Even though a night has passed, the touch of caressing Mai Kinoshita's face can still reappear in the palm of her right hand; the thrill of seeing the beauty's smile dyed colorful by the fireworks still remains in my heart; after watching Mai Kinoshita leave,

, I can still clearly recall the unprecedented heat when I touched my cheeks...

It's shameful to say... As he couldn't help but recall the scenes of last night, Qingto had the urge to rush to Qianshiya right now, and then hug Mai Kinoshita into his arms.

I don’t care whether Boss Tongsheng is here or not! Hold Ah Wu in your arms first!

——What is the relationship between Ah Wu and I now...?

Qingdeng asked himself as he put his hands on his hips and looked up at the clear sky above his head.

Although he has traveled to this era for quite some time, Qingdeng still hasn't fully understood and adapted to the ethics of this era.

Participating in a fireworks display without any outsiders, a celebration that has a strong ambiguous nature for young men and women; they also made intimate gestures such as "the woman nudges the man's hand with her face"...

Qingdeng doesn't understand the ethics of this era, nor does he understand much about men and women... After all, in his previous life, he never fell in love with a girl because he was addicted to studying and fitness.

However, although it is difficult for him to make an accurate judgment on the current relationship between him and Kinoshita Mai, his feelings for Kinoshita Mai are currently very clear.

The reason why Aoto took the initiative to invite Kinoshita Mai to participate in the fireworks display in the first place was partly due to a sudden surge of passion.

But now, Qingdeng is confident that he will not let this happen again.

If there were another lively event like a fireworks display, Qingto was sure that he could calmly extend an invitation to Kinoshita Mai.

It does not rely on the sudden warm blood from above.

Instead, he relied on his sincere feelings for Kinoshita Mai.

Thinking of this, a smile showing a bit of foolishness and happiness appeared on Qingdeng's cheeks.

While Qingdeng was still giggling to himself——

"...Tachibana-kun."

Suddenly, a very familiar and pleasant female voice came from in front of me.

Qingdeng immediately suppressed the smile on his face and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Miss Sanako?"

The person who suddenly called Qingden was none other than Sanako.

Even in such a hot summer day, Sanako still does not change her dress that is full of ladylike style.

She does not wear a yukata that is cool but slightly casual. Her little feet are always neatly covered with white stockings.

However, it is strange to say that at this time, Sanako was not dressed in the "Yamato Nadeshiko" style of wearing a women's kimono and a Shimada bun. Instead, she had a full head of black hair quickly transformed into a light high ponytail, and she was dressed in white at the top and blue at the bottom.

The "hime samurai" dress of the kendo uniform.

As far as Qingto knew, Sanako would only wear the costume of "Samurai Hime" when she needed to practice martial arts.

"Miss Sanako, good morning." Qingden took the initiative to greet Sanako, who was walking slowly towards him, "Why are you here?"

Qingden raised his eyes and looked around Sanako, and found that Sanako came alone without any companions.

"Tangerine-kun, good morning."

Sanako bowed slightly with an expressionless expression, and at the same time said hello to Qingden, he gave a light salute.

Then, she suddenly changed the topic.

"Tachibana-kun, do you have time now?"

"Eh?"

Qingden, who was confused by Sanako's sudden outburst, answered after being stunned for a moment:

"I'm free now...what's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

"Ji Jun, can you please come with me now? I want to ask you to do me a favor."

"Help? That's no problem... What do you want me to help you with?"

"It's not convenient for me to say anything about this. I can't tell you the truth until I reach my destination."

"That's it... okay then." Qingdeng nodded vigorously, "I understand. Please wait a moment while I go change clothes."

Although Sanako's current appearance gave people a strange feeling, out of their friendship, Qingto agreed to Sanako's request without hesitation.

Qingden turned around and returned to the trial defense hall, put on his hakama and cloth socks, put on his straw shoes, strapped on his two swords, and headed straight for an unknown distance under the leadership of Sanako.

…

…

Not long after Seito left with Sanako——

Trial Guard Hall, courtyard——

"Shibato-kun, Harada-kun, good morning... (Saito-kun, Harada-kun, good morning)"

Souji, who has not yet recovered from the "wake up" state, has his eyes narrowed to just a slit, his head and shoulders slumped, his messy hair hanging loosely behind him from sleep, and holding her water glass in his hand

He and Yang Zhi walked towards the well with staggering steps and crooked steps, while saying hello to Saito and Harada who were standing by the well with unclear words.

Saito: "Good morning."

Harada: "Okita-kun! Good morning!"

Although he looked confused, the general manager was still able to accurately draw water from the well, brush his teeth and wash his face in an orderly manner.

"Saito-kun, Harada-kun."

Souji, who had become a little more energetic after washing his face, put down the face cloth in his hand and asked Saito and Harada casually.

"Where has he gone, Mr. Ju? Why haven't you seen him since just now?"

Saito shook his head slightly.

"I know!" Harada grinned, "I just saw him and that...who is that? What is the name of that beautiful woman from the Little Chiba Sword Hall?"

Souji was stunned: "Chiba Sanako?"

"Ah, yes, yes! It's Chiba Sanako. I just saw Mr. Tachibana dressed neatly and leaving with that Chiba Sanako."

"Why did Sanako suddenly come to our training hall? Where did she and Tachibana-kun go?"

The director-general asked several questions in succession like a barrage of questions.

"Well... I don't know." Harada shrugged, then grinned, and changed into a half-joking tone, "Maybe we went somewhere to play together."

"..."

"Look, the relationship between Mr. Tachibana and that Chiba Sanako has been very good recently. Mr. Tachibana shows up at the Little Chiba Swordsmanship Hall every two days."

"..."

"Although Mr. Tachibana claims that he frequently visits Chiba Sword Hall to see his pet cow...but I highly doubt this is Mr. Tachibana's excuse."

"..."

"The reason why he always goes to the Little Chiba Sword Hall to break out is most likely to have a tryst with Chiba Sanako. Watching cows and so on is just an excuse to cover up."

"..."

"If Mr. Tachibana really has a special relationship with Chiba Sanako...it wouldn't be surprising. After all, I personally think that the two of them are quite well matched. They are both talented and beautiful."

"It's 'a handsome man and a beautiful woman'." Saito silently corrected Harada's wording mistake.

Harada kept talking to himself, so he didn't notice Souji next to him at all. Ever since he learned that Aoto was going out alone with Sanako, he had been silent and showed a...

A very charming and weird expression.

…

…

Edo, somewhere in the suburbs——

Cicada——! Cicada——! Cicada——!

The unique "music" of summer enveloped Qingto's body with an overwhelming presence that was hard to ignore.

——Miss Sanako, where exactly are you taking me...?

Qingden glanced at the cicadas flying above his head, and then focused his confused eyes on the back of Sanako who was walking in front of him to lead the way.

After leaving the Imperial Guard Hall, Sanako led Aoto directly to the outskirts of Edo.

Along the way, in order to pass the boring traveling time, Qingto found many topics to chat with Sanako.

As a result, Sanako always showed a lack of interest when faced with various topics raised by Qingto.

Or just chime in casually.

Or just use "um" and "oh", the "best perfunctory words" that never disappoint when it comes to "chatting to death", to deal with Qingdeng's topics.

This made Qingto even more convinced that Sanako's state today was indeed a bit strange.

Since Sanako looked like she had no intention of chatting, Qingteng didn't insist on chatting with her. He shut his mouth midway through the trip and stopped talking.

The two of them walked silently through the densely populated Edo city and arrived at the outskirts of Edo, where there were many flowers, insects, and vegetation.
To be continued...