I formed the strongest swordsman group.

"……what?"

Elodie blinked and opened her mouth slightly.

Did you hear me wrong?What did I hear... Elodie showed such a look.

For Elodie who was surprised enough to show such an expression, Qingdeng repeated what he said just now with a calm attitude and a tone mixed with obvious smiles:
"Elodie, let's go to the fireworks display."

At the end, Qingdeng paused, and then added:
"At this moment, Mr. Angoulême and Miss Leroy think you are asleep, so I will secretly take you to the fireworks display. I will take you back quietly after I have had fun."

"Take me to the fireworks display...?" Alodi murmured in a daze, "How do you take me there?"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Elodie realized that she asked a stupid question.

At this very moment, Qingdeng sneaked into her boudoir in the form of a window... Isn't it obvious how to take her out of here?
Sure enough, Qingdeng smiled and said an answer that was exactly in line with Alodi's expectations:

"Of course I went through the window behind your back."

Qingdeng turned his head and glanced at the window stained silvery by the moonlight.

"Fortunately, the windows in your room are big enough, and the building is not too high."

"Master, wait, wait!"

Due to the violent ups and downs in her mood, Elodie raised her voice subconsciously... Elodie, who realized that her voice seemed too loud, covered her mouth tightly, and turned her head to look The door behind.

After confirming that the corridor outside the room was quiet and that she did not disturb Anthony and Leroy downstairs, Elodie relaxed and let out a long breath, then raised her flustered gaze again, and looked at Qingdeng .

"Master, you... are what you said just now true? Can you really... can you secretly take me to the fireworks display?"

Elodie's tone was cautious...

He wanted to touch something, but he was afraid of accidentally smashing it, so he used gentle movements as if he didn't dare to scratch the dust off——Elodie's expression and way of speaking at this time were similar to this feeling.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who's bored enough to sneak into your room at night just to amuse you?"

Qing Deng made a small joke, and then changed to a serious tone.

"Elodie, did I tell you? I'm going to the fireworks display tonight too... with my friends."

"I've thought about it seriously—anyway, I'm going to the fireworks display tonight, so I might as well take you with me."

"My friends and I have made an agreement: they don't mind having another cute little companion tonight."

"Hmm..." Alodi slowly showed a shrinking expression on her face, "That is to say——going to play with Master and your friends... Master, my hair... probably not Offend some of your friends?"

After finishing speaking, Elodie raised her hand and stroked her long pale golden hair with some curly ends.

Hair color that is very different from that of East Asians... This is synonymous with "foreign people".

Qingdeng hastily said:
"Those of my friends... Although some of them look vicious, they are not bad people with bad personalities."

"There is no such thing as a fool who hates foreigners without thinking."

"So Elodie, you don't have to be afraid to contact them."

"If you really can't get along with my friends...then you can always follow me and Okita-kun."

"Do you remember Okita Souji? Okita-kun is here tonight."

"Okita-kun?" Ai Luodi's eyes lit up slightly.

Two months ago, when Qingdeng was hospitalized in Ren Medical Hall to recuperate from his injuries, Ai Luodi, who came to visit Qingdeng, met the chief director who often came to the ward to take care of Qingdeng on several occasions.

Both of them are the kind of girls who are very cheerful and playful, so they have quite a lot of common topics.

Every time the two girls met, they would have a very happy chat.

Elodie and the chief executive got along very well, and the chief executive also liked this blond loli with a temperament similar to hers.

After learning that the chief executive whom she had a good relationship with would be accompanying her tonight, Alodi immediately showed a lot of vitality on her face.

But... In the next moment, this youthful look turned into a strange look.

Under the smudge of this strange look, the expression on the whole face became a little strange, Elortie turned her head and looked at the door behind her again.

Seeing this, Qingdeng thought to himself:
——Sure enough, would you still be worried about being discovered by Mr. Angoulême and Miss Leroy...

Ai Luodi's frustrated expression lingered in her mind, trying to do something for her only disciple... It was only for this simple reason that Qingdeng planned "sneaking Ai Luodi out" on a whim He made a bold plan to rush to the residence without hesitation and sneak into Alodie's room.

From the perspective of the overall content, Qingdeng's plan is actually quite comprehensive.

First of all——Qingdeng knew that Anthony and Leroy, the master and servant, did not have the habit of "checking the bed" at night to check whether Elodie was asleep.

