"We pursue the beliefs we are supposed to uphold, and none of them have anything to do with others. Maybe one day in the future people will say that there is nothing to regret even if the old era of Shinsengumi selection is over, and it is a pity that Shinsengumi chose the wrong direction...... But one day, people will say, "Ah, the Shinsengumi are truly admirable samurai who fight to the end for their faith and their way of life." ”

"There will come a time when people will no longer care who is right and who is wrong. At that time, only faith and spirit will be handed down forever...... At that time, the sparkle of the Shinsengumi will be remembered forever. ”

Hijikata stared at her in surprise.

After a long time, he suddenly laughed slowly.

A silent smile broke into his face, which was also a little haggard, softening the lines that had been sternly taut since the beginning of the war.

"You're always saying things like that. ”

He whispered softly.

"Until now, when my life is almost over...... Still saying such stubborn words. ”

"Even my strength is gone, but I still struggle desperately to get up, trying to follow me forward. You want to push me to keep trying......"

"I don't want to lose anything about you like this. ”

He caressed her face stained with dust and blood, and was bloodied by the sand and gravel on the ground as she fell from her horse. His touch was gentle and melancholy.

"Probably...... I'm really in love with you. ”

"So, you will always be by my side from now on. ...... You have to give me such an awareness!"

Liu Quan felt a sharp tingling in his heart for a moment.

No, that's not the pain of an injury.

It was the pain of extreme, unbelievable, desperate ecstasy that reminded her of the long, hard, and dark journey she had traveled to finally get here, and that this sacrifice was not worthless, and that the goal she had pursued had finally been rewarded in this moment.

Kiyohara Yukiba, even if he was seriously injured and almost killed, even if he almost repeated the cruel and tragic historical facts, even if he had to give up being a human at the cost of becoming a Rakshasa in exchange for his survival-

You, too, still won.

In the end, it won.

Large tears unconsciously welled up in her eyes and flowed freely on her face.

"Mr. Hijikata......" Her voice trembled so hard that it was hard to hear.

"Ahh He replied softly, and cautiously took her into his arms, found a tree, and sat down with his back to the trunk of the tree, and let her rest in his arms.

I don't know how long it took, but under the double torture of losing a lot of blood and then drinking water and turning into a rakshasa, her body had become very weak and tired, and when she was about to fall asleep, she seemed to hear Hijikata whispering to herself in a trance.

"Kondo-kun...... Did you let me leave the Golden Mansion and escape alone because you wanted me to survive? ”

“...... Did you also ask her to take care of me at that time because you wanted me to live—and you did it willingly—to do so......?"

"yes, it's useless for me to break into Bentendaiba alone now...... The soldiers who came with me must have been scattered everywhere by now......"

It was as if he was convincing himself, as if he was just talking to himself, expressing his feelings that had been suppressed since the Battle of Toba Fushimi.

"We ...... It's finally come to this day. ”

"Kondo-kun...... The Shinsengumi, which you and I have worked so hard to build, will soon disappear. ”

"Looking back now, the previous qiē was like a dream...... Whether it's the Tester Hall or Mibu Village...... At that time, life was very hard, and not many people recognized us, but everyone was there, and they all believed that our common goal would be achieved, and that the Ronin group we formed would definitely become a guidepost of admiration and faith for true samurai——"

Then, everyone slowly dispersed along the way...... Gen-san, Yamanan-kun, Heisuke, Soji, Shinhachi, Harada, Saito, and you......"

There was a hint of hoarseness in his tired voice.

As he pronounced out the warm, remembrable and caring names one by one, he seemed to be immersed in their youthful youth again for a moment.

At this moment, he didn't seem to be sitting in the woods leading to the Bentendaiba with the sound of cannons, but on the old and mottled corridor of the Trial Guard Hall, looking at the soji, Heisuke, and Shinpachi who were playing in the courtyard, at Harada, who was sitting leisurely on the steps and smiling, and at Saito, who was standing by with a stern face and pressing his own sword, and occasionally commented on things like "Heisuke, you are unsteady on your feet, be careful!" or "Soji, your move is too risky!...... Gen-san was busy in the kitchen, Shannan sat in the hall and wrote calculations, and then Kondo would walk in from the direction of the gate with a heroic laugh, and happily walked up to him and put down a small oil-paper bag, beckoning everyone, "Hey, I brought you dumplings back today! Let's all come and eat!"

