After a series of tragic battles in Aizu, even Liu Quan, as a certified player of the [Blood Tank Empty and Won't Get a Bento] that has been opened by the system bacteria, can hardly bear the points required to exchange the drugs produced by modern technology to the system bacteria.

The system strictly restricts that these drugs can only be used on the player himself, otherwise the function of redeeming huàn will be blocked as neatly as the original sealing skill. Liu Quan did not dare to take any chances, and could only watch as many of the soldiers turned from medium injuries to serious injuries due to infection and tetanus, and some even lost their lives.

Every day of this life is a torment, both physical and mental. And the fate of defeat after defeat repeats, and no amount of flesh and blood and life can be exchanged for a victory.

Although it had been decided to go to Sendai, the preparations for the new government forces to harass and assist the Aizu domain from time to time were still going on as usual until they withdrew.

At night, in an unobtrusive hidden corner of the camp, Liu Quan was quietly drugging and bandaging his arm.

She had been wounded in her right arm about a few days earlier. The injuries were not serious, and in the scuffle, an enemy soldier who accidentally did not notice the enemy rushing from the side was given a long cut on the arm by the opponent. Fortunately, the wound was not very deep, but it was relatively long, and she had to wrap her wrist and upper arm with a bandage to completely cover the length of the scar.

However, for a right-hander, it is terrible to have to use his left hand to medicate and bandage his right arm with one hand.

Her movements were slow and clumsy, but she was so slow and clumsy that she could not be seen by anyone here that she had to wander around the camp every time she changed her dressings, looking for a dark corner to hide, but the slowness of her movements often kept her in hiding for too long to complete this difficult task, and she was very worried that one day if anyone could not find her, the reason why she would have to disappear for a while was too much to say.

As she clumsily finished her medicine and re-bandaged her right arm, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.

“...... What are you doing here?"

Liu Quan was unprepared, his left hand shook in fright, and a roll of bandages made of white cloth in his hand fell to the ground in response.

She let out a frustrated "oh!" before she turned her head and glanced at the visitor a little angrily.

"It's immoral to be behind someone like that...... It's really scary, Yijun. ”

Behind her, Saito, who stood erect with the hilt of the sword at his waist, had a look of astonishment and confusion on his face.

“...... Why does it have anything to do with morality...... And I didn't 'keep quiet', and I didn't deliberately lighten the footsteps I just walked by. I'm sure you can still hear it. ”

Willow Springs: ...... I can't say that I wasn't so focused because I wasn't skilled in bandaging that I really didn't hear your footsteps, can I? If that's really the case, it's a rhythm that will be asked 100,000 whys by the unusually serious little one!

“...... Never mind. She bent down to pick up the bandage, looked at it regretfully, and sighed.

"It's dirty...... It must be washed and boiled in boiling water before it can be reused. She stood up, intending to go back and get a clean roll of bandages again.

Saito's eyesight was good, and at a glance he could see the casual movement of her casually stuffing the bandage that had fallen on the ground into her pocket. He hesitated.

"Are you drugging your arm? Why don't you go get someone to help?"

Liu Quan smiled bitterly.

"Well, it's just a little injury...... It's just that the injury is on the right wrist, which is not very convenient...... The doctor is already too busy to treat other seriously injured people, so I don't want to cause trouble for people with such a small injury......"

Saito was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around and strode away.

Liu Quan: When did ??? Xiaoyi add the attribute of "turn around and leave if you don't agree"?! And they didn't seem to disagree just now, right?!

But Koichi soon returned—with a new roll of bandages in his left hand.

Willow Springs: !!

After a moment of surprise, she burst out laughing.

“...... Thank you so much. Without waiting for Saito to speak, she said with a smile, reaching for the bandage.

Saito clutched the bandage tightly and didn't move.

Liu Quan: ?!

He stood in front of her, and after a moment's pause, he suddenly said without warning, "I'll help you." ”

Liu Quan still wanted to decline. “...... Uh, no, I can ...... myself."

“...... Just take it as a thank you for coming alone to reinforce me a few times before. Saito said quietly.

Liu Quan: !?

Although she somehow thought it was a strange statement, since he had already said so, she also felt that she did not need to twist and pinch, so she generously rolled up her sleeve again, and held her right arm in front of him.

"Then please, Yijun. ”

Saito's gaze lingered on the arm, which still had a long wound, for a few seconds, and then he reached out his right hand to grasp her wrist and fix hers, and his left hand began to patiently wrap the bandage around her arm.

