"Huh?" Qingden couldn't help but tilted his head.
——Among millions of people, there may not be one person who has the talent... Can you copy the talent of others?
Qing Deng said this joke in a soliloquy tone in his heart.
After observing the changes in Qingto's expression for a few times, Chiba Eijiro's thick eyebrows were raised at the corners of his raised eyes, and a relaxed smile emerged from his sharp-edged face.
"It seems like you really don't have any awareness of this."
Chiba Eijiro slowly straightened up, his voice rising gradually as his body straightened.
"Tachibana-kun, you have a character that is not afraid of fighting strong enemies, and you are not frustrated by your own weakness."
"And this... is the talent I just said you possess that not even one person in a million can possess."
"I discovered your character as early as the previous sword competition."
"In the finals, who will you and that... be?"
"I can't remember...forget it, I don't want to. In short, when you faced off against your opponent in the final, I could clearly feel that you were getting braver as you fought."
"It was the same when you and I were sparring just now."
"When you were overwhelmingly suppressed by me, you didn't show any frustration or decline. Instead, your fighting spirit became increasingly high."
"I asked you, 'Aren't you frustrated after being beaten so badly by me?' and you replied, 'Are you aware that your own weakness is something worth being frustrated about?'"
"Such a character... is an extremely precious treasure for a warrior."
"I have seen too many warriors who originally had very good talents, but because of their bad character, they ended up disappearing from the public."
"Kansuke Saito at the training hall is a good example."
When Chiba Eijiro said this, a hint of embarrassment slowly appeared on his cheeks.
"Kansuke Saito also had extremely high talent in swordsmanship, but he fell into despair after losing to me. He has not regained his former energy until now."
"The most important thing in martial arts is spirit."
"Except for a very small number of people who are favored by God, a person who has lost the courage to dare to climb the peak will not be able to achieve any new great achievements in martial arts no matter what."
"If Kannosuke Saito cannot cheer up as soon as possible, his swordsmanship may stop here forever."
After hearing the name "Kansuke Saito" from Eijiro Chiba's mouth, Aoto couldn't help but laugh.
He felt that this brother was really miserable. This was the second time Qingto heard someone use Saito Kannosuke as a negative teaching material in martial arts teaching.
On the eve of the Aizu Hou Swordsman Competition, when Shusuke was imparting knowledge related to "shi" to Qingnobo, he also moved Saito Kannosuke out to "whip the corpse", and also expressed that Saito Kannosuke would not lose to Chiba as soon as possible. If he comes out of Eijirou's shadow, his future swordsmanship achievements will only stop here, and there won't be any big progress.
Aoto gathered up his slightly divergent thoughts, and then carefully recalled every word and sentence Chiba Eijiro just said in his heart.
Not afraid to fight against strong enemies, not frustrated by his own weakness... Regarding the latter, Qingden is aware of this, and he has always known that he does have such a character.
For a long time, Qingdeng didn't feel that realizing that he was still weak and still had a lot of room for improvement was something worthy of frustration, annoyance, and sadness.
But as for what Chiba Eijiro said about "not being afraid of fighting against strong enemies"...if Chiba Eijiro hadn't mentioned it, Aoto would not have realized that there was such a hidden side in his character.
For no reason, Qingdeng suddenly recalled the fierce and fierce battles he fought after traveling to this era.
The finals of the swordsmanship competition where he was very excited and excited because Hiroshi Nitsuma showed his sharpness far beyond his imagination...
When rescuing the Tibetan Book Transfer Center, even though the number of people on the anti-barbarian group was far greater than theirs, he was not afraid to charge...
In "Snowy Night Battle", when I was fighting against Suehiro Moriyoshi alone, my whole body's nerves and muscles were tense and I didn't dare to relax at all. Although it was very hard, I felt a strange and wonderful feeling of pleasure...
"In short." Chiba Eijiro said again at this time, "You have extraordinary talents and this extremely precious character... Haha, I can't say how far you can grow in the future. .”