This is also of course.

Which normal family would frequently go to the room of their children and young masters to check on each other's sleeping conditions?

That is to say——if Ai Luodi is secretly brought out of the house, then maybe until dawn, there is no need to worry about their bold move being discovered by Anthony and Leroy.

Secondly——after taking Ai Luodi to the scene of the fireworks festival, Ai Luo Di's safety issue...

joke!Who will be by Alodi's side at that time?
Qingdeng, Soji, Kondo, Hijikata, Inoue, Saito, Nagakura, Harada, Fujido...

The all-star lineup of the test hall is here.

Based on this combination alone, not to mention three or two unorganized and undisciplined barbarians, even if a barbarian group in its heyday suddenly appeared, Qingdeng would have the confidence to meet him.

However, no matter how perfect the plan is, it must be agreed by the parties involved.

At this moment, Elodie turned her head to look at the door, which made Qingdeng subconsciously think that this child should be resisting the order of Anthony, feeling an instinctive resistance.

After all, Anthony is her dependent grandfather.

How good the relationship between the grandpa and grandson is, Qingdeng has seen it all during the days when he became Elodie's swordsmanship teacher.

Elodie is still just a child who knows nothing about the world, and it is normal to feel anxious and feel uneasy about deceiving Anthony.

Thinking this way, Qingdeng was about to say something——

"...Hey, hey hey hey..."

A light laughter brimming with excitement entered Qingdeng's ears.

"Sneaking out in the middle of the night...seems interesting...!"

Alodie turned sharply.

The sapphire-like pupils shot out a blue light full of excitement at this moment.

The corners of the two mouths are raised in lovely arcs.Even though he tried hard to press his lips, a laugh escaped him.

I don't see any signs of anxiety or uneasy conscience...

Ai Luodi's appearance was completely different from what she had just imagined, which made Qingdeng dumbfounded.

"Master, if we set off for the fireworks display now, how long will it take us to come back?"

"Uh……"

Qingdeng, who recovered from his dazed state because of Elodie's questioning, took out his pocket watch with a slightly mechanical and stiff movement, and checked the time.

"If you leave after watching the fireworks...then you can come back in at most 2 hours."

"2 hours... ok...!"

Elodie vigorously pecked her little head, and then raised a smiling face full of anticipation—in the eyes that looked at Qingdeng, extremely strong emotions shone.

This "emotion" is called "eager to try".

"Then master, let's go quickly. Go to the venue of the conference earlier, and you will be able to play more things...!"

"Play and watch everything you want to play and watch as soon as possible, and go back early to prevent Grandpa and Miss Leroy from finding out that I have sneaked out of the house."

"Ah, wait a minute, I have to change clothes."

"You can't go out in an exotic nightgown..."

Alodie said so self-consciously, kicking the slippers on her feet, and ran to the wardrobe at the foot of the bed with a "click", and opened the door with a "click", revealing the many things inside. All kinds of clothes that have to cover all the inner cabinet walls.

"..." Qingdeng stared blankly at Elodie who was looking for something in the closet with great interest... After a while, he couldn't help but laugh.

——That's right... how could I forget...!
Qingdeng suddenly recalled: How did he meet Elodie? When he was visiting Jiangdao Shrine, he accidentally bumped into her who sneaked out of the hotel with the help of Kinoshita Mai and Leroy...

This naughty boy has a criminal record!How can I feel strongly guilty about "going out to play without telling Anthony"?
I seem to have misjudged the child's nature...

She is indeed a well-behaved child who is so sensible that people think she is a bit precocious...but she occasionally shows a very bold, naughty, and adventurous side.

——Worthy of being a fan of "Grand Thief" Robin Hood...

Just when Qingdeng was feeling so secretly in his heart in a helpless tone——

"Ah, found it."

Qingdeng looked up—Elodie took out from the closet a bright yellow bathrobe embroidered with extremely cute patterns, a headscarf, a white cat mask showing only a pair of eyes, and a pair of small yellow buttons Clogs.

"I prepared this suit specially for tonight...it's great, there's no need to hide them until next year."

After saying this happily, Elortie set up the baffle that was placed next to the closet to prevent outsiders from peeking at her changing clothes.

"Master." Elodie retracted most of her body behind the baffle, only revealing a small head facing Qingdeng, "Don't peek."

"I won't peek."

