When they marched through the vicinity of Hino, Kondo, Hijikata, Shinpachi, Harada, and others were warmly welcomed by the local people in their hometown of Tama.

I heard that not long ago, the Shogun had officially canonized Kondo and Hijikata, and that Kondo was given the title of "Wakanian Yokata", which was considered a lowly daimyo, and that Hijikata's official name was "Yogashi Ge", which was considered a superior flag book -- and it was indeed as Okita said when he mocked him that day, and he became the master of Hagimoto.

The villagers of Tama were very enthusiastic, and when they saw Kondo and Hijikata, they did not have the reverence and fear of the Shinsengumi and the complicated feelings of the residents of Kyoto - they simply thought that the lord of the poor dojo in the countryside of Tama and the son of a medicine merchant had made a name for himself in the capital, and now he had become the lord of Hachimoto, which was a great joy, and it could be described as the light of Tama, so a grand banquet was arranged in the evening to celebrate.

The atmosphere was so lively that it almost topped the roof of the hall. Everyone stood up and danced while shouting the slogan "Shinsengumi, Neon First!", which was funny and warm and funny, making Liu Quan, who was present with his attendants, almost burst into laughter.

Of course, Kondo was very moved by this scene. He grinned, stepped down from the chief and joined the dancing group, dancing and shaking together.

Since the position reported was "the acting leader of the Ichiban Group of the Shinsengumi", Yanagizumi's seat was next to the earthwork. Shinhachi and Harada were seated under Kondo on the other side, and the two of them frowned at Yanagizumi across the aisle and made a gesture to come over to toast.

Liu Quan glared at them fiercely, sandwiched a chopstick sushi, carefully avoided two or three enthusiastic neighbors who came to toast her, and just wanted to see if the deputy chief was also in the mood to have fun with the people, when he saw that the Hijikata side was also surrounded by several neighbors who came forward to toast.

Hijikata had been drinking quietly until now—yes, Ryuzumi had noticed that he seemed to drink more than he had eaten, and the expression on his face was a little tense, as if to say, "This is not the time to have peace and enjoy yourself in the midst of the Great War!" - but now he was very happy to see his neighbors who he had known before.

They drank two glasses of wine and chatted about what they had seen and heard, and some talked about what their former acquaintances were doing now after Kondo and Hijikata left Tama.

"Mr. Hijikata, you are the pride of Tama!"

A middle-aged man said with a gleam on his face.

Hijikata's face seemed to have a smile on his face because of such a straightforward love and praise.

"Speaking of which, the Shogun has given Kondo-kun and me new names. Kondo-kun is now called Tsuyoshi Okubo, and I'm now called Hayato Naito-Falato, but it's the name of a brave man that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Hijikata family. ”

Another slightly older man asked in surprise, "Naito?!...... Ah, I heard that if you want to become the master of Qimoto, the general will give you a new name, and your identity is different......"

The middle-aged man who had praised Hijikata earlier waved his hand and smiled as if he didn't care.

"Oops...... It's a hard name to remember. The name of the noble lord is really unusual! Here we will still call you Mr. Hijikata, the Hijikata family has produced a handsome talent like you, it is really unthinkable before......"

The people on the side enthusiastically agreed.

"We've gathered the people around here, too, and want to come with you. The people here in Tama want to do their best to help you. ”

"We've all figured out the name, let's call it - Team Kasuga!"

"It's going to come in handy! We're going to do our best!"

"Because it's for the pride of our Tama!Mr. Kondo and Mr. Hijikata!"

As if he had been infected by the simple and straightforward enthusiasm of his neighbors, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you very much! Let's fight side by side." ”

With permission from the earthwork, everyone cheered up, and there was a noise from ear to ear.

Then the topic gets even more cluttered.

"The kid at the grocery store at the end of the street also said he was coming to join our Kasuga team!

"Zhou Zhujun really raised a good son! The trial hall will become the first neon dojo in the future! Because it is Kondo's dojo!"

