I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

For example, whether she is eating or reading, no matter the occasion, Sanako will never show any unseemly posture of hunching over.

This is also a major reason why Sanako has such a good temperament - she has done her best in every detail.

She was indeed the kind of person who would rather bite her tongue and commit suicide than lose her integrity.

Souji smiled and quietly listened to Sanako's impassioned speech until the very end.

Finally, she met Sanako's eyes with a rather charming expression.

“…Miss Sanako, you and Tachibana-kun have such a good relationship.”

"I……"

Sanako was momentarily speechless, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Although she concealed it well, a hint of panic flickered between her brows.

A moment later, as if snapping out of her daze, she straightened her posture and, in an attitude that seemed to be trying to evade something, quickly said:

"My relationship with Tachibana-kun... is indeed quite good."

"Although my friendship with him is not long, we have been through a lot of ups and downs together."

"But no matter what, to me, Tachibana-kun is just a friend I get along with fairly well, and a benefactor who once saved my life—nothing more."

At that moment, Sanako felt a gaze tinged with amusement.

She looked closely and saw that "auntie smile" reappear on Souji's face.

"Okita-kun, what are you laughing at?"

"nothing."

The commander shook his head gently, his smile unchanged.

"I just genuinely felt that you and Tachibana were very close."

Souji's smile at this moment... made Sanako very concerned.

It wasn't that it made her feel uncomfortable.

Instead, it gave her a strange feeling... as if Souji had seen through something.

Just as she parted her lips, about to say something more, Souji suddenly strode forward and walked to Sanako's side.

"Let's go, Miss Sanako, let's go back!"

After saying that, Souji tilted her head back and gave Sanako her signature bright smile.

Looking at the smiling, sunny face so close to her, Sanako swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and then silently sighed helplessly in her heart.

Sanako has a little secret she has never told anyone—she is not good at dealing with Souji.

The phrase "not good at dealing with things" here doesn't mean that the person dislikes Souji.

Simply put, Souji is just too sincere in his dealings with people.

I feel a strange pressure every time I try to talk to her.

So sincere was that every time he was about to lie to her, he would cowardly want to look away.

At that moment, Sanako belatedly realized that—being stared directly at by Souji—she inexplicably felt guilty…

Why am I so timid and hesitant in front of Okita-kun...!

With this thought in mind, Sanako took several deep breaths before she could barely calm the turmoil in her heart...

……

Souji and Sanako returned to the main hall of the Shieikan together.

Before they even entered the hall, they could hear the conversation between Hijikata, Chiba Jutaro, and others.

"Saito, Nagakura, would it be alright if you two were in charge of Okuda-cho tomorrow?"

"Ah."

"Leave it to me!"

"Harada, Yamanami, you two will be in charge of Mikami-cho tomorrow."

"clear."

"Alright! Mr. Hijikata, tomorrow Mr. Yamanami and I will definitely search every corner of Mikami Town!"

……

Inside the hall, Hijikata, Chiba Jutaro, and others sat around a huge Edo map, discussing solemnly while sketching something on the map with brushes.

Among those present were people from the Shieikan and the Chiba Kenkan, as well as Sanako's fourth cousin, Chiba Tamon Shiro; and a shy girl named Kinoshita Mai, who was sitting in a corner of the hall with a reserved demeanor and a nervous expression because there were almost no people she knew around her.

After Qing Deng "disappeared", various people or forces with close ties to Qing Deng, such as Shieikan, Kochiba Kenkan, and Senjiya, spontaneously searched for Qing Deng in their own ways.

In this era without video surveillance and big data searches, finding missing persons boils down to one method: door-to-door investigation and visits.

Since we all share a common goal, it's only natural that we come together and cooperate.

Instead of acting independently like headless flies, it would be better to unite.

Mutual assistance and information sharing can undoubtedly greatly improve search efficiency.

Thus, with the initiative of Shieikan and others, the "Support Tachibana Alliance," which had been established by Hijikata Toshizo, became active again.

However, their goal this time has changed from "getting Qingdeng out of prison" to "finding the missing Qingdeng".

During the day, they went to various parts of Edo to search for Aoto.

At night, they would gather at the Shiwei Hall to report on their findings for the day and assign the "search tasks" for the next day in detail.

To maximize effectiveness and avoid the predicament of "wasting manpower," meticulous arrangements are made regarding who searches which places each day.

Incidentally, Yamanami Keisuke, a top student of the Chiba Sword Academy and a close friend of Seito, and Todo Heisuke, who was once Seito's subordinate, also came to help.

