"Miss Zuo Nazi, I finally found you..."
Qingdeng smiled helplessly and walked slowly towards Zuo Nazi.
"Mr. Ju?" Zuo Nazi looked surprised, "Why are you here?"
Perhaps because she felt that it was rude to expose her thighs in front of outsiders, Zuo Nazi lifted her straight thighs, which were so white and tender that they glowed blue-white under the moonlight, from the river, took out the pocket paper, and wiped her feet and calves. then put on the white socks, tightened the clogs, straightened the hem of the hakama with one hand, and stood up with the other hand on the ground.
"After I just met Mr. Jutaro and Mr. Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun at Ryogoku Bridge, I learned from Mr. Jutaro that you have been missing since this afternoon."
"Although you left a letter to report that you are safe, Mr. Jutaro...and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun and I are all very worried about you, so we don't care about any swordsmanship or martial arts."
"Let's spread out and go to your usual places to look for you."
"This morning, you told me that this river bank is your 'secret treasure', so I was wondering if you would be here... I'm so lucky, I didn't expect that I would find you here. ”
When he finished speaking, Qingdeng happened to walk in front of Zuo Nazi.
"Meeting my brother and fourth cousin at Liangdeng Bridge? Swordsmanship and martial arts?" Zuo Nazi raised his chin slightly and gave Qingdeng a confused look.
"Huh?" Qingto, who noticed the change in Zuo Nazi's eyes, tilted his head, "Miss Zuo Nako, didn't Mr. Jutaro tell you? I will also participate in the swordsmanship show at Ryogoku Bridge tonight."
Zuo Nazi really doesn’t know.
Chiba Jutaro originally planned to confess to Saunako this afternoon that "Aoto will also come to perform swordsmanship tonight."
However, throughout the whole day today, Zuo Nazi never saw Chiba Jutaro again except when he got up and briefly returned home at noon. Therefore, Chiba Jutaro was unable to tell the matter. Tell Zuo Nazi.
"?!" Zuo Nazi's beautiful eyes shone with surprise.
Immediately afterwards, as if she had figured out something, her eyelids lowered slightly, revealing a faint arc of helplessness.
"Brother...it turns out to be like this..."
After murmuring like this with a soft voice like breathing, Zuo Nazi closed his eyes, raised his head, took a deep breath, then turned around, facing the silvery glow of countless moonlights. The dancing river faces Qingdeng.
"... Mr. Ju, I'm sorry, I bothered you to come looking for me. I'm really ashamed."
"Although it's rude to say this... but can you please stay away for a while?"
"Now...I want to watch the moon here alone for a while."
"Please go back and tell your brother and fourth cousin: Don't worry about me, and don't go looking for me anymore. I will go home before the moon reaches its highest point."
Qingdeng: "..."
After Zuo Nazi's words fell, Qingden's facial lines that had just relaxed due to the successful finding of Zuo Nazi became tense again.
Is it a problem with the light? Or is it a matter of perspective...?
Qingdeng always felt that Zuo Nazi's back at this moment... was much more delicate than usual...
He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say something to Zuo Nazi, but he couldn't spit out half a word.
I have nothing to say...my mind is blank...even though I have racked my brains desperately, I still can't think of a word that applies to the current situation.
The difficulties that Zuo Nazi encountered were much more severe and cruel than those that the General Secretary was facing now.
No, what Zuo Nazi is facing cannot be summed up in terms of "difficulties"... it should be more accurately described as "desperate situation".
Souji's sister just didn't allow her to practice martial arts anymore, while Zuo Nazi was directly sentenced to death for her future martial arts achievements...
Qingdeng also knew what kind of feelings Zuo Nazi had towards martial arts.
Being abandoned by the things that he had struggled for most of his life... To be honest, it was hard for Qingdeng to say that he sympathized with the situation that Zuo Nazi was currently facing.
After all, he was not as passionate about martial arts as Zuo Nazi.
"Martial arts achievements stop here"... This kind of thing will not happen to Qingdeng for a long time in the foreseeable future.
If it is difficult to put yourself in other people's shoes and understand how they feel, any words of comfort you say will lose their power.
Telling people who value "results" "Don't take results so seriously, cheer up"... This kind of casual kindness is often more heartbreaking than pure malice.
In particular, Qingteng still remembers that a few days ago... when he was facing off against the heroes of Xiao Qianba Sword Hall, he once said to Zuo Nazi, with your ability, one day you will be able to achieve a level of martial arts that will surpass everyone. An achievement that everyone applauds heartily.
At this moment, looking back at these words, I just feel full of irony...
The time in this space seems to have frozen at this moment.
