Now, however, she can't be a goof. Not even a hint of nostalgia can be revealed.

Liu Quan lowered her long eyelashes to hide the churning emotions in her eyes, and when she raised her gaze again a second later, there was only pure concern and unbearable feeling in her clear eyes. There was no hint of dodging or evasion in her expression as she looked at Hijikata, and her tone was very calm and natural.

"Seeing you suffer so much...... It's hard to imagine what a difficult and heroic journey you've had in the past...... Therefore, I want to help you a little, although it is rude, but it is also the right thing to do...... Right?"

However, her eloquent defense did not make Hijikata immediately let her guard down. Rather, after hearing her words, his brow furrowed even tighter.

“…… I don't think a washerwoman would say that. ”

There seemed to be a faint smile in his deep voice, but for a moment, Liu Quan felt a burst of horror, and a chill ran through his back!

That smiling tone was familiar to her. It was the tone that the deputy commander used to use to praise the opponent with a smile or two before making up his mind to make a move, so as to numb the opponent's will and alertness.

Liu Quan immediately spoke out to extinguish the fire.

"Because I'm not a washerwoman. Her voice was equally gentle and smiling, and her eyes looked at Hijikata with the right amount of calmness and standard, business-like gentleness.

"It was your people who brought me here...... Said to serve—or rather, entertain—a new great man," she said, quietly throwing out the news, secretly speculating whether Hijikata was aware of Saigo's arrival.

"However, I have been here for a few days and have not been able to get such an opportunity. But I thought, "In the face of a national disaster, even as a woman like this, I can't sit idly by...... But there's only so much I can do. A small favor for Sister Ajiu, it's just a gesture...... Is there something wrong?"

She said it in a high-sounding manner, and at the end she slapped a rake, throwing a rhetorical question at the earth.

Hijikata was a little stunned by her question for a while. But he was no longer the deputy chief who was often easily teased by her, and quickly got rid of that stunned, coughing and showing surprise.

"Entertain the new big guy?!...... You're, geisha?!"

Although Liu Quan didn't expect that the deputy chief's response speed had increased so much, she had already been mentally prepared. Hearing the deputy chief's rhetorical question, she smiled slightly.

"Although I may not look like this...... But you might be dressed up decently, right......?"

Saying such polite words, she suddenly remembered the past many years ago when she was exploring in Shimahara - she was dressed as a glamorous husband, and she was ashamed to talk about the topic of "Danna", in order to tell a decent lie that could deceive those veterans of Flower Street, and applied the image of the deputy chief to the non-existent "Danna-san", and was listened to by the deputy chief outside the door......

Now that I think about it, the brightly lit Shimahara that night, the smiling people, the lively corner houses and noisy streets, and the vivid faces of those friends...... It's like yesterday.

However, that was a long, long time ago. The companions who laughed in the lights of Shimahara back then, one by one, gradually dispersed in time. In the end—to this day, only the two of them were left, opposite each other and unable to recognize each other.

Is this a good story?

The companions scattered, the general and his brother passed away with grievances, and the ambitions, efforts and aspirations entrusted to him were easily pushed down by the shogun and the important ministers he relied on, like the once glorious Seven Treasures Tower collapsed into a pile of ruins; However, only in those eyes, there is still something like fire, which is an undying faith, an undefeated tenacity, an unyielding will-

Liu Quan paused, and a smile vaguely flowed in her eyes.

…… This person is still the person she admires, the person worth following. His path was still something she could not tread, but she sincerely respected. Such a person is a person who cannot be tormented or changed by time and circumstances...... Isn't it enough to go through a long time and still be in front of her?

"I'm helping out at the medical camp during the day. I've heard a lot about Mr. Naito......" she said slowly, with a cautious softness in her tone.

"So, when Ajiu said that I needed someone to come here to help, I agreed...... Maybe I'm a little anxious to see what Mr. Naito, who is so seriously admired and relied on by his peers and juniors, right?"

Earthwork: "Uh......"

