That night--
Edo, a certain restaurant——
"I'm getting excited! Let me dance a dance from my hometown for everyone!"
Harada, the great treasure, pushed away the dining table in front of him and quickly stood in the center of the room. He hummed an unknown tune to accompany himself and danced with unknown meaning.
Harada's dance can't be said to be impossible to watch, it can only be said to be unsightly.
Not a single note of the singing voice is in tune, the stiff limbs seem to be completely out of control of the brain, and the movements are completely out of tune with the singing voice...
In a word - dance on a spiritually polluting level.
But this kind of dance, which has no other purpose besides making people laugh, is just right for a "celebration banquet" where the more lively the better.
You don’t need amazing singing voice or dance steps, you just need to dare to dance and sing, and don’t let the banquet come to a standstill - this is the celebration banquet.
Harada's funny dance moves made everyone in the room burst into laughter, and the air was filled with joy.
Some people...such as Nagakura, who had a good relationship with Harada and was infected by the joyous atmosphere of the party; Toudo, who was embarrassed to refuse Harada's warm invitation...they spontaneously formed a "temporary backup dance troupe" to dance with Harada. Dance together.
For the Trial Guard Hall, although the process of today's game was a bit tortuous, fortunately, they succeeded in defeating the Xuanwu Hall in the end.
Since he won the game, it was logical that he should hold a jubilant celebration banquet.
After nightfall, Zhouzhu booked a large private room in a certain restaurant as the venue for the celebration banquet.
Many people related to the Trial Guard Hall were invited to the banquet.
For example, Toudo Heisuke.
For example, Kiryu and Mai Kinoshita.
For example, Hikaru Okita and his wife.
As soon as the banquet started, the atmosphere reached its climax with laughter and drinks.
It's been a long time since there has been such a banquet with enough name to temporarily put aside the trivial matters of reality and devote all your attention to the pleasure in front of you.
It was rare for everyone to relax without any worries, eating, drinking, singing, and playing to their heart's content.
If it weren't for the concern that Abi, who would never allow his husband (Shusuke) to be unclear about the women outside, was present, Hijikata would have wanted to invite some geishas who could touch them to add to the fun.
Of course, one of the important reasons why everyone is making such a fuss is that all the expenses for tonight's banquet were paid for by Zhou Zhu.
There were free meals and drinks, so of course everyone had a good time eating and drinking.
In response to Zhou Zhu's bold move, Abi, who was in charge of the financial power of the Imperial Examination Hall and worked hard every day to make the monthly profit of the Imperial Examination Hall better, did not criticize him out loud, although his face was very dark. What.
All the expenses for the banquet to celebrate the victory of the Trial Guard Hall over the Xuanwu Hall were borne by Zhou Zhu, the owner of the Trial Guard Hall - this is just a reasonable and natural thing.
At the celebration banquet, he shouted to the disciples and banquet guests in the hall, "We will each pay for the celebration banquet tonight"... Even if he is as stingy as a pen, he can't do such a shameful thing.
Money is important, but for Abi, "family honor" and "samurai's face" are the most important things.
Anyway, the victory in today's game also made A Bi feel very proud, so A Bi made an exception for the time being and accompanied Zhou Zhu to make a big deal that he hadn't seen in a long time and spend money wildly tonight.
Qingto and Souji, who were undoubtedly the biggest contributors to today's victory, sat side by side very close to the banquet chair.
The reason why the seats of Qingnobo and Souji are arranged in this way is to facilitate everyone to toast these two great heroes.
"That's enough, Okita-kun, don't drink it until you finish this cup."
Qingto said angrily while grabbing the wine glass that had just been emptied from Souji's hand.
Souji is the kind of person who "doesn't take the initiative to drink alcohol on weekdays, but once he drinks alcohol, he will drink until he loses consciousness."
And Souji himself has a very average drinking capacity, and he will start to get drunk after a few drinks.
At this moment, Souji had drunk an unknown amount of wine, and his whole pretty face turned a lovely light pink color.
He shook his head and muttered as he spoke, and his whole body seemed to be melting into a semi-liquid mass.
