I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Even the naive Yae understood that this was a situation outsiders like them shouldn't get involved in...

Qing Deng lowered his gaze and stared intently at the knife in Sanako's hand.

In that split second, he unexpectedly reached out his left hand and grabbed the blade! His large palm covered almost half of the blade!

Qing Deng's actions immediately made Sanako, who was holding a knife, turn pale.

Stunned, she instinctively tried to retract the blade... but to her astonishment, she found that the knife in her hand was as if it were being clamped by iron clamps, and no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge in Qing Deng's palm.

"If you want to kill me, you should at least aim for this place, right?"

Ignoring the cuts on his skin and the gushing blood, Qing Deng, without changing his expression, used brute force to control the blade, slowly moving the tip of the knife, which was aimed directly at his chest, to the left... and finally stopping above his left chest.

"Stab me if you want, kill me if you want. I will not back down no matter what."

After saying that, Qing Deng released Sanako's wakizashi.

At the same instant—with a clang—the knife fell to the ground.

Sanako lowered her head and remained silent, staring blankly at the wakizashi lying at her feet, its blade stained with bright red blood. Her hands, which had been gripping the sword, trembled slightly.

Just as Aoto was trying to get around Sanako...

"Tachibana-kun... please don't do this...!"

The sobbing sound made Qingdeng stop in his tracks again.

He looked up, drawn by the tone of the words—before him stood a pair of beautiful, tear-filled eyes staring straight at him.

The fierce look in his eyes was gone.

The impassioned tone disappeared.

That tough stance has disappeared.

At this moment, Sanako's expression was filled with a sense of tragedy, making people feel heartbroken and as if she was about to cry at any moment. Her tense face was filled with unease, and her eyes looked at Aoto as if seeking support.

"The moment I saw you lose to Rakshasa... the moment Rakshasa raised her sword... ready to kill you... my mind went completely blank..."

"At that time... my mind was filled with nothing but 'I will do anything to save you'..."

"Even now... I still remember that... agonizing... unpleasant feeling, like a huge rock pressing on my chest..."

"I've never had anything like this before..."

"I don't know what's wrong with me... but I'm certain... I don't want to see you hurt... and I especially don't want you to die...!"

Sanako's voice trembled, her words incoherent, her vocal cords vibrating stiffly.

Even as she forced back her tears, she still pretended to be resolute, staring intently at Qingdeng with a tense expression, just like a child stubbornly refusing to cry, just like a paper doll that would be destroyed at the slightest touch.

Unadorned, naked, and sincere emotions pierced Qingdeng directly.

“Miss Sanako…”

The light calls seeped out like whispers.

Without any warning, Qing Deng stretched out his arms and gently pulled Sanako into his embrace.

One of his hands moved up from her waist to embrace her shoulder, while the other hand rested on the hollow of her waist. His head drooped down, his chin resting on the crown of her hair.

Sanako could clearly feel Aoto's breath... As if she had lost her spine, her waist slumped, her body suddenly shrank, and her entire upper body melted into Aoto's embrace.

And just like that... she was frozen by the warmth that enveloped her.

"I'm sorry for making you worry."

Qingdeng did not deliver any lengthy speeches, nor did he say anything particularly noteworthy.

It was just an ordinary apology.

However, the atmosphere surrounding Aoto and Sanako changed the moment Aoto finished speaking.

"..."

Sanako's eyes widened, and they immediately filled with tears. Large teardrops slid down and dripped to the ground.

"Waaaaah...waaaah...waaaah..."

She cried and wiped her tears in a disheveled manner.

Her face, streaked with tears, bore no resemblance to her usual beauty or heroic spirit.

"Waaaaah...ahhh...waaaah..."

She struggled to hold on, unwilling to show her vulnerable side to Qingdeng, but she didn't last long before succumbing to the emotions welling up inside her.

"Waaaaah... Waaaaahh ...

Finally, her voice began to break down.

Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam in front of Qingdeng.

Overwhelmed by emotions, she buried her tear-streaked face deep into Qingdeng's arms, overflowing with feelings.

Sadness, fear, longing... countless emotions, and other indescribable things, were forcibly transmitted from Sanako's body into Aoto's heart.

The sound of sobbing muffled the sound in Qingdeng's chest.

She hugged Qingdeng tightly, as if she would never let go of him.

Completely disregarding her own image and ignoring the two sisters still standing to the side.

It should be said that she had no intention of paying attention to her image from the very beginning, nor did she have time to care about the gazes of the two sisters.

At such times, even the Yamato Nadeshiko's composure seems unable to completely suppress the turbulent emotions within her.

"Don't go..."

Sanako's voice was blurred by tears, and she probably couldn't even hear herself saying what she was saying.

"It's okay if you hate me... Don't go... Come with us to Yokohama..."

"Asking me to hate you...that's asking too much of me, isn't it?"

Aoto hugged Sanako even tighter.

"I'm sorry... but I really have to go. I have unfinished business. I have things I must accomplish."

"Tachibana-kun... if you go to Shimizu Residence now... you'll really die..."

"Even if I die, I want to see for myself how far I can hold on."

After saying that, Qing Deng moved his hands, which were behind Sanako's back, to the front and gently cupped Sanako's face.

“Miss Sanako, you may not believe that I have come up with a way to defeat the Rakshasa, but there is one thing I hope you can believe me about.”

"Eh...uh...?!"

A comfortable touch suddenly covered Sanako's lips.

It was just a light touch, yet it instantly erupted with magma-like heat... both of them were like that.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

"This is what I wanted to tell you."

Sanako raised her beautiful eyes, her tear-filled eyes shimmering with complex emotions: surprise, intense sadness, and pure love...

"Tachibana-kun... ugh...!"

The rest of the conversation was interrupted by a cry of pain.

Before she could even struggle, she involuntarily closed her eyes and slumped limply into Qingdeng's arms.

With a blank expression, Qing Deng withdrew his right hand, which had been cleaving into a knife-like motion, from Sanako's neck, picked her up in a princess carry, and turned to walk towards the two sisters.

"Miss Sae, senior, please take care of Miss Sanako."

Yae nodded vigorously as she took Sanako from Aoto's arms.

"Yes, even if it means my death, I will protect Miss Chiba and Mr. Okita!"

"In that case, I'm relieved."

After taking one last, wistful look at Sanako in front of him and Souji in the carriage, Aoto mounted his horse.

At this moment, Saeshige slowly walked to the front of the horse's head.

"Mr. Tachibana, weren't your swords all broken by Rakshasa? Don't you really need me to lend you a weapon?"

"unnecessary."

Qingdeng shook his head.

“I know of a place where weapons are stored...and a lot of them.”

"In that case, I won't say anything more."

Sae-jung stepped aside to make way.

"Mr. Ju, I wish you great success in your military endeavors."

"Yes, I also wish you a safe and speedy arrival in Yokohama."

Qingdeng smiled slightly, then lightly tapped the horse's belly with his heel, urging the horse to gallop into the distance.

The two sisters stood there, watching his tall figure gradually disappear into the distance.

"elder sister……"

"what's up?"

"Is it really okay not to stop the younger generation?"

Yae turned her head and cast an uneasy glance at Sage beside her—with these feelings in mind, she saw a face filled with mixed emotions.

"What reason is there to stop a man from going to the battlefield?"

……

……

Edo, outskirts, Mount Kikyo—

Qingdeng urged his horses onward, following the path he had traveled before, heading straight for the mountaintop.

The babbling sound of the waterfall can be heard from afar, interspersed with occasional roars.