and walked to Souji's bedside, kneeling down by the hem of his kimono.

The instant his knees touched the tatami mat, Hikaru Okita said in a firm and calm tone:

"Xiao Si, stop pretending. I know you're awake. Get up."

"..."

The next moment, two faint lights appeared in the darkness.

It was the commander's gaze.

Souji adjusted her sleeping position, changing from lying on her side to lying flat, facing Okita Hikaru who was looking down at her.

Their eyes, filled with astonishment and disbelief, were like two vivid flames.

"Sister...how did you know I was awake..."

The souji's voice was weak, indicating that she was still under the influence of alcohol.

Who do you think I am?

Okita Mitsuki puffed out her chest slightly with a smug look on her face, as if she were talking about something to be proud of.

"I'm your older sister who raised you from the bottom of my heart. I can tell what kind of fart you're going to let out just by sticking your butt out."

Just as Aoto carried the drunken Souji back to his room, Okita Hikaru keenly noticed that Souji had regained consciousness.

However, for some malicious reason, Hikaru Okita did not expose the matter and let Souji continue to pretend to be asleep.

Aoto had no idea... and probably never would have known: a significant reason why Okita Hikaru suddenly proposed to Souji in his bedroom was because Souji happened to be awake at that moment...

"Sister... what... what are you trying to do? Why did you say those... those... those kinds of things to Tachibana-kun for no reason...!"

Souji's expression was filled with intense embarrassment.

Although the surrounding environment was dim, the bright red blush on Souji's face was still clearly visible.

Anyone present at the Shieikan would be amazed upon seeing the likeness sculpted by Souji.

Okita Souji, who has a carefree personality and is just as playful as big-time playboys like Hijikata Toshizo and Harada Sanosuke, actually blushed with shyness... This is big news that will cause a sensation at the Shieikan.

Judging from her current expression, which is tinged with grief and indignation, if it weren't for the lingering effects of alcohol in her blood that temporarily rendered her immobile, she would likely have jumped out of bed right now and grabbed Okita Hikaru's collar.

"What do you want to do? Is that even a question? Of course, I want to find you a good family. Look, how well do you and Tachibana-kun match?"

The chief looked just like a goldfish constantly spraying bubbles, her small red lips opening and closing repeatedly.

She seemed to have so much to say to Okita Hikaru, who was now smiling down at her.

After a while, she seemed to come to her senses and straightened her posture, creating a restrained atmosphere with a tense expression.

"Sister...where did you and Tachibana-kun go just now?"

"I just went to the courtyard, sat on the veranda to enjoy the breeze and chat."

"chat?"

The lines on Souji's face became even more tense.

"What did you two talk about? You... you didn't say anything strange to Tachibana-kun, did you?"

"We didn't talk about anything serious."

Without hesitation, Okita Hikaru answered in a low voice.

"I just asked Tachibana-kun if he liked you."

"?!"

The commander's red lips stopped moving.

The mouth, bulging into an "O" shape, and the eyes, also bulging into an "O" shape, together form a comical face.

Despite the obvious turmoil and loss of composure of Souji, Hikaru Okita remained calm and composed, his tone revealing a flippant quality he only displayed when speaking to family.

"What, Xiao Si, are you interested in this topic too?"

Hikaru Okita covered his mouth and yawned.