Aoto raised his head like a reflex, and the next moment he saw the faces of Sanako and Souji, he lowered his head like a reflex.
——Why are Miss Okita and Miss Sanako here? !
Qingdeng's heart and mind were shaken.
——Were they passing by this place by chance?
——If that’s the case, that would be such a coincidence...!
Although Qingdeng's brain was in a semi-shutdown state due to extreme shock, his body's reactions and movements were still sharp.
He quickly raised his right hand, held the hat on his head, and lowered the brim.
The eyes hidden by Li Yan flashed with complicated eyes.
Under normal circumstances, if he had met Sanako and Souji outdoors, Aoden would have warmly greeted them.
But now... Qingdeng doesn't want to meet them again so soon.
Qingden used his bamboo hat as cover, secretly raised his gaze, and looked at the faces of Sanako and Souji through the gaps in the bamboo strips.
Looking at these two familiar faces, a gentle smile surged onto Qingden's cheeks.
Although only half a month had passed since the fire broke out in the Kodenma Town prison building, Ayoto somehow felt like he had been separated from Souji and the others for a long time.
Why doesn't Qingden not want to meet Sanako, Souji, Mai Kinoshita, Elodie, and all his relatives and friends?
The reason why he had been pretending to be missing before was mainly to hide his whereabouts and confuse the gangs who were chasing him everywhere, namely Kitahara Konosuke and others.
At present, Kitahara Konosuke and others have been captured.
However... one wave just subsided, and then another wave rose.
As soon as Qingto caught the real culprit who was willing to burn down the Kodenma Town prison house and destroy the entire Akabane family, he ran into a bigger and more important case...
At present, it is basically certain that the reason why Kitahara Konosuke and others have such deep hatred for Aonto is because of the terrible things his father Tachibana Takayuki has done.
And his father, Tachibana Takayuki, actually has a complicated connection with the "secret drug" that caused the Kanazawa brothers and sisters to be murdered...
Pull out the radish and bring out the mud.
It's okay if you don't check it, but it will be frightening if you check it.
There are so many forces hidden behind this little trick...
The Shimizu clan has power throughout Kanto and dominates the underground society of Edo...
The Shenlong has never been seen, and is deeply feared by a god like Boss Kiryu...
Whether it's the Qingshui clan with their hands and eyes reaching the sky, or the mysterious Fa Zhu Dang, they are not easy to mess with.
As long as Qingdeng continues to thoroughly investigate the trick, sooner or later he will have an indirect or even direct conflict with the Qingshui clan and the Fa Zhu Party.
Therefore, Qingdeng did not want to lift his "missing" status so quickly - he was afraid that in the process of confronting the Qingshui clan and the Fa Zhu Party, his relatives and friends around him would be affected.
He planned to wait until everything was settled before returning to the Trial Guard Hall, which had long been no different from his home, and back to everyone.
At this thought, Qingdeng couldn't help but look solemn, and silently lowered the bamboo hat on his head.
——Miss Sanako and Miss Okita must not be allowed to recognize me!
As soon as he finished his thoughts, Qingdeng moved his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
Behind them are two sisters.
At your feet are stone steps that can only accommodate two adults walking side by side.
There are dense woods on both sides.
Whether you step into the nearby woods or turn around and walk back, it is too unnatural and will make you stand out...
Therefore, Qingdeng quickly decided on the decision that was most suitable for the current situation-keep moving forward! Pretending not to recognize Sanako and Souji, he just passed them by!
The hat with a very low brim almost completely covered his entire face.
Because he was wearing thick cotton clothes, his figure was not visible.
The sword on his waist was also replaced by a new sword that Souji and others had never seen before.
As long as you pay more attention and remember not to raise your head or show your face, Sanako and Souji will not be able to recognize him!
Thinking of this, Qingdeng was determined.
At this time, the footsteps of Sanako and Souji were already approaching Aito's head.
They are only 9 steps away from Qingden.
Qingden took a deep breath to calm down.
He didn't dare to raise his head anymore, so he could only keep his head down and listen to the sound to identify his position.
Even during the decisive battle with the anti-barbarian group, and even when he was almost killed in the fire of Kodenma Town Prison Yashiki, the tension that he had never experienced before wrapped around Ayoto's body like a vine.
As if a loudspeaker was installed, the footsteps of Sanako and Souji became surprisingly loud to Aonto's perception.
It's like beating a gong, hitting Qingdeng's eardrum one after another.
