The next day——
In the second year of Wanyan (1861), January 2nd——
Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Test Guard Hall——
"Brother Kondo, good morning."
"Oh! Good morning, Director-General."
Kondo yawned widely as he greeted Souji, who was walking towards him.
"The weather is very good today."
Souji smiled and looked at the sky outside the window.
"Well, yes. The weather today is indeed very good, the sun is shining brightly, the sky is high and the air is refreshing. It is really a good day to go out and play... Hmm? Souji, what's wrong with your legs?"
"Huh? What's wrong with your legs?"
Kondo pointed at Souji's bottom plate.
"Huh? Didn't you notice it yourself? You walk in a twisted and crooked way. Are you injured somewhere?"
"Ah, this..." Souji subconsciously tightened his legs, blushing and feeling at a loss, "Uh-huh... this... this... I accidentally sprained my leg last night when I was practicing swordsmanship with Tachibana-kun. …”
"Sprained your leg?" Kondo opened his eyes wide and asked worriedly, "Hey, are you okay? Is the injury serious?"
"No, it's okay." Souji waved his hand in panic, "It's just a small sprain, it doesn't matter! It will heal in a few days, so don't worry!"
After speaking quickly, Souji lowered his head, raised his hands to cover his face, hiding his pretty face that was still red, and passed Kondo in three steps and two steps at a time.
Kondo stood there, staring blankly at Souji's retreating back.
"What is this guy Souji doing...?"
He always felt that there was something strange about Souji, but he couldn't pinpoint the specific reason.
"Forget it, never mind her."
Kondo has never been a person who likes to get into trouble. When he couldn't think of a reason, he gave up decisively, retracted his gaze from Souji's back in the distance, and continued to stride forward in the opposite direction to Souji.
…
…
at the same time--
The Souji said goodbye to Kondo, and while immersed in rushing, he took a big breath of "huhahaha" to smooth out his chaotic breathing.
"Huh...ha...huh...ha..."
The unique cold air in winter made Souji feel so comfortable.
His breathing gradually stabilized, his face cooled down rapidly, and his heart no longer beat so fast.
Just when Souji was about to return to his normal appearance, the sound of footsteps reached her ears.
The sound of footsteps came from directly in front of her.
Souji raised his little head and glanced in front of him reflexively.
"Ah... ugh...!"
Souji couldn't help but blurt out a strange cry.
Because the owner of this footstep...the person standing in front of her was Qingdeng.
"Tachibana, Tachibana, Tachibana-kun...!"
"Miss Okita..."
The moment he saw Souji, Aomori's expression became extremely unnatural.
After looking at the ceiling, floor and other insignificant places, he took the lead in saying hello to the director:
"Miss Okita, good morning."
"Well...good morning to you too..."
Souji's voice was as waxy as the expression she carved.
"..."
"..."
The two of them said nothing after a simple greeting...but there was no awkward atmosphere in this quiet environment.
Souji coyly played with his fingers, while raising his head timidly... Coincidentally, as if he had a telepathic connection, at almost the same time, Aomori also retracted his gaze from scanning the ceiling and floor, and looked at Souji.
The two people's eyes were entangled in the air.
This look at each other lasted for about 3 seconds.
Three seconds later, Souji hurriedly looked away as if fleeing, not daring to look at Qingteng again.
He lowered his head and fixed his gaze firmly on the small area in front of his toes.
However, the General Secretary did not "escape" for too long.
In less than three breaths, she raised her beautiful eyes again and looked towards Qingdeng.
After realizing that Qingteng was still looking at her, Souji was startled, his eyes wandering around uneasily.
But in the end, she took a determined breath, stopped dodging, stretched her eyes forward, and looked straight into Qingdeng's eyes.
In an instant, the corners of Souji's perfectly shaped mouth were slightly raised, and a charming blush gradually appeared on his lovely face.
The raised red lips, the mist-like red clouds...the two complemented each other, and a shy smile caught Qingdeng's eyes.
