"Sister..."
Until just now, all Toshisuke could do was utter weak groans, but suddenly he whispered clearly, almost like a sigh.
"I... don’t want to give up on swordsmanship..."
The voice was light... yet it contained a clear and resolute will.
A strong will unwilling to be dominated by his sister’s personal decisions.
Aoto’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the immense power hidden within Toshisuke’s mumbling.
——Unconscious as he is, he’s still worried about his sister stopping him from learning swordsmanship...
It was only at this moment that Aoto realized—Toshisuke’s love for the sword and swordsmanship seemed much deeper than he had previously imagined.
This late revelation had no time to properly brew and savor before it was swallowed by the sudden intrusion of the sound of clothes rustling.
"Hmm... huh?"
Accompanied by the gentle rustling of fabric, Aoto felt the weight on his right shoulder lighten considerably—Toshisuke slowly lifted his head and gradually opened his eyes.
"Tachibana... Mr. Tachibana...?"
Toshisuke blinked sleepily, as though just awakened.
She looked at Aoto’s face, close at hand, then glanced at the street scenes on both sides and the starry sky and full moon above.
Her gaze was unfocused, as if lost.
Though Toshisuke’s eyes and tongue had "awakened," her consciousness had not yet fully returned.
Not until a moment later did the brilliance named "clarity" gradually fill Toshisuke’s empty gaze.
Memories before consciousness blurred, surged back like a fountain.
In the blink of an eye, the previously bewildered Toshisuke’s expression dramatically changed.
A hue of surprise climbed her cheeks.
"Mr. Tachibana... where are we...?"
Though she could speak normally, her tone was still very weak.
"We are on the way back to Shiwei Hall."
Aoto explained concisely to Toshisuke everything that happened in the bathhouse.
Toshisuke’s memory only went as far as Chiba Shigetarou’s sudden appearance.
She knew nothing of what happened thereafter.
Upon learning the many things that transpired while she was unconscious, Toshisuke’s expression underwent a colorful transformation.
"I see..."
Toshisuke murmured softly.
"Brother Kondo and Uncle Gen helped to get Shigetarou away..."
"Besides Mr. Hijikata, I must properly thank Brother Kondo and Uncle Gen too..."
Before finishing her sentence, Toshisuke’s voice abruptly stopped.
At that moment, her features seemed frozen, her expression tremendously stiff.
The cause of this oddity was due to Toshisuke suddenly thinking of something...
"Mr. Tachibana... could it be... that you alone got me out of the bath and helped dress me...?"
Toshisuke asked hesitantly, with a slight tremor in her voice, tremblingly.
Though the sentence was structured as a question, the questioning tone was not strong.
Because regarding this question she asked, Toshisuke already knew the answer.
With no same-gender companions around, it was clear that it was Aoto, now carrying her, who alone took her from Qianxun House.
However, despite having most likely discerned the answer, Toshisuke still carried a trace of hope, cautiously seeking confirmation from Aoto with a "what if" mentality.
"..." Aoto did not speak.
More specifically, he did not know how to begin...
When he decided to bring Toshisuke alone back to Shiwei Hall, Aoto had mentally prepared for this moment.
Aoto once thought of dodging the issue, but by the time Toshisuke questioned him, dodging was already too late and such a matter could not possibly be kept from Toshisuke.
With these thoughts in mind, Aoto abandoned the notion of fooling Toshisuke, sighed heavily, and then using the calmest voice he could, slowly said:
"Yes... it’s true, I alone got you out of the bath and helped dress you."
Because he did not know what expression to show Toshisuke, Aoto kept his gaze forward throughout saying this, not daring to glance back at Toshisuke.
At that instant, Aoto clearly felt Toshisuke stiffen on his back.
Then, he heard a shout filled with Toshisuke’s personal flair:
"Ahwa, ahwawawawa..."
Only tonight did Aoto learn that Toshisuke would make strange "ahwawawa" noises when shy.
He turned his head to look back and, as he expected, saw a significantly reddened face.
Like a face dyed red by a spray mist of redness, it appeared bright and dripping.
As they locked eyes, Toshisuke immediately seemed to want to avoid Aoto and retracted her head, burying her blushing face deep into Aoto’s back, hidden from Aoto’s gaze.
Delicate fingers and toes clenched tight... with enough force that finger and toe joints turned slightly pale.
Seeing this, Aoto promptly said:
"Rest assured, I did not touch or gaze inappropriately at your body when taking you from Qianxun House!"
To help this ashamed girl quickly "recover," Aoto detailed the entire process of how he carried Toshisuke from the bath.
After saying everything that could be said, providing all possible explanations, Aoto focused on behind him—where it was quietly still... Toshisuke remained silent, keeping her face buried tightly in Aoto’s back.
Aoto thought Toshisuke was angry.
Understandably so... although he claimