Liu Quan was originally wearing a men's dress, so the set that Big Bird specially prepared for her could be saved.

After arriving at Goryokaku, Otori said that he would hold a celebration that night.

"I can't help it...... The foreign consuls, as well as the local merchants and nobles who support us, should always have a good time. He said with a wry smile.

"But as an army officer, Hijikata-kun locked himself in his room and refused to come out to the banquet......"

Hearing this, Liu Quan just blinked.

"Oh, that's nerve-wracking. I was still thinking of a better appearance?"

Hearing this half-joking remark, Otori seemed to be relieved, and asked with a smile, "What kind of plan is it?"

Liu Quan's gaze drifted away for a moment, as if he had briefly fallen into a memory.

"For example...... Like pretending to be Shimahara's popular husband or something?"

The big bird looked sturdy and was taken aback.

This kind of person who becomes very serious when doing important things must have been short-circuited by her sudden words.

Liu Quan's eyes flashed over the many things that had happened that night, and the people she had seen—

Okita who dragged his body, which had already buried a huge hidden worry like tuberculosis, and was the first to draw a knife and rush into Kakuya, Saito and Yamazaki who acted seriously according to Hijikata's orders and pretended to be Kakuya's bodyguards who had been ambushed in Hanaya for several days, Heisuke and Shinpachi who came to clean up the mess but were so frightened by her appearance that their eyes were about to stare at her, Harada, who praised her with a comfortable expression, and Sannan who quietly appeared in the shadows outside the Kakuya door and quietly left......

Also, standing in front of Chizuru, standing at the gate of Shimabara, and saying loudly, "I take care of this woman, if you have any opinions, you can always let the horse come to me at the tunsho!"

At that time, at the door of the corner house, the room behind it was full of unscrupulous ronin...... What did he say to her?

[She has the skills to deal with those things on her own.] 】

...... Just rushed to this sentence, and she wouldn't let him go lightly.

Thinking so, Liu Quan stopped outside the door of Hijikata's room, and suddenly curled the corners of her lips at the big bird who was kind enough to guide her.

...... Just take a good look, the Otori Army. Kiyohara Yukiha, the acting leader of the Ichiban Group of the Shinsengumi, is about to appear in battle. And, never take half a step back until you have a final victory.

Then, she reached out and knocked on the door.

A familiar voice came from behind the door almost immediately.

“...... I won't be there. Now is not the time to rejoice. ”

After a few months, the moment he heard this voice again, Liu Quan never thought that his eyes would immediately moisten.

...... No, Deputy Chief. You probably don't know that even though the shadow of death still looms over the road, and even if the Shinsengumi, which you and I have worked so hard to protect, will soon disappear, now is the time for me to rejoice.

She held back the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes, sniffed, and said loudly:

"Kiyohara Yukiha, the acting leader of the Ichiban Group of the Shinsengumi, is coming to join the stream!"

The big bird, who was sneaking away, paused when he heard the footsteps, turned around, and quietly rolled his eyes towards the willow spring at the door.

The meaning in that look is obvious, that is, "Ah, you clearly said that you didn't come here in this capacity, why do you still want to use this identity now, what position do you plan to use to stay here?"

Liu Quan seemed to have a bamboo in his chest, and winked at him with a smile.

There was a moment of silence behind the door. Then the next second, the door slammed open from the inside.

Hijikata is standing there.

The moment he saw Liu Quan standing outside the door, his eyes widened and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

No, that expression is not so much "unbelievable" as "like an electric death". The deputy chief showed a shocked expression as if he had been struck by thunder, his eyes widened, and his mouth unconsciously opened a little wider, and the moment his eyes fell on Liu Quan's face, he even subconsciously let out a "Ah......" sound in his throat - for a moment, Liu Quan suddenly had a strange illusion: that expression was like a child who suddenly saw the legendary Great Demon King descend in front of him without warning?

...... Oh, it's really worth the price to see the deputy head of the Shinsengumi Oni, who has always been stern and calm, as if he was so powerful and confident no matter what happened, with such a clumsy and surprised expression?

Liu Quan thought so, then looked at the earth, and slowly showed a smile.

"You...... What are you doing here?!"

Sure enough, this is what Hijikata's first sentence was.

Liu Quan bet on the correct answer, but she didn't feel very happy at all.

She blinked and replied innocently, "I just said that." ...... As a member of the Shinsen-team, you should come to join the current?"

"I ...... Didn't I let you go already!" Hijikata seemed to finally realize that it was indeed the living Kiyohara Yukiha himself standing in front of him, and he became angry.

"Do you want to disobey the Director's orders?!"

Liu Quan looked at him with a smile, not angry at all.