Qingdeng said so angrily, and turned around with his back to Alodie.

Elodie grinned, then retracted her head, and her figure was completely hidden behind the thick baffle.

After a rustling sound of changing clothes fell——

"Master, do you think it looks good?"

Qingdeng turned around - a dazzling youthful breath rushed towards him in an instant.

After changing into the bright yellow bathrobe, Elodie put her golden hair on the top of her head, covered it tightly with a scarf, and put on a mask to cover her face in an orderly manner.

In order for Qingdeng to see her new attire more carefully, Elodie slightly parted her clean little feet, which were wearing yellow clogs, and raised her hands to the left and right to the height of her shoulders.

"Well, it's beautiful."

"The reaction is so bland...!" Elodie put down her raised arms in displeasure, pouted her lips.

"...haha." Looking at Ai Luodi's appearance at this time, Qing Deng couldn't help smiling.

came back……

The enthusiastic, cheerful, somewhat eccentric and lively disciple Qingdeng was familiar with returned.

At this moment, Qingdeng only felt a strong sense of joy and peace of mind filled his heart.

There is a feeling that most of the weight tied to the body is lost immediately.

Qingdeng took a deep breath, calmed himself down, then turned his back and knelt down on one knee.

"bring it on."

Qingdeng stretched out his fingers and compared his back, and said with a smile.

"Let's go watch the fireworks."

"Ok!"

Elodie smiled, and then quickly ran to Qingdeng's back in three steps at a time.

Leaping lightly, he crouched tightly on Qingdeng's broad back like a koala.

"Hold on tight."

After confirming that Elodie was sitting firmly... Ah, no, after holding him firmly, Qingdeng kicked his hind feet suddenly-running, jumping, and flying out of the window!
The night scene retreated rapidly.

The damp night wind blew the hem of their clothes flying.

While pressing the scarf tightly, Elodie stretched her neck upwards, looked over Qing Deng's shoulders, and looked at the skyline in front of her.

The moonlight illuminated Elodie's little face that was slightly flushed from excitement.

……

……

Edo, Barrel Town, Little Chiba Sword Gym, second floor, Sanako's boudoir——

Paso...Paso...Paso...Paso...

Kneeling by the bed in an extremely upright posture, Zuo Nazi read the great masterpiece written by Li Shizhen in his hand: "Compendium of Materia Medica" by candlelight and moonlight.

The slender fingers as light as scallions gently flipped the pages of the book.

The sound of "Paso, Paso" turning the pages of the book and the sound of burning candles became the only sounds in this tidy and new room.

Reading is Sanako's greatest hobby besides martial arts, and she often spends her free time reading.

Among all the books, the medical book is Sanako's favorite.

Sanako, who has a very high level of cultural literacy and profound attainments in medical skills, can read even the "imported Chinese books in original packaging" that are not written in plain language.

The so-called "white text" refers to Chinese without sentence reading and phonetic notation.

At this moment, Zuo Nazi was engrossed in reading.

Suddenly, a group of conversations floated out of the window, causing Sanako's consciousness to escape from the world of books uncontrollably.

"Wow, Ashu, your new bathrobe looks so good."

"Thank you~~ In order to buy this yukata, I have saved up money for 3 months."

……

Sanako slowly put down the "Compendium of Materia Medica" in his hand, and looked out of the window expressionlessly.

The hosts of this group of conversations are two young women walking side by side and walking quickly through the street under the window.

Sanako watched the two girls getting further and further away, getting smaller and smaller...

Yukata... the word is like a fishing line.

A fishing line that hangs in the ocean of memory.

All of a sudden, there was a feeling of something being entangled in the end of the thread...something was hooked.

is a conversation.

……

(Miss Sanako, this yukata suits you so well. It’s not in vain that I look forward to seeing you in a yukata. It’s really beautiful!)
……

"..." Sanako raised his right hand as if feeling distressed and bored, and gently rubbed the base of his nose.

The blue bathrobe that Qingdeng praised so much last night was returned to the shop when he was about to go home after watching the fireworks.

Sanako, who doesn't like to wear very informal clothes such as bathrobes, even when Qingdeng praised that the clothes matched her very well, she didn't think about buying it.

but why……

Why……

I can't say why at all—in fact, when I got home last night, there was already a kind of emotion that repeatedly disturbed Sanako's heart.

