During every festival, the most indispensable thing at the festival is the various vendors.
Today, everywhere in Yushima Tenmangu Shrine is filled with all kinds of stalls, selling snacks, drinks, souvenirs... everything.
At this moment, Aoto, Okita, and Saito were sitting on a bench next to a certain "sugar water stall" with the brother and sister Chiba Jutaro and Sanako.
"Miss Sanako." Qingto picked up the bowl of sugar water he just bought and took a sip. "In other words, Chiba Tamonshiro came here specifically to persuade you to cancel today's game."
"Yes." Sanako nodded slightly, and then let out a silent sigh, "Fourth cousin... he has been like this all the time."
Even though Chiba Tamonshiro has left and there is no more excitement to join in, there are still many people staying in the same place or stopping in the distance, constantly looking at the beautiful Sanako and the recent celebrity Aonto.
Not wanting to be "spectated" by so many people like animals, Aomori and others quickly left the "case" after getting rid of the few shrine maidens who scolded them "not to quarrel or fight with others in the shrine anymore." Discovery site".
Just now, Chiba Tamonshiro kept chanting this sentence: Take up the responsibility of your little Chiba Sword Hall!
What is the "responsibility of the Little Chiba Sword Hall"? Aoto, who was slightly confused about the content and meaning of this sentence, asked Chiba Jutaro and Sanako about this issue when he and everyone left the "crime scene" together.
After the brother and sister's summary, Qingto finally understood the meaning of these words, and at the same time also learned the details of "Sanako was harassed by Chiba Tamonshiro" just now——
…
The Little Chiba Kenkan, like their trial defense hall, rushed to Yushima Tenmangu Shrine early this morning to prepare the competition venue.
Because the Little Chiba Sword Hall came earlier than the Trial Guard Hall, they had already completed the part of the site preparation work they were responsible for before the Trial Guard Hall.
Everything that needs to be done has been done, and everyone in the Little Chiba Sword Hall, who had nothing more to do, decided to temporarily disband and go their own way to kill the time while waiting for the official start of the competition.
Both Chiba Jutaro and Sanako wanted to appreciate the white plum blossoms that only bloomed once a year, so the two brothers and sisters went for a walk together in the plum forest of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine.
In the middle of the stroll, Chiba Jutaro, who was suddenly a little greedy, asked Sanako to stay where he was and wait for him. He went to the nearby "Grilled Squid Stand" to buy some grilled squid to eat.
While Sanako was quietly waiting for her brother to come back...Chiba Tamonshiro arrived.
Sanako and their uncle, Chiba Shusaku, the legendary great swordsman who founded the Hokushin Ittōryu and established the Genbukan in Edo, passed away five years ago.
Chiba Shusaku had a total of 4 sons.
The eldest son, Chiba Kitsutaro, died young.
The second son Chiba Eijiro became an official in Mito Domain in 1853 and no longer lived in Edo for a long time.
The eldest son has passed away, and the second son has gone to work in another family. Therefore, after the death of Chiba Shusakusen, the position of the second generation head of the Beichen Ittoryu clan and the head of the Xuanbu Hall was inherited by his third son, Chiba Michizaburo.
His fourth son, Chiba Tamon Shiro, took over as the shihandai of Genbukan.
Although Chiba Michizaburo did not have a very good relationship with the Trial Guard Hall like the Sanako brothers and sisters, he had never shown any obvious malice towards the Trial Guard Hall.
But that was not the case with Chiba Tamonshiro.
For a long time, he has shown a very obvious resistance to the Trial Guard Hall... to put it bluntly.
He firmly believed that there was no point in exchanging swordsmanship with such a weak sword hall as the Trial Guard Hall.
If they want to exchange swordsmanship, they should also exchange swordsmanship with the Shinto Musen-ryu's military training hall and the Kagshin Akechi-ryu's scholar's academy, which are at the same level as them.
Practicing swordsmanship with a weak sword hall like the Trial Guard Hall? What a waste of time!
Spending all your time carefully teaching your disciples is the responsibility of a sword hall, instead of wasting time playing games with the trial guard hall. This is quite irresponsible for the future of your disciples. ——This is a concept that Chiba Tamonshiro has always adhered to.