"Director, according to the law of the bureau, you have to cut your stomach if you leave the team?" she said with a smile, "I said that when we went to the summer festival that year, I didn't want to cut my stomach, no matter what?"

Hijikata was slightly stunned.

I don't know if it's because she mentioned the gentle summer day of Keio 2 - that, the beautiful summer when everyone finally got together - but in short, the expression on his face slowly changed. Finally, he whispered, "...... Won't let you seppuku for this kind of thing. ”

Willow Springs stared at him, and many memories came back to their minds in an instant. She nodded lightly and asked, "Can I go in then?"

Hijikata was silent for a moment, then suddenly let go of the door's handle, turned and walked back into the room.

Liu Quan followed him into the room and closed the door softly.

The next thing is probably a bitter battle over whether she will stay or not. She didn't want to stand in the hallway for a public exhibition.

Even if she was finally able to enter the house, the face of the deputy head of the Shinsengumi was ugly.

"Let me ask again, what are you doing here?!" Hijikata's tone was **.

Liu Quan decided to start with a rough approach.

She took out the letter of appointment that Big Bird had given her, flattened it, and slapped it on Hijikata's chest with a thud.

This was actually their first active physical contact without any special reason, although there was still a thin piece of paper in the middle, but when Liu Quan's palm and fingertips touched Hijikata's chest almost at the same time, he could still feel his body tremble slightly.

"I received a personnel order. She said aloud with a sense of confidence.

"I received a letter of appointment from the Otori Army, and from today on, I officially became a small surname of the Turkish Army. ”

When he heard the word "small surname", Hijikata's eyes widened for a moment. Immediately, with a hint of suspicion, he impatiently grabbed the letter of appointment from his chest and hurriedly unfolded it in front of his eyes. When he saw the words written on it, "The Kiyohara Yukiha clan is hereby appointed as the junior surname of the Ezo Republic Army and the Hijikata Suizo clan", his face immediately became extremely ugly.

“...... This must be a mistake. I did not receive such a notification. He said reluctantly, in a calm tone that suppressed anger.

Liu Quan raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a calm expression, the expression on her face simply indicating her refusal to obey.

In the next second, Hijikata's anger completely erupted.

"How could he give such an order without first asking my opinion...... I will never accept this letter of appointment!"

The earthwork roared.

But standing in front of him was no ordinary woman. It's a member of the Shinsengumi who has been tempered by the anger of the deputy chief of the demon for many years.

"Not accepted?!...... I know. ”

Liu Quan casually took the letter of appointment thrown by the earth, tore it to pieces neatly, and threw it up in a very chic manner. Suddenly, the fragments of the letter of appointment fell to the ground one after another - hey, it's shameful to be handsome, player?!

Hijikata stared at her movements in amazement, as if he couldn't believe that this woman had gone all the way to this place, and had colluded with Otori to help, but he was willing to let go because of his roar.

“...... What are you doing here?" his voice was filled with disbelief.

Ryuzumi smiled good-naturedly at Hijikata.

"It's okay if you don't accept the power of attorney. Speaking of which...... It is indeed wrong for me to try to use this false thing to force you to accept the reality that I am here. ”

Her smile faded and her expression became more genuine and frank.

“...... But the mood I desperately wanted to stay in was not the slightest bit false. ”

"I want to stay by Mr. Hijikata's side until the end. ”

Hijikata turned his face away as if he was evading.

"The generals who pushed their subordinates to death were still served, indulged in their own luxury, and lived a leisurely life...... How could I be such a selfish person?!" he said in a bitter tone.

Willow Springs, calmly, still stared directly at his evasive side face.

"Therefore...... Are you going to alienate me?"

Hijikata did not answer.

"What do you say to push to death...... What a wayward statement. Besides, I'm alive now, standing here well, and I'm not going to die right away. Her voice was clear and clear, like a light piercing through the night.

“...... The little surname is not a subordinate!" Hijikata yelled angrily.

"That's just a title. Just as you are now the Tsuchikata Army of the Ezo Republic, you will always be the Deputy Commander of the Shinsengumi. Liu Quan remained unmoved in the face of his chaotic anger.

Hijikata fell silent with an embarrassed expression.

Liu Quan quietly took another step forward.

"You're going to bear all the pain alone, aren't you?" she said, staring at Hijikata's face, her tone serene.

Hijikata finally turned his face to stare at her again. He frowned in displeasure and said impatiently, "...... It's my responsibility. ”

"I don't remember that the bureau's law stipulates that as a deputy chief, you have to bear all the pain alone. Liu Quan did not give in.

Hijikata lost his cool again and became angry.

"Since it's a problem that I can solve on my own, then I can bear all the hard work alone!

“...... Please, just do it!" Liu Quan suddenly shouted, the smile on his face that had been calm finally disintegrating.