I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The man she stopped, a madaka, happened to be a frequent runner in this area.

He told Sanako: "Go straight along this dirt road, turn right at the first fork in the road, then go straight again. You'll come to another fork in the road. Turn left at this fork and keep going. You'll soon come to a shrine called 'Moon Palace.' Once you find this shrine, everything will be easy. Head east towards the Moon Palace Shrine, and you'll return to the bustling streets."

Sanako thanked the other person and then walked straight ahead along the path the other person had pointed out.

After walking for nearly 20 minutes, Sanako finally caught sight of the shrine's iconic structure: the vermilion torii gate.

Where there is a torii gate, there is definitely a shrine nearby.

That must be the Moon Shrine… Sanako thought with certainty.

Finally, they found their destination, and Sanako couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, she still has a long way to go.

Although the torii gate had already come into Sanako's view, it was simply because she was standing on higher ground and had excellent eyesight.

Roughly speaking, from Sanako's current location to Tsukimiya Shrine, it's still about 2 or 3 li (1.5-1.5 kilometers) away...

Looking at the long road ahead, Sanako, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, couldn't help but feel discouraged.

"Let's...rest for a bit..."

After murmuring this, Sanako looked around and soon spotted a flat, large rock not far away.

Sanako walked over quickly, holding up her skirt, and sat down gracefully.

Although the cool stone surface was a bit chilly on my bottom, it also effectively relieved the fatigue in my thighs.

The long-awaited rest made Sanako so comfortable that she couldn't help but half-close her eyes.

A moment later, she bent down and, through her snow boots and cotton socks, gently rubbed her right toes.

A feeling of leaden pressure spread from her toes and calves throughout Sanako's entire body.

To be honest, Sanako really wanted to take off her snow boots and socks and let her feet get the most rest.

However, the reserve of a samurai woman and a Yamato Nadeshiko prevented her from doing something as rude as openly taking off her shoes and socks outdoors.

In order to find Qingdeng as soon as possible, Sanako's walking distance in recent days has exceeded her total distance in the past two months.

The accumulated fatigue over the past few days had already left Sanako's legs in a state of utter exhaustion.

Chiba Jutaro, Souji, and other relatives and friends all advised Sanako to take a rest and not to overwork herself.

However, Qing Deng has not returned home yet... This heavy weight hanging over Sanako's heart, which has not yet been lifted, makes it impossible for her to have the mind to live a leisurely and carefree life.

Before long, the howling north wind gradually subsided.

Sanako looked up at the sky. The dense branches of the trees blocked out the sun, but through the gaps, one could glimpse the sun, which was about to reach its highest point in the sky.

"I've rested enough..."

Sanako stretched her legs and feet. Although she had only sat on the rock for a short while, the soreness in her thighs, calves and feet had been greatly relieved.

Just as Sanako was about to get up and continue her journey—

"Huh? Miss Sanako?"

A neutral voice that was extremely familiar to Sanako entered her ears from behind.

Sanako turned her head—before her stood a petite figure rushing straight toward her.

Behind her petite figure, a soft, short ponytail that reached her neck flew high in the air.

"Okita-kun?"

Sanako blinked her beautiful eyes a few times in surprise.

The visitor was none other than Okita Souji.

"Miss Sanako! What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here!"

The commander-in-chief said excitedly.

"Okita-kun, what are you doing here? This isn't the area you were responsible for searching today, is it?"

To improve search efficiency, Sanako and the others would gather at the Shieikan every night to discuss and divide the areas each person would be responsible for searching the next day.

In other words, logically speaking, Sanako shouldn't have run into Souji.

Upon hearing Sanako's question, Souji's face immediately showed an unnatural and embarrassed expression.

"Hehehe... How should I put it..."

She slowly spoke as she reached her right hand behind her head and fiddled with her ponytail.

“Miss Sanako, the area I’m responsible for searching today is the same as yours, the outskirts of Edo, right next to yours.”

"In places like the suburbs, there's grass and trees everywhere, and you can't see a soul. You can easily get lost if you're not careful."

"So, I...I just..."

Before Souji could finish speaking, Sanako interrupted him:

"I understand."

"Simply put—you're lost, right?"

The commander suddenly increased the speed of his hand playing with the ponytail, causing the slender ends of the hair to shake rapidly.

"Hehehe...yes..."

After saying that, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, Souji silently put down her hand that was playing with her ponytail, then made a "gurgling" sound, lowered her head and folded her hands in front of her.

The image of Souji is just like a child who has made a mistake and is waiting for his parents to scold him.

Sanako gave Souji a helpless look.

"I really can't do anything with you... Come with me, I'll take you away from here."

"Miss Sanako, do you know the way?"

"Of course I recognize it."

Sanako said calmly, without blushing or skipping a beat.

“There’s a shrine over there called ‘Moon Palace.’ If you walk east from that shrine, you’ll get back to the city.”

"Oh! I see!"

As expected of Miss Sanako! She even knows the way in such a complicated environment—this was the meaning flashing in Souji's eyes as he looked at Sanako.

Sanako nodded slightly, accepting Souji's admiration with a clear conscience, completely ignoring the fact that she herself had recently been struggling with being lost and disoriented...

……

……

Two graceful figures, one tall and one petite, headed straight toward the Moon Palace Shrine.

Both Sanako and Souji are highly trained female swordswomen, possessing strength and stamina that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

About 10 minutes later, the two women arrived safely under the torii gate.

"Is this the Tsukimiya Shrine...?"

Souji looked up at the tall torii gate and murmured to himself.

Sanako looked around and noticed a stone fox statue standing next to the torii gate.

"It looks like this is an Inari shrine."

"Sanako said softly."

Foxes are considered messengers of Inari, the god of the sea, so every shrine dedicated to Inari has a stone statue of a fox.

“Okita-kun, let’s go. From here, we just need to keep heading east to get back to the city.”

Having said that, Sanako headed east without the slightest hesitation.

She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly realized that she could not hear Souji's footsteps behind her.

Before she could turn around to check the situation, she heard the commander shout:

"Miss Sanako, wait a minute!"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Sanako stopped and turned around—Souji smiled broadly and clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect.

"Since we're already here, let's go into the shrine to pay our respects and pray for his well-being."

Even though Souji didn't say it explicitly, Sanako knew who the "he" he was referring to was.

"Paying homage?"

Sanako frowned her beautiful brows.

I am not particularly interested in matters of ghosts and spirits.

"I don't believe in gods or Buddhas either."

The commander-in-chief immediately replied.

"Let's just consider it a lucky omen; it won't take much time anyway."

After hearing this, Sanako pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Alright... let's go pay our respects then."

Hehe~~

The commander smiled brightly.

The two women walked side by side, passing through the torii gate, stepping on the stone steps, and climbing up.

Two high ponytails, one long and one short, swaying back and forth.

Soon, the two women passed through the last torii gate and officially entered the "divine realm" of the Tsukimiya Shrine.

"This shrine seems to be newly built. The shrine and the torii gate are all brand new."

Sanako nodded and continued:

"This is the first time I've ever seen a shrine where the stone lanterns aren't covered in moss."

The two women chatted casually as they walked at a leisurely pace toward the main hall located not far away.