Under the influence of this concept, Chiba Tamonshiro has never stopped opposing the "exchange of swordsmanship with the Shiwei Hall" over the years.
Chiba Tamonshiro traveled far away for business some time ago and did not return to Edo until yesterday evening.
As soon as he returned home to the Edo Genbukan, he learned that Chiba Kenkan was going to compete with the Showeikan in the "Plum Blossom Festival".
Not wanting to see Little Chiba Kenkan fooling around here again, he took several of his companions to Yushima Tenmangu Shrine early this morning, intending to persuade Little Chiba Kenkan to withdraw from the competition temporarily and not compete with the Trial Guard Hall. Engage in this kind of fancy and pure waste of time.
As soon as he led people to Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, he accidentally ran into Sanako who was standing under a certain plum tree waiting for Chiba Jutaro to come back from buying grilled squid.
Since I happened to meet my cousin who has always been supportive of exchanging swordsmanship with the Trial Guard Hall... then I should take advantage of the situation and talk to her first!
So, he aggressively led his companions to surround Sanako, and began to "explain the truth" to Sanako with righteous words.
What happened next... Qingdeng and the others also knew it, and there was no need to elaborate further.
"Tachibana-kun, you are so... courageous." Chiba Jutaro, who was sitting opposite Aoto, took a big sip of sugar water from the bowl, grinned, and gave Aoto a smile with mixed emotions, " Just now, when I heard you asking Duomen, who has always been very arrogant, to take back what he just said, I was so shocked that I didn't even know how to move my hands and feet."
"Aren't you afraid that Brother Duomen would sneer at your request or do something humiliating to you?"
"To be honest - I was worried." Qingdeng smiled bitterly, "But in front of so many people, he slandered the trial defense hall who was kind to me. No matter what, I can't take his words as nothing. hear."
Putting aside the "teacher-disciple relationship" of carefully teaching him swordsmanship, the kindness of Kondo and others who were willing to help him and Saito when they lost their homes and allow them to stay in the trial defense hall temporarily was enough to make Aonto No hesitation to maintain the dignity of the trial defense hall.
"When I told him to 'wait a moment,' I was actually mentally prepared to get into a very unpleasant situation with him... or even draw a sword against him."
"But the good thing is - that person is not a completely inexperienced person."
Aoto attributes the main reason why Chiba Tamon Shiro was relenting just now as this man is also a sensible person and is not someone who cannot be persuaded.
The persuasion of Chiba Tamonshiro went surprisingly smoothly.
Originally, Aomori had prepared all kinds of worst-case scenarios, so it was an unexpected surprise to be able to persuade Chiba Tamonshiro to admit his mistake so smoothly.
After listening to Aoto's words that he "cannot ignore the slandered Imperial Guards", Chiba Jutaro was stunned for a moment, and then he looked at Aoto, with a hint of admiration slowly appearing in his eyes.
There was another person whose expression changed after listening to Qingteng's words just now - Okita, who was sitting behind Qingteng, holding a bowl in both hands, silently drinking sugar water, his expression darkened at this moment...
"...Tachibana-kun, Souji, I'm really sorry just now."
At this time, Sanako suddenly stood up and bowed slightly to Qingden, with a faint look of shame on his cheeks.
"When my fourth cousin made rude remarks to the Imperial Guard Hall, my brother and I should have stopped him immediately and asked him to retract his rude remarks."
"I'm really sorry for causing you an unpleasant experience."
Looking at Sanako who suddenly stood up to apologize to Qingnou and the others, Chiba Jutaro who was sitting next to him was stunned for a moment. Then he put down the sugar water in his hand, stood up and followed Sanako to Qingnou and the others. People bowed and apologized.
Looking at the two brothers and sisters standing side by side in front of him, apologizing to him and Okita, Qingto smiled helplessly: "Don't be like this, sit down quickly."
"That Chiba Tamonshiro has retracted his statement and apologized to us."
"The matter has been settled, so don't apologize here."
After some strong persuasion from Aoden, Chiba Jutaro and Sanako finally sat back on the bench.