Sanako has been consciously ignoring this emotion, treating it like nothing.

If I face and admit the existence of this guy...it will make Sanako who has a strong self-esteem feel very ashamed...

Because of this emotion, it is called "repentance"...

After hearing the conversation between the two girls just now, this guy stood up again, trying to get in front of Sanako.

Sanako subconsciously repeated the old trick, trying to ignore the feeling of regret, and refocused his eyes on the medical skills in his hands.

However... this guy has grown invisible, becoming a "colossus" that cannot be denied.

His expression gradually turned into a state of trance... he looked around restlessly, and although he looked like he was reading seriously, he didn't actually read a single word in his mind.

The sound of turning the pages of the book stopped.

The sound of rising candles dominated the room.

After an unknown amount of time passed like this, Zuo Nazi lowered his head and glanced at the fine clothes on his body.

What happened next really happened in an unexpected instant.

Snapped!
There was a tense atmosphere in the room in an instant.

The person who created this atmosphere was naturally Sanako.

Sanako suddenly closed the "Compendium of Materia Medica" in his hand, making a loud "snap".

After putting the closed book back on the desk next to her, Sanako looked as if she had made up her mind, pressed the hem of her kimono, and stood up slowly...

……

"Lulu~lululu~lululu~"

Chiba Shigetaro hummed an extremely ugly tune, and walked swaggeringly in the corridor leading to his bedroom.

Unexpectedly, a shining breath suddenly came from the front.

"Huh? Sanako?"

Chiba Shigetaro looked at Sanako who was walking towards him in surprise.

"Why are you dressed up to go out? Where are you going?"

"Yeah. I'm going out...to do some shopping."

After hastily giving a brief explanation, Sanako passed by Chiba Shigetaro without any hesitation, and walked away...

……

……

Edo, Ryogoku Bridge——

"Wow! It's so lively!"

Elodie, with little stars shining in her eyes, scanned the prosperous scene in front of her like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

The fireworks display on the last day was still very lively... No, it was even more lively than the previous two days!

At least from Qingdeng's point of view, the density of tourists is much denser than yesterday and the day before yesterday.

"Elodie, grab my clothes and follow closely, be careful not to be squeezed away by the flow of people."

Qingdeng shook his left sleeve towards Elodie who was beside him.

Elodie, who understood, stretched out the thumb and index finger of her right hand, pinched Qingdeng's left sleeve tightly, and hid most of her delicate body in Qingdeng's shadow.

Qingdeng is like an icebreaker—playing the vanguard in the waves formed by countless people, and breaking the waves for Elodie.

"Oh—hey! Mr. Tachibana! This way!"

It was Harada's voice.

Following the sound - I saw that everyone gathered at the agreed meeting place, and the general manager, Harada, Kondo and others with bold temperaments waved their hands vigorously to Qingdeng and Ai Luodi.

"Sorry, everyone, for keeping you waiting for so long." Qing Deng quickened his pace a little, leading Alodie to join the guys smoothly.

"Hahaha, I didn't wait long!" Harada put his hands on his hips, laughed a few times, then looked at Ai Luodi with sideways eyes, "Mr. Orange, is this your little apprentice?"

"Meet you for the first time." Ai Luodi let go of Qingdeng's sleeves, folded her hands in front of her thighs, and politely bowed to Kondo and the others, "I am Mr. Ju's apprentice: Ai Lottie de Angoulême. Please advise me."

Faced with so many unfamiliar adults, some of whom have oppressive faces, not only does she not have the slightest stage fright, but she can also politely say hello and introduce herself... Elodie's disposition is really rare .

Qingdeng couldn't help feeling a little proud at the moment.

Although Elodie's politeness has nothing to do with me, it's all because of the good education she received since she was a child, and her good temper, but Qingdeng still couldn't help casting a triumphant look at Kondo and the others.

Do you see it?This is the message in the eyes of my apprentice—Qingdeng.

"Hello, little girl." Kondo smiled and bent down, and saluted Elodie, "We have met a few times in Renyitang. Although you may already know who I am, I still do it. A formal self-introduction. I am Isamu Kondo, the teacher of the test guard hall."

"I'm Hijikata Toshizo, the gatekeeper of the test guard hall."

"Saitoichi."

"I'm Harada Sanosuke!"

……

Everyone reported their names to Elodie one by one.

The last person to speak was the Chief Secretary.

