I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

How could I possibly fall asleep when I'm in such a bloated and painful state?

So, Qingdeng endured the excruciating pain in his head and struggled to get up.

Looking around, one could see Nagakura, Harada, and the others lying haphazardly on the ground.

Everyone reeked of an overwhelming, pungent smell of alcohol. The stench was so strong and intense that Qing Deng couldn't help but wonder if all the residents of Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi-cho could smell this stench, which was comparable to that of a biological weapon.

Judging from the situation, even if Nagakura and the others didn't drink themselves into oblivion like Aoto, they should be pretty much in the same boat.

Qingdeng instinctively held his breath, nimbly climbed out of bed, and rushed out of the dining area.

……

After running to the toilet and satisfying his physiological needs, Qingdeng immediately felt refreshed, and even the pain in his head was relieved.

However, the world before him was still slightly tilted and rotating, making Qingdeng walk with a slight stagger.

Qingdeng walked unsteadily back to the diners' quarters.

However, at that moment, Qingdeng suddenly heard a series of strange noises coming from the direction of the courtyard.

--Um?

Qingdeng turned his head to look at the sound, and the clarity in his eyes immediately increased.

—What's that noise...?

Although no thief would dare to sneak into the sword hall to steal anything, just to be on the safe side, Qingdeng lowered his center of gravity, crouched down, and tiptoed toward the courtyard.

As soon as he arrived at the courtyard of the Imperial Guard Hall, a chilling aura that could freeze a person's breath into white mist instantly enveloped Qing Deng's entire body.

Fortunately, when he went to the toilet, Qingdeng had put on his thickest cotton coat, otherwise he would be frozen solid by now.

Qingdeng tightened his clothes and scanned the courtyard.

In no time, he found the person who had made those strange noises.

“冲田君？”

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow.

Souji, wearing a thick purple haori, sat alone on the veranda at the edge of the courtyard.

This purple haori was a new outfit that Okita Hikaru had previously bought for Souji.

Purple is Souji's favorite color, and she absolutely adores the thick haori her sister gave her.

As soon as the weather cooled down, I couldn't wait to put it on. I wore it almost every day, without exception.

The signature light and delicate high ponytail is gone, replaced by a head of smooth, flowing hair.

The commander rarely distributes his hair, so this scene in Qingdeng is extremely rare.

Compared to her ponytail look, Souji, with her long black hair flowing down, has lost some of her lively spirit, but gained a gentle and graceful beauty.

Because he was too short, Souji, sitting on the veranda, couldn't reach the ground with his feet. His small, white, delicate feet, without socks, swayed back and forth.

Two little feet swung back and forth as if paddling in water, while two little hands supported themselves on the floor on either side of their body. Using their arms on the ground for support, they leaned their upper body back and raised their chin, gazing at the distant deep sky beyond the eaves.

She was so focused and absorbed in watching that she didn't even notice Qing Deng standing not far from her.

Tonight is a cloudy night, with thick clouds separating the sky from the earth. There is neither moon nor stars in the sky, nothing but clouds dyed black by the night. I wonder what she is looking at so intently.

It wasn't until this moment that Souji finally turned around, sensing Aoto's gaze, and discovered Aoto's presence.

"Ah, Tachibana-kun!"

The commander waved vigorously at Qingdeng with a delighted expression.

"Miss Okita, why are you sitting here all alone so late at night instead of going to sleep?"

Qing Deng asked as he walked toward the commander.

Since there was no one else around, Aoto switched to the title he only used when he was alone with Souji: Ms. Okita.

Instead of immediately responding to Aoto's question, the commander smiled and patted the floor beside him.

"Tachibana-kun! Quick! Sit here!"

What are you doing?

Although Qing Deng was puzzled, he still obediently sat down next to the chief according to the chief's instructions.

"It's quite cold tonight. Are the clothes you're wearing enough? At least wear some socks..."

"Chirp~"

Qingdeng's words came to an abrupt halt.

Just moments before, a hot sensation came from my left cheek.

Qing Deng was so shocked that he temporarily forgot how to control his body muscles.

Qing Deng stared blankly, looking at Souji who was leaning over and planting a passionate kiss on his left cheek, his red lips still pressed against his cheek.

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Kinoshita Mai: I am the first female protagonist to officially appear in this book, so I must be the number one female protagonist of this book!