Eijiro Chiba, who did not hesitate to praise Aoden, smiled, reached out his hand affectionately and punched Aoto on the chest.
"I'm looking forward to it very much."
"I hope that when I return to Edo next time, I will find that you have grown into a strong person that I must try my best to compete with."
"Don't lose your extremely precious spirit of not being afraid of strong enemies and not afraid of your own weakness. Work hard to improve yourself, Ju Qingden!"
…
…
At this moment——
Little Chiba Sword Hall, Chiba Jutaro’s room——
Chiba Jutaro, who was lying on his back on the tatami in the room, was looking at his "Brother-in-law Preparation Manual" with great ambition.
Over the years, Chiba Jutaro's "Handbook for Preparing Brother-in-law" has recorded the names of too many outstanding young people.
Nowadays, most of the names have been marked with a big cross and a short comment is written that this person cannot be chosen as his brother-in-law.
There are only a few names that have not been crossed out yet.
Aomori's name is one of the few names that has not been crossed by Chiba Jutaro.
The manual turned to the page with Qingdeng's name written on it.
Looking at the name "Tachibana Aoden" written on the paper, Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but grinned and laughed out loud.
He is really more and more satisfied with Aoto...Chiba Jutaro!
After Aoto showed strength and talent that far exceeded his and Sanako's expectations, and won the Aizu Hou Swordsman Competition not long ago with overwhelming force, Chiba Jutaro looked at Aoto again. .
To put it simply and straightforwardly - Chiba Jutaro feels comfortable with Aoto no matter how he looks at him now.
Alas, this kind of young man who looks good, has a good personality, is tall, and has a bright future both in martial arts and officialdom is really rare and hard to come by!
Chiba Jutaro thought about it, and he could think of the only shortcoming of Aoden that made him feel dissatisfied... Probably Aoto's hair was ugly, and he didn't have a neat and tidy Tsukiyo head.
Compared with Qingdeng, the other "brother-in-law candidates" pale in comparison.
After smiling for a while at Aoshito's name recorded in the manual, Chiba Jutaro slowly stopped the smile on his face, then frowned slightly, looking thoughtful, and muttered:
"What should we do to enhance the relationship between Tachibana-kun and Sanako..."
How to bring Aitobo and Sanako together - Chiba Jutaro has been pondering this question recently.
Although Chiba Jutaro is very fond of Aoto, whether Aoto can eventually become his brother-in-law depends on whether Sanako can develop feelings for Aoto.
Although he was very anxious about the marriage of Sanako, who was still a leftover woman at the age of 22, Chiba Jutaro never thought of doing such a barbaric act as "forcing Sanako to marry someone".
I can help Sanako introduce a hundred or a thousand outstanding young people, but Sanako must finally get married with the man she really likes - this is the principle that Chiba Jutaro has always adhered to.
All he can do is to help his sister find a suitable partner, and then do his best to provide an opportunity and environment for his sister and the man he likes to communicate with each other and see if they are suitable for each other.
Chiba Jutaro is very bad at things between men and women, so he is really worried about how to create an opportunity for Qingto and Sanako to communicate with each other and enhance their relationship.
If Aoto is a member of their little Chiba Kenkan, then Chiba Jutaro can use his power as a teacher to artificially create some opportunities for Aoto and Sanako to be alone.
But Aoto is a member of the Trial Guard Hall... This really makes Chiba Jutaro feel a little helpless.
——How about telling Sanako directly: "I think Tachibana-kun is a very good person. Do you want to try to date him more?"
As soon as this idea came out of Chiba Jutaro's mind, Chiba Jutaro frowned and shook his head gently.
——This seems a bit too direct...
Chiba Jutaro is deep in thought. Suddenly, he heard a series of light footsteps approaching from far away outside the bedroom.
There are seven people in Chiba Jutaro's family - in addition to himself, his sister Sanako, his father Chiba Nobuyoshi and his mother, there are also three maids who are responsible for handling various housework.