"Hello ~ Elodie~" the director general smiled at Elodie and shook his hand, "Long time no see~"

"Ah, Mr. Okita!" Elodie happily hopped to the head of the chief who got along well with her, "Mr. Okita, it's been a long time since I saw you! How are you doing recently?"

"I've been living the same old life recently." The chief executive said with a smile, "eat, sleep, practice sword, and go round and round."

The first official meeting between Ai Luodi and Kondo and others... Both the process and the result can be called a success.

Just as the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person—what's more, this smiling person is still a young girl at an innocent age.

Elodie's generous, well-educated demeanor gave Kondo and his party a very good initial impression of this blond loli.

The atmosphere was very harmonious, which made Qing Deng very pleased.

"Good! Good!"

At this time, Harada, who was the organizer of the outing tonight, clapped his palms vigorously a few times.

"Since everyone is here, let's go quickly! There is still a long time before the fireworks show starts, so hurry up and see if there is anything delicious and fun around here!"

Harada's proposal was unanimously approved by everyone.

……

……

At this moment-

Edo, Ryogoku Bridge, somewhere——

"Miss Kinoshita, go slowly."

"Yeah! Goodbye, Mr. Jinshichi!"

Kinoshita Mai bowed nearly 90 degrees to Jin Qi in front of her, and then, under the watchful eyes of Jin Qi, she took the rodent removal tool she had successfully brought back and set foot on the way home.

Although I have tried my best to go to places with few people, but at this time and place, the so-called "places with few people" do not exist at all.

"The fireworks display tonight is still very lively..."

Kinoshita Mai glanced at the dense crowd around her, secretly speechless.

The noisy crowd in front of her made Kinoshita Wu couldn't help recalling the beautiful scenes of the night before when she and Qing Deng came here to play together.

A cheerful smirk gradually emerged on Kinoshita Mai's cheeks as the memories gradually unfolded.

——When there is another lively event like this, let's go play with Qingdeng again!

While Kinoshita Mai was happily thinking about it in her heart, she strode across the street corner in front of her.

Then... the moment she turned into the street on the left, the smirk on her face froze for a moment.

"Qing... Deng...?"

Kinoshita Wu stared dumbfounded at the front and at a certain stream of people in the distance... In this stream of people, there was a tall figure she was very familiar with.

It was Qingdeng who she had been thinking about just now.

With good eyesight, Kinoshita Mai clearly saw that Qing Deng was walking side by side with someone.

And that person... is Souji Okita.

Due to the angle of view, Mai Kinoshita only saw the chief executive who was walking beside Qingdeng, but didn't see Elodie who was also walking beside Qingdeng...

……

……

at the same time--

Edo, Ryogoku Bridge, somewhere——

"Thank you for your patronage! Welcome to visit us next time!"

After being personally sent off by the shop owner, Zuo Nazi strode out of the Wufu shop he had visited last night.

When he reached the place where the shop and the shop owner were far behind him, Sanako slowly slowed down until he stopped.

"What the hell am I doing..."

Sanako looked down at the thing in his arms, and sighed heavily.

In Sanako's arms, there was a blue bathrobe wrapped in good colored paper.

At this moment, Sanako's mood can be described as extremely complicated.

On the one hand, she felt very lucky-this bathrobe was not bought.

On the other hand, she felt so ashamed—why did I rush to buy this dress?I don't like wearing bathrobes!
"Forget it..." Zuo Nazi sighed again, "I bought it all... just treat it as a decoration and hang it in the closet..."

Although he said so... But Sanako's hands unconsciously hugged the new clothes tightly.

At this moment when Sanako was about to leave for home——

"what?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a light and shadow that she couldn't ignore at all...

Sanako hastily turned his head to look squarely at it.

Immediately afterwards, a look of astonishment climbed up her pupils and cheeks.

She saw Qingdeng...

To be more precise - I saw walking side by side with a girl who was wearing a bright yellow yukata and whose height may not reach my waist. Judging from the back, I felt that she was only 11 or 2 years old, talking and laughing Qingdeng.

Due to the angle of view, Zenazi only saw Elodi who was walking beside Qingdeng, but did not see the chief executive who was also walking beside Qingdeng...

*******
*******
In this book, the four girls are in the same frame for the first time~ Congratulations~~
Today's chapter has become a little longer, so ask for a monthly pass!
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