The author has something to say: March 20:

Sorry this chapter is a bit difficult to write... I wanted to describe the feelings of the people who survived the war.

Then, it should be updated again tomorrow. Tomorrow! Grandpa will definitely appear! Why can't I stop writing about the little one!

In addition, to say it again, if you have a grandfather in the knife man, don't come to me and say it deliberately, this kind of disguised behavior is actually quite dazzling for the refugees who have no grandfather so far.

You can do it yourself, it's boring to talk about it everywhere. Who hasn't been in Europe, is it difficult to understand other people's feelings? Who doesn't have a natal life, when you are stuck in your own life, others show you a face, you feel very good?

Don't tell me anything about passing European gas, I don't believe that. Thank you.

I really don't want to let grandpa play anymore, although I think it's a lot better. Because I think as soon as he appeared on the stage, a bunch of people came to show his grandfather, and it was really heartbreaking to watch.

This chapter is a bit of a soundtrack.,It's the ED of the second season of the TV version of "Blue Blood" of the thin cherry ghost.,"Akane Sky に願ふ。

Here's the link to listen:

After the group arrived in Kyoto, of course, they did not stay at Nijo Castle.

Although the shogun no longer has the power and status he once had, the symbolism of Nijo Castle is still enormous. So it's better to leave it empty than to let other people move in.

Moreover, Kujo Noriko said that even if she could, she would not let Michiji-kun go to live in that kind of place.

Of course, Kujo Michiji didn't understand the stakes in this—or rather, he was relieved to have Noriko by his side, and didn't bother with it at all—but he listened to Noriko say to him, "Nijo Castle is a place of right and wrong, and it is of great significance, we are just here to complete the task of welcoming us, and after all, we are not those Chinese with unattainable status, so I would rather be cautious, because of course I don't want to see Michiji-kun being embarrassed about any details", and then he happily accepted her arrangement.

Their itinerary is not stressful, and it is only natural that they can stay in Kyoto for a few days and then go back calmly. The considerate Kujo Noriko even gave Kujo Michiji plenty of time to study plants in the mountains near Kyoto.

The happy young master of the Kujo family wanted to invite the titular sister to go with him, but before he could speak, he saw Noriko covering her mouth with a small handkerchief and sneezing twice.

Then she put down her hand, her nose turned cute red, and she said to him with an apologetic face, "I don't seem to be very good at pollen, and I can't go to places with too many plants at this time, otherwise I will always be useless."

Kujo Michiji had no choice but to go on his own with a hint of regret, followed by a few of his considerate sisters' retinue arranged for him.

The "new entourage" Fujita Goro, who stayed behind by his sister, on the grounds that "the new entourage doesn't know much about the situation yet, and if you can, try to stay at the station and don't go out, so as not to cause trouble", Goro Fujita, who stayed: "......"

She'd never shown signs of being completely invulnerable to pollen before!

Seeing Kujo Michiji and his party walk away, his nominal sister's expression turned back very naturally.

"Today, I occasionally want to visit the temple here. She said lightly.

"Fujita-kun, as an entourage, you can come with you too. ”

Then, as they stepped into the once familiar temple, Fujita's hand clenched into a fist at his side for a moment.

He didn't have the sword he trusted at his waist like he had done when he was here years ago. It was no longer the time for the sword to survive - he also changed into a low-key and simple dress, suitable for his status as a "retinue" at the moment.

After entering Nishi Honganji Temple, Kiyohara Yukiha walked straight to the path next to the main hall, standing under the cherry blossom tree where the two of them said goodbye to the cherry tree when Koichi joined the Imperial Tomb Guard in order to lurk, and looked up at the tree.

It's a complete gesture of reminiscing about the past, and it doesn't even mean to pretend. Just passing by the people who came to offer incense, and ignoring the side glances of those people at her dress and long skirt, Kiyohara Yukiba looked like she was standing under the same tree as she was back then. When the breeze picks up, occasionally a few petals float up and then fall slowly from mid-air.

Although the cherry blossom season is a little past the cherry blossom season, there are still scattered flowers on the branches.

The last time they stood silently here, they were all wearing kimonos and carrying their trusty swords at their waists. In the hall behind them, everyone gathered there, and maybe someone got up and left, but at one point they all gathered here: Kondo, Hijikata, Okita, Yamanan, Gen-san, Harada, Shinhachi, Heisuke......

The names rolled through their hearts, and the familiar pronunciations almost jumped out of their throats and jumped on the tips of their tongues. However, the two of them are the only ones standing here today—just like the day they were separated, and they are the only two standing under this huge cherry tree. The rest of the companions had been left forever in the hall behind them—forever in the time behind them.

I have never had such a moment as deeply understand the meaning of "things are not people". Liu Quan thought.

Then she heard the voice of the only companion who remained, as calm and calm as it had been that day, but if she listened closely, she would find that her tone was tense with a slight fluctuation that was not easy to detect.

"Times change, and everything is impermanent...... Whether it's the situation, thoughts, or ......" He paused for a rare moment before continuing:

“...... New selection. ”

When he spit out the last keyword, he seemed to be struggling to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart. And those complex and heavy emotions and memories weighed heavily on his heart, and for a moment it seemed that it was difficult for him to even breathe.