Seeing Souji smiling at him, Qingden couldn't help but laugh too.
The young girlfriend, who is in the age of Huaichun, is flirting with her young boyfriend affectionately - this sentence is too appropriate to describe the eye contact between the two at this time.
…
…
Edo, a certain river embankment——
Light white clouds accumulate on the distant mountains, and the cover of loose and thin clouds makes the already not strong winter sunshine appear softer.
Walking on the path between the river and the embankment, Souji raised his head and looked at the sky. The warm, golden sunlight poured down from the gaps in the clouds.
The gentle breeze blowing away the breath of "human civilization" makes this inaccessible river embankment even more interesting.
"What a comfortable wind..."
Souji narrowed his eyes slightly and took a long, deep breath.
Perhaps because it is far away from the city and close to the river, the air here is very moist, refreshing and refreshing.
"Oh, yes."
Qingdeng, who was walking side by side with the General Secretary, nodded in agreement.
The two of them walked slowly along the embankment towards the upper reaches of the river.
The wind passed by them, the clouds in the blue sky rolled or relaxed, and the sky became clearer and clearer.
The particles of light bathe the director with a peaceful smile on his face
"It feels...so incredible..."
"Um?"
"At this time yesterday, you and I were still very close friends, but today, we have become very close...lovers..."
Lover——The next moment he uttered this word, Souji seemed to be relieved and turned his overflowing emotions into a sound.
"Yeah, I understand."
Qingdeng smiled and nodded.
"Oh? Can you understand it too?"
"Of course. Because I have almost the same feelings as you now. I also find it unbelievable. This feeling of 'friends turning into lovers overnight', I'm afraid it will take me a long time to fully adapt to it. "
"Hahaha, it turns out you, Tachibana-kun, are just like me, very uncomfortable with the changes in our relationship."
The general manager smiled brightly.
When she moved, she stretched out her left hand towards Qingden.
"Ji Jun, um... I, I want to hold hands with you, Coco, is that okay?"
Souji's voice became lower and lower as she spoke, and by the time the last syllable fell, her voice was as low as a mosquito's hum.
It was obviously still early, not even noon, but Qingden had already seen the red sunset - on the handsome face of the General Secretary.
Qingto, who was amused by Souji's shy look, chuckled and held out his right hand.
"Hehe~~"
Looking at Qingteng's outstretched hand, Souji giggled a few times, and then put his little hand into Qingteng's calloused palm.
Souji's hand was very small and delicate, as if it could be broken easily with just a touch. It didn't look like the hand of a female swordsman at all.
Qingdeng used his right hand, the hand holding the knife, to hold the catkin in his palm tightly, with a firm and strong manner but without losing warmth.
"Hehe~~"
There were two silly giggles again.
The riverbank where the two of them were currently located was far away from human habitation, and the direction they were heading in happened to be the direction of the suburbs.
For a moment, they completely left the hustle and bustle of the world behind them, and the surroundings became increasingly quiet.
The grass beside my feet swayed and rustled like waves in the wind.
Suddenly, a small bridge came into view.
"Ah, Tachibana-kun, look, there is a bridge over there!"
The General Secretary pointed to the bridge, then led Qingdeng and hurriedly ran towards this ancient bridge with no other passers-by except fallen leaves and dust.
Dongdongdong... When you step on the bridge, the sound is very much like drumming.
"Hahaha, the scenery here is so beautiful!"
The general manager, who was leaning most of his body on one side of the bridge, happily looked at the river flowing under the bridge with joy on his face.
The calm water surface is a pure blue color, and the clear blue sky casts thousands of lights on the trickling river.
Qingdeng leaned forward and leaned against Souji.
Sunshine, blue sky, rivers, ancient bridges, and... smiles that are beaming because they are moved by the beautiful scenery in front of them - all these combine to form an incredibly beautiful and moving picture.
