In the face of the sudden appearance of Willow Spring, and the strange-sounding reasons she had given, Saito seemed to have finished his deliberate thinking after a long silence.

He raised his head again, looked solemnly at Liu Quan, and finally spoke.

"Xue Ye-kun did something wrong. ”

"While I have no right to blame you for your motives for joining Shinsengumi in the first place, it would be inappropriate to choose to hide everything for so long, especially from Mr. Hijikata. ”

"I can see your true feelings in your actions and beliefs in defending the Shinsengumi all along. In addition, if you maintain the feelings of Mr. Hijikata, there may be no one in this world who can compare to you, not even me. ”

"I can understand your fear that you'll be expelled from the Shinsengumi or dealt with according to the rules of the bureau after you confess everything. You're probably not afraid of being punished, but you're afraid of losing your ability to stay in Shinsengumi."

Sighing softly, he stared deeply into Willow Spring's face without reservation, as if to keep looking into the deepest part of her eyes.

"But, haven't you considered Mr. Hijikata's feelings, if it weren't for the fact that you chose to hide it to the end, why didn't he keep you when you left?"

"Mr. Hijikata must be in more pain than anyone else right now. It's always been like this.,He's used to taking on everything related to the Shinsengumi.,The people around him.,And this time,It's Yukiba-kun who brings him pain.。 Then the pain in his heart will be doubled."

Sure enough, it's still the same little one from before. When it comes to people he cares about, he unexpectedly becomes attentive, perceptive, and talkative, and every word he says is to the point.

Such a gentleman made Liu Quan feel a trace of nostalgia at the same time, and at the same time feel a pain because of the words he said frankly.

I actually understand all these things

However, I have lost the right to beg him for forgiveness and stay by his side

She saw Saito's eyes widen slightly in front of her, and then she realized that she had just unconsciously spoken her thoughts.

She felt ashamed and couldn't look directly into Saito's eyes, which were still clear and clear. She hung her head, a slight shudder running through the back of her clenched fist.

Then, she heard Saito sigh softly above her head.

"Since you don't have a place to go for a while, please stay. ”

Liu Quan was so shocked for a moment that he couldn't believe his ears. She raised her head suddenly, only to see Saito's face become solemn and solemn.

"Stay with me for now. In the future, we will always think of a way"

Think of a way to untie this dead knot. I thought of a way to get Mr. Hijikata's understanding. Think of a way to solve it all.

In his eyes, Liu Quan read such an unfinished subtext.

A feeling of guilt mixed with gratitude to him, and the emotion of his choice to trust and tolerate her, rose in Liu Quan's heart.

"Yijun. She whispered his name, and when she looked at his calm, steady, and composed face as before, a strange thought suddenly came to mind.

It's hard to imagine that Ichijun, who has always been so reliable, is four years younger than "himself" and "Kiyohara Yukiba" in the setting.

His momentum and composure have never had anything to do with age.

When she faced the dark situation of the end of her life again, she was an important member of the Shinsengumi and saved her.

"Thank you. She whispered.

The life left in Gonohe Town, Dounan, was as poor as expected. However, it temporarily gained a long-forgotten stability.

The Aizu Domain, which had 280,000 stone feudal households before the war, has now become a 30,000 stone fighting southern domain that had to start over in such a barren land.

Yamakawa Daizo, the former governor of Aizu Castle, once again assumed the role of leader, a young man who Yanagizumi was not familiar with before, and whose name he had only heard occasionally, but who now showed incredible tenacity and hard work, leading the Aizu warriors to continue the struggle to continue the fire of the Aizu Domain in the bitterly cold wilderness of the northern country.

Saito's allotted residence was almost a wooden hut and he lived with four other Aizu clans. The house was cramped, and it was still very cold in winter, and it took a lot of effort to renovate and renovate after the arrival of Willow Spring, and it was barely able to get rid of the dilemma of leaking air everywhere.

Saito seems to have been wounded in the final battle of Aizu, and he was not well cared for when he was captured afterwards, and his recovery from his injuries was not satisfactory, and he still seems to be in a slow recovery period, although he refuses to admit it, nor does he reveal the slightest bit of the pain caused to him in front of others.

Now that the new government has eliminated the last resistance to the Republic of Ezo, it is not appropriate to talk openly about how Yanagizumi and Saito met and became acquainted with each other before. Although Liu Quan is still dressed as a man, she no longer uses other subtle makeup techniques to hide her feminine features, so the neighbors seem to see her true face as a woman.

Soon there was concern about the identity and origin of the young woman who was temporarily living in Saito's house. What's worse is that the first time he was questioned with such concern, Yanagiquan felt that he should be a guest, so he turned his eyes to Saito and waited for him to explain.