Zuo Nazi looked at the river quietly without saying a word.
Qingdeng, who didn't know what to say or what to say now, tried repeatedly to say something, but until now he still couldn't form a single sentence.
It's strange... Looking at Zuo Nazi's soft and frail back, which felt like it would break into two pieces with just a slight break, Qingdeng could only feel something "something" rising up from the depths of his heart - —a strong emotion.
Qingdeng knew what this emotion was called.
Anyone who is a normal human should know the name of this emotion.
This is the emotion called "sadness".
Why do you feel sad when you see Zuo Nazi's frail back at this time? Qingdeng had no time to think about this issue at the moment.
Everything is good, he wants to do something for Zuo Nazi - driven by this strong impulse from his mind, Qingdeng has no spare energy to pay more attention to himself or the outside world except for this "impulse" of anything.
At this moment, the night wind brought a series of noisy sounds.
This string of sounds was very light, indistinct... but it was still keenly captured by Qingdeng, who has the "perceiver of wind" - this is the unique sound produced after the crowd gathers. Noise.
Zonazi's "secret treasure land" happens to be located on a small high ground where you can overlook Edo from a high position.
Following the commotion in Qingdeng, I turned my head and saw a dense light in the distance.
That's the direction of Ryogoku Bridge...the site where the fireworks display is held.
"..."
Qingdeng's eyes widened slightly, and he pursed his lips as if he had realized something.
"...Miss Zuo Nazi."
Then, he focused his attention on Zuo Nazi again.
"Please come with me. I'll show you something good."
Zuo Nazi turned his face silently and looked at Qingdeng with a confused look in his eyes.
Before she could say anything, she felt her left wrist being clamped by an iron pliers - Qingdeng raised his big hand unceremoniously, grabbed Zuo Nazi's left wrist, and then pulled her directly without any explanation. We strode towards Edo.
"Huh? Wait, wait a minute!"
Qingdeng's sudden and strange behavior caused a trace of panic to flash across Zuo Nazi's cheeks unconsciously.
"Where are you taking me?"
Zuo Nazi subconsciously leaned back, trying to resist Qingdeng's pull.
But in terms of strength, how could she be a match for Qingdeng, who was both a man and full of muscles?
After struggling for a while, except for causing great pain to my wrist, nothing came of it.
"Where to go... we'll keep it a secret for now."
Qingdeng, who had no intention of letting go, turned to Zuo Nazi and smiled.
"When you reach your destination, you will know where you are going. The place I want to take you to is not very far from here, and you will be there soon."
After a short while, Aoden dragged Zuonazi back to Edo and came to the street where pedestrians were gradually appearing.
A young warrior dragging a beautiful woman striding down the street... Such a strange sight attracted a lot of strange eyes.
As a Yamato Nadeshiko who took etiquette and image very seriously, how could Zonazi bear such attention from others?
"I see."
Zuo Nazi quickly said to Qingdeng.
"I'll just go with you, don't hold my hand anymore."
Seeing that Zuo Nazi seemed to have no intention of escaping when he let go of his hand, Qingdeng nodded, let go of Zuo Nazi's wrist.
Zuo Nazi rubbed his finally free Hao wrist a few times, then raised his eyes and looked at Qingdeng's back with a slight frown.
"Tachibana-kun, seriously...where are you taking me?"
Zuo Nazi walked a few steps faster and walked side by side with Qingdeng.
"I've said it all, let's keep it a secret for now." Qingdeng smiled mysteriously, "When we get to the destination, you'll know where I'm going to take you."
"...You must never take me to any strange places."
"No. The place I want you to go to is serious. It is a place where men, women, old and young can pass freely."
While talking with Qingdeng, Zuo Nazi suddenly heard the sound of people in front of him.
As she and Qingdeng walked forward, they heard the noise getting louder and louder, and looked at the surrounding streets... Zuo Nazi suddenly looked like he had guessed the purpose of her and Qingdeng's trip. A clear expression of where the land is.
"We're here." Qingden said abruptly with a smile.
Zuo Nazi raised his eyes and looked forward.
The complex and colorful lively scene unfolded in front of Zuo Nazi's eyes in a compelling manner that made it difficult to look away.
What you see is a sea of brilliant lights, rows of shops and vendors, and mountains of people like a sea.
What I hear in my ears are various accents from all over the world; the cadences of the merchants hawking; and the performances of entertainers who are full of praise.
What you smell in front of your nose is the mouth-watering aroma of food and wine; the sour and unpleasant smell of body sweat; and the spicy and pungent smell of gunpowder.
This is where the fireworks display is held.