Sanako: Oh? (She and Aoto had tied the same scarf together)

Tenshōin: Oh? (Often sticking close to Aoto)

Commander: (Smiles without saying a word)

My mom's surgery is over, and I just got back from the hospital, so I have to skip an update today.

I took my mom to the hospital around 8 o'clock, and we finally got home now.

The author's mother just had surgery; five tendons in her left wrist were severed, and she'll need to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks. So, the author is going to the hospital again soon, and is only home to pick up the items needed to accompany her during her hospital stay.

Therefore, I didn't have time to touch the computer today, and thus I didn't have time to scan the manuscript and upload it. So I'm very sorry that I can't show you a new chapter today.

What you are seeing now was written by the author on his phone while he was taking a taxi home.

I will bring the manuscript to the hospital later and try to scan it to the "Writer's Assistant" cloud before 10 am tomorrow, and try to update it on time tomorrow.

To ensure the continuity of the table of contents, the author usually deletes leave requests the following day. However, the author intends to keep this leave request because the author wants to remind readers of two points:

1. Be careful with porcelain in your home.

2. Keep a first-aid kit for stopping bleeding at home.

The author's mother was cut by the sink in the house.

The author's family's washbasins are all made of porcelain and have been used for a long time, about 20 years. The author's mother was washing clothes in the washbasin when the bottom of the porcelain basin suddenly broke. She couldn't dodge in time, and her hand went through the crack in the porcelain basin. Her wrist was cut by the edge of the crack... and blood flowed directly to the floor.

This was truly the first time in my life I had ever seen so much human blood. And since I'm the kind of person who's a bit squeamish about blood, I almost fainted when I was cleaning up that pool of blood this morning.

Therefore, I hope that readers who have read this far will carefully check all the porcelain items in their homes, replace what needs to be replaced, and throw away what needs to be thrown away, especially those whose washbasins are made of porcelain.

As for keeping a first-aid kit at home... This morning, I realized for the first time how poor my family's safety awareness is. The only thing we have to stop bleeding is a band-aid, and the only thing we have to disinfect is an iodine swab.

When my mother's wrist was bleeding heavily, she couldn't even find anything to stop the bleeding, so she could only hurriedly grab a towel to plug the wound.

The author learned his lesson and, while waiting for his mother to come out of the operating room, ordered three first-aid kits online: one for home, one for the shop, and one for the car.

[The author will be spending the next two weeks at the hospital taking care of a patient, so update schedules may become somewhat irregular, and writing efficiency and output will likely be affected. Please understand.]

Thank you all for your concern for my mother today; I am truly grateful.

The author has no way to repay this kindness, so in the days to come, I will strive to create even better novels.

Chapter 328 Aoto and Souji's Mutual Confession! The Legend Has Just Begun! [8500]

Souji's cheek almost touched Qing Deng's cheek, which radiated a fiery heat.

My face is itchy. It's Souji's breath hitting Aoto's cheek.

Aoto sensed Souji's body temperature and the youthful aura emanating from him.

Qing Deng's eyes, which always shone with intellect and reason, now showed a look of confusion and bewilderment.

How much time has passed? I don't know.

Qingdeng has lost his sense of time.

He felt that at least five months had passed—but in reality, only five seconds had passed.

Five seconds later, Qing Deng retreated rapidly as if he had been electrocuted or scalded by boiling water, widening the distance between himself and Souji.

He covered the spot where Souji had just kissed him, while giving Souji a bewildered look.

“嘻嘻嘻嘻~~”

Souji, like a little puppy, propped himself up on all fours and beamed a bright, sunny smile at Aoto.

"Hey, I've wiped the soup off your face!"

"……what?"

Qingdeng was taken aback, then brought his hand that was covering his face to his nose and smelled it—it smelled like noodle soup.

Then, Aoto touched the spot where Souji had just kissed him—it felt oily.

—Oh, so you were just helping me wipe the soup off my face…

Qingdeng let out a long sigh and said helplessly:

“Ms. Okita, if you want to help me wipe the dirt off my face, you can just use your hand or remind me. There’s no need to use such a… special method.”

"This broth took an entire afternoon to painstakingly simmer and prepare. It would be such a waste to wipe it off with your hands!"

After saying this in a confident tone, Souji licked his red lips as if he hadn't had enough, and then let out a cute burp.

Seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but give a wry smile.

The truth came out—it was all caused by alcohol.

With a little drunkard like Souji who either doesn't drink at all or definitely gets drunk as soon as he starts, how could he not get completely drunk tonight?