Qingden silently took this beautiful scene that was like a treasure to him into the depths of his eyes and heart. Then, while showing a slight smile, he stretched out his other hand that was not holding hands with Souji, and said soothingly. Rhythm caressed Souji's hair.
"Huh? Why are you touching my hair all of a sudden? Is there anything dirty in my hair?"
Qingden shook his head.
"It's nothing. It's just that... I can't help but want to touch my lover."
"Hmm..." Souji turned his head away shyly, "Don't make my hair dirty and messy..."
To be honest, Aomori has wanted to touch Souji's light and flexible high ponytail for a long time.
Especially when I saw it swaying with Souji's jumping, it was even harder to suppress the feeling of "wanting to touch it and pull it".
It must feel very good - Qingdeng firmly believes it.
It turns out: it is.
Souji obviously doesn't use hair care products often, but her hair quality is surprisingly good.
Maybe this is the so-called "natural beauty".
When he touched Souji's hair, Qingto's fingers almost slipped away because the touch was too soft.
For a moment, he had the illusion that he was not touching his hair, but a piece of top-quality silk.
Since Souji's hair felt much more comfortable than expected, Aonto played with Souji's ponytail endlessly.
Sometimes he pulled gently, sometimes he pulled slightly, sometimes he smoothed it, sometimes he wrapped it around his fingers... When he came to his senses, Souji had his mouth full like a squirrel with his mouth full of food, his white and red eyes. There is a cute little bump on each cheek.
"Tachibana-kun, are my braids so fun?"
Well, it's fun. However, it is not so much fun as it is easy to touch - Qingden originally wanted to answer this, but considering that this rhetoric seemed a bit perverted, he changed his words:
"Sorry, your hair is so beautiful, so if you don't pay attention..."
As Qingto said this, he slowly took away the hand that was touching Souji's hair.
The Souji pursed his lips thoughtfully.
Then, she took Qingdeng's big palm that had just been put down and put it on top of her head.
"Miss Okita?"
Qingdeng raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"If you like to touch my hair... then go ahead, I don't mind."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that the general manager was suppressing his panic and added in a compensatory manner:
"I, I, we are lovers now. Touching hair and so on are just normal interactions between lovers!"
Souji's tone sounded like he was reminding Qingto, but also like he was reminding himself.
"What's more, we can't even talk about that, that kind of thing...ah! Let's not talk about it anymore! Let's not talk about this embarrassing topic!"
Souji shook his head like a rattle, his ponytail raised high and flying.
Looking at the messy General Secretary in the wind, Qingden couldn't bear it and let the corners of his mouth extend to the left and right.
He gave Souji a long, ambiguous look... and then continued to play with Souji's ponytail without ceremony.
It feels really comfortable and addictive.
Souji rubbed his face vigorously, using movements like kneading dough to remove the shame on his face.
After she calmed down a little, she turned her gaze back to the gurgling water outside the bridge.
"Huh...Okay, let's stop joking, let's talk about some...serious things."
--come yet?
Qingden smiles.
When Souji suddenly asked him out, Qingto had already guessed that she probably wanted to chat with him about some important private matters.
Qingto assumed a posture of listening attentively, and at the same time, he kept moving his hands, holding hands with Souji with one hand, and continuing to play with Souji's ponytail with the other hand.
"Tangerine-kun, I thought about it for a long time last night."
"As expected... I still want to marry you."
The pretty face that had cooled down just now was dyed vermilion again.
While suppressing her shyness, she raised her gaze and looked straight into Qingdeng's eyes.
"I like you so much that I am willing to marry you now."
"But... if I still marry you even though I know that you will most likely marry another woman in the future... I will still feel uncomfortable in my heart..."
"Although it is a very common thing for a good man to have three wives and four concubines, I should not be a jealous woman, and I have said to myself countless times: 'This is not a big deal, even if Mr. Orange will I won't suffer any injustice if I marry Zuo Nazi, Miss Kinoshita or any other woman, but I still can't become that mature..."