"Ahh

Hijikata slammed the hand that was about to drink with a wine glass.

Liu Quan: ?!

The middle-aged man who broke out the gossip probably drank too much, and said as if he was a little slurred: "It's true~ Married to Tama second to none rich family......"

It seems that seeing that Hijikata is not fried, the others also laugh and tease because they are a little drunk.

"Isn't that a bit of a pity? Mr. Hijikata?"

Willow Springs: ......!!!

"It would have been nice if I had agreed to come down on a blind date back then...... Isn't Aqin the premier beauty here in Tama...... It's no wonder that at this age, you can still marry into that kind of rich family......"

Everyone was talking nonsense.

Hijikata snorted suddenly.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter. He said lightly, taking a sip of his wine.

Willow Springs: ...... There is definitely a situation, this is!!What kind of world is this world?!The malicious index of the player, this is a big deal?!System bacteria, if you continue like this, the boat of our friendship will also capsize!!Why did I just push out a thousand cranes, and now there is another Aqin on the road?!

Everyone was still laughing.

"Mr. Hijikata is a man who does great things...... If he had stayed here and married Ah Qin back then, then there would be no such flag master now...... "Finally, someone felt the low pressure floating faintly above the head of the earth and came out to play a round."

Willow Springs: ...... Very good, I don't need an explanation of the system bacteria now, and I can guess what kind of dog blood terrier this is. Thank you to these passerby NPCs who come with a background event narration function!

Hijikata smiled faintly and suddenly stood up.

"It's a bit uncomfortable to drink too much, so I go out to breathe. He said this perfunctorily, and walked straight down the hall around the small table and the blinding group of neighbors.

Willow Springs: ...... Ahh It seems that this is one of the world's malices that are not friendly to players. After all, it sounds like the heroine of the incident was the one who was rejected by the deputy chief, and now she has become a woman, and the deputy chief doesn't have the special habit of climbing other people's walls, so this woman's name should be crossed out from the player's special alert list.

After sitting in the hall for about a few minutes, Liu Quan jerked away the small table in front of him and stood up.

...... No, I always think it's okay to mind! I have to go out and have a look, and I have to paraphrase the deputy chief's words!

However, after stepping into the courtyard, Liu Quan was attracted by the night sky tonight.

For some reason, I feel that the night sky here seems particularly high and clear, with a bright moon hanging high in a corner, and a gentle clear light sprinkled all over the small courtyard. The smell of grass was faintly wafting in the air.

...... It's the last quiet and beautiful night.

For a moment, Liu Quan remembered the scene, very strangely, it was actually a long, long time ago, when he first came to this game, in order to brush up the value, he practiced hard every night on that secluded private tennis court.

At that time, I was always under such a high night sky, with a clear moon overhead, and I was often the only one sweating in that tennis court, and the tennis balls hitting all over the court made a monotonous and regular thumping sound.

Of course, later, in that stadium, the plot/event will also be triggered. For example, [Tezuka's Special Training] or [Trace's Teaching] or something like that--because thinking of this, a soft smile involuntarily appeared on the corners of Yanagizumi's lips.

It's really nostalgic...... Those teenagers who ran towards the pinnacle of tennis in those years?

That kind of encounter will warm the heart no matter when or where you think about it, right?

Especially now that we are facing the killing battlefield after tomorrow and a series of life and death, I feel even more that kind of encounter and that kind of friendship, how beautiful it is.

What are they doing now? Have you fulfilled your dream of going to the highest peak of tennis, and are you trying your best to win in the four Grand Slam tournaments?

Although we will never be under the same sky again, perhaps we have also looked up at the same time and quietly the night sky and the bright moon together.

In this way, it is already good. Knowing that the world you live in will go on forever, and that you will always pursue your dreams in that peaceful and beautiful world, you will feel as if you have been healed.

Liu Quan looked up at the night sky, the corners of his lips slightly hooked, revealing a warm and nostalgic smile.