Among those who came to help were Chiba Dozaburo, the current head of the Genbukan and the second head of the Hokushin Itto-ryu main family, and Chiba Tamon Shiro, the current instructor of the Genbukan.

To be fair, because he rarely visited the Genbu Hall, Aoto wasn't very familiar with Chiba Michizaburo and Chiba Tamon Shiro.

Nevertheless, out of a sense of duty, the two brothers extended a helping hand to the "Support Orange Alliance".

The Chiba family's strong support was a great help.

Since its debut, the Hokushin Itto-ryu style has been conquering the Japanese swordsmanship world at an alarming pace.

In just thirty years, it has grown into the unshakable "number one swordsmanship school in Japan".

Looking across Japan today, the number of disciples under the Hokushin Itto-ryu school is overwhelmingly large.

The statement that "throwing a brick into the streets of Edo could hit three or four Hokushin Itto-ryu swordsmen" is certainly an exaggeration, but it is a true reflection of the Japanese swordsmanship world at that time.

The main family of Hokushin Itto-ryu, Genbukan, and the branch family, Kochiba Kenkan, are both located in Edo. For this reason, Hokushin Itto-ryu enjoys a superior status and influence in Edo.

I can't speak for other places, but in Edo alone, the Chiba family has a terrifying network of connections.

When Lao Qingdeng was released from prison, Chiba Sadakichi gave an order, and all the Hokushin Itto-ryu sword-making schools in Edo immediately responded, jointly petitioning the shogunate, giving the world a little "Chiba Shock".

And recently, this "shocking" event has happened again.

The more helpers you have, the better.

Therefore, Chiba Jutaro, Chiba Michizaburo, Sanako, and others have been visiting people who are on good terms with the Chiba family, persuading them to help find Aoto.

Among them, the siblings Chiba Jutaro and Sanako contributed the most and worked the hardest.

Although nothing has really happened yet, Chiba Jutaro has long regarded Aoto as his half-brother-in-law.

Especially after he vaguely sensed a slightly ambiguous interaction between Aoto and Sanako a while ago, he became even more fond of Aoto.

How could he, as the older brother, remain indifferent when his brother-in-law was in trouble?!

As for Sanako...

Souji's earlier statement, "I heard that you've been living like an ascetic every day in order to find Tachibana-kun as soon as possible," was actually not wrong.

Sanako's recent daily routine is basically a true reflection of the phrase "working day and night without eating or sleeping".

He spends at least 16 hours a day running around trying to find Qingdeng and recruit helpers.

Luckily, she was a female warrior who had been trained since childhood; otherwise, an ordinary person would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

Whenever someone asks her why she works so hard, she always brushes it off by saying, "Tachibana-kun once saved my life, and I'm just repaying his kindness."

In conclusion, thanks to the efforts of Chiba Jutaro, Chiba Michizaburo, Sanako, and others, the "Support Tachibana Alliance" has grown considerably in strength.

Although at first glance it seems that the manpower has been greatly increased, Edo was a megacity with nearly two thousand towns and a population of one million.

The search by everyone was undeniably diligent and painstaking.

However, to date, nothing has been found...

Not only did they not find Qingdeng, they didn't even see a shadow with a similar figure to Qingdeng.

However, even so, apart from the helpers temporarily recruited by the Chiba family, no one complained or said they were tired, and no one threatened to quit.

Led by Souji, Sanako, and Kinoshita Mai, everyone devoted their utmost efforts to finding Aoto without hesitation.

After returning to the hall quietly, Souji and Sanako sat back in their respective seats.

As luck would have it, Sanako and Kinoshita Mai's seats were right next to each other.

A pleasant body odor wafted towards Kinoshita Mai.

She subconsciously shifted her gaze to the returning Sanako.

Sanako felt Kinoshita Mai's gaze and turned her face away a fraction of a second later.

The two women's bright, beautiful eyes clearly reflected each other's eyes.

The "Mongola Cat" and the "Elegant Fox" stare at each other...

A moment later, the two women simultaneously looked away.

Sanako's expression remained calm.

Kinoshita Mai, on the other hand, had a more expressive face. As she looked away, she subtly pursed her lips.

Although the situation is tense right now with Aoto missing, the strange relationship between Sanako and Kinoshita Mai, who can't stand each other, remains unchanged.

To avoid embarrassment, Sanako tried her best to avoid any verbal or physical contact with the girl in red next to her.