At first, Zhouzhu and Abi, the two older folks, couldn’t accept eating meat, but fortunately, Kondo and Chokata had very open-minded ideas.
Regarding Aoto’s viewpoint that "eating meat can strengthen the body," Kondo and Chokata were initially skeptical as well.
However, upon personally witnessing the rapid speed at which Aoto’s body became stronger from consistently eating meat, Kondo quickly changed his mind and started to join Chokata in persuading Zhouzhu and Abi, "We should eat more meat at Shiwei Hall!"
Ultimately, under the persistent persuasion of Kondo and Chokata, Zhouzhu and Abi were finally convinced.
Nowadays, the dietary structure at Shiwei Hall has drastically changed, with at least one meal a day being quite rich in meat.
Thanks to the change in diet, the bodies of Kondo and other people like Nagakura, who are currently boarding at Shiwei Hall, have visibly become much stronger.
Although the sharp increase in food expenses made Abi’s face rather gloomy for a time, the strategy of "eating meat to strengthen the body" was correct, as Kondo and the others did become significantly more robust. Therefore, Abi’s expression isn’t as gloomy now and he no longer hesitates when allocating funds to buy meat.
Thanks to long-term fitness and reasonable diet, Aoto is no longer the slim figure he once was.
Now, Aoto’s entire body has "expanded" a bit.
The impressive biceps and triceps on his arms, the neatly arranged 8-pack abs, the solid-looking pectoral muscles, the beautifully lined dorsal muscles... his entire upper body has no excess fat.
Aoto’s muscles are the kind that are small and tight, filled with explosive power, unlike those merely large muscles that lack function. Thus, though Aoto’s muscles are well-developed, his body hasn’t reached the level of a "mountain of flesh."
The firm muscles, coupled with scars like medals scattered on his body, announcing to others the many life-and-death battles he has faced, make this body exude a masculine aura.
At the moment her eyes caught sight of Aoto’s strong upper body, Sazanoko seemed to freeze as if her brain encountered a massive shock, staring dazedly at Aoto’s bare torso.
"Sorry, Miss Sazanoko."
After confirming that the frog had hopped far away, Aoto, while repositioning the water basin he accidentally knocked over, continued to speak to Sazanoko in an apologetic tone.
"A frog suddenly jumped out just now, startling me into accidentally yelping and knocking over the basin, scaring you too, I’m sorry."
Aoto’s sudden words brought Sazanoko back to reality.
The drifting soul returned to the body, and the stalled brain resumed operation.
Sazanoko belatedly blinked several times.
Then hurriedly averted her gaze, awkwardly turning her body away to face her back to Aoto.
"No, it’s okay... It’s good as long as you’re not hurt..."
"Hmm?" Aoto cast a surprised look at Sazanoko.
Sazanoko’s tone and demeanor are always so elegant and composed.
Thus, any subtle oddity in Sazanoko’s state stands out clearly.
Aoto immediately noticed the peculiarity in Sazanoko’s tone.
Unfortunately, when he looked up at Sazanoko, she had already turned her face away, so he couldn’t see her expression.
—What’s wrong with Miss Sazanoko?
No sooner had this question emerged in Aoto’s mind, he glanced down at his bare torso and found the answer.
"Uh... sorry." Aoto awkwardly chuckled, pulling up the clothes hanging at his waist and putting them on, "You saw something... unsightly."
"It’s alright..." Sazanoko whispered, "It was my own carelessness, no need to apologize."
Sazanoko’s tone had regained the "Yamato Nadeshiko," "elegant Miss" feel familiar to Aoto... which made Aoto breathe a slight sigh of relief.
—Was Miss Sazanoko always this... pure?
Aoto thought for a long time, unable to find an adjective more suitable than "pure."
Merely accidentally glimpsing a man’s upper body brought about such a large reaction... truly left Aoto a bit surprised.
Clearly, Sazanoko wasn’t the type who grew up deeply secluded, having seen very few men.
Aoto couldn’t help but recall Sazanoko’s flustered behavior earlier, secretly smiling wryly to himself:
—Miss Sazanoko also occasionally shows a less composed side...
Unaware of Sazanoko’s face, Aoto didn’t know... that her naturally placed hands on her knees were gently clenched due to tumultuous thoughts, her eyes unfocused with a wandering gaze.
Growing up in the Sword Dojo, Sazanoko naturally must have seen the bare torsos of men before.
Often some disciples, sweating from intense sword practice, would boldly strip off their clothes, baring their chests and backs.
Walking around the streets, it wasn’t uncommon to see townsmen, hustling for a living, dressed in minimal attire.
However — every torso she’d seen until now seemed unimpressive compared to Aoto’s...
People of this era simply suffered from a lack of modern fitness knowledge and scientific training.
Unless required for work, townsmen who depended on manual labor wouldn’t specifically workout their bodies.
The samurai, though they would exercise deliberately to hone their martial arts skills, had no idea how to train scientifically and efficiently.

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