One day, this qiē will be a thing of the past. Even the stars and the moon are the same as the quiet night we see. However, what remains unchanged is the years we have walked together, whether it is sadness, hardship, or happiness, they are all the journeys we have experienced by burning our lives vigorously.

It's the best journey.

"Tezuka-kun......" she said unconsciously, "what if...... What if you're facing a formidable and invincible opponent?"

Repeating this question from the past, she didn't want to seek any special answer from that familiar voice in the void, it sounded more like a sigh.

Then she stood in the courtyard and looked up at the night sky, not moving for a long time.

...... Until she seemed to hear a woman's voice from behind a small door in the corner of the courtyard.

"I know you've gone back to Tama. ”

"And yet...... But you've become a bad person!"

Liu Quan's attention was instantly attracted.

...... Back to Tama?!

She suddenly reflexively looked back at the brightly lit hall that was still feasting.

Kondo's laughter and out-of-tune singing are faintly heard. Probably still dancing with the neighbors who haven't seen each other for a long time.

Don't...... Is it Shinhachi or Harada?!

However, when she came out to breathe, Shinhachi and Harada were still drinking and chatting in the hall.

...... Of the people who returned to Tama, there was only one person who was not there.

An impulse surged in an instant, and Willow Springs, creeping down the small door.

The small door was actually two thin planks of wood, which looked more like it was designed to separate the two courtyards, and had no actual function. Therefore, the closer the voice of the woman behind the door came to the door, the clearer it could be heard.

"I've heard it all. The woman's voice spoke, her tone becoming more and more agitated.

"What the hell have you Shinsengumi done in the capital? At first, the companions who left Tama together, and later joined your companions...... It's all been eliminated for one reason or another! Kill if you say you're going to kill it, and you don't ......talk about it at all."

The woman's voice trembled.

"Companion-to-peer...... Is that what should be done to kill each other?!" her voice was filled with tears. Then, as if she suddenly felt ridiculously excited, she burst out laughing with tears in her eyes.

“...... But yes, it's not surprising. Because that's the kind of person you are...... At the beginning, it was the same way, just leave, and didn't talk about it at all...... The marriage contract was also dissolved casually......"

Engagement?!

This keyword was like a cannonball, and it hit Willow Spring's Heavenly Spirit Gai with a thud.

However, the woman who threw out the explosive lines continued.

"That's what everybody says...... If only the Shinsengumi had worked harder, then the Shogun wouldn't have ended up where he is today!"

Liu Quan decided that he couldn't listen to it anymore.

She pushed the small door lightly. The old wooden door creaked.

She clasped her hands and walked out from behind the door where she was hiding.

"It's like you've heard something amazing......" she said, not trying to hide her feminine voice.

The two men in the courtyard over there turned in the direction of her voice for a moment.

Sure enough, it was the deputy chief and a young woman.

...... No, although she is a young woman, she definitely looks a few years older than Yanagizumi, but is closer to the age of Hijikata.

Since she was observant of her rival in love, of course Liu Quan would mobilize her stats (?) to the highest limit to devote herself - she quickly saw that when the young woman turned around, there was still a love and hate hidden in her eyes that she had no time to retract.

As a result, Liu Quan felt that his anger gauge had a tendency to be filled in an instant. Although she knew that this was not the right behavior, it was difficult to control her knee-jerk reaction.

So she smiled even brighter. And completely put away that skill of disguising a man - no, it was rather that she deliberately exposed her feminine side to the young woman who accused the deputy chief.

"It's funny...... This eldest sister, do you think that Mr. Kondo has become an old man, or Mr. Hijikata has become a daimyo?" she asked with a smile, her voice sweet.

"You expect Mr. Kondo and Mr. Hijikata to do something that the lord of the Aizu and Kuwana domains can't stop, but you expect Mr. Kondo and Mr. Hijikata to do it?!

Hijikata's face changed.