Shannan's eyes flashed.

"That's right...... I did say that...... You've always been so stupid that you can't stand it......"

Liu Quan couldn't help but smile bitterly. The not-so-pleasant memories of the night before Shannan's departure for Sendai were completely revived in her mind at this moment.

But even if he said such fierce and cruel words, she still wouldn't hate him.

Because he is telling the truth. It's always been the truth.

Liu Quan bit his lower lip slightly, pursing his lips slightly, revealing a bitter smile.

"yes...... But even then, it's nostalgic. She replied softly and unexpectedly.

Shannan's eyes seemed to widen slightly in surprise for a moment. But he soon chuckled and said intermittently:

"I used to ...... I want to help you, because you're so stupid...... Desperate look......"

Liu Quan's eyes widened in astonishment, staring at Shannan's pale face as if he couldn't believe it.

"Perhaps...... I'm not fit to do this......" Shannan choked, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips, and his gaze drifted away through Liu Quan's face, as if he was watching some moment in his memory.

For some reason, seeing his expression, Liu Quan suddenly remembered the summer of Keio 2, that unforgettable summer festival. That night, when Kondo, with a sincere and enthusiastic smile, tried to encourage Hijikata and Yanagizumi to go to the festival again, Hijikata wanted to refuse.

At that time, it was Shannan who spoke with an incomprehensible smile on his face, forcing him to block a reason for his resignation.

[What kind of change has happened to Hijikata-kun's state of mind?]

[It's okay for me to take the place of Hijikata-kun, right?]

【A special event is being held at the shrine tonight.】 …… Only couples who are traveling together will be allowed to enter. 】

【…… So, what is it exactly? 】

The words that Shannan had said at that time resurfaced in Liu Quan's mind. His sudden speech was full of boldness, and he pressed Hijikata to hesitate and hesitate to finally not oppose Kondo's mention - Yamanan's intervention at that time was always strange at any rate, and she only today understands where that strange feeling came from.

"Mr. Shannan...... I ......" Liu Quan felt that he couldn't say a word.

…… Is it...... Mr. Shannan...... What did you say at the time...... Those cruel words, it turned out ...... That's what it means......

Ignoring such a silent mind for his own sake, Liu Quan felt a pang of guilt and unease. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and her face was full of apology and self-reproach.

Shannan chuckled softly, the five fingers of the right hand holding her clenched slightly.

"You don't have to say anything to me. He said lightly.

"Because what I want to know, it seems like it's all understood now. ”

For a moment, Liu Quan felt his heart pound heavily on his chest. And she couldn't even figure out where this love came from and why.

Hijikata, who was also kneeling on the ground, held Heisuke's hand in one hand and Shannan's hand in the other, and knelt silently beside Yanagizumi. He seemed to be gritting his teeth, enduring the pain of saying goodbye to his companions and friends who had fought side by side for many years. Regarding the conversation between Shannan and Liu Quan, he did not reveal the slightest trace of his feelings, as if he had not heard it at all.

Shannan's gaze swept over Hijikata's face, and finally to Liu Quan, who was kneeling beside him, his eyes full of tears. The expression on his face was calm and soft, as if he had never looked at her so seriously as before, staring deeply at her.

"I seem to ...... Never thanked you when you were in Osaka...... Saved me. Shannan's gaze rested gently and peacefully on Liu Quan's face, and in a quiet tone, he reminded him of the cruel day at the beginning.

"Snow Leaves...... Thank you. ”

"Mr. Sannan......"

Liu Quan was so sad that he could barely speak.

Could this be what she had been hoping for, a deeper bond with others?

Taking Shannan as an example, she watched his left wrist be seriously injured, watched him drink the water and turn into a rakshasa, and watched him change bit by bit in the passage of time, and it became more and more difficult to suppress the dark, paranoid, fierce, and bloodthirsty side of herself that belonged to the rakshasa......

Until now, she is going to watch him die with her own eyes and disappear from the world completely?!

Shannan smiled at her.

"It's always been ...... All thanks to your care and care. He said, with a softness and serenity in his tone that had not been seen for a long time.

"But not only did I not express my gratitude, but I even used to speak ill of you......"

He must be suffering a great amount of pain that ordinary people can't imagine at this moment. When he was talking to Hijikata just now, his voice was already intermittent. But now, as if he had regained his normal pace of speech, it was almost impossible to tell that he was a man of the end of his life, except for his pale countenance.

…… Could it be...... Back to light?!

Liu Quan didn't dare to think about it anymore, and he didn't know how to respond to his words, so he could only shake his head sadly.