If she let Souji drink again, she would really break into pieces, so Qingteng made a quick decision and immediately snatched Souji's wine glass away.
"Mr. Tachibana is right. Souji, you can't drink anymore."
Okita Hikaru on the side agreed.
Under the deliberate arrangement of Shusuke and the others, the seats of Hikaru Okita and his wife, who are relatives of the Souji, were placed next to the Souji.
To the left of the general secretary sits Qingden. Sitting on the right are my sister and my brother-in-law.
Normally, the general manager would probably protest loudly at this time, saying, "I can still drink! I want to drink!"
But Souji, whose consciousness is currently in a trance, can hardly speak a complete sentence.
After Aoto took the wine glass away, she just stared blankly at her empty palms, and at Aoto and Okita Hikari who asked her in a tough tone not to drink anymore, and then——
"Hmm...~~"
After pouting his lips and letting out an unhappy groan in a soft tone, he silently picked up the chopsticks and continued eating.
"Mr. Tachibana!"
Suddenly, Harada approached Qingto.
"Come dance with us!"
"Uh...I don't have to."
Qingdeng laughed awkwardly and politely declined.
Harada’s dance was too early for Aoto and this era.
To dance like this... Qingdeng is really disrespectful.
Seeing that Aoto didn't want to come and dance with them, Harada didn't force him - he instead rushed to Saito.
"Saito! Why are you so quiet at this rare banquet! Come and play together! Let's dance together!"
"I don't have to..."
After thinking about it, I knew that even Aonto was not willing to accompany Harada and Nagakura in this kind of dance that was "beyond the times", let alone the withdrawn Saito.
When Harada enthusiastically invited Saito to dance with them, Aoto suddenly noticed that Harada's steps seemed a bit frivolous.
Qingto raised his gaze and looked at Harada's face.
Harada is a very good drinker and has finished several bottles of sake.
Although he was still in good spirits, his face was already flushed.
But even so, the weak "pale" hidden under the "red" is still vaguely visible.
Seeing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but secretly thought:
——Hijikata’s “collection” is really amazing...
A while ago, on the night when Aoto discovered Souji's "real identity", in order to cover Aoto and lead the dizzy Souji away, Hijikata said, "I want to give you some of the 'collections' I don't want." , took Nagakura, Saito and Harada out of the bathhouse.
A complete show... Hijikata really has been collecting something very special, and he really gave some of his "collections" to Nagakura and the others.
The things Hijikata collected... were the personal information of the Edo wandering girls.
Wandering Girl: That is, a prostitute.
In the Edo period, people called prostitutes who specialized in that kind of business "yome", and brothels were called "yomeya".
Because of Japan's special humanities and customs, and the practical need for a channel for energetic young men to vent their excess energy in a society with extremely rigid classes, yūnyeo and yūnyōya have always been recognized by the Edo shogunate. Legal professions and legal shops.
In order to facilitate control, the Edo shogunate only opened a legal red light district in one place in Edo. Yoshiwara is located on the Nippon Embankment behind Sensoji Temple.
The thousand-year-old temple and the country's largest red light district are neighbors... I don't know what the Japanese think.
Thinking about it from another angle... this seems to be just the right way to achieve a special "one-stop service" - after venting in Yoshiwara, you can go to Sensoji Temple to confess that you have not controlled your lower body well after taking a few steps and turning a corner. of crime.
The Edo shogunate imposed a strict rule: only Yoshiwara can open a tourist house. It is illegal to open a tourist house anywhere other than Yoshiwara.
Of course - someone like Hijikata, who is a romantic person and has so many current girlfriends and ex-girlfriends that he can form several football teams to play in the group stage there, how could he not be a frequent visitor to Yoshiwara?
Out of personal interest and to make it easier for him to have fun, Hijikata collected the information of all the girls he had come into contact with and integrated it into a self-made "Hijikata Version Yoshiwara Hosomi".
In order to make it easier for tourists to have fun in Yoshiwara, there has been a semi-annual, long-lasting publication widely circulated in the market: "Yoshiwara Hosomi"
To put it simply, "Yoshiwara Hosomi" is a guidebook specially produced for tourists visiting Yoshiwara.
In the beginning, the titles of the books were diverse.
