For this speech of Hijikata’s, Kondo and the others were utterly captivated! It was truly the feeling of "A word from you is worth more than ten years of study!"
"So specifically, how can we discern who are the people worth cultivating into confidants?" Nagakura craned his neck in the direction where Hijikata was seated, with an eager and focused expression.
Hijikata also enjoyed this feeling of speaking eloquently and discussing national affairs, and upon hearing Nagakura’s inquiry, he immediately answered without any hesitation.
Hijikata spoke very happily.
Except for one person who listened in great pain...
——When are you all actually going to stop talking?!
Aoto roared like a tyrannosaurus in his heart.
Before Kondo and the others arrived, Aoto and Toshisuke had already been soaking in the bath for some time, so much so that Aoto’s hands and feet had become wrinkled from the water.
The prolonged soak was making Aoto somewhat weary and eager to "come ashore" as quickly as possible.
The weariness from too much soaking and the impatience for Kondo and the others to leave soon... these two feelings intertwined in Aoto’s heart, making every moment extremely tormenting.
Luckily... in order not to raise suspicion from Kondo and the others by being too silent, Aoto consciously inserted himself into the chat from time to time.
Thus, being able to chat provided a way to pass the time and dispel emotions.
Aoto couldn’t possibly urge Kondo and the others to leave quickly, as doing so would make him appear particularly suspicious.
He could only continue to patiently wait for Kondo and the others to leave on their own... there was no other way.
But "unexpected" things... always come suddenly.
"Ha... ha... ha... ha... ha... ha..."
Suddenly... Aoto noticed a pained wheezing coming from Toshisuke behind him.
He quickly turned his head, using the corner of his eye to glance at the scene behind him.
He saw Toshisuke with half-open eyes, slightly parted lips, letting out painful wheezes as if unable to catch his breath, with a face flushed unnaturally... it was not a bashful red, nor a mild red from the steam, but a dark red indicating extreme discomfort!
Aoto understood immediately upon seeing this—Toshisuke was fainting from the soak!
This space formed by Aoto’s body and the corner of the bath was too small, with poor air circulation, causing the hot steam in this cramped space to linger repeatedly.
To give a vivid example... this narrow space filled with hot, stuffy air was like a sauna.
Toshisuke had been staying in this "sauna" for quite a long time...
Given such a predicament, it was only natural for Toshisuke to faint from the soak.
Fainting during a bath was no small matter.
"Fainting from soaking" can be caused by several factors.
One is the body’s excessive sweating leading to an insufficient volume of fluid for circulation, or vasodilation causing the blood to be concentrated in the limbs and lower body, reducing cerebral blood supply.
Another is the excessively hot water causing changes in blood pressure and heart rate, resulting in an intolerable physical reaction.
No matter the reason, Toshisuke must be dragged out of the bath and hydrated immediately, otherwise there could be life-threatening consequences.
In this time when medical advancements were lacking, and even a fever could be fatal, any illness must be avoided as much as possible.
The urgent need to get Toshisuke out of the bath made the previously patient Aoto restless, no longer willing to wait for Kondo and the others to leave on their own.
Judging by the leisurely demeanor of Kondo and his companions now... they had no intention of leaving the bath until the very moment Qianxun House closed for the night.
To keep waiting like this... who knows how much longer it would take.
After all, the owner of Qianxun House, Granny Tang, was known for her kindness.
The members from Shiwei Hall were regulars at Qianxun House and had a very good relationship with Granny Tang, so she might delay closing time to let Kondo and the others soak for a little longer.
——Can’t wait any longer! Must find a way to get Toshisuke out of here quickly!
Aoto withdrew his gaze from behind, gritting his teeth.
——Is there any way to make Kondo and the others leave...?
The urgent feeling of concern for Toshisuke’s possible mishap prompted Aoto’s brain to work rapidly.
Suddenly, Aoto recalled something Toshisuke had said just as Kondo and the others were about to enter the bath:
(Can’t let Mr. Nagakura, Mr. Saito, and Mr. Harada find out I’m a girl...!)
——Mr. Nagakura... Mr. Saito... Mr. Harada...
Aoto carefully chewed over these names that Toshisuke had blurted out unknowingly at that time.
Toshisuke, worried about her female identity being exposed, only mentioned fearing exposure by Nagakura, Saito, and Harada, without mentioning Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue...
Recalling Toshisuke’s usual closeness with Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue, a speculation and a plan formed in Aoto’s mind.
——Give it a try!
Aoto made up his mind, taking a deep breath.
"Ah, right!"
Aoto suddenly shouted, drawing all attention from Kondo and his companions.
"Mr. Kondo, did you see Mr. Chokata on your way to the bathhouse just now?"
"Toshisuke?" Kondo was taken aback.
"Before you arrived, Mr. Chokata and I were bathing in the men’s bath here," Aoto said calmly, applying his "Deceiver" talent once more. "He got a bit faint, so he left for home before me. Just as he left, you guys arrived."
When mentioning the phrase "men’s bath," Aoto slightly emphasized it.
"So Chokata was here just now," Harada smirked. "We didn’t see him on the way to Qianxun House though."
"I see..." Aoto said casually, "So you didn’t bump into him... he’s probably off buying snacks again somewhere."
"Probably," Mr. Nagakura chuckled. "Mr. Chokata does love his food, and from what I’ve observed, he only goes out of his way for two things: buying gold flat sugar and fetching his favorite sweets."
In response to Aoto’s previous statement, Nagakura, Saito, and Harada’s expressions remained unchanged.
But Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue were all startled and exchanged bewildered looks...
Eventually, the three of them focused their incredulous stares onto Aoto.
True, physical intimacy. Miss Chokata is just adorable! Indeed, such energetic and cheerful girls are just adorable!
In honor of how adorable Miss Chokata was in this Chapter, please cast a monthly vote for this book! (crying in despair.jpg) For those who like Miss Chokata, not casting a vote for this book these few days would be quite unreasonable!
Begging for monthly votes! Begging for recommendation votes! (crying in despair.jpg)

Comments

Loading...