"Ji Jun, you...do you want to take me to watch the fireworks display?" Zuo Nazi asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Qingdeng nodded without hesitation, then lowered his head and said to Zuo Nazi, "This is an annual festival... If I don't come and have a good time, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"
"...Jujun." Zuo Nazi looked at the lively scene beside him, and then looked at Qingdeng in front of him, his red lips slightly flattened, "I..."
"Miss Zuo Nazi."
Qingdeng seemed to have anticipated what Zuo Nazi would say. Just when Zuo Nazi could say "I", he interrupted his words:
"Just now... when Jutaro said that you were missing, I told Mr. Jutaro and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun that you suddenly came to me for a discussion this morning."
"After learning of your whereabouts this morning, Mr. Jutaro showed a worried expression."
"Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun and I saw this and asked him if he knew anything."
"Then...he gave a rough summary of the conversation between him and your father last night, as well as the entire story that you may have heard about their conversation, to me and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun."
"!" Zuo Nazi's eyes shrank slightly, and his beautiful eyes widened a bit, flashing with a complicated light that was dominated by shock.
Qingdeng pretended not to see the change in Zuo Nazi's expression and continued to talk to himself:
"Honestly, an incident of this level is beyond the scope of an outsider like me to intervene."
"But even so, even a little bit, I want to do my best to do something for you."
"Even if it just makes you feel better, I'll be satisfied."
"Your second cousin... Chiba Eijiro once said to me: When you are confused and don't know what to do, you might as well try to change your mood."
“Try a life you’ve never experienced before.”
“Go to places that you rarely go to or have never been to before.”
"As long as your mood gets better, maybe many problems can be solved naturally."
"I think Chiba Eijiro-kun's theory is very reasonable."
Having said this, Qingdeng paused for a moment, and then showed a peaceful smile to Zuo Nazi.
"This year's fireworks display is only tonight and tomorrow night."
"If you miss these two days, you will have to wait until next year to experience such a lively celebration again."
"Miss Zuo Nazi, please temporarily break away from the 'secret treasure land' you are used to staying in tonight."
"Tonight, just think about nothing and enjoy this annual summer celebration."
As if he heard something unexpected and unexpected, Zuo Nazi looked at Qingdeng with an expression filled with elusive emotions.
After a moment, she seemed to be amused by what Qingden had just said, and a half-smile appeared on her cheeks.
"You brought me to the fireworks display just to make me happy..." She said in a half-joking tone, "What if I not only don't become happy, but instead become more depressed?"
"Well, this is..."
Qingden gently scratched the hair on the back of his head, then sneered as if he was embarrassed, and blurted out subconsciously:
"I don't dare to say that what I do tonight will definitely make you feel better."
"But I can at least promise you that I will be with you tonight until you are willing to smile."
Zuo Nazi's body shook slightly...with a dumbfounded look on his face, his wandering eyes swaying repeatedly on Qingdeng's face and chest, his hands folded in front of him, and the ground in front of his toes.
Not only Zuo Nazi was stunned.
Qingdeng also showed a dazed expression at this moment.
——What were I talking about just now...? !
At this moment, Qingdeng's heart was turbulent.
What he just said... basically went through his head!
They are all words that blurt out unconsciously as soon as they are formed in the mind.
It wasn't until he finished speaking that Qingdeng realized that he seemed to have said some ambiguous words to Zuo Nazi that were not qualified for their current relationship...
At this moment, Qingden recalled Kinoshita Mai's pretty face...
There is a strange feeling of guilt that creeps into Qingdeng's heart...
The two people, who looked dazed at the same time, both fell silent... However, before the atmosphere around them became strange, Zuo Nazi, who had been standing beside Qing Deng since just now, suddenly made a move.
She folded her hands in front of her and moved lightly towards the front, towards the dense flow of people in front, and towards the world surrounded by candlelight.
Qingdeng, who was still standing there, stared blankly at the beautiful figure gradually blending into the sea of lights.
"……What's wrong?"
Zuo Nazi stopped, turned his upper body slightly, and looked at Qingdeng with the left side of his face.
The clear dawn and flickering candlelight shone from behind her.
The dazzling light, although leaving Zuo Nazi's figure in relative darkness, also perfectly outlined Zuo Nazi's extraordinary body curves.
"Didn't you say you would stay with me until I am happy?"
Although Zuo Nazi's face was in shadow, and because she only showed half of her face to Qingdeng, Qingdeng could not clearly see the changes in her facial expressions.
But he could vaguely see a hint of embarrassment and anger appearing on Zuo Nazi's cheeks.
The legs suddenly "moved on their own."
Qingdeng took two quick steps and kept up with Zuo Nazi's pace.
