I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Uh... um... um... um... this..."

As the loud voice faded, Qingdeng heard a trembling female voice that was very familiar to him.

"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you! Young lady, how are you going to do business like this? Can't you speak a little louder?"

"Um... I'm sorry..."

"You're not the owner of this shop, are you? My friend told me that the owner is an elderly man named 'Kiryu Kazuma.' Where is your owner? Or are there any other employees?"

Hearing the conversation coming from inside the store, Qing Deng couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, then quickened his pace slightly, rushed to the store door, and opened the door of the Senjiya store.

The layout inside the Senjiya was exactly the same as the layout Qingdeng had seen when he last visited.

The only difference is that the person sitting behind the counter has changed.

The person sitting behind the counter at this moment was not Mr. Kiryu, but Kinoshita Mai.

Kinoshita Mai was still dressed in the same bright red kimono and with her hair styled in the Shimada bun.

She sat properly behind the counter, her small feet covered in white socks tucked under her buttocks, her hands resting on her thighs, her shoulders tense, and her hands clenched tightly on her thighs.

Her face was filled with tension, and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and shyness.

In front of her... or more precisely, in front of the counter, stood a samurai with a katana slung over his shoulder.

The samurai was dressed in shabby clothes, and his exposed skin was covered in grime, as if he hadn't bathed in a long time. He carried a large brown bundle on his back, looking every bit the ronin.

He was very tall and quite muscular; in terms of stature and physique, this samurai was comparable to Kondo.

Her hair, which wasn't styled into a shaggy topknot, was messy and casually tied into a crooked bun.

Because the samurai was facing away from the shop door, Qing Deng could not see the samurai's face, but could only deduce from the voice he had just heard that the samurai must be very young.

After Qing Deng pulled the shop door open, Kinoshita Mai immediately raised her eyes as if by conditioned reflex.

Upon seeing that it was Aoto, a familiar person, who entered the store, Kinoshita Mai was first taken aback, and then, as if she had grasped a lifeline, a joyful expression of "Ah, I'm saved" appeared on her face.

As Kinoshita Mai raised her gaze to the opened shop door, the samurai also turned his head almost simultaneously, finally allowing Aoto to see the samurai's face—

Just as Qing Deng had predicted, he was indeed a very young samurai.

Judging from his appearance, the samurai was around 20 years old. He had two thick, sword-like eyebrows, and his slightly square face gave him an aura of righteousness.

His cheeks were dirty, but the dirt only made his eyes look brighter.

"Hmm? Are you here to inquire about jobs too?" the samurai asked Qing Deng and the others in a loud voice. "If you're here to inquire about jobs, then you'll have to wait in line! I'm here to inquire about jobs too!"

Qingdeng shook his head: "No, we're not here to ask about work. We're friends of the shop owner and the staff."

After saying that, Qing Deng led Okita and Saito, rushing to the counter in two steps at a time.

"Ms. Kinoshita, why are you the only one here? Where is Mr. Kiryu?"

Kinoshita Mai's cheeks were flushed bright red, practically screaming "I'm so nervous!"

In order to alleviate Kinoshita Mai's current tension as much as possible, Aoto deliberately squatted down so that his line of sight was level with that of Kinoshita Mai, who was kneeling behind the counter.

For socially anxious people like Kinoshita Mai, the happiest moment is when they are interacting with strangers and suddenly see someone they know appear next to them—that's why Kinoshita Mai looked delighted when she saw Aoto appear.

Kinoshita Mai's initially extremely tense mood eased considerably upon seeing Aoto's sudden appearance.

"Hmm..." Kinoshita Mai gently tapped her head. "Mr. Kiryu went to the market to buy lunch and dinner for today. He won't be back for a while..."

—Kiryu-sensei isn't in the shop...

After thinking this to himself, Qing Deng raised his head, looked at the samurai, and then at Kinoshita Mai beside him.