There are only a few people in the family, and Chiba Jutaro, who has long been able to identify people by their footsteps, immediately heard it - it was Sanako's footsteps!
As if out of conditioned reflex, Chiba Jutaro quickly closed the "Brother-in-law Preparatory Manual" in his hand.
He originally wanted to stuff the manual back into the cabinet, but because Sanako's footsteps had already arrived at the door, he could only hurriedly stuff the manual into his back belt.
At the same moment that Chiba Jutaro stuffed the booklet into his waist, he heard Sanako's voice coming from outside the door:
"Brother, can I come in?"
"Oh, oh, come in." Chiba Jutaro sat up straight.
Sanako, who received Chiba Jutaro's permission to enter, raised his bare hand and opened the paper sliding door of Chiba Jutaro's bedroom.
Because she is at home, Sanako's dress is particularly simple now.
Wearing an ordinary blue and white kimono, her waist-length hair that was not tied into a bun fell down. She did not wear socks on her feet, revealing her marble-smooth feet under the clothes.
"What's wrong?" Chiba Jutaro asked Sanako directly about the reason for the sudden visit.
Even when facing her close brother, Sanako does not change her elegant nature as the eldest lady.
She folded her hands in front of her in an extremely elegant movement and replied calmly:
"Brother, father has something to ask you. He wants you to go to his room to find him right now."
"Father, are you looking for me?" Chiba Jutaro raised his eyebrows vigorously, "What's the matter?"
Sanako shook his head gently: "Father, he didn't tell me."
"That's it...Okay, I understand."
Chiba Jutaro stood up immediately, and then habitually raised his hand to pat the fabric of his buttocks.
"Then I'm going to find my father. Remember to close the door to my room for me."
After leaving these words, Chiba Jutaro rushed out of the room and turned the right corner of the corridor outside the room.
Sanako briefly watched Chiba Jutaro's leaving figure for a few times, then raised her hand to help Chiba Jutaro close the door of his bedroom.
But at this moment... Sanako suddenly noticed out of the corner of her eye that a booklet with a slightly tattered cover had fallen at her feet.
"Is this...?" Sanazi muttered softly.
If Chiba Jutaro was here at this time, his expression would change drastically after seeing this booklet - this booklet...is exactly his "Handbook for Preparing Brother-in-Law"!
Sanako's arrival was so sudden that Chiba Jutaro could only hurriedly pin the book to his waist in desperation.
Because it is done casually, it is not very secure.
Immediately afterwards, a scene of "making matters worse" appeared.
After Chiba Jutaro just stood up and patted the fabric of his butt habitually, the book, which was not particularly secure in the first place, was further loosened.
Finally, when Chiba Jutaro went to find Chiba Sadaikichi and passed by Sanako who was standing at the door, the booklet slipped lightly from his waist and fell at Sanako's feet. And Chiba Jutaro was completely unaware of this...
It must be his brother's thing... Sanako thought so in her mind, holding the hem of her kimono with one hand, she squatted down, ready to pick up the book and put it back on the desk in Chiba Jutaro's bedroom.
But at this moment - a breeze blew.
A soothing breeze flowed into the room through the open window in Chiba Jutaro's bedroom.
The pages of the book flipped in the breeze.
When the wind stops, the book stops.
The book that was blown open by the wind stopped at a certain page.
And the page that stopped... was the page with Qingdeng's name written on it.
Sanako knelt down and was about to pick up the booklet, but his hand suddenly stopped.
…
…
"Father's memory is really getting worse..." Chiba Jutaro, who was walking back to his bedroom, grabbed his hair hard and sighed heavily.
The reason why Chiba Nobuyoshi suddenly called him over was just to ask him: Why hasn't he returned the account books of their Little Chiba Sword Hall?
After hearing this question from Chiba Sadayoshi, Chiba Jutaro felt confused and aggrieved: Didn't I return it to you a long time ago?
