I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"If we calm down and think back, we've really seen quite a few new faces at our testing center in the past year."

"The honest and kind-hearted Mr. Kyubei; the seemingly taciturn Saito-kun, whose heart is not as cold as his appearance suggests; the burly but meticulous Nagakura-kun; the unconventional and generous Harada-kun; the scholarly and martial arts-skilled Todo-kun, whose character is outstanding. And..."

The commander quietly shifted her head to the side, her beautiful eyes meeting Qing Deng's directly.

“You, Tachibana-kun.”

As if controlled by the voice of the chief, Qing Deng stared blankly into the eyes of the beauty in front of him without blinking.

He felt he had to meet Souji's gaze—Souji's soft voice and her face brimming with emotion possessed such magic.

"Thank you so much for tonight. Thanks to you, I had an unprecedentedly wonderful night."

"However, sometimes, when something is too good to be true, it can be a bad thing."

The commander looked regretful and sighed silently.

"Because tonight was so much fun... I'm starting to feel a little anxious."

"I'm so afraid... that these precious friends I've made with such difficulty will one day leave me."

"I'm so scared... I'll never have the chance to recreate the lively scene of tonight again."

"Just thinking about this makes my heart feel heavy and sore..."

"So I don't want to sleep... I don't want to see tomorrow's sun... I don't want to greet the arrival of a new day..."

The commander's voice grew softer and softer, deeper and deeper.

As she finished speaking, she looked down at her fingertips, which were crossed on her lap, and said shyly.

After listening quietly to Souji's monologue, Aoto unconsciously recalled the joyful and lively scenes he had experienced and witnessed before he blacked out from drinking... He could actually understand Souji's thoughts very well.

Because he had similar feelings.

Tonight's New Year's Eve dinner was a rare occasion where Qingdeng completely let loose.

The joy and memories of tonight will surely be etched deep in his mind forever, something he will never forget for the rest of his life.

Although he accidentally went too far and ended up with a comical blackout from drinking, the good outweighed the bad.

The beautiful memories I experienced before losing consciousness are still vivid and clear in my mind.

The thought that such a beautiful night had come to an end, and that he might never have the chance to experience such a wonderful moment again, filled Qingdeng with a sense of inexplicable loss.

"...I understand."

Qingdeng spoke sincerely and without pretense:

“I feel almost the same way. I had a lot of fun tonight, and I also had a feeling that I wanted time to slow down or stand still, and that I wanted the night to not pass so quickly.”

Souji blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, her expression seemingly surprised that Aoto shared the same thoughts as her. However, a smile played on her lips, first forming a light, quick curve, then deepening and widening until it finally blossomed into a bright, radiant smile.

"So, you thought the same thing as me, Tachibana-kun, hahaha~"

Souji's delicate pink feet, dangling outside the veranda, swung back and forth joyfully with her silvery laughter.

After the laughter gradually subsided, Souji shifted his gaze from Aoto to the distant horizon beyond the eaves.

Qing Deng's gaze unconsciously followed Souji's movements, moving along with him as they looked up at the sky.

"...I really enjoy my life now."

A soft female voice reached Qingdeng's ears.

“Every day when I open my eyes, I meet many friends and can practice swordsmanship and play with everyone all day long. I am very satisfied with this happy life and I would like to keep it like this forever... I really hope that I can stay like this forever and stay with everyone.”

The commander paused for a moment.

After a long pause, she let out a sigh:

"Tachibana-kun..."

The commander's words carried a strong sense of inquiry and pleading.

Qingdeng noticed the tone of the sentence and turned around to look—before him were beautiful eyes blinking with trepidation and worry.

"Can our current lives... continue like this indefinitely?"

The commander asked the question cautiously, as if touching a fragile mirror.

Although the voice asking the question was not loud, it contained a strong will and emotion.

She seemed to want something from Qingdeng, yet also seemed afraid of getting it.

As if a switch had been flipped, Qingdeng suddenly felt a surge of emotions welling up inside him.