"Everybody...... Everyone who spent the most brilliant days of their lives here together has been-"

It was with great difficulty for him to utter these words, as if a great pain had turned into a lump in his throat, making it difficult for him to breathe, nor to hear or hear. Although it was a bright noon in spring, he felt as if a black curtain was shrouded in front of his eyes, just like those moments when he left the Shinsengumi and disguised his mood lurking in the Imperial Tomb Guard, he seemed to be drowning in the bottom of the black river, his eyes, ears, mouth and nose were all soaked with water, and there was darkness in front of him, and he couldn't find an exit, so he could only wait aimlessly for the moment when the light suddenly appeared in front of him—

Suddenly, he heard her voice.

"Confused and confused/I am merciful but resolute/Fadu has no hesitation-"

Goro Fujita: !!

He jerked his head away to look at her.

That's right, he still remembers this haiku.

It was the day he left to join the Guardians of the Imperial Tomb, and under the cherry blossom tree, she recited the haiku when he was confused about his future.

...... Also, a haiku written by the deputy chief.

The past events that he had been avoiding to think about, and those who had been left behind, finally inevitably resurfaced in his mind at this moment.

When I think of the deputy chief now, the first thing that comes to his mind is not the roar and fur of the deputy chief in the camp, nor the heroic posture of the deputy chief leading everyone to patrol the streets of Kyoto and arrest the outlawless ronin, or even when everyone went to Shimabara to drink together, the deputy chief was unexpectedly able to let go of his usual tense vigilance and aura, smile calmly, and mingle with everyone in harmony at the party.

...... Rather, on the night when the Shinsengumi left the Kambifu and passed through Tama after the defeat of Toba Fushimi, he noticed that the deputy chief had stood up and left the table because he had been asked some unpleasant topic by the villagers, and soon after, when he also felt that he had drunk a little too much and did not dare to stay in the lively hall anymore, he got up and walked into the courtyard when he heard the voice of the deputy chief coming from an unnoticed corner of the garden.

“...... It doesn't matter if she's a woman or not, how she's dressed...... They are all important companions of the Shinsengumi. The deputy chief said.

The women in the Shinsengumi...... Who else can be called a woman who can be called a "companion" but Kiyohara Yukiha?!

He didn't realize that at that moment, he didn't think about the other woman who had also been in the Shinsengumi for several years and had also accepted the Shimahara Inner Exploration Mission at the request of everyone, Chizuru Yukimura.

Maybe it's because in his mind, she is the only woman who can really be called an "important companion".

Although he knew that it was bad to snoop on other people's conversations, and he had always disdained to take the initiative to do that kind of thing, he didn't know what kind of psychological influence it was at the time, and when he realized it, he had already walked near the corner of the courtyard, hidden in the shadows formed by the eaves and fences, and he was silent, and even the sound of breathing was subconsciously lightened.

The next moment he saw it...... A very amazing scene.

He saw that the young woman who had spoken ill of her seemed to have been hit hard, and sobbed and ran away. Then, she deliberately joked in a light-hearted tone, and the deputy chief was unsurprisingly angry with her again.

However, under the reaction of the deputy chief's fried hair, there is something hidden that is not quite the same as usual.

He thought about it for a long, long time before he realized that it should be something called "gentleness".

That's right, in the bright moonlight that night, in the familiar little courtyard of her hometown, the deputy chief looked at her with a demeanor, spoke to her in a tone of voice, and even deliberately rude the wording to hide the sudden sense of discomfort - when he said, "You guys are going to scare people to death when you make such shocking statements, okay! It is impossible not to notice the guy who can make such a statement!" All the expressions can be called "gentleness".

That's the deputy chief he reveres, powerful and careful, who has both force value and strategy, and will perform well wherever he goes, and is the last soul of the Shinsengumi and Bushido.

In the same way, it was a woman he trusted, strong and courageous, attentive and gentle to her companions, and would desperately draw a sword to support her companions at important moments. It was the one who supported him gently but firmly in countless moments that he could not have foreseen, in a way he could never have imagined.

Fujita Goro subconsciously wanted to habitually grip the hilt of the saber at his waist - in many previous moments, when he was at a loss, when he was confused, he would always subconsciously do so, as if holding the knife could gain enough strength to support himself down - but this time his right hand was empty.

He couldn't help but laugh to himself, thinking that it wasn't the past anymore.

The cherry blossoms at Nishi Honganji Temple bloom every year, but the companions who once left their footprints here are gone forever.

It's like the sword he once wore at his waist and stayed on for almost a moment, trusting with all his body, mind and life. Now, he has disappeared from his side, from his life.

Suddenly, he heard her chuckle softly.

Goro Fujita: ?

"I remember saying here, 'I'm going to cut you when we meet again.'" She said with a smile.

“...... Unexpectedly, when we met again, we really almost cut each other. She continued jokingly.

Fujita Gorou choked in his throat in one breath and almost didn't come up.