The two walked slowly... The backs of one big and one small were covered with a hazy film of light in the company of the moonlight and candlelight.
…
…
Traveling with Zuo Nazi... is the first time.
He was obviously very familiar with Zuo Nazi, but now he couldn't explain why, and he had no idea what to talk to Zuo Nazi next to him.
The same was true for Zuo Nazi. She didn't say a word the whole time and just stayed by Qingdeng's side quietly.
The two of them remained silent the entire time, wandering aimlessly around the fireworks display venue.
But it doesn't feel boring or dull either.
Although he had been mentally prepared, Zuo Nazi's popularity far exceeded Qingdeng's expectations.
…
"Hey, look at that woman, she's so beautiful."
"Eh? Isn't this the Chiba Zuo?"
"Chiba Zuo Nako? That 'Chiba's ghost town'?"
"Oh, it's really her. Oh, I really can't get tired of looking at her face."
…
No matter where they go, there are a lot of eyes focused on them from all directions.
Most of the owners of these gazes actually don't know who the beautiful woman in front of them is, and they don't care who she is. They just want to admire the beauty with their astringent eyes.
In comparison, Qingto the "Benevolent King" has received much less attention. Regardless of whether they were men or women, they all just went to see Zuo Nazi.
Forced by Zuo Nazi's popularity, Qingdeng couldn't help but murmured: "If this continues, it will be difficult to move forward..."
Although no one has come forward to harass them so far, but being watched by people like animals in a zoo will eventually make people feel very uncomfortable.
"I'll buy a mask to cover my face." Although Zuo Nazi had long been used to being watched, the current situation of being watched by dozens or dozens of people was beyond her endurance.
Qingdeng turned around and looked at Zuo Nazi carefully from head to toe.
"...Miss Zuo Nazi, I think you should change your clothes."
"Huh?" Zuo Nazi blinked a few times in confusion.
"Your kendo uniform is too conspicuous. Even if you cover your face with a mask, there will definitely be many people looking at us curiously."
Hearing what Qingdeng said, Zuo Nazi raised his head and looked around.
Everywhere you look, girls are wearing colorful and fancy yukatas.
Indeed, just as Qingto said, she looked very out of place in this place wearing women's kendo uniform.
At this time, Qingdeng suddenly noticed that there was a Wufu shop not far ahead.
This Wufu shop has a big banner at the door, with a line of big characters written on it: Yukata for rent.
"...Miss Zuo Nazi." Qingden smiled at Zuo Nazi, "Shall we rent a yukata?"
…
…
Qingteng, who was waiting for Zuo Nazi to change into his yukata in the Wufu shop, folded his hands and put them on the scabbard of Dingguishen. The index finger of his right hand tapped the sword tangent quickly with an impatient frequency, making a "knock, knock, knock" sound. .
It's a bit hard to say... Qingdeng feels very anxious now.
Because he was anxious to see Zuo Nazi in a yukata.
He had never seen Zuo Nazi wearing a yukata.
Zuo Nazi, who has a serious and somewhat old-fashioned temperament, dresses quite dignified on weekdays and never wears casual clothes like a yukata.
In fact, Qingdeng had just used the reason that "if we don't change clothes, we would be too conspicuous". Xiaozhi was moved by emotion and reason, and finally persuaded Zuo Nazi to go to this Wufu store to rent one. bathrobe.
Obviously I don't have any special preference for yukata clothing...but for some reason, I just look forward to seeing Zonazi wearing a yukata soon.
When he thought that he would be able to see Zuo Nazi in a yukata later... Qingto was anxious, but he also felt very much looking forward to it.
However... while feeling anxious and looking forward to it, guilt surged up in Qingdeng's heart again...
Kinoshita Mai's pretty face reappeared in Qingto's mind again...
"..." Qingdeng silently closed his eyes, clenched his right fist, and repeatedly tapped his forehead with the fist as if knocking on a door.
When I first woke up this morning, I still imagined rushing to Qianshiya in one breath and hugging Mai Kinoshita into my arms. As a result, less than 12 hours later, I began to look forward to seeing Zuo Nazi changing into a yukata.
Qingdeng vaguely felt that what he did seemed a bit unethical...
Just when Qingdeng was falling into particularly strong self-criticism——
"Ah Mo, do you know? Those anti-foreigners who keep talking about 'repelling the foreigners' have made big moves recently."
"A big move? What big move? Could there be another radical association like the 'Anti-Barbarian Group'?"
Anti-Barbarian patriots... Qingdeng, who had just fought a desperate battle with a group of anti-Barbarian patriots more than two months ago, was particularly sensitive to this term.
Not caring about "self-criticism" anymore, Qingdeng quickly followed the sound.