Because he wanted to see with his own eyes the recent operations of the Little Chiba Sword Hall, Chiba Jutaro borrowed the account book seven days ago, and then returned it to Chiba Nobuyoshi just two days later.
Therefore, when faced with Chiba Nobuyoshi's sudden question, Chiba Jutaro was completely confused.
Chiba Nobuyoshi shouted: "Really? So you have returned the account book to me?"
Chiba Jutaro: "Yes! Father, please look in your room! I have definitely returned the account book to you!"
After much tossing, the father and son finally found the account book in the closet of Chiba Nobuyoshi's bedroom.
This seems like a very commonplace little thing.
But Chiba Jutaro is quite worried about this... Chiba Nobuyoshi's memory has been getting worse and worse recently.
Often what was said or done yesterday is forgotten today.
Seeing his father getting older and older... Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but feel particularly sad.
The great swordsman who was once so majestic and who, together with his brother Chiba Shusaku, promoted the Beichen Yitōryu, has finally grown old...
Chiba Jutaro, who had mixed feelings in his heart, returned to his bedroom.
As soon as he came back, Chiba Jutaro was stunned - the door to his bedroom was actually open.
Sanako, didn't she help me close the door to my room... With this question in mind, Chiba Jutaro quickened his pace slightly.
When he came to the door of the room and looked inside, the scene inside the room made Chiba Jutaro instantly petrified on the spot.
In the room, Sanako was sitting on a certain tatami in an extremely standard posture, with her petite white feet buried under her fleshy peach-shaped buttocks.
With her elegant swan neck held high, she lowered her gaze slightly and looked at a book she was holding in both hands.
When he saw the booklet in Sanako's hand, Chiba Jutaro was stunned at first, and then quickly reached out and touched his waist, but came up empty...
"...Brother, you are back." Sanako turned his head and looked at Chiba Jutaro.
His eyes were dull, neither sad nor happy.
Chiba Jutaro subconsciously looked away, not looking at Sanako.
Silent...silent...
After the awkward atmosphere lingered in the air for a while, Chiba Jutaro laughed a few times, then sighed silently, strode into the room and closed the door.
"Sanako." Chiba Jutaro knelt down opposite Sanako, "Why is this book...in your hand?"
"I just found it at the door of your room." Sanako said calmly while flipping through the "Handbook for Preparing Brother-in-law" page by page.
Uh-huh... Sanako turned to the first page of the booklet.
The first page of the booklet...just like the page with Qingdeng's name, only one person's name was written on it.
Ryoma Sakamoto.
This name, like most of the names in this booklet, has a huge "X" drawn on it.
But compared with other names with "crosses" drawn on them, this name is a little unique: there is no "comment" written below it.
Looking at the name on the first page of the booklet, Sanazi's beautiful eyes closed slightly.
After taking a deep look at the name on the first page of the booklet, Sanazi closed and handed the booklet over.
"Brother, give it back to you."
"Sorry, I looked at your stuff without your permission."
"When I saw this book falling at the door of your room, I wanted to help you put it on the desk in your room, but a gust of wind happened to come in and blew the book open, allowing me to see the contents inside. content."
"I couldn't hold it back for a moment, so I started looking through this book without your permission."
Chiba Jutaro hesitantly took the booklet handed back by Sanako.
Sanako's reaction... was much duller than he expected.
Anyone who is not an idiot can understand what this booklet is for after reading what is written in it.
He originally thought that Sanazi, who had a strong temper and had repeatedly told him that "there was no need to worry about her marriage," would definitely feel unhappy, if not angry, after seeing this booklet...
Chiba Jutaro's eyes wandered back and forth between the booklet he received and Sanako's pretty face.
"...Sanako." Chiba Jutaro took a deep breath and asked hesitantly, "Aren't you... angry?"
"What's there to be angry about?" Sanako said expressionlessly, "I'm no longer the kind of little girl who would get angry over such things."
"My only feeling now...is that brother, you are completely wasting your time by doing this kind of thing."