Qing Deng had no idea what the name of this emotion was, nor did he have time to find out.

"...Yes."

Qingdeng's voice broke the silence between him and her.

There was absolutely no thought involved.

There was no deliberation whatsoever.

Qingdeng took a deep breath and said, in a more firm and spirited tone, enunciating each word clearly:

"Our current life... our current wonderful life will surely continue."

Let this sudden "wave" drive your body and mind, and transform your emotions into sound.

The chief's expression remained completely unchanged, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking—but this only lasted for less than three minutes.

"...That's amazing."

The commander chuckled.

"Even though you didn't use any particularly rousing words, after hearing what you said, I inexplicably felt so at ease..."

The commander was neither being polite nor lying.

The lingering unease in her eyes vanished visibly.

His gaze gradually became calm and peaceful... with a hint of a smile flickering in and out.

Looking at the revitalized Souji, Aoto smiled slightly.

Even if one day in the future our current lives are on the verge of collapse for some reason, I will do my best to mend and save them.

Just as Qing Deng was about to say this—

"Kid Tachibana, do you think our current life can continue like this forever?"

The commander suddenly asked a question that was almost identical to the previous one.

"Ok?"

Qing Deng frowned, puzzled.

"Didn't I already answer that question?"

The commander gently shook his head.

No, they're not the same.

"When I said 'we' in the previous question, I meant 'the people at Shieikan.'"

"And the 'we' I'm referring to now... refers only to 'you and me'."

Instantly, Qingdeng felt as if his head had been put into a churning washing machine.

The blood in my body rushed straight to my head.

Before Qingdeng could catch up with the situation, Souji delivered a brand-new and sharp attack:

"Although I just said something like 'I hope to maintain the status quo'... in reality, I just want to maintain the status quo with Kondo, Hijikata, Genji, and Nagakura."

"But for you... for you, my most special friend, I have the audacity to hope that our relationship can change."

As Souji spoke, he revealed a shy, bashful smile.

At this moment, Qingdeng felt his mouth was very dry.

My mouth is dry and my heart is pounding.

An ambiguous atmosphere descended between him and Souji.

As a normal adult male with sound mind, emotional intelligence, and sexual orientation, how could Qing Deng not understand the hidden meaning and emotions in Souji's words?

Without any defense or preparation, Souji accurately kicked a straight ball into the net... Aoto was a little stunned.

In a daze, Qing Deng inexplicably asked a question:

"Special friends...what does that mean...?"

Souji seemed displeased with Aoto's rhetorical question. Her red lips were pouting high, and her pink cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel stuffed with acorns.

After a few moments of silence, the commander slowly said:

"Tachibana-kun, stop playing dumb! You should know... ah!"

In the blink of an eye, as if he had discovered something extraordinary outside the courtyard, Souji abruptly turned his head to the left, looking towards the courtyard wall.

Aoto was startled by Souji's sudden and violent reaction. Thinking that Souji had discovered some thief, he quickly turned his head to look at the courtyard wall.

What comes into view is a tall wall made of bricks and stones.

There was nothing unusual compared to usual. Nothing was added or removed; if anything, the only difference was that the snow on the wall was a little thicker.

However... in the next instant, a surge of intense body heat and emotion rushed straight towards Qingdeng.

A pair of soft hands gently embraced Qingdeng's head.

Immediately afterwards, a scorching heat, a mixture of the aroma of toso wine and the cloying sweetness of konpeito, enveloped Aoto.

The light received by the left eye becomes dimmer.

A pair of long, slender eyelashes, trembling slightly with nervousness, touched the corner of his left eyebrow.

A soft, warm, and pleasant sensation came from my cheek.

Qing Deng quickly turned his gaze back to his left, back to the direction where Souji was.

The CEO, whose face was flushed with a captivating blush, licked his lips, which had just left Aoto's cheek, and revealed a mischievous smile that suggested he had successfully pulled off a prank.

At the same time, she cast a fascinated yet shy gaze at Qingdeng, her eyes rippling like vibrant cherry blossom petals falling onto a lake.