The neighbor's aunt's gossip attitude of "Oh, who is this young and beautiful girl, hehehehe", is really terrible

Liu Quan wordlessly lowered his head and thought about it, but found that for a while, there was really no particularly good statement enough to convince the public.

Of course, it can't be said that it is a colleague and comrade-in-arms of the former Shinsengumi. Not to mention that the Shinsengumi is now equivalent to a forbidden word, it is enough to explain to these onlookers who do not know the truth why there is still a woman among the cadres of the Shinsengumi.

But it can't be simply said that Koichi took in the old friends of the Shinsengumi with the mood of "taking care of his lover and fellow soldiers for the admirable deputy chief". After all, Ryuzumi didn't bear the surname of their esteemed deputy chief, and it was impossible for them to really do that, and the only moment she had heard the name "Hijikata Yukiba" was when Kujo Michikiyo taunted her before he planned to kill her.

But if you don't explain it now, you will definitely have a lot of brains

Liu Quan had no choice but to use a calm and natural attitude to tell the good neighbors who came to care categorically that she was the sister of Ichinose Hachijun. What kind of hometown was destroyed by the war, and the family was all dead, so I had to come to this distant cousin, Liu Quan was extremely smooth and natural, and he didn't stumble on a single one.

But Yijun, please, can you not be shocked when you hear the word sister, and then your heart is weak, and your face is full of "Oh, this is a lie, this is not true, swollen to do".

Flipping the table, her very convincing story, the biggest horse's feet have been discovered by those enthusiastic neighbors, okay?

Liu Quan looked at the enthusiastic neighbors with an expression of "okay, good, we all understand", and walked away with a mysterious smile, his heart was galloping.

Looking back at Saito's handsome face, which still had a faint touch of red, she suddenly deflated for some reason, and pressed her temples to feel more painful.

Kind-hearted, a gentleman. This misunderstanding is deep, since there is no mortal war now, in peacetime, the male is married, according to the character of "Qingyuan Yukiba" who is four years older than him here, I should have been a big sister, as a representative of the deputy chief, worry about your marriage, but now that you can't find a wife here because of rumors, wouldn't I want to add a crime in front of the deputy chief

In any case, ten days after Ryusen's arrival in Doonam, Saito's house, which was more deserted and dilapidated than its neighbors, was finally renewed.

Most of the neighbors came to settle in Dounan with their families, but Saito was not only alone, but also suffered a lot of injuries in the final battle of Aizu. Immediately after the war, you can't expect the Aizu Alliance, which is eager to tear the entire recalcitrant Aizu to pieces, will have a good attitude towards the loyal warriors of the Aizu domain, can you

So on the first day of arriving in Dounan and meeting Saito, when Yanagiquan noticed that Saito's movements were a little strange, as if his right hand was a little inconvenient, and he was also staggering when he walked, she quickly realized the crux of the problem, and ordered Saito to go to bed rest with the unsympathetic and authoritative attitude of a big sister, and then went to the backyard to start chopping wood and cooking.

Seriously, Liu Quan is not good at these household chores. She can only use her own swordsmanship to complete the work of chopping wood, but fortunately, she has exchanged cooking skills with the system bacteria, so she can not only throw the vegetables into the pot, and then rely on God to bless and after a long time together, she knows some of Saito's preferences in eating, so when the smoke wafts out of the backyard of Saito's house, the neighbors' enthusiastic ladies almost don't bulge their eyes.

Early the next morning, someone came to welcome the Saito family's distant guest.

He sent away a handful and a handful, and it was not until after the day that it gradually subsided.

Saito usually has work to do in the Dounan Domain, and although he has not recovered from his injuries, he still insists on going to work every day. Therefore, his home is a depressed appearance of a broken pot and a cold stove, and he often runs out of energy when he comes home after work, and he has no time and strength to take care of other things.

Liu Quan had been working non-stop for the last six or seven years. In order to complete the task assigned by the Shinsengumi, you have to worry that your man's disguise must not show his feet, and after stepping on the edge of the abyss and walking a tightrope for so many years, he encountered a cruel decisive battle and a certain defeat, although after the fall of Goryokaku, she and Hijikata lived in seclusion in the mountains near Hakodate for more than half a year, and spent a peaceful time, but the hidden worries of Kujo Michikiyo who did not know when to pursue still hung over her head like a sword of Damocles, making her still worried every day, and it was difficult to sleep peacefully.

So when everything is over and everything is lost, it is rare to have a few days of vacation where you don't have to worry about anything, even if you are in this desolate and impoverished Dounan land, but you only need to do some housework and other small things every day, this kind of life makes Liu Quan feel a little fresh and much more relaxed.

Probably because I don't have to worry about revealing my hidden secrets one day, and then I'll be expelled from Saito.

No, or it could be said that even if Kazukun had never changed her mind one day and had never actually expelled Saito from the house in the first twenty years or so of his life, she would have just left peacefully with the melancholy of "losing another old friend."