Rarely, after she said the last sentence in this slightly mischievous tone, Hijikata's face instantly showed a look of embarrassment and shock because she was caught off guard.

However, he quickly concealed his astonishment, coughed lightly and put on a serious expression, completely as if "a weathered adult man feels a headache in the face of a willful young girl who does not know the height of the sky", as if he did not take her praise to heart at all, and whispered in a thick voice as if talking to himself: "Those guys ......! What the hell are they talking nonsense! This is nothing to boast about...... Still ...... in front of women"

Liu Quan couldn't help but feel a little like laughing. She felt that it shouldn't matter if she laughed now, so she didn't control her impulse and burst out laughing.

Earthwork:!?

He jerked his gaze up and glared at her a little annoyed.

Liu Quan knew that the deputy chief was generally not very good at deliberately controlling his feelings because he was a woman in front of him—his reaction in this regard was completely like a straight man of steel; in the past, in order to perform official duties, he spoke rudely to the shopkeepers and maids in those teahouses and small hotels, and even directly reprimanded the attitude of those women who covered up Sa Changlangren, and he did not waver or hesitate at all because "the other party is a woman". So today he would be so forthright in expressing his displeasure with her laughter, like-

It's as if he is already a stable and reliable mature man in the heat of the summer of the fifth year of Anzheng, and he looks stunned at her when she suddenly appears and gives out rice balls wrapped in flower cloth.

In her opinion, this is what makes him lovely.

…… It's a pity that I can't say it to my face, it's a ...... It's a pity.

So she took advantage of the aftermath of that chuckle and said, "I can be a person that everyone admires...... Mr. Naito must have something very remarkable. ”

Hijikata was stunned for a moment, as if the expression of staring at her was even more unkind - he had been such a person since before, and he was used to the nickname of "Deputy Chief of the Demons", and it seemed that the whole person had become stern and cold because of this, and even if he was praised, he looked uncomfortable, as if he could hide the warm side of his heart by responding to others with that attitude of blowing up and yelling.

Sure enough, he moved uncomfortably—and then subconsciously gasped again because he accidentally moved the injured leg again, causing Liu Quan to be instantly startled for two seconds—ignoring her expression, and replied stiffly, "...... There's nothing wrong with that. - It's not worth it for you to come out of your way to see it. ”

Liu Quan was slightly stunned, and looked at Hijikata as if he was resisting, and his tone became a little rough.

“…… As for the clothes, everyone is probably stacked in the corner over there. You go and take it. ”

Liu Quan looked at the back of his head, and for a few seconds he didn't move or speak.

Hijikata maintained that strange stubbornness, and though the half-turned sitting position was certainly uncomfortable, and probably didn't help his injured leg, he still turned his face away, as if he had made up his mind not to talk to her strange geisha anymore.

…… Where is the man who used to laugh and deal with the beautiful husband in Shimabara?

Liu Quan still remembered that the deputy chief at that time, in the face of Jun Ju's praise, he just calmly took a sip of wine, and replied with a smile, "You are really good at talking."

He was neither complacent at the praise of the beautiful lady, nor proud of the fact that his position could easily obtain such flattery, and at that time his companions who had fought together from that little country dojo to the present day were also there, laughing and drinking loudly—

Maybe it's not that that person is no longer there, but with the disappearance of the Shinsengumi, it's been properly stored and no longer appears in the world.

Yanagizumi couldn't help but squirm his lips and silently said the name behind Hijikata with his mouth.

【…… Mr. Hijikata】

But Hijikata was now facing away from her, and he couldn't have seen her face, or could have made out what she was saying from the subtle shape of her lips, barely changing much.

She peered at him from behind, almost greedily, the lines of the sides of his torso, the length of his hair cut so short, the long legs he had to stick out flat because of the pain, and the arc of his jaw that was still showing out after he had half passed his body.