Although he didn't ask Kinoshita Mai what had happened, based on the conversation he had overheard between her and the samurai, and combined with the information that "Boss Kiryu" wasn't home, Aoto had roughly deduced what had happened.

Because Mr. Kiryu is temporarily away, Mai Kinoshita is left alone to mind the shop at Senjiya.

As luck would have it, while Kinoshita Mai was minding the shop alone, this samurai suddenly came to inquire about work.

What kind of person is Kinoshita Mai...?

Extremely shy and easily embarrassed, she hesitated to utter a clear or complete sentence when facing this samurai.

And so—Aoto overheard the conversation just now… Kinoshita Mai was speaking too softly, which made the samurai very anxious. He couldn’t help but urge Kinoshita Mai to speak more clearly. After being urged by the samurai, Kinoshita Mai became even more nervous and panicked, and was even less able to speak clearly… A perfect “vicious cycle” was born.

The samurai overheard Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's conversation.

Upon learning that Mr. Kiryu was not in the store, he looked surprised: "Huh? Mr. Kiryu isn't here?"

"Hmm..." Thanks to the presence of Aoto, an acquaintance, Kinoshita Mai was less nervous and spoke in a voice that, while not very loud, was loud enough for the samurai to hear clearly, "Mr. Kiryu... the owner of this shop is currently out on business. So if you want to inquire about work, you can wait here for a while. Mr. Kiryu should be back soon."

"Tsk..." The samurai clicked his tongue. "What bad luck. The shop owner isn't home right now... Young lady, you must be the shop's sales representative, right? Can't you handle the 'job consultation' task?"

Mai Kinoshita smiled awkwardly: "I'm not yet able to introduce jobs to people based on their requests, like Mr. Kiryu does..."

"I see... Alright then." The samurai sighed. "Since the shopkeeper isn't home right now, I'll wait here. Young lady, is it alright to sit on the floor here?"

……

……

Kinoshita Mai's tea-making speed was surprisingly fast.

She had just entered the inner room of the Senjiya when, after a short while, she returned to the front hall of the Senjiya carrying a tea tray with four cups of hot tea. She served a cup of hot tea to Aoto, Okita, Saito, and Samurai, who were waiting in the front hall for Kiryu's return.

Qingdeng was the last one to receive tea.

"Thank you." Qing Deng took the last cup of tea from the tea tray handed to him by Kinoshita Mai. Because the tea was still a little hot, Qing Deng could only place the hot tea on his lap first.

Aoto and his group came specifically to extend an "invitation to watch the match" to Kiryu. Since Kiryu was not currently at the Senjiya, Aoto and his group could only sit with the samurai in a corner of the front hall and wait for Kiryu's return.

The young warrior sat in the northeast corner of the front hall, while Qing Deng and the others stayed in the southwest corner.

The samurai seemed to have no intention of interacting with Qing Deng and the others. He silently carried his sword on his shoulder, sipping the hot tea that Kinoshita Mai had just served him, while lost in thought.

Qing Deng and his companions also had no desire to engage in any interaction with this stranger, so they maintained a strange tacit understanding of "not disturbing each other" with the samurai.

After successfully completing the task of "serving tea", Kinoshita Mai knelt down beside Aoto and held the tea tray on her lap.

"Tachibana-kun, what brings you to our shop with Okita-kun and Saito-kun? Is something the matter?"

Kinoshita Mai's questioning gaze swept back and forth across the faces of Aoto, Okita, and the others.

Perhaps because she had already developed a considerable relationship with Aoto, Kinoshita Mai now spoke to Aoto in a noticeably louder voice and was able to make eye contact with him normally.

"Ah, we're here on behalf of the Shieikan to tell you something," Qing Deng said with a smile.

Since there was plenty of time, Qing Deng took the opportunity to tell Kinoshita Mai everything about their Shiekan's upcoming match against the Chiba Kenkan on the day of the "Plum Blossom Festival" and their invitation to watch the match.