Because they had been talking about Chiba Tamonshiro just now, the atmosphere surrounding everyone at this time had a heavy aura.
In order to dispel this heavy and uncomfortable atmosphere, Qingdeng took the initiative to stir up a new topic:
"Miss Sanako." Qingto looked at Sanako's kendo uniform, which is quite convenient for movement, "Are you... also going to participate in this afternoon's competition?"
"Hahaha." Chiba Jutaro smiled, "Tachibana-kun, don't you know? Sanako really likes 'joint battle games'."
"She is never absent from any 'joint battle games' that she can participate in."
"When I first started to remember, she would often drag me, several cousins, and the children from nearby neighbors to play the 'war game' together in the yard behind our house."
"Sanako is so strong."
"Once they lose, they cry and say they want to fight again, and they won't stop until they win."
"Brother." Sanako suddenly squinted his eyes and gave Chiba Jutaro a sharp look.
She used her actions and eyes to warn Chiba Jutaro: Don't talk about her past embarrassing things anymore.
After receiving Sanako's silent warning, Chiba Jutaro subconsciously twitched the corner of his mouth, and then he snarled haha while stiffly trying to change the topic...
…
…
Sitting on the bench next to the "sugar water stall", after chatting with Chiba Jutaro and Sanako for a while, Aoto took advantage of the situation and politely extended an invitation to the siblings——
"Mr. Jutaro, Miss Sanako, it's still more than an hour before the game starts. It's still early. Do you want to go shopping with us at the 'Plum Blossom Festival' again?"
As soon as Qingdeng's invitation was sent out, he quickly received a response from the brother and sister: Sorry, we won't continue to play with you.
The reason why Chiba Jutaro and Sanako rejected Aoto's invitation was also very simple - before meeting Chiba Tamon Shiro, the two of them had been walking around Yushima Tenmangu Shrine together for a long time, and there were places to visit and places to see. All the beautiful scenery has been visited and seen.
Both of them have no interest in continuing to play anymore. They just want to go back to the competition venue to rest and wait quietly for the afternoon game to start.
Since neither brother nor sister had any intention of going out for fun, Qingdeng didn't force them.
So after chatting for a while, Qingto and others parted ways with Sanako and the others.
Chiba Jutaro and Sanako returned to the competition venue.
Aoto, Okita, and Saito headed straight for areas they had not visited yet.
The time now is roughly around 11 o'clock in the morning.
More and more tourists come to Yushima Tenmangu Shrine to participate in the "Plum Blossom Festival" and admire the white plum blossoms in full bloom.
After struggling to squeeze out of a dense flow of people, Qingto raised his head, glanced at the sun above his head that was about to reach its highest altitude, then turned to Okita and Saito behind him and asked:
"Okita-kun, Saito, it's almost lunch time. Is there anything you want to eat?"
Saito replied calmly, "Whatever" as Aitoto expected.
Aoto never expected Saito to give him any specific answer from the beginning, so after saying "good" to Saito, he turned his attention to Okita.
As soon as he glanced at Okita's face, Qingto was surprised to find that Okita, who usually smiled and looked carefree, actually pursed his lips at this time, as if he had something on his mind.
"Okita-kun, what's wrong with you? Are you worried about something?"
"Ah?" Okita was stunned for a moment, then he grinned and said, "No, I have nothing to worry about."
"I just...feel a little guilty."
"Guilty?" Qingden raised his eyebrows.
"...Tachibana-kun, you were so awesome just now. You were able to sternly demand Chiba Tamonshiro to withdraw his contemptuous name for our trial defense hall and apologize to us in front of so many people without fear."
"Compared to you...I'm not decent..."
"Although I'm usually careless, I'm actually very timid."
The smile on Okita's face slowly became a bit bitter at this time.
"I never dare to do anything eye-catching in public."
"I was also very angry when I heard Chiba Tamonshiro calling our trial academy a third-rate sword academy."
"But I don't dare to stand up as boldly as you and loudly ask Chiba Tamonshiro to retract his preface under the gaze of so many people..."
"Haha...the more I think about it, the more embarrassed I feel..."
Okita slowly lowered his head, stretched his right hand behind his head, and feebly played with the ponytail on the back of his head.