There are "Yoshihara Sodekan", "Yoshihara Sparrow", "Yoshihara Buying Music", etc. Later, the title of the book was gradually unified into "Yoshihara Hosomi".
The book contains detailed information about Yoshiwara's map, a list of teahouses, the names, classes, fees and other information of the traveling girls.
The "Hijikata version Yoshiwara Hosomi" created by Hijikata not only contains basic information such as the yandere's flower name, class, and cost, but also personal personality, skills she is good at, and anything worth mentioning about her appearance or figure. Advantages... Wait for this kind of advanced information that will only make the blood of a lustful person feel excited.
In addition, "Hijikata Edition·Yoshihara Hosomi" not only contains information about Yoshihara Yume, but also includes information about Okama Yume.
The so-called Okaba is an underground women's house without permission from the Edo shogunate.
Although Yoshiwara is said to have 3,000 wandering girls, the population of Edo is one million. There are too many monks and too little porridge.
The serious imbalance between supply and demand, the huge cost of opening a store in Yoshiwara, the number of wandering girls under his command are not enough to open a large store, and the unwillingness to pay taxes to the Edo shogunate... These various reasons have led to the fact that even though the Edo shogunate has always had Illegal tours of women's houses are strictly prohibited, but there are still many people who take risks and open gang houses secretly.
Okamabo places in Edo are mainly located in places with dense crowds such as Shinagawa, Senju, Itabashi, and Naito Shinjuku.
Mere Yoshiwara cannot satisfy the appetite of Hijikata, who is incredibly energetic.
While Hijikata often went to Yoshiwara to hang out, he also frequently went to Okamabo places in various places to adjust the taste.
The "collections" that Hijikata gave to Nagakura and the others were a few "Hijikata Editions of Yoshiwara Hosomi" that had been thrown away in the closet for a long time because the information contained in them was out of date.
As far as Ayoto knows - after seeing that Hijikata's "collection" turned out to be this kind of thing, Harada's eyes immediately lit up, and he held it carefully in his arms without hesitation as if it were some fragile treasure. .
Nagakura thought he was too upright, so he kept saying "How embarrassing is this" and put him in his arms half-heartedly.
Only Saito declined Hijikata's kindness, entered Hijikata's house empty-handed, and finally left Hijikata's house empty-handed.
During this period of time, Nagakura and Harada frequently left early and returned late, occasionally accompanying Hijikata, and sometimes did not return to the trial defense hall until dawn.
What were they going to do? it goes without saying……
This friendship of dating together made Hijikata, Nagakura and Harada have particularly good relations recently.
Due to his personal personality and the influence of his childhood education, Aoto has always avoided places like Yoshihara.
Qingdeng felt that he might never have anything to do with people in the red light district in his entire life!
In any case, Harada's behavior of having fun until his face turned pale and his steps became weak is really inappropriate.
Just when Qingto was thinking about whether he should find an opportunity to remind Harada to be more restrained, he suddenly noticed something dark moving in the lower right corner of his field of vision.
He turned around and looked - the wriggling black shadow turned out to be Souji's little hand.
After grabbing Souji's wine glass, Qingto put it on his right knee.
At this moment, Souji quietly put her little hand to Aoto's right knee - she wanted to sneak her wine glass back while Aoto and Okita Hikaru were not paying attention.
"Hey, Okita-kun."
Qingto discovered Souji's intention in time and quickly took Souji's wine glass further away.
"I told you not to drink anymore."
Qingdeng tried his best to keep a straight face and deliberately used a stern tone, hoping to make the general manager retreat when he saw the difficulty.
However, in the face of Aomori's serious advice, Souji smiled indifferently, and then...
"Hmm~ Just let me have one more drink...~~"
She used this soft and waxy voice that Qingdeng had never heard before, and said to Qingdeng... No, it should be more accurate to say "acting coquettishly towards Qingdeng".
After being so coquettish, Souji blinked her big watery eyes hard several times, and looked pitifully at Qingden like an abandoned puppy.
Qingden looked directly at Souji, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
——It seems that Ms. Okita is quite drunk...
It was hard for him to imagine that the General Director in a normal state would speak to him with such a tone and eyes.
