Different from the passers-by around me.

The reason why Sanako reacted was not because this person's current appearance was too shocking.

"Tachibana...kun...?"

Sanako blinked lightly a few times and cast a surprised look at the "bloody samurai".

"Hmm? Miss Sanako?"

…

…

Suddenly, a familiar female voice called his name... Qingto subconsciously raised his eyes and saw Sanako standing side by side with Natsume Yue.

Finding Sanako in the crowd... there is no simpler task than this.

No matter where the beautiful and fragrant Sanako goes, she is out of tune with the surrounding scenery and people, just like a rose placed in a pile of foxtail grass.

Probably only the stunning scenery such as flower fields, aurora, and starry sky can match Sanako's stunning beauty.

On the way to escorting the "middle-aged man with a beard" and others to the residence, preparing to join Saito and the others, they unexpectedly ran into Sanako... Such a chance encounter made Qingto couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

After greeting Nagakura behind him, "I'm going to have a few words with an acquaintance," Aoto took a few steps and came to Sanako and Natsume Yue.

"Miss Sanako, I'm sorry." Qingden did not greet Sanako immediately, but first apologized to Sanako with a wry smile, "I let you see such an indecent scene of mine."

After speaking, Qingden subconsciously lowered his eyebrows and glanced at his bloody clothes.

Not a drop of blood on Qingdeng's clothes belonged to him, it was all the blood of the enemies he had just killed.

When leaving the alley, he couldn't find any clothes to change and found only enough water to wash his hands and face. So Qingdeng could only use the water to roughly wash his face with the water.

Wash your hands, and then just continue to wear this bloody suit.

The first thing Qingto said after seeing her was a polite apology... Sanako, who was not expecting Qingto's move, was stunned and whispered "It's okay".

"Ji Jun, did you... just fight to the death with some thief?"

Sanako handed it to Qingden with a somewhat concerned look.

"Well... that's right." Qingdeng smiled slightly, and then briefly and comprehensively summarized what he had just experienced in a calm tone.

Qingdeng's tone was as indifferent as if he was talking about some boring trivial matter that was not worth paying much attention to...it was clear that the content of his words was so shocking.

Although Aoshino briefly described the process of single-handedly challenging 18 samurai in a narrow alley, and only lightly mentioned the result that he "finally won", Sanako still keenly captured this story that made it difficult for her to ignore.

Information.

After Qingteng finished speaking all he could say, Sanako looked at Qingteng blankly, with a look of astonishment on her delicate and pretty face that could not be concealed.

"Tachibana-kun...did you defeat so many people by yourself?"

Sanako, who is also a martial arts practitioner, knows very well what it means to single-handedly defeat nearly twenty samurai in a deadly fight with a real sword.

"Defeating a group of enemies alone" and "defeating a group of enemies together with your companions" are completely different things.

Having reliable comrades around you can give people a certain sense of peace of mind.

If there is no support around and you have to fight against a strong enemy alone... the intense psychological pressure alone is enough to crush many people.

Defeating 18 samurai alone without any companions... This shock to Sanako was no less than the first time she heard about Aoto's famous battle: "Snowy Night Battle".

"I'm lucky, those people are not very strong."

Qingden smiled and casually mentioned the question Sanako had just raised.

"Miss Sanako, are you...going out to play with your friends?" This time it was Qingto who asked the question.

Qingto looked at Natsume Yue, who was standing next to Sanako, shoulder to shoulder with Sanako.

"Well... I guess." Sanako managed to calm down the shock in her heart, stood half a step aside, and helped Qingto introduce Natsume Yue, "Tachibana-kun, this is the disciple of our Little Chiba Sword Hall: Natsume Yue.

.”

As soon as Sanako finished speaking, Natsume Yue hurriedly arranged her clothes and hair.

"First time, first time we meet!" Natsume Yue, who had a look of fear on her brows, folded her hands in front of her body and bowed to Qingden respectfully, "I'll take a closer look at 'Little Eyes Moon'!"

There was strong nervousness in Natsume Yue's voice... She was so nervous that when introducing herself, she not only stammered but also ate a screw.

Qingden noticed the panic and pale look on Natsume Yue's face... He knew that this child who looked less than 15 years old should be frightened by the bloody clothes on his body.