"Brother, don't do such unnecessary things again."
"I appreciate your kindness, but I really don't need you to do this kind of thing for me anymore."
A senseless move... Hearing this word from Sanako's mouth, Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but jump heavily at the corners of his eyes.
Anyway, this booklet was also seen by Sanako... A feeling of "breaking the jar and breaking it" surged into Chiba Jutaro's heart.
"Sanako." Chiba Jutaro straightened his back and raised his voice, "You don't really want to stay single for the rest of your life, do you?"
Chiba Jutaro opened the book in his hand, turned to the first page, and turned to the page with the name "Sakamoto Ryoma" written on it.
Looking at this name, Chiba Jutaro's expression became weird uncontrollably.
"Or...are you still thinking about this Sakamoto Ryoma?"
Sanako, who had been looking after Gu Congrong, when he heard Chiba Jutaro's last rhetorical question, his eyes that were originally as expressionless as icebergs showed a vague wavering.
"Sanako, don't blame me for speaking directly."
"Three years ago, when Sakamoto Ryoma left our Little Chiba Sword Hall and returned to his hometown, he told you clearly, right? He has no feelings for you at all, and has always only treated you as an ordinary friend. .”
"It's been three years. It's been so long. It's time to let go of the past and move forward, right?"
"In this world... no, let alone this world! Just in this corner of Edo, there is no shortage of young people who are as good as Sakamoto Ryoma, or even better than Sakamoto Ryoma."
"For example, Tachibana-kun."
Chiba Jutaro flipped through the pages of the book and reached the page with Aoshito's name written on it.
"Sanako, don't you think Tachibana-kun is great?"
"He has a good appearance and personality. Although he is very busy, he has a decent official career in terms of status and income. He is currently rising rapidly in the officialdom and has a bright future."
"In addition, he also has superb swordsmanship skills, which is a perfect match for our Chiba family. As long as he can continue to hone his sword skills, he will definitely achieve great achievements in the way of swordsmanship in the future."
"Besides, he's very tall."
"Sanako, you are taller to begin with, and Tachibana-kun is just a head taller than you, so there won't be this embarrassing situation of 'men are shorter than women'."
Chiba Jutaro wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Sanako.
"Okay, brother, don't say any more."
Sanako's eyes were lowered, her red lips slightly opened, and she let out a silent sigh.
Then, she raised her head and gaze, showing her brother a plain smile as if she had seen through the past in this mortal world.
"I will never fall in love with Tachibana-kun."
"So, there is no need to waste time talking to me about how good Tachibana-kun or anyone else is."
Chiba Jutaro's expression changed slightly, and he asked urgently: "Why? Are you... not interested in Tachibana-kun?"
"To be precise, I'm not interested in anything between men and women at all right now." Sanako's voice raised slightly, "Let me answer the question you just asked, brother."
"I don't like anyone right now, including Sakamoto-kun."
"A long time ago, I no longer have such strong feelings towards Sakamoto-kun, who clearly rejected me and said to me such unpleasant words as 'bringing me along will only get in the way'."
"A few years ago, I might have been more concerned about my future marriage."
"But these days are different."
"I have already passed my prime years, and I am no longer a little girl who has longing for things between men and women."
"Now I just want to focus on honing my martial arts and assisting my father and brother in running the Little Qianba Sword Hall. Other than that, I have no other thoughts."
*******
*******
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
Speaking of this Sanako, I suddenly remembered that some book friends, for some unknown reason, told me that if Qingto and Sanako develop a special relationship, they are taking over...
I just want to ask these book friends: Do you have any misunderstandings about the term "takeover"? Sanako, a young girl who has never even been in love and only had unrequited love for someone, what can she do? I can take over a share of the huge Chiba family fortune (Leopard Head Laughing.jpg)
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation!
The author has opened a book club at Penguin!
Group number: 1162513690. You only need to answer a question to which you will definitely know the answer if you read the book carefully to join the book club.
The author appears in the group at random~
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