Elegant footsteps, energetic footsteps... Qingdeng heard these two very different and distinctive footsteps very clearly, getting closer and louder to him...
Eight steps...
Seven steps...
Six steps...
The nose smells fresh body fragrance.
Five steps…
Four steps...
Three steps...
The exposed skin felt the hot body temperature radiating from Sanako and Souji.
As early as just now, Sanako and Souji noticed a samurai wearing a hat and two petite cute girls, and met them on the narrow road.
They didn't pay much attention and kept silently to the right, leaving the road on the left for each other to pass.
Just when the two sides were about to pass each other, Sanako and Souji glanced at the samurai in the hat...that is, Aoto.
They probably never expected to encounter Qingdeng in a place like this, so they only regarded the warrior in bamboo hats in front of them as an ordinary passerby.
He only glanced at Qingdeng and then withdrew his gaze.
In this way, Qingdeng crossed paths with the two women without any danger...
Listening to the two footsteps he left behind, Qingdeng let out a long breath silently.
Crisis resolved.
However, Qingden didn't feel happy about this - he only felt sorry.
One after another apologies surged into Qingdeng's heart and cheeks.
——Miss Sanako, Miss Okita...I'm sorry...I can't meet you yet...
Qingdeng lowered the bamboo hat on his head with a heavy expression...
"Junior, what's wrong with you?"
Yae behind him suddenly asked.
"Is it my imagination? I always think you are weird."
Although Yae always looks carefree on weekdays, she is actually a rough-and-tumble person.
She keenly noticed all kinds of unnatural things about Qingdeng.
Qingden smiled bitterly.
Just as he was about to explain——
Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap!
Two bursts of rapid running sounds suddenly came from behind Qingdeng!
This time it was really a conditioned reflex - Qingdeng, who had been fighting against all kinds of opponents for many years, the moment he heard the sound of these two waves of running, his fighting instinct turned on!
He turned back at lightning speed and reached out to Echizenzumi Hitachi Mori Kaneshige on his left waist.
However……
Qingdeng turned around and held the knife for an instant, and then froze for an instant.
His right hand holding the handle of the saber suddenly became stiff, and he could not move a finger.
No.
It should be said that his whole body was stiff...
In front of his eyes, he saw two high ponytails, one long and one short, flying high...
…
In order to prevent being recognized, Qingdeng kept his head lowered and his eyes were fixed on the steps in front of his toes.
For this reason, what he didn't know was that at the moment when he and the two women's sleeves intersected and passed each other, Sanako and Souji seemed to have sensed something, and their expressions were startled.
Immediately afterwards, they both stopped, turned their heads, and stared at Qingdeng's back, thoughtfully...
Apart from themselves, probably no one else in the world can know what they are thinking at this moment.
The only thing that was certain was that they let their feet that were stuck on the stone steps lift off the ground at almost the same time.
It's easy after you take the first step.
The fragrant wind swirls.
Their bodies and minds were chasing Qingdeng together!
…
what happened?
Why are Miss Sanako and Miss Okita back?
Have I been recognized?
A large number of questions filled Qingdeng's brain.
There was no time to think - Sanako and Souji were already approaching him!
Aomori subconsciously wanted to reach out to fend off Sanako and Souji.
However, looking at the faces of Sanako and Souji who were so close at hand, Aoto immediately paused in his movements.
It was this fleeting hesitation that gave Sanako and Souji an opportunity to take advantage of.
Although there was no prior agreement, the two women worked together brilliantly.
The general secretary clamped Qingteng's waist to prevent Qingteng from escaping.
Sanako used a strong force to lift Qingdeng's bamboo hat.
The bamboo hat flies into the distance.
The cold wind blew on Qingdeng's face.
Also blowing on Qingden's face was Sanako's warm breath.
"ah……"
Qingdeng couldn't help but blurt out a sound.
Yae looked at Sanako and Souji who suddenly "ran out" in shock, and said angrily:
"Hey! Who are you..."
Before Yae could finish his words, Saege's mouth was covered by Saege beside him.
"Fool."
Shazhong lowered her voice and whispered.
"Can't you see?"
"Huh? Can't you see anything?"
"Tsk...you are such an idiot...come with me, let's avoid it for now."
Saege took the confused Yae and left the scene quickly.
Before leaving, Sasushige did not forget to cast a meaningful look at Aoshinobu.
There was something hidden in Saashige's gaze that said "Mr. Tachibana, please do your best"...
However, her move was purely "to wink at a blind man" - at this time, Qingdeng had no time to care about the eyes of the two sisters.