Qingden smiled apologetically at Natsume Yue, then leaned forward and returned the gift to the child:

"I'm Tachibana Aoden. I'm sorry, I scared you with my appearance."

After politely introducing himself to Natsume Yue, Aomori turned his attention back to Sanako.

"Miss Sanako, I still have a lot of things to deal with right now, so I'm going to leave now. Let's meet again next time we have a chance."

There were also a series of things waiting in line for Aoto to deal with, such as "meeting Saito and others", Aoto did not have any extra time to spend chatting with Sanako on the street.

After saying goodbye to Sanako and Natsume Yue, Qingto separated from the two girls without any hesitation and without even looking back.

The two girls stood there with a tacit understanding, watching silently as Zuiwei and Nagakura escorted the "middle-aged man with a beard" to Qingdeng at the residence.

It wasn't until Qingto's figure completely disappeared at the far corner of the street that Natsume Yue finally let out a deep breath as if she dared to breathe.

"How intense the beating must be to make your body splash with so much blood... It's so scary..."

After saying that, Natsume Yue tightened her neck with a shrinking expression.

"It turns out he is that Tachibana Aoden..."

Natsume Yue had certainly heard of Aoto, who had recently become more and more famous in Edo, but had never had the chance to meet Aoto.

"Both his appearance and personality are much softer than I expected... I thought that the 'three times' official who could achieve so many great achievements must be a man with a face as fierce as a wild boar."

Natsume Yue raised her head to look at Sanako, casting a questioning look at Sanako.

"Miss Sanako, are you familiar with Tachibana Aoden?"

"It's not particularly familiar, but it's not unfamiliar either." Sanako replied without thinking.

In the midst of this question and answer, the two women set off again.

"As expected of a swordsman who can perform many great feats, fighting nearly 20 samurai single-handedly... I don't even dare to think about such a thing." Natsume Yue tightened her neck again.

Just when she was about to say something else, she suddenly noticed that Sanako beside her was pressing her red lips together, her eyebrows lowered... looking uneasy.

"Miss Sanako, what's wrong?" Natsume Yue looked at her with concern, "Why do you look so worried?"

Sanako, who came back to her senses because of Natsume Yue's question, looked at Natsume Yue with a slightly dazed look, then took a deep breath, and gradually returned her expression to her usual one, as if she was not.

The cold and aloof appearance of a fairy who eats the fireworks of the world.

"I'm fine. It's just..."

Sanako's voice suddenly stopped at this point.

She was carefully considering her next words.

After a while, she picked up the conversation and continued:

"It's just...a little emotional."

"Sentimental?" Natsume Yue quickly asked.

Sanako turned his head and looked in the direction Qingden had just left, his eyes meaningful.

"Every time I see Mr. Tachibana...he brings me new surprises."

"Every time I see Mr. Tachibana... I feel like he has become a lot stronger than the last time I saw him."

At this time, Sanako suddenly recalled the "Handbook for Preparing Brother-in-law" with Aintō's name written on it from his brother Jutaro by chance a while ago...

"...Although I don't really want to admit it," Sanako's tone was faint, her soft voice seemed to come from a distant place, "But Tachibana-kun is indeed a rare hero."

"I'm a little envious of the Imperial Examination Hall for being able to recruit such talented people who can find a place for themselves in the dojo."

After hearing about his new feat from Qingto's mouth, he shared his emotions with the girl next to him who was both his disciple and his friend... Immediately afterwards, Sanako discovered that this friend was now exposing his face.

With a very strange expression.

I saw Natsume Yue at this time, with an intriguing expression on her face and a malicious smile as if she was planning something.

Before Sanako could ask Natsume Yue why her expression was so weird, she heard Natsume Yue say to her with a smile:

"Miss Sanako, it's so rare!"

Sanako was stunned: "What's so rare?"

"This is the first time I heard Miss Sanako praise a man so much!"

"Miss Sanako, you usually have very high standards for yourself and others."

"Some of the heroes in our Little Chiba Sword Hall who are often called 'geniuses' by others have never received your praise."

"It's the first time I've ever seen a man praise so highly like just now!"

Sanako seemed to be frightened by Natsume Yue's words just now... her eyes were blank.

Then, she frowned slightly and said calmly with no sadness or joy:
To be continued...