I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

There is no intention to consult with the head office.

After delivering this one-sided message all at once, Okita Hikaru let down his hair and took off his coat.

After taking off all but a white undershirt, while there was still some warmth left in my body from the clothes and before the winter chill from outside could reach me, I quickly slipped into the warm bedding.

Just as Hikaru Okita was about to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Souji again.

"Xiao Si, I almost forgot to mention... Although I admire Tachibana-kun and am happy to see such an outstanding man become my brother-in-law, you must never do anything to belittle yourself."

“A man as outstanding as Tachibana-kun would never lack girls who like him.”

"If one day in the future, Tachibana-kun marries so-and-so, we should find other outstanding and talented men."

"In short, you can't be anyone's concubine, including Tachibana-kun. Do you understand?"

"I know your personality too well. You are such a selfless person. You would rather suffer yourself than see others suffer. You are too kind-hearted."

"Because you like someone so much, you unconditionally tolerate all their excessive behavior... I think you're completely capable of doing that... Hmm? Xiaosi, are you listening?"

Hikaru Okita noticed that Souji was stunned, staring blankly at the ceiling, which was tinged with gray by the night, and seemed not to have heard what she was saying.

Indeed, that was the case—Okita Hikaru took off his clothes and prepared to get into bed, and Souji entered a trance-like state.

All sounds and noises from the outside world disappeared from him.

Her consciousness, which had drifted out of her body, flew towards the not-so-distant past, towards four months ago...

……

Let's rewind to August 14th, 1860, four months earlier—

"Sister! I don't care! I will not put down my sword!"

"You... Sigh, never mind, let's not talk about this anymore. If we keep talking, we'll start arguing again. Let's talk about something else—Xiao Si, what do you think of Ju-kun?"

"Uh... how about it?"

Do you like him?

"Joy...?! Sister! What nonsense are you spouting out of the blue?!"

"Xiao Si, it's about time you started thinking about your own life's important matters. You're at the prime age for marriage right now, and I think Ju Jun is a pretty good person. You... Hmm? Hehe~ Look what I've discovered."

"W-what 'discovered what'?"

"Xiao Si, do you want to look in the mirror? Your face is really red right now~"

……

March 15——

"Commander, I don't think I need to explain to you in detail that 'lack of concentration is a major taboo in martial arts,' do I?"

"I'm so sorry..."

……

Thump! (Slams into the wall)

"Okita-senpai! What happened? Is your forehead alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just accidentally bumped into the wall."

……

"Okita-kun!"

"Tachibana-kun?"

“Okita-kun, you and your sister…”

"Tachibana-kun, I'm sorry, I... I suddenly remembered something I need to do."

"Huh? Okita-kun? Okita-kun?"

……

August 15th, night——

"Okita-kun, are you going to take a bath too? That's perfect! Let's go together!"

"Huh? I... Oh no!"

"Let's go!"

"Orange, orange, orange, orange! Wait, wait, wait a minute!"

……

Various embarrassing yet inexplicably nostalgic fragments of memories flew into Souji's mind and into his eyes.

The chief's cheeks grew even hotter than before.

If a snowflake were to land on Souji's face right now, it would probably melt into water in an instant.

"Hmm...!"

As if to delay the burning of his own blushing face, Souji pulled the blanket over his head, covering his entire head.

Strange, groan-like sounds kept emanating from inside the blanket.

……

That night, Qingdeng, who had been unable to sleep for a long time since copying "Sleepy God," tossed and turned in bed.

The same applies to the Chief...

……

……

The next day, the weather cooperated.

Since the beginning of winter in Edo, sunny days have been quite rare, but today the sky is unusually clear.

The loose, cotton-like white clouds softened the already weak winter sun, tinging the clouds with a faint red and painting the sky with the clear, pale blue unique to winter.

It's a great time to travel.

At 8 a.m., the entire staff of Shieikan went out to see off Okita Hikaru, who was about to depart for Hinojuku.

The atmosphere at farewells is always somber.

Although Hino-juku and Edo are not far apart, the Okita sisters don't know when they will see each other again.

Souji hugged Okita Hikaru and said many private things to his sister before reluctantly letting go.

Thanks to what Okita Hikaru did last night, Souji tossed and turned in bed until the early hours of the morning, finally managing to fall asleep with the help of alcohol.

Therefore, Souji, with his eyes red as if painted with red paint due to hangover and lack of sleep, kept looking at Okita Hikaru with an indescribable and strange emotion.

The same applies to Qingdeng.

Now, whenever he sees Okita Hikaru, he can't help but recall the scenes in the courtyard last night.

Before heading west today, Okita Hikaru seized the opportunity and quietly told her about the "three-year promise" he had made with Souji.

Okita Mitsuru hinted... no, to be precise, it was almost an explicit message to Aoto: Please be sure to help Souji fulfill this 'three-year promise'! As for whether it's helping her learn a skill she can rely on to make a living or marrying her, that's entirely up to you!

At the end of their private conversation, she reminded Qing Deng once again: she would only accept the Chief as her principal wife.

Before the Shieikan crowd could see him off, Okita Hikaru disappeared at the end of the Kai Road, the only way to Hino-juku.

The "swordplay dispute" between the Okita sisters has come to a temporary end—in a way that neither Aoto nor Souji had anticipated.

After Okita Hikaru returned home, the Shieikan suddenly became much quieter.

Without realizing it, everyone at the Shieikan, including Aoto, had gotten used to Okita Hikaru's presence.

Suddenly not being able to see that beautiful figure who looked so much like the Souji anymore, I really felt a bit out of sorts.

After that, Qingdeng's life returned to normal.

When it was time to start work, I would go to the government office in charge of dealing with thieves and robbers on time.

When it's time to rest on the holidays, I spend my time traveling between four places: the Senjiya, the Chiba Kenkan, the residential area, and the Tsukimiya Shrine.

Aoto's daily life was no different from before—except that his relationship with Souji had become slightly more delicate.

Every time Qing Deng sees Souji, he feels inexplicably embarrassed.

Forget about normal communication, they didn't even know what kind of expression the team was giving Souji.

Whenever he saw Souji's pretty face... Okita Hikaru's words—"You should marry Souji," "Souji has a lot of feelings for you... to put it simply, he likes you a lot"—would echo repeatedly in Aoto's mind, regardless of his will.

However, Souji quickly returned to his usual self.

For Souji, who has an extremely optimistic personality and seems to know nothing about sorrow, worries and anxieties seem to be things that are inherently foreign to her.

In just two days, her attitude and reaction to Qingdeng returned to their old ways.

I joke around with Qingdeng every day, and play harmless little jokes on him without restraint.

only……

Whenever Qingdeng wasn't paying attention, she would often stealthily glance at him... with an expression that was hard to decipher...

Time passed peacefully until December 20th.

……

……

The first year of Wanyan (1860), December 20th——

Edo, Koishikawa, Kohinata-Yanagi-cho, Shieikan, Dojo—

Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Outside the window, the cold wind howled.

Qingdeng, who had just finished his morning exercise, stood on the edge of the courtyard veranda, wiping away sweat with a towel draped around his neck while quietly admiring the snow scene before him.

It is currently late December – a time when the chill of winter tightens on the streets.

Edo, located at 35 degrees north latitude, has always been a place frequently visited by "General Snow".

The first snow of the year came exceptionally early.