Being stared at by Souji like this... Qingto felt uncomfortable all over.
Considering all the hard work and contributions Souji had made in today's game... Qingto let out a soft sigh.
He raised his head and glanced at Hikaru Okita and Rintaro Okita who were not far away - they were watching Harada's dance intently and did not pay attention to him and Souji.
After confirming that the Okita couple were not looking at them, Aoto carefully pushed the wine glass in front of Souji.
"...I can only have one more drink."
"Hey hey hey~"
The Souji happily held her wine glass with both hands, quickly filled the glass with wine with his back to Okita Hikaru, and drank it all in one gulp.
Looking at Souji's smile filled with happiness as he drank happily, the lines on Qingto's face slowly softened.
"...Okita-kun, that's great. You have finally reached the point where you can freely control your power."
If we were to use family words to describe this morning's game against Xuanwu Hall... then there would be no more suitable words than "turns and twists and turns".
If we were to say what was the biggest breaking point in today's competition... it was undoubtedly that Souji suddenly unleashed his "power" and had a fierce "power" clash with Michizaburo Chiba!
After the game, under the auspices of Shusuke, Souji conducted several experiments - although she was still a little unskilled, Souji had indeed reached a state where she could freely expand and release her "power"!
Qingdeng is still at the stage where "power" only appears occasionally and cannot be controlled at all.
So in comparison, Souji is already at a higher level than Seito.
Of course - the ability to freely expand and contract "potential" cannot simply be used as an assessment of personal strength.
If Qingneng and Souji were to have a one-on-one fight now, Qingnong would still be quite confident that he could win.
"Hehe...~~"
Hearing Qingto's praise, Souji raised his hand and smoothed the light ponytail on the back of her head.
"Tachibana-kun...this is also...thanks to you..."
The director-general gave Qingden a long look.
The emotions contained in his eyes are elusive.
"Thanks to me?" Qingdeng was startled, "Why?"
Qingteng didn't remember doing anything to Souji that could help her break through.
"Uh-huh...huh-huh...so sleepy..."
Souji let out drunken grunts and groans.
It can be seen that she did not hear Qingdeng's question just now.
Seeing that the General Secretary had temporarily lost the ability to communicate with others normally, Qingden thought to himself:
——Forget it... Let’s find another opportunity to ask her properly later.
…
…
——It’s so strange...Is it my imagination...?
Mai Kinoshita, who was sitting diagonally opposite Aoto, had been staring at Aoto and Souji with a scrutinizing gaze since just now.
For Kinoshita Mai, the seat she most wanted to sit in was naturally next to Qingto.
But she couldn't control the seat arrangement, and she had "social phobia" and didn't have the courage to ask for a seat change, so she had to make do with sitting diagonally opposite Qingdeng.
There is an advantage to this position - Kinoshita Mai can have a panoramic view of any movement on Qingto's side.
After the celebration banquet started, Kinoshita Mai focused most of her attention on Qingto.
Therefore... all the interactions between Aonto and Souji Shicai were clearly seen by Kinoshita Mai.
Kinoshita Mai knew that Aoto and Souji had a close relationship.
But I wonder if it was her imagination.
She always felt that the interaction between the two of them was a little too intimate...
Because there was a long distance between them and the banquet was very noisy, Kinoshita Mai was not able to hear clearly what Ayoto and Souji were talking about.
She only saw Souji Chao Qingnobo's bright smile and his unpredictable eyes.
Qingto, who met Souji's eyes, slowly showed a soft smile.
Although it can barely be explained by "the relationship between the two of them is very good"... But Kinoshita Mai feels inexplicably uneasy and uneasy...
At this time, a particularly terrifying suspicion for Kinoshita Mai emerged in her mind...
——Probably...not right...?
In an instant, Kinoshita Mai's face turned pale.
Although she is not deeply involved in the world and does not know much about men and women due to her shy nature, Kinoshita Mai also knows what "the Way" is...
Since the Warring States Period three hundred years ago, Zhongdao has been very popular among samurai families.
Aoto and Okita-kun are both samurai...
The two have lived under the same roof for a long time...