The two people talking were a young man and woman standing side by side under the eaves of a shop not far away, munching on the steaming Dorayaki.
The man did not carry a sword and had a civilian hairstyle.
The woman has an average appearance, and both her face and manner exude the rustic air of a village girl.
Free love is more common among civilians who are less disciplined by etiquette.
Qingdeng thought that this couple should take advantage of this grand ceremony to go on a date together.
There was a story. When he heard that the man actually used political topics as an introduction to the conversation, Qingdeng's expression became weird uncontrollably.
Talking about politics with a girl...how is this different from talking about destroyers with a girl?
Qingdeng couldn't help but recall a friend from his previous life: I don't know what was wrong with that person, but every time they went on a blind date, he loved to talk to his date about how the aircraft carrier battle group performed combat missions, and why the aircraft carrier was the crown jewel of the country. What is the difference between heavy weapons, destroyers and cruisers...
Qingdeng originally thought that the woman would be uninterested in the topic of "anti-foreign patriots" raised by the man.
But who would have expected that the woman actually looked very interested.
"It's not that a new 'anti-barbarian group' has appeared, but that those guys who keep saying 'anti-barbarian' and call themselves 'patriots' have become smarter...or in other words, they have become more cunning."
The man talked eloquently.
"Today the emperor hates the barbarians very much. He has urged the shogunate several times to quickly launch anti-barbarian operations and expel all barbarians who have landed on our land without leaving a trace."
"Many people with anti-barbarian ideals saw clearly the current emperor's dislike of the barbarians, and on the grounds that it was their duty to share the burdens of the Holy One, they used the slogan that Duke Huan of Qi once shouted to rally people when he dominated the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period of the Tang Dynasty:' 'Respect the king and reject the barbarians', and began to change his name to 'respect the king and reject the barbarians'."
The so-called "Emperor Today" is an honorific title for the current Emperor.
The woman who listened quietly to the man's story said in confusion:
"I just changed my slogan and my name...it doesn't seem to be a big deal."
"You don't understand this." The man grinned, "The difference is huge. Let's put it this way, if the patriots who resisted the foreigners in the past were just a piece of loose sand, then with the banner of 'respecting the king and resisting the foreigners' Now, they have the opportunity and ability to gather together to form a mountain. Ah, we have finished eating the Dorayaki, and we seem a little short of food. Let's go buy some more delicious food."
"Well, let's go."
The young couple walked away.
When leaving, the man continued to explain to the woman eloquently why the patriots who fought against the foreigners would be transformed as if they had been reborn after they raised the slogan of "respecting the king and fighting against the foreigners", while the woman listened with fascination.
Qingdeng, who silently watched the couple leave, frowned.
——Respect the king and fight against the barbarians...
Qingden suddenly realized that his life had been too comfortable recently. Every day he went to four places that gave people a sense of warmth: the Trial Guard Hall, the Thousand Things House, the Little Chiba Sword Hall, and Elodie's home.
The days that were too comfortable made Qingdeng unconsciously ignore that the current world is full of chaos and blood.
Unknowingly, the "rejection faction" evolved...
Using the current emperor's dislike of the barbarians as legal support, it gained political soil and theoretical support.
Don't underestimate these two things.
For an organization or a force, the presence or absence of these two things can be said to be a qualitative difference.
Although the man just now is a commoner, his vision and knowledge are very good. What he just said is basically correct.
Although the actual power to rule the country is in the hands of the shogunate's barbarian generals, the emperor's family, which has existed for thousands of years, has unparalleled cultural influence.
With the emperor as the platform behind them, the anti-barbarian patriots chanted the political slogan "Respect the king and repel the barbarians". This was equivalent to obtaining a banner with a clear action plan that could gather people's hearts, and the ability to leap onto the political stage...
Qingdeng couldn't help but care about the evolution of those who fought against the foreigners.
After all, it will take some time... On November 1st, he will officially take office and become the new captain of the third division of the Fire Thief Kai team and the leader of the seventh division of the starting bow team.
By then, I might have more frequent contact with anti-foreign patriots than when I was on duty at Beifan Station...
Qingdeng's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
However, suddenly——
"Tachibana-kun...I've changed my clothes."
Zuo Nazi's... somewhat squirming voice came from behind.
Qingden, whose thoughts were interrupted, frowned, turned around and looked behind him.
The next moment his eyes turned to the back... Lao Shizi, who was reflecting on his "immoral behavior" tonight, self-critically disappeared in an instant.
*******
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Ding! Qingdeng successfully achieved the achievement: 2 ship jumps! It’s gratifying, it’s gratifying~
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