"You who have just joined the Trial Guard Hall less than two months ago dare to confront the people who slandered our sword hall. But I, an 'old man' who has been an apprentice in the Trial Guard Hall since I was 9 years old, did nothing..."
Because Okita had his head drooped, Qingto could only see the curls of hair on the top of Okita's head, but could not see Okita's current expression.
Looking at Okita, who could tell that he was in a very low mood even without looking at his face, Aoto pursed his lips, and then slowly let out a breath——
"...Okita-kun."
"Hmm...?" Okita answered Qingto's call softly without raising his head.
"You seem to have some misunderstanding about yourself."
"Ah...?" Okita slowly raised his head, blinked twice, and looked at Qingden in confusion.
"Do you think you are a timid person because you didn't go with me just now to ask Chiba Tamonshiro to take back his slander against our trial gym?"
Qingden put his hands on his waist, took a deep breath again, and then showed a faint smile to Okita.
"You will be angry because Chiba Tamonshiro calls the Trial Guard Hall a third-rate sword hall. This shows that your feelings for the Trial Guard Hall will only be deeper than mine, not shallower than mine."
"The reason why you didn't directly ask Chiba Tamonshiro to take back his words like I did just now is just because - your temper is gentler and kinder than mine. The words and deeds of Chiba Tamonshiro have not... Totally pisses you off.”
"If later on, someone says something extremely bad to the Trial Guard Hall that can annoy you..."
"So--"
Qingdeng paused, then changed into a sonorous and firm tone:
"I believe you will be angrier than anyone else, and you will be more active than anyone else in asking that person to retract his bad words."
"Your feelings for the Trial Guard Hall and your determination to protect the Trial Guard Hall will not be lost to anyone - I sincerely believe in this."
Okita stared blankly at Aoto with a determined look on his face.
"I believe that my feelings for the Trial Guard Hall and my determination to protect the Trial Guard Hall will not be lost to anyone..." After softly murmuring what Qingdeng just said to him, Okita smiled, "Why do you Do you know that my feelings for the Trial Guard Hall and my determination to protect the Trial Guard Hall will be stronger than anyone else?"
"Based on my observation and understanding of you over this period of time." Qingdeng replied without hesitation, "A person who doesn't like to test the defense hall will not be so enthusiastic about teaching swordsmanship to the disciples in the hall, nor will he be so active in protecting this building. Sword Hall.”
When he first temporarily moved into the Trial Guard Hall, Qingto noticed that Okita, who was usually a bit lazy, became extra diligent in all matters related to the Trial Guard Hall.
When it comes to scrubbing bamboo swords, protective gear, and the floor of the dojo, Okita has always been the one who scrubs the most diligently.
When helping Shusuke and Kondo teach and guide the apprentices in swordsmanship, Okita also tried his best and never hesitated.
The behaviors he observed on Okita's daily life gave Ayoto the confidence and courage to say what he just said.
Okita's expression became dull again.
"...Haha." After a moment, the dull expression on Okita's face slowly turned into a smile full of complicated emotions, "Tachibana-kun, I always feel like you are using some strange sophistry to comfort me..."
"But--that's okay."
Okita took a deep breath, then stretched out his hands toward the sky, stretching like a cat.
Immediately afterwards, Aoden saw Okita's trademark bright smile on his face.
"Even if it's sophistry, I admit it." Okita chuckled a few times, "Thank you, Mr. Tachibana... After listening to what you just said, I feel much better."
"Ah haha, I feel hungry when my mood gets better." Okita smiled and touched his belly, "Tachibana-kun, Saito-kun, let's go! Let's go have lunch!"
Seeing that Okita finally regained his energy, Qingden's face subconsciously showed a cheerful smile: "Well, let's go. There has been a very fragrant aroma coming from that direction, let's go there and have a look."
Okita, who returned to his usual cheerful self, jumped up and down in front of Aoto and Saito.
"Tachibana-kun, I never noticed before that you are so good at comforting others." Okita suddenly turned his head and teased Qingteng.
"Well..." Qingdeng smiled awkwardly, "I admit that I have some eloquence."
"But I only become more eloquent when facing men."