Counting it, Dounan is not very far from Hakodate. Although the transportation is inconvenient nowadays, the sense of distance in time and space and the similar weather between Dounan and Hakodate still make Liu Quan feel inexplicably relieved. It was as if staying in Dounan and temporarily staying with Koichi, the most determined and loyal sous chef of the former Shinsengumi, as if it made her feel that although she had to leave that person, she didn't leave him too far. Although she was still constantly concerned about his current situation, concerned about his news and future, and endured the pain of having to leave him, there always seemed to be a glimmer of hope in her heart that one day in the future, she would have the opportunity to stand in front of that person again, see him well, and obtain his permission to continue to stay

There was a knock on the door, and Willow Springs' voice was heard.

"I'm back. ”

It's really weird, this situation and feeling

She couldn't help but show a wry smile, and quickly put it back. Liu Quan got up from the table and walked to the narrow entrance.

"Welcome back, Ichi-kun. She smiled softly, her gaze falling on Saito's once wounded right hand.

"How do you feel today," she continued.

I don't know if it's an illusion, Saito seems to be a little uncomfortable and moves his right arm.

"Ahh He replied hastily, standing in the hallway a little awkwardly, as if at a loss as if he was at a loss because Willow Springs' standing there blocking his way into the house.

Liu Quan looked at him like this, but felt a little funny.

Xiaoyi, you were a mouthless wolf in the Kyoto Shinsengumi back then. It's still the same, it hasn't changed at all.

She smiled and turned away, heading straight to the kitchen behind her, her voice wafting through a door.

"If you don't answer specifically enough, let's cancel the tofu dish for dinner as a punishment."

She was answered with a thud, as if Saito had tripped under his feet as he took a step.

The smile on her face widened a little, and she stood in front of the stove with a smile, and after a long time tied her sleeves with a cloth belt, she reached to remove the lid of the old pot on the stove.

Dinner was simple, and there weren't many ingredients in such a poor and cold place for her to show her cooking skills, and as they were about to end the meal in silence, Liu Quan suddenly spoke.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Saito seemed a little surprised, his gaze slowly shifting from the deliciously seasoned tofu on the plate in front of him to her face, his eyes flashing.

He seemed to think about it for a moment before he replied, "Stay here and continue to live." ”

Ryuzumi put the small bowl of rice in his hand back on the small table, as if for a moment he wanted to deliberately stretch out his chopsticks to grab the tofu in front of him, just like in the former Kyoto camp, she saw Shinpachi Heisuke often do similar things, but in the end, it seemed that she resisted this strange thought, and nodded solemnly.

"Now that you've survived the harsh war, let's live well, Kazuki. ”

She stared at his face and seemed to choke for a moment before continuing, "Don't let fate live up to your good intentions. It's a rare blessing for us to be alive until now."

Saito was silent for a moment, then slowly lowered the chopsticks in his hand.

"What about you, what are your plans for the future," he asked bluntly, not responding to her earlier words.

Liu Quan was stunned for a moment.

"Me"

After a few seconds, she smiled slowly.

"I really don't know. ”

"As a woman, it's not impossible to live alone, but as you know, since I'm no longer a normal person, it seems that I can only stay in the Northeast."

"I always felt that it was impossible not to live hard, and that would be a shame to Mr. Hijikata's heart. But now, what else can I do?"

"I don't know if I'll never be able to see Mr. Hijikata again in this life, probably I won't be able to see my sister again in this life. I'm so sad that I'm disqualified from seeing almost everyone that matters to me."

She lowered her head slightly, and Saito noticed that the tips of her chopsticks were trembling slightly in her right hand, still holding them.

"Nope. Aren't you still able to visit the head office and Chizuru? I don't know what he thought, he suddenly said seriously.

"And if you have nowhere else to go, you can stay here and stay in Dounan. ”

"You can stay here for as long as you want, and you can do whatever you want. There must be something you can do."

Liu Quan suddenly raised his head. Her gaze was strange and bright, and he stumbled suddenly, and the fluent tone he had just spoken suddenly disappeared.

"Because of this, you who have supported the deputy minister all the way to the present, first, you will definitely find that you are worth working, you will not be the kind of person who will give up easily, I know. ”

A look of astonishment appeared on her face, as if she had no idea what she would hear from him.

When he was almost bewildered by her unusually bright eyes, she suddenly chuckled softly and shook her head.

"It's cunning, Yijun. ”

The lines of her face softened, and in the dim light of the oil light, there were occasional shining points of light that danced on her young and beautiful face, which had endured countless fierce battles.

"I don't want to admit that I said such a thing, I'm kind of convinced by you."

Saito was stunned.

And her thoughts seemed to float out of Dounan's wooden house, drifting far away, and she looked a little distracted.

"You're right, there must be something else I can do, so I continue to exist in this world. ”