"No...... Please don't say that...... Mr. Shannan ......"

Tears welled up weakly in his eyes.

"Mr. Shannan has always been someone I respect and value......"

Shannan suddenly smiled slightly, and the gaze that stared at her became calm and gentle.

“…… Thank you. It's a bit late to say that, but ......."

He breathed a sigh of relief. It is only at this time that I allow myself to reveal a little bit of the fragility and pain of the end of my life.

"To be able to see you at the end of my life...... And Hijikata-kun, able to ...... It's ...... to say goodbye to you Great......"

For some reason, this sentence hit Liu Quan's heart in an instant. Large tears scrambled out of her eyes, slid down her cheeks, and fell down the arc of her jaw, rolling down top of him.

"Mr. Shannan...... Mr. Shannan ......"

She couldn't say a word other than repeating his name. Her heart ached like it was about to burst, and the intense pain compressed her heart into tiny balls, making it difficult for her to breathe.

“…… Yes. ”

To her surprise, Shannan actually responded to her call softly. His face was as white as his hair, and a faint iron-gray slowly appeared between his brows—anyone who saw it would have felt that the owner of this face could not have lived any longer.

He smiled and stared at the weeping willow spring.

"In the end...... Please put my wakacha ...... Take it......" He said with difficulty, no longer having the strength to remove the little knife from his waist by himself, nor to look at it again as a gesture, he just stared at Liu Quan's tearful face, and his smile was quiet and peaceful.

"That year...... Aren't you mentioning yì...... Want to scrape together money...... I'll give you a ...... ...... is it?" he finally couldn't barely manage the growing pain that had risen from within him, and his words began to be staccato.

Liu Quan sighed, and suddenly remembered the incident that Shannan mentioned.

After the Ikedaya Incident and the Forbidden Gate Incident, the Aizu Domain and the Shogunate rewarded the Shinsengumi cadres and soldiers who participated in the operation with bounties of varying amounts. However, at that time, Hijikata was worried that if Liu Quan was too showy, there would be a danger that someone would find out about her identity as a woman, so he deliberately removed her name when submitting the award list.

Later, Harada said that the best thing to give to a girl was a cute and beautiful knick-knack such as a hairpin—just like what Shannan had given to Chizuru back then—but it was quickly vetoed by everyone, because of the team's affairs, it was impossible for Yanagizumi to restore women's clothes, and it was impossible to wear any hairpins.

Then Xinba incomprehensibly mentioned that everyone pooled money and partnered to give Liu Quan a wakicha as a thank you for her credit. Although Ryuzumi resolutely declined at the time, mentioning yì as a gift instead of cherry blossoms - later, she did receive a variety of Japanese sweets and small sweets as thank-you gifts, including cherry blossoms, konpeito, and other knick-knacks, but Shannan, who was present at the time of the discussion, really didn't give her anything.

At that time, Liu Quan still felt that this was also normal - Shannan injured his left wrist, he couldn't draw a knife, let alone go into battle, he didn't participate in these two operations, and naturally he didn't get a reward, so it was really normal not to join the group of guys who won the bounty to send sweets and snacks.

…… Only today did she know that he had always remembered the incident.

And,I'm going to leave my own threat to her as a farewell gift.。

Why didn't he choose to leave her with his sword? was it because the knife had broken in the past, and it was not a good omen or some pleasant memory for her to lead him to today's tragedy?

"I ......" she squirmed her lips, feeling as if there was a huge lump in her throat, and with each breath, every word she spoke, the lump slid up and down, rubbing against the soft flesh of her throat, and soon crushed it into a blur of flesh and pain.

She took out a free hand, slowly stretched out towards Shannan's waist, and gently pulled the small knife out of Shannan's belt with the scabbard and held it tightly in the palm of her hand.

The last time she touched this wakicha was the night she drank the water that turned into water in Shannan. At that time, Shannan grabbed her hand and tried to pull it out and ask her to kill herself who was crazy because of the poison of the water. Although she desperately refused to allow this to happen at the time, who knew that now, years later, it would finally be transferred from his hands to hers before his life was at the end of his life?

"I will always cherish ...... A gift from Mr. Yamanan. She finally squeezed out the words, and it felt like her voice was so dry that it didn't look like it had come out of herself.

Shannan's frowning brow from pain slowly relaxed.

"Thank you. He said this very simply.

“…… Thank you...... It has always been ...... Firmly believe that I am ...... Good guy ......"

Tears choked up Willow Spring's throat.