For some reason, at this moment, Liu Quan remembered a long, long time ago, when she hadn't brushed any favorability of Xiao Yi at all, once Xiao Yi ordered her to stay in her room to practice sword maintenance, but she lied that "there was a wrist injury" and believed her words, and seriously checked the so-called "injury" for her.

That memory made her smile slowly for some reason.

“...... This time, don't ask me if I've used the Ishida powder medicine handed down by the deputy chief's family, Kazukun. She asked narrowly.

Saito was moving nimbly, smacking the bandaged fingers around her arm!

He paused for a few seconds before resuming his bandage-wrapped motion. From beginning to end, his gaze fell on her injured arm, his expression unusually serious and focused.

“...... Yoshimitsu Awataguchi was a famous swordsmith in the Kamakura period and a master of making zuò short knives......"

Instead of answering Ryuquan's joking question, he began to talk about something else that didn't seem to be related without warning.

"'One period and one vibration' is the only one in his life in the inscription of the knife, so the name of the knife is called 'one period and one vibration', that is, there is only one treasure in his life......"

He spoke slowly, his hand wrapping around her bandages still moving smoothly.

However, Ryuzumi first showed a question mark on her face, and then as Saito's abrupt topic continued, the faint smile on her face froze.

“...... I suddenly don't like this knife anymore. Suddenly, with a hint of rudeness and bluntness, she simply interrupted Saito's "Introduction to the Sword of the Awataguchi School."

"The name of this knife is not good enough. ”

The content of the capital that Takasugi Shinsaku had sung about when they met for the last time suddenly came back to her mind.

[At the end of the wild wind and the autumn wind, a period of parting is parting. 】

After singing that capital Duyi, he said goodbye to her forever. It wasn't until much later that she received a letter from him, which was the last message he left for her before he died.

Until the end, she didn't know that they were supposed to be acquaintances a long, long time ago. So at the beginning, they were scribbled and simply separated, like two strangers who met in Pingshui.

However, hearing her rudely interrupt himself, Saito didn't react out of the ordinary. He still earnestly helped her wrap up the wound, and his voice was even calm.

"The purpose of the knife is to take the life of the other party. It's just such a simple and easy-to-understand existence zài. There is no confusion, just resignation to the user's intentions. I want to be like that, too. ”

Willow Springs: !!

Saito's hand holding her wrist finally let go briefly. With quick and dexterous skill, his hands knotted the ends of the bandage, completing the bandaging process.

Then, at last, he lifted his eyes and looked at her.

"I used to want to be a knife for the Shinsengumi. That's what I expect from me the most. He continued quietly.

"Now, however, I have something else to think about...... It's not that I don't think the ambitions of the Shinsengumi are any longer important. No, it's better to say that it's because I cherish the ambition of the Shinsengumi in my heart that I deeply feel that I still have an unfinished mission here-"

Liu Quan: !?

Her eyes widened slightly in shock, and the warmth of her fingertips faded with a vague sense of something unbelievable.

After tying the knot in the bandage for her, his fingers seemed to hesitate for a moment, and finally slowly removed from her arm, slowly closing in mid-air, clenching into fists.

"Yukiba-kun, I want to stay here. Stay in Aizu......" He was silent for a moment, and finally slowly uttered the sentence.

Liu Quan felt a thud in his brain, and immediately became a mess, almost striking.

"You...... What are you talking about?!" She stared at him in shock, unable to believe her ears.

Although she always remembered that Koichi would eventually leave the team in Aizu and participate in the final battle to defend Aizu, subconsciously, until Keisuke Otori had given the order to the Shinsengumi to evacuate Aizu and go to Sendai, she didn't want to think about the fact that the moment when Koichi left the team was close at hand.

Yet it inevitably happened. Right now, right in front of her eyes.

"Perhaps as Mr. Otori said, the fall of the Aizu Domain is only a matter of time...... "Even at such a moment, Saito's voice is as calm as ever!

"But it is the Aizu clan that has sheltered us to this day. I want to go to the end with this feudal clan who wants to maintain the spirit of the samurai, and do my best as a samurai."

Liu Quan: "...... You're right, but—"

Saito suddenly raised his voice slightly. His dark blue eyes, with a hint of eager anticipation, looked at her deeply.

"I think I know what you're trying to say......"

"However, I remember you once said to me, 'There is nothing wrong with a gentleman who gives up his life in the future to choose the way of the priesthood.' ”

Willow Springs: !!