"I rarely have close contact with women, so I'm not good at getting along with women."
"If any woman complained to me, I would be blind."
"Oh~~That's it..."
Okita's smile suddenly became a little brighter, and his eyes turned into two crescent moons.
"Huh? Why are you smiling like this?" Qingden blinked at Okita in confusion.
"Nothing." Okita chuckled a few times, then turned his head and eyes back to the front.
…
…
At this moment——
"...Brother, I am still not mature enough."
"Huh?" Chiba Jutaro opened his mouth wide at Sanako beside him, "What's wrong? What do you mean?"
Sanako half-closed her eyes, lowered her gaze, and said to her tiny toes:
"Just now, when the fourth cousin was rude to the trial guards, I should have spoken out to stop him immediately."
"If I could have stopped and reprimanded him right away, there wouldn't have been so many unpleasant accidents..."
Seeing the traces of guilt on his sister's cheeks, Chiba Jutaro raised his hand and scratched his hair, and then sighed heavily.
"Okay, there's no point in feeling guilty here. Just be careful not to make such a mistake again in the future."
"If you look back and think about it carefully, your brother and I made bigger mistakes than you, and my behavior was more immature than you."
"After Qingdeng and the others showed up, I was only thinking about He Xini, so I quickly got rid of this matter... I also have to be careful not to make such a mistake again..."
After saying that, Chiba Jutaro sighed again.
Both myself and my sister were sighing...it seemed a little awkward.
So, in order to refresh himself and Sanako quickly, Chiba Jutaro cleared his throat.
"Tachibana-kun is really courageous... In such a situation, he dares to stop a samurai who he doesn't even know and ask him to take back his words and actions... Not everyone can do this kind of thing... …”
Chiba Jutaro originally wanted to talk to Sanako about something light and interesting in order to ease the atmosphere between the two.
But for some reason, the topics related to Qingdeng came out of my mouth...
Sanako did not immediately take up what Chiba Jutaro just said.
She was silent for a while.
After a moment, she nodded slowly.
She responded to what Chiba Jutaro just said with gentle movements.
…
…
After having a quick lunch with Okita and Saito, and then wandering around Yushima Tenmangu Shrine for a while, the time came to around 1 p.m. without even realizing it.
There is less than an hour left before the match against Chiba-chan begins...
Although Qingdeng still couldn't get enough of the beautiful scenery of plum blossoms and fallen flowers, he had no choice but to end the game because the game time was approaching.
As soon as he, Okita and Saito returned to the playing field, a shocked exclamation spewed out of Qingto's mouth uncontrollably.
"so many people……!"
Qingdeng looked at the number of people in front of him in surprise.
Obviously, there are still about 40 minutes left before the start of the game, but the surroundings of the game site are already filled with spectators on the third floor and the third floor who are preparing to watch the game. The number of people is at least 200, and this number is still small. It’s constantly increasing…
Although Qingteng knew that extremely rare activities such as "warriors fighting" would definitely arouse the interest of many people, the number of viewers currently presented to Qingteng was still beyond Qingteng's expectation.
Okita and Saito were obviously frightened by this number of people, and they all watched in surprise along with Ayoto as more and more people gathered around the competition venue...
At this time, Kondo's voice suddenly came from beside Aonto and the others:
"Oh, Tachibana-kun, Souji, Saito-kun, you are back."
"Kondo-san." Okita asked in confusion to Kondo, who was walking towards them quickly, "Are there too many spectators...?"
"Ah..." Kondo smiled helplessly, "I heard from my father that the priest of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine has been sparing no effort in promoting today's game these days."
"Thanks to his vigorous publicity, a lot of people know that we will hold a competition with Xiao Qianba Sword Hall."
"Okay, come with me, it's almost time to warm up."
The competition venues provided by Yushima Tenmangu Shrine for the Shoeikan and Kochiba Kenkan are very large, about the size of three basketball courts.
The "main formation" of the Imperial Guard Hall is located on the east side of the site, while the "main formation" of the Little Chiba Kenkan is located on the west side of the site.
After Kondo led him to the east side of the venue, Aoto saw the figures of Chiba Jutaro and Sanako who had just separated on the west side of the venue.