Both of them are very handsome, and Souji is a handsome young man with a hint of feminine beauty in his appearance...
…
——Impossible...impossible...!
Kinoshita Mai shook her head left and right like a cat that had just crawled out of the water, trying to get these terrifying thoughts out of her mind.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you?"
Kiryu, who was sitting next to Kinoshita Mai, wondered.
Kinoshita Mai didn't bother to talk to Kiryu.
She took several deep breaths to calm her emotions.
But I couldn’t regain my composure at all…
Kinoshita Mai only felt a heavy weight hanging in her heart, and her body seemed to be being pulled downwards...
She uncontrollably cast a complex look at Qingden with deep meaning...
…
…
Edo, on a certain street returning to the Imperial Guard Hall——
Nagakura: "Ugh...!"
Hijikata: "Hey! Don't vomit! If you dare to vomit on me, I will test the knife on you!"
Harada: "Look at this Nagakura... hiccup...! He only drank so much... hiccup...! He's so drunk... it's so bad!"
Inoue: "It seems that your drinking capacity is not much higher than Nagakura-kun..."
Harada: "Who said that! I'm a good drinker! Even if you give me Lucian wine, I won't get drunk!"
"Everyone, be quiet...!" Zhouzhu said helplessly, "You don't even know what time it is. Those who are making a lot of noise... don't disturb the people."
The time now is probably around 9 o'clock in the evening.
The lively celebration banquet has just ended.
The banquet was dismissed and everyone went back to their homes.
Because they were so crazy, the group headed by Nagakura were all very drunk.
Nagakura fell unconscious immediately.
Harada talks nonsense.
Kondo and Hijikata staggered while walking.
Although Souji was not drunk as a result of Qingden taking away the wine glass in time, he was still in a semi-trance state and needed someone to help him walk steadily.
The hotel where Okita Hikaru and his wife lived was located near the Imperial Guard Hall. Therefore, Okita Hikaru and his wife, who returned to the hotel, and Aoto and others who returned to the Imperial Guard Hall walked together, and the task of supporting the general fell naturally on Okita Hikaru's head.
Only Aoto, Saito and Inoue, who adhered to the principle of "never get drunk when drinking", remained sober.
Just like Hijikata who was responsible for supporting Nagakura, Aoshito also had a mission at the moment - he was responsible for keeping an eye on Harada, who was obviously very drunk, but still insisted on saying that he was not drunk and kept talking nonsense and acting strangely.
Just now, Harada thought he was walking a straight path, but in fact he was walking a diagonal path. He almost fell into the drainage ditch on the side of the street. If you don't keep a close eye on him, God knows what strange behavior he will do.
"Uh-huh...that's right..."
At this time, Harada suddenly turned his face and said to the guys around him.
"I almost...forgot to say..."
"What do you want to say again?" Qingdeng clicked his tongue.
Harada's mouth hasn't stopped since he left the restaurant.
"This year's...fireworks display...is about to begin...Uh-huh...should we...want to watch the fireworks together?"
"Fireworks display?" Qingden was stunned.
Kondo and the others were attracted by Harada's words and turned their attention to him.
"This is an annual event...it would be a shame not to join in the fun..."
Perhaps because he talked about things he was interested in, Harada became more eloquent.
"If you want to participate in such a grand event... it will be more interesting if more people go and it becomes more lively... What do you think?"
Harada rolled his eyes, his gaze passing over the faces of Ayoto, Souji and others one by one.
"Would you like to go to this year's fireworks display and watch the fireworks together?"
"Fireworks display...?" Kondo muttered, then grinned, "I don't have any objections."
"A bunch of old men are watching the fireworks... Well, I don't mind." Hijikata said calmly, "But I have plans for the 23rd and 24th, and I won't have time until the 25th."
As soon as Hijikata finished speaking, Qingden immediately took over the conversation.
"Me too. I have plans for the 23rd and 24th, and I won't have time until the 25th."
On the 23rd, I will go on a date with Mai Kinoshita, and on the 24th, I will perform swordsmanship with Sanako, Chiba Jutaro and others at the fireworks display.
The schedule for the two days before the fireworks display was fully planned.