As the two sisters left, there were only one man and two women left on the long and narrow stone staircase...
Sanako and Souji were so close that Aoto could reach their noses just by sticking his head out.
To be honest, Qingdeng's mind is completely blank right now.
The bamboo hat was lifted, and his entire face was exposed in front of Sanako and Souji. It was no longer possible to hide his whereabouts from them...
"Okita-kun, Miss Sanako..."
Qingdeng opened his mouth mechanically.
Not that he planned to say anything, but that he felt he had to say something now.
The moist eyes of Sanako and Souji showed some kind of will.
They didn't speak or show any expression, they just stared at Qingdeng quietly.
Strangely enough, the two women at this moment gave off an indescribable feeling of weakness.
It looks like a doll whose threads have been pulled out and fall apart at a touch.
The naked and sincere emotions pierced Qingdeng.
Aoto couldn't take his eyes away from the two girls - the eyes of Sanako and Souji had such magic power.
"Well, Okita-kun, Miss Sanako..."
Qingdeng called the two girls' names again, but still couldn't say the next words.
My mind is still empty and I can't think of anything to follow.
Unexpected reunion...will Souji burst into tears?
Sanako has such a strong temper, will she beat me?
"...Tachibana-kun."
Just when Qingden's thoughts were in a mess, he suddenly heard Sanako's call.
What happened next happened between the rise of the rabbit and the fall of the falcon.
"Finally... found you..."
A gust of fragrant wind rushed towards Qingdeng.
Sanako fell on Qingto's body.
She bent down and placed her smooth forehead on Qingdeng's left collarbone.
The babble-like words were muffled in Qingdeng's arms.
The next breath was followed by Souji.
Souji didn't even say a word, he jumped directly on Qingteng's body, hugged Qingteng's waist, and his tightly clasped hands conveyed a lot of emotion.
"Great...you're safe..."
There was no crying or whining.
Not to mention beating Qingdeng violently.
Only the tight red lips.
There is only unspeakable surprise.
There was only a sense of relief.
Just like that, Aomori was frozen by the warmth coming from Sanako and Souji.
Looking at the two girls who were clinging to him, an indescribable emotion burst out from the deepest part of Qingdeng's heart.
"I'm sorry...for making you worry..."
After saying that, Qingden slowly raised his hands.
He put his left hand around Sanako's shoulder.
He hugged Souji's back with his right hand.
The wind carrying snowflakes bathed the three of them in it.
…
…
How long did this three-person embrace last?
1 minute?
5 minutes?
10 minutes?
have no idea.
Qingdeng's sense of time was confused.
After an unknown amount of time passed, the man and the woman slowly let go of each other.
"Okita-kun, Miss Sanako, how did you recognize me?"
As Qingdeng asked, he stretched out his hands and gently smoothed the two girls' foreheads, which were a little messy because they had just leaned on Qingdeng's body.
"Well... well..."
Souji smiled, put his hand behind his head, and played with his braided hair.
"It's just...just based on feeling."
"Feel?"
Qingden raised his eyebrows.
The director continued:
"When I crossed paths with you, I felt a strong sense of familiarity from you... There was a voice in my heart that said to me: This person is Mr. Tachibana - that's all."
"I...I also rely on feeling."
Sanako said calmly.
"I also felt a strong sense of familiarity from you when I crossed paths with you."
When Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help showing a dumbfounded expression.
"So that's it..."
It turned out that he was stuck on the mysterious "feeling"... This really made Qingdeng feel complicated.
At this time, Souji couldn't suppress his excitement and jumped around like a rabbit twice.
"Jijun, you..."
As soon as Souji started speaking, Qingden made a "wait a minute" gesture to her.
"Okita-kun, Miss Sanako, I know you must have many questions to ask me now."
"But this is not a good place to talk."
"And I still have important things to do now."
"You go to Okemachi 2-chome, find a hotel called 'Echizenya', and wait for me there."
"When I finish what I'm doing, I'll find you there."
"At that time, I will tell you everything I can tell you truthfully."
Sanako and Souji looked at each other - they both found hesitation in each other's eyes.
But after all, they are not ignorant children who like to make trouble unreasonably.
Suddenly, they nodded to Qingdeng in no particular order.
*******
*******
Sorry! Leopard failed even more today! (Crying leopard head.jpg)
It’s really not that easy to adjust your life schedule overnight to the state before the new coronavirus... (Leopard Death.jpg)
(End of chapter)