"I want to monopolize Tachibana Aoden...this is my true thoughts now."
"At the moment, I can't honestly face 'Tachibana Aoden's other wives'."
"However... I can say to you with all my heart: 'I won't allow you to marry another woman' - I can't do this kind of thing..."
At this moment, the breeze blows.
Souji's hair...the ponytail on the back of her head and the temples on both sides were swaying in the wind. She held it down with her long, green-white fingers, her expression so gentle.
"I am the kind of person who would rather suffer myself than see the people I cherish suffer."
"My sister and Kondo-san always criticize me for my personality, saying, 'I'm at a disadvantage because of my personality' and so on."
"Although my sister and others have harsh words, I still don't think there is anything bad about my personality."
"Because I insist on opposing your marriage to another woman, causing you to be in a dilemma and sad... I don't want this kind of thing."
"So, Mr. Tachibana, I have a suggestion now - let's each take a step back."
"3 years... no, 5 years is enough!"
Souji extended a slap in the face.
"If you can convince both Zonazi and Miss Kinoshita to marry you within five years, then I am willing to work with them to support you without any regrets."
"On the contrary...please stay with me alone forever."
Qingdeng felt a little nervous sweat oozing out from the catkins in his palms.
"Although I am not as lovely as Miss Kinoshita, nor as outstanding as Zuo Nazi, my feelings for you... my desire to be your support will never lose to them!"
"No matter what the future holds, I will definitely make you sigh from the bottom of your heart: There is no better wife than me in this world."
"This proposal...what do you think?"
Qingden blinked.
——5 years...
It is January of 1861... In other words, I will marry Sonako and Mai Kinoshita before January of 1866...
This time is neither long nor short.
How many five years are there in a person's life?
"……good!"
Qingden nodded, a determined light shining in his eyes.
"I promise you! If I can't marry you, A Wu and Miss Zuo Nako five years ago, I will wholeheartedly be 'Okita Tsukasa's husband'!"
Even if the General Secretary did not propose this "five-year agreement", Qingdeng did not intend to delay the matter of "marrying a wife" for too long.
His original plan was to achieve the goal of "living a happy and happy life with his girls" within a few years.
If he doesn't realize this dream within a few years... then he doesn't have the skills.
He is willing to sincerely accept all the consequences of "incompetence".
This proposal from the General Secretary is exactly what Qingteng wants.
With this "five-year agreement", Qingdeng can be better motivated. While putting pressure on Qingdeng, it also brought stronger motivation to Qingdeng.
"Hehe~~"
Today's Souji seems to particularly like to giggle.
"Think about it carefully...this agreement is completely unilaterally beneficial to you."
"Because, you see - no matter what the final result is, no matter whether you complete this agreement or not, I will continue to work hard to 'become a wife who can make Tachibana Aoden proud'..."
After saying that, Souji looked at Qingto quietly.
After a moment, she gently closed her eyes and shrank her body.
Seeing this, Aomori smiled understandingly, and then slightly bent his upper body as if to peek at Souji's face...
Souji moaned softly from her nose. She pretended to be calm, but she forgot to hide her blushing cheeks and her little hands tightly holding the corners of her clothes.
Warm breath brushed Qingden's cheek. He focused on his lover in front of him and almost forgot to breathe.
Just like that, the boy moved his lips closer to her little by little.
The girl gently stood on her tiptoes.
…
The sun still shines in the blue sky.
Golden beams of light shine in the sky.
All the noise and sounds became extremely distant at this moment.
The wind coming from afar took shape in the sunshine.
Two figures, one big and one small, touch each other gently... just like the wind and light at this moment.
*******
*******
Let us congratulate Mr. Tachibana Aoto and Ms. Okita Tsukasa~~
It’s not easy! 2.21 million words! Our Orange finally has a real family in this era! Bang bang bang bang bang (hit the leopard’s belly.jpg)
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