On the road to chasing dreams and becoming samurai, when did everyone slowly disappear from their side?

The setting sun struggled to give its last glare of light, the evening breeze whistling through the treetops, and among the foliage, a beam of orange-red light suddenly shone through the gap in the leaves, and cast on Tukata's face, forcing him to squint.

In a trance, he sat under the porch as if he were in the Shimabara corner house at night, listening to everyone's laughter coming from the room behind him—Shinpachi was shouting, "Come, Zuozhi, come and do that, belly button dance!", Heisuke shouted, "Sister, get pen and ink! Without this, it wouldn't look like you're drinking with Sayuki!", the head secretary clapped his hands and laughed, only Saito could still maintain a calm and steady attitude, and drank slowly and quietly—and she sat next to him, and said in a gentle and serious tone" While you are alive, you must strive for what you want most well, so that even if you die tomorrow, you will not have any regrets."

Hijikata tilted his face slightly, closed his eyes, felt the burning sensation of the setting sun falling on his face, and exhaled a long breath.

“...... Maybe I've been dreaming a long, happy dream. He said softly to himself.

It's only been a little over two years since the night when everyone went to Shimabara to celebrate Harada's Juban Group's success in protecting the Zakuza erected next to the Sanjo Bridge.

But it's been like a lifetime.

The people who laughed with him and drank the expensive wine with him that night in Shimabara are still left alone today.

Everyone left one by one, and disappeared one by one......

In the end, it was finally his turn.

If she hadn't come here pretending to be him, he would have been the one who was forced to drink the water to survive today.

After being abandoned, calculated, and sacrificed again and again by the shogun and the high-ranking people of the shogunate, it is now the turn of this new country that he has built with his own hands......

This new country is going to abandon him and sacrifice him, isn't it?

In this turbulent and unreasonable era, where else can I stand as a samurai......

No, there is no place like that anymore.

He slowly opened his eyes, then supported her body, and the two of them slowly stood up together.

Even with the power of water, she still staggered a little when she stood up, looking at him inexplicably, and the coat she wore was exactly like his, stained with dust and blood.

He finally made up his mind, and with a wave of his hand he swept her dirty coat to the ground, and then took off his coat with one hand and draped it over her.

“...... So be it. He said in a deep voice.

"Leave this coat here...... Let those who have a heart wonder if they have gotten the results they wanted......"

Every word he uttered was laborious, and his face was dark.

"Wulengguo is not safe anymore...... So where are we going next? ”

He said with a slight bitterness and self-deprecation.

“...... I also want to witness the end of everyone's dream. ”

He muttered softly to himself.

"Replace everyone's footsteps to the end of your self...... It seems that the road under your feet can only go here......"

He tilted his head slightly, heading in the direction of a sunset in the western sky. For a moment, that awe-inspiring and lonely posture seemed to coincide with Liu Quan's memory of him standing on the small hillside on the outskirts of Liushan.

"Kondo-kun, I've really done my best......" he said with a sigh in the direction of the setting sun.

"Have I continued your beliefs well, have I inherited your ambitions, and passed on everyone's dreams well-"

"Even if we are bound to be accused of being framed as thieves by the Imperial Court's Chief Sacho, will there be people in the future who will affirm the faith and morality of the Shinsengumi, affirm our dreams, and regard us as truly respectable samurai? ”

“...... I also want to testify to the answers to these questions. I always feel that I should get a definite answer before I can meet you in a dignified manner. ”

His arms wrapped around her shoulders, and then braced her body with a slight force, as if he had finally come to a final conclusion.

"Let's go, Yukiba. ”

"Come with me to the end and see how far the faith of the Shinsengumi can go. ”