“‘Red and White Battle’…” Kinoshita Mai’s beautiful eyes widened even more, sparkling with excitement and anticipation. “Yes, if I have the time and opportunity that day, I will definitely go and see it.”

Seeing the expression on Kinoshita Mai's face, Aoto smiled and asked, "Ms. Kinoshita, are you very interested in the 'Red and White Battle'?"

"Hmm... Rather than being interested in the 'Red and White Battle'... I'm more interested in these martial arts-related competitions."

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So Ms. Kinoshita, you really like martial arts."

Mai Kinoshita shook her head: "Hmm... how should I put it..."

She gave an embarrassed, shy smile.

"It might sound strange if I say this... I don't like watching martial arts, I like watching men fight."

—The heroic fighting spirit of these men?

Aoto, who didn't quite understand Kinoshita Mai's preferences, couldn't help but chuckle.

Suddenly, Okita, who was standing nearby, interjected:

"Oh, do you enjoy watching men fight? Haha, I think I understand your taste."

Okita put down the teacup he had been holding and sipping from, and smiled.

"The image of men standing with swords drawn, like Niou standing tall on the earth, for reasons they cannot back down... is indeed very cool."

Kinoshita Mai cast a surprised look at Okita. Then, with an excited expression as if she had found a kindred spirit, she nodded vigorously: "Yeah! That's pretty much it."

……

After finishing the topic of "the heroic posture of men in battle," which he couldn't participate in, Aoto chatted with Kinoshita Mai for a long time to pass the time while waiting for Mr. Kiryu to return.

He also casually asked Kinoshita Mai about the current situation of Anthony and his grandson Elodie.

According to Kinoshita Mai, Anthony and Elodie have now successfully settled into the foreign concessions in Edo, and their minds have recovered considerably after such a long period of rest.

After finishing another conversation with Kinoshita Mai, Aoto began to think about the next topic when the voices of Aoto and the others, whom they had been waiting for, finally came from the direction of the shop door—

"Young Master, I'm back."

Kiryu was seen carrying a bamboo basket filled with fruits and vegetables in his left hand, and raising his right hand to open the shop door.

Upon opening the shop door and seeing the bustling front hall, Kiryu's eyebrows immediately twitched slightly in surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Kiryu, you're finally back." Kinoshita Mai quickly stood up, walked briskly to Kiryu, and then hurriedly told him what had happened.

“…Yes, I understand.” After listening to what had happened, Kiryu nodded to Kinoshita Mai, then turned to the young samurai, “I’m very sorry.”

Kiryu bowed apologetically to the young samurai with elegant movements.

"I had to go out on business, so I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's nothing!" The young samurai sprang to his feet and waved his hand magnanimously. "I didn't wait long. You must be the owner of this shop, right? I'm here to inquire about work!"

"Yes." Kiryu nodded. "Please wait a moment, sir."

Kiryu turned his gaze to Aoto and the others.

"Tachibana-kun, I've already heard about what happened from the young master." Kiryu said to Aoto with a helpless wry smile, "You have something to tell me, right? If what you want to tell me isn't too urgent, could you please let me finish entertaining this guest first?"

"Okay." Qingdeng replied without hesitation, "You go ahead and do your thing, my business isn't urgent."

His "invitation to watch the game" wasn't anything urgent; it wouldn't hurt for Kiryu to handle his business first.

"I am extremely grateful."

After handing over the lunch and dinner he had just bought for himself and Kinoshita Mai from the market to his young master, Kiryu sat behind the counter and then beckoned to the samurai to sit down.

"Please allow me to introduce myself first. My surname is Kiryu, my given name is Kazuma, and I am the owner of this Thousand Things Shop. May I ask your name and what kind of job you are looking for?"

"My name is Nagakura Shinpachi!"

The samurai grinned, raised his right thumb, and gestured towards himself.

"I want to find a job related to swordsmanship!"