After so many years, it was as if they were back to square one. He looked at her strangely, still stern and unapproachable, and showed nothing of the admiration she had shown—

Liu Quan looked at the back of the refusal, for some reason, the end of his nose was sour, but at the same time he pursed his lips, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

…… Mr. Hijikata, what about the piles of love letters that filled the desk of Mibu Village? How did you deal with it? Take out some of the chic energy of that time-

She sighed silently, and slowly walked away from the side of the earth, to the corner he had indicated, and sure enough, she saw a mess of dirty clothes.

She picked it up one by one, and as she tidied it up, she turned her back to the dirtikata who was sitting there, and said as if nothing had happened, "I think we'll meet again, Mr. Naito-"

Hijikata seemed to be silent behind her for a moment, and then said in a somewhat uncanny tone, "...... You're really idle?!As a geisha, don't you have anything else to do?!"

The tone was familiar to her—the deputy head of the Shinsengumi would have said the same—so Yanagizumi pursed her lips, smiled silently, tidied up the pile of dirty clothes, and neatly packed them, turned around with the big baggage, looked at Hijikata with a smile and said, "I'm a half-geisha." …… In this kind of war, I rushed out to make a living without honing my skills. If that's not the case, you don't have the guts to stay in a place where a battle is going to break out at any time, right?"

Hijikata seemed to be choked by her for a moment—the deputy chief seemed to have been at odds with such unusually frank and cheeky remarks from the past, and it was still the same now—he had a speechless look on his face, and he was silent for a moment before replying, "...... Aren't you afraid that your details will be leaked?!If anyone knows-"

Yanagizumi preemptively said, "But, Mr. Naito won't say it, will he?"

Hijikata showed a speechless look for a while, "How do you know that you won't ......" as if after rushing out of his mouth, he realized that this sentence seemed to be suspected of self-deprecation, and he changed his words in time.

“…… Ahem, I really won't. However, you shouldn't just be so rash as to put your trust in a stranger—"

Liu Quan smiled, turned around and walked to the door of the room with the big baggage, and then turned around. The twilight of the setting sun was behind her, making the backlight of her face hidden in a shadow, and the expression on her face was indistinguishable.

“…… Because I believe that Mr. Naito is a trustworthy person. It's okay to be so willful, right?" she replied with a smile.

Earthwork: "......"

He was so choked by this simple sentence that he didn't say anything for a long time, and just watched the strange-looking young girl slowly walk out of the room carrying the big burden full of dirty clothes.

Being favored by women seems to be a thing of the past. Over the years, he had deliberately avoided these troubles, and even in his secluded town, he had repeatedly refused the kindness of other well-meaning and troublesome townspeople to act as matchmakers for him, and only to this day did he feel a wave of trouble—

He didn't know what he was worthy of this young girl he didn't even know. Although he had experienced this experience of being admired—or rather, admired—by a geisha for the first time, he had only had to show the courage of the Oni's vice-chief and refuse mercilessly. But now, the added deterrent effect of the title "Oni Vice-Chief" must no longer be used, and yet he does not want to go this way in this kind of thing at all.

He felt that not only was the leg he had injured in the Battle of Utsunomiya years ago aching, but now even his head was starting to hurt.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

August 10:

I'm stuck in the whirlpool of current code again...... But I really feel that sometimes a lot of good brains can't emerge at a certain moment.

It really didn't go well a while ago, and the outline was changed several times

Now I feel like the inspiration is coming back to life

Because today is the thousandth chapter of this article!

The system number of 1000 is still worth celebratinghh

So it's a little fatter

In addition, I officially came to write about the rivalry between the deputy chief and the sister.,The fight of the first two days doesn't count.。

The deputy chief felt that the girl's face was very unfamiliar because the girl used the ultimate disguise technique to change her face hhh

Next update: tentatively scheduled for 0:00 tomorrow. If I don't finish it, I'll let you know w when the time comes

Thank you to the little angel who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~

Thanks to the little angels who threw [mines]: Sophia, Guiheshen, Immortal Limit, Meow Meow 1;

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [the nutrient solution]:

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!