"Hahaha, are all the residents of the Imperial Guard Hall participating in the fireworks display together... It seems quite interesting." Inoue smiled gently, "But this matter should wait until the future... after Souji, Nagakura-kun and others wake up. Let’s talk about it slowly and in detail.”
After speaking, Inoue smiled bitterly and glanced at Souji and Nagakura, who were half-conscious and completely unconscious.
The two of them were so drunk that they couldn't talk about anything at all - Inoue's glance revealed this meaning.
"Uh-gu... That's right..." Harada scratched his hair hard, "Then let's talk about this in detail later..."
After that, whether because of being tired or something else, Harada, who was chattering endlessly along the way, finally stopped.
With Harada's silence, the noisy team suddenly became much quieter.
Unknowingly, they had entered the territory of Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town.
Climbing up the large slope where the Trial Guard Hall is located, the square and dark shadow of the Trial Guard Hall quietly came into view of Qingdeng and the others.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Inoue murmured in confusion.
"Is there anyone at the gate...?"
As soon as Inoue said this, everyone quickly raised their eyes and looked towards the gate of the trial defense hall.
I saw a few blurry black figures outside the gate of the Trial Guard Hall.
With the ability to "see clearly in a dark environment" given by his gift of "night vision", Qingdeng was the first to see clearly who these dark figures were.
"Eh?"
Qingden groaned in surprise.
"Arima-sama...?"
Arima, who was leading his entourage with box bearers and gun bearers, heard the sound and turned his attention.
"Oh." Arima showed a relieved expression, "Tachibana-kun, what a coincidence."
…
…
Trial Guard Hall, living room——
"Mr. Arima, please have some tea."
"thank you."
Arima bowed politely to Abi who brought him hot tea.
After bowing his head and returning the gift to Arima, Ah Bi exited the living room holding the tea tray, leaving room for Qingteng and Arima to talk.
With Abi leaving, only Qingto and Arima were left in the fairly spacious living room.
Because he has been recuperating at home, Qingden has had fewer opportunities to meet the three elders Arima, Inodani, and Ushiyama during these days.
Aoto first exchanged warm greetings with Arima, whom he had not seen for some time. Then he saw the opportunity and went straight to the point, asking Arima what he wanted when he suddenly came to visit late at night.
"...Tachibana-kun."
Arima let out a short sigh with mixed emotions.
"The reason why I came here unexpectedly tonight... is that I have some important news that I want to tell you as soon as possible."
"I'll tell you the important things first in one breath."
"The reward for your great achievements in the residence more than two months ago has finally been approved."
"Tangerine-kun, congratulations."
Speaking of this, Arima changed into a solemn tone that was somewhat sacred, and at the same time straightened his waist, which was always at a 90-degree angle to the ground, straighter.
"The shogunate is grateful for your great contribution, and has given you an additional 500 shi in salary and improved your family status."
"From today on, you are a Hatamoto samurai with 1,000 Shi family wealth!"
"In addition to family wealth and family status, your official position will also be upgraded several levels."
"You were promoted in one fell swoop to the 'Captain of the Third Division of the Fire Thieves Kai Group and the Leader of the Seventh Division of the Preemptive Archery Group'. You will officially take office on November 1st."
"Also, Dashu Gong seems to want to see you and asks you to come to the city on August 28."
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October is coming to an end soon. If you still have a monthly ticket, please be sure to vote for this book! If you don't invest, it will be wasted.
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
PS: Regarding the story of Hijikata and the Edo girls, the author has plans to make a sequel. For details, please see the "Writer's Note" below.
The author has considered writing a side story that describes in detail how Hijikata visited Yoshiwara and Oka places, how he collected information about the wandering girls, and how he led Nagakura and the others into evil ways.
I’ve already thought of the extra title and introduction——
"Edo Yumei's Tasting Guide".
The romantic legend of Edo red light district opens!
I don’t know if there is a chance for this extra series to be released...
By the way: It seems to be a historical fact that Hijikata led Nagakura and the others to evil. According to the author's investigation, Nagakura and the others were influenced by Hijikata and got into the bad habit of "walking around the girl's house when nothing happens".
(End of chapter)