Not all the people at Xiao Qianba Sword Hall have arrived yet.
On the west side of the venue, a few people led by Chiba Jutaro and Sanako were checking their bamboo swords.
After the brother and sister noticed that Qingdeng was coming and looking towards them, they both raised their heads and nodded to Qingdeng.
"Kondo-kun, aren't Boss Kiryu and Miss Kinoshita here?" Qingto looked at the surrounding "audience seats" and found that Boss Kiryu and the others were nowhere to be seen.
But I did see Master Abi.
Until the end, Abi was quite opposed to holding a "red and white battle" with Xiao Qianba Sword Hall at the "Plum Blossom Festival".
However, she, who had always been opposed to this matter, finally came to watch the game holding her nose.
She was currently sitting side by side with Shusuke on the "VIP seat" located in the best position on the north side of the venue. Only people with a deep relationship with the Shiwei Hall and Xiaoqianba Sword Hall could sit.
His face looked so stinky that he didn't look like he was here to watch a game, but more like he was here to fight with someone...
"Boss Kiryu is usually very busy," Kondo said, "and he never likes to come to such noisy places, so he probably won't come to watch the game. Here, Tachibana-kun, this is you bamboo sword."
Boss Kiryu and Miss Kinoshita, can't they come... Aoden feels a little regretful.
After all, these two people are already his familiar friends.
Not seeing him and the friends Okita had warmly invited a few days ago in the "auditorium", Qingto still felt a little lacking in his heart.
Aoto took Kondo's bamboo sword from his hand, and then began to stretch his muscles and warm up with Okita and others.
Time passed little by little, and more and more spectators gathered around.
Suddenly, suddenly - the surrounding audience suddenly started to commotion.
"Ah..." Okita, who was standing next to Aoto and warming up with Aoto, looked at the opposite side of them and muttered, "The 'big troops' from Chiba Sword Hall are here..."
Qingden raised his head and followed Okita to look opposite them...to the west of the venue.
I saw about a dozen young people, all in their prime, filing in along the corner of the "auditorium" and striding towards the "main formation" of the Little Chiba Sword Hall.
They should be the contestants who will represent the Little Chiba Sword Hall today.
The commotion in the "auditorium" just now was caused by them.
Many people stretched their necks and looked curiously at the contestants of the Little Chiba Sword Hall who finally arrived.
Chiba Jutaro strode toward this "large army" with a big smile on his face, chatting and laughing happily with them.
Aoto glanced around the "main formation" of the Little Chiba Sword Hall, and then looked at the "VIP seats". For a long time, he did not see the person who seemed to be the current owner of the Little Chiba Sword Hall: Chiba Nobuyoshi. So he couldn't help but ask Okita beside him:
"Isn't Mr. Chiba Sadayoshi here yet?"
Qingden was still a little curious about this legendary swordsman who helped his brother carry forward the Beichen Yidao style, and really wanted to see what this legendary swordsman looked like.
"It seems that Mr. Chiba Sadayoshi hasn't come yet." Okita looked around, "It should take a while before we can see him."
Having said that, Okita turned his attention back to the "main formation" of the Kochiba Sword Hall, which was becoming very lively, and the audience who were still in a commotion and curiously looking at the contestants of the Kochiba Sword Hall. them.
"...The famous Little Chiba Sword Hall is indeed more popular than us." Okita smiled at Aonto, and then continued in a joking tone, "When we showed up just now, not many people were there. Look at us.”
"Compared to the Little Chiba Sword Hall, there is indeed a big gap between us..."
Okita smiled and spoke in a joking tone.
However, after saying this, a subtle hint of loneliness flashed through his eyes, which Qingden was not aware of...
At this moment, suddenly——
"Tangerine, long time no see."
A gentle male voice came from Qingdeng's side.
Hearing this male voice, Qingdeng was startled at first, and then quickly looked around - the source of the voice was a young man with a pretty face and an elegant temperament.
"Shannan?" Qingdeng said in surprise.
The owner of this male voice is none other than Qingdeng's old friend whom he hasn't seen for a while: Shannan Keisuke.
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I originally wanted to post a 1w update, but I really can’t write anymore (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)
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