I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

She opened her lips three times, closed them three times, and silently followed Qing Deng step by step. A look of astonishment crept onto Sanako's cheeks, but it was only for a moment.

In just a moment, Sanako began to think quietly:

Who is this woman?

First, exclude Qingdeng's acquaintances.

The observant Sanako keenly noticed that the two were not walking in sync.

Qingdeng often walked too fast and left the woman in brown behind, so he had to slow down frequently to wait for her to catch up.

As for the woman in brown, she was clearly unfamiliar with Qingdeng's pace and had to jog from time to time to barely keep up.

"If it were me and Tachibana-kun, this problem wouldn't have occurred," Sanako thought unconsciously.

—Maruki...is a married woman. How could Tachibana-kun be hanging out with a married woman? Is she a friend's wife?

While Sanako was still pondering this, Aoto and the woman in brown had already walked quite a distance away and were almost out of Sanako's sight.

Seeing this, Sanako pursed her lips.

—Fine, it's all Tachibana-kun's freedom to be with or associate with whomever he wants. Why should I meddle in his private affairs?

Thinking of this, Sanako tightened her grip on the new book she had just bought.

—It's so cold... I'd better go home quickly...

Qing Deng and the woman in brown were heading straight east, while Sanako would have to head west if she wanted to return to the Chiba Sword Hall.

Sanako turned to the west. Just as she took her first step toward the western crossroads, she suddenly froze as if frozen by a cold wind.

"..."

Sanako seemed to be going through a difficult internal struggle.

Hesitation, confusion, helplessness, curiosity, doubt... Nearly 10 emotions could appear on Sanako's face at the same time.

A variety of emotions clashed back and forth in Sanako's eyes and on her face, creating a fierce "battle".

The emotions formed by such a mixture of feelings make it difficult for people to understand their true meaning.

The detailed account of Sanako's inner thoughts makes it seem as if a long time has passed. In reality, it all happened in the span of five breaths.

Five breaths later, Sanako took a deep breath, looking at her own small feet clad in clean white socks:

"Why do I have to care so much about Tachibana-kun's private affairs..."

After muttering something to herself with a hint of confusion, Sanako turned around and chased after the still faintly visible figures of the man and woman.

Sanako, holding onto the thought that "as long as I can see those two, that's enough," followed at a distance behind Aoto and the woman in brown.

The sparse pedestrians on the streets in the early morning were a great help to Sanako.

The lack of crowds made Sanako's observation and tracking very smooth.

Qingdeng and the woman in brown did not go very far.

After following them for about five minutes, Sanako saw the two turn into a teahouse of moderate size.

Sanako quickly chased after her.

While covering her face below her eyes with a face towel to avoid being recognized as the infamous "Chiba Oni Komachi," she asked the teahouse owner, "Where did that couple go?"

The teahouse owner—a large, fat man with mostly white hair—looked up at Sanako upon hearing the voice. He was taken aback at first, then the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a smile with a hint of lewdness.

Sanako could tell what this person was thinking at a glance—this guy must think she was there to catch him cheating.

Teahouses have always been the most common meeting place for adulterers.

In large cities like Edo, dramatic scenes of catching adulterers unfold in teahouses almost every few days.

Judging from the shopkeeper's expression, he was probably used to people coming to catch them in the act of adultery.

The shopkeeper's misunderstanding—that she was there to catch someone cheating—left Sanako with a slightly complicated feeling. But she couldn't explain to him right now, so she just let him misunderstand.

"The two people who came in just now booked a private room. The rooms on either side of that room are still empty. Would you like me to book one for you, sir?"

The shopkeeper winked at Sanako and enthusiastically offered to help her catch the adulterer in the act.

Sanako's lips twitched slightly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you..."

"Alright! Sir, please follow me! Watch out for the steps!"

The innkeeper, in high spirits, personally led Sanako into the private room.

As soon as she entered the room, Sanako heard a familiar male voice faintly coming from the east wall... It was Aoto's voice.

"Sir, would you like something to drink or eat?"

The shopkeeper lowered his voice and asked.

"Just give me a cup of green tea."

Sanako casually ordered a cup of tea.

"Alright, the tea will be here shortly, please wait a moment, sir."

The shopkeeper left, all smiles and eager.

Even when there was no one else around, Sanako remained as elegant as ever.

She knelt down slowly and gracefully, pressing down on the hem of her kimono.

Then, with hurried and somewhat impatient movements, he crawled inch by inch on his knees to the wall from which the constant clattering sounds came from.

Just as Sanako's delicate body was about to press against the wall, a look of hesitation reappeared on her pretty face as if in a final burst of energy.

That look of hesitation appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly.

—I was just worried that Tachibana-kun might be harassed by some strange woman.

After making such a self-justification, Sanako comfortably pressed one of her glistening ears against the wall.

Wooden houses are naturally not very good at sound insulation.

After pressing one ear against the wall, Sanako immediately heard intermittent noises.

"Tachibana-kun..."

A woman's voice.

It must be the woman in brown.

I couldn't hear it very clearly, I could only make out the word "Orange-kun".

Sanako quickly pressed her ear closer to the wall.

"Miss Otsuki, please..."

This time it's Qing Deng's voice.

"Unless... I faint..."

--faint?

Upon suddenly hearing a word that caught her attention, Sanako was taken aback.

Before Sanako could even think or wonder, the voice that followed immediately caused her facial expression to change dramatically at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Thump—the sound of something falling onto the tatami mat.

Judging from the texture of the sound, it felt like the sound of a body falling to the ground.

Sanako is the daughter of the Chiba Sword Academy. The sound she heard most often since childhood was the sound of apprentices being knocked to the ground during martial arts training. Therefore, she is most familiar with this kind of sound.

"It hurts... Tachibana-kun... You never used to be like this..."

About four breaths later, the faint sounds of flesh entwining and fabric rubbing turned into tiny specks, penetrating the walls and reaching Sanako's eardrums and the depths of her brain.

These speakers may not mean anything to children, but they are extremely meaningful to adults.

Five seconds ago, Sanako had a look of astonishment on her face.

But just five seconds later, she regained her composure.

Strangely enough, Sanako felt a sense of inner peace.

Those surprises and astonishments seemed to vanish from her in an instant.

My body sensations are a bit strange; everything around me feels more distant and blurry than before…

In the next instant, Sanako's body seemed to be controlled by an external consciousness.

She stood up expressionlessly, stepped out of the room, turned to the right, and strode towards the private room where Qing Deng and the woman in brown were...

……

……

"Sanako... Miss...?"

Looking at the newcomer, Qingdeng made a sound as if something was blocking his throat.

What's Sanako doing here? Did she just happen to be passing by, or...?

In an instant, a huge number of questions filled Qingdeng's mind.

Although the brain's thinking speed may become sluggish as a result, the ability to think normally... or the alertness that should be there, is not lost.

Instantly, alarm bells rang louder and louder in Qingdeng's mind. At the same time, Qingdeng's heart rate suddenly increased.

She had a sudden, sharp realization: his current situation... seemed rather precarious...

Looking at Aoto and Ootsuki Minoru's current state from a third-party perspective, the feeling is quite subtle.

Qing Deng pinned Ootsuki to the ground in a "male on top, female on bottom" position, grabbing her left shoulder with one hand and her waist with the other. During the previous struggle, a few strands of hair from Ootsuki's temples fell down, becoming damp with sweat and sticking to her cheeks and the corners of her mouth.

If her hair was like this, her clothes were even worse.

The collar was slightly pulled open, the clothes on the right shoulder were tugged crooked, and the hem was wrinkled.

At this moment, Qingdeng's body reacted faster than his brain.

As if scalded by boiling water, Qing Deng quickly released Ootsuki's shoulder and waist, and stepped back, widening the distance between himself and Ootsuki in one breath.

Compared to Aoto, Ootsuki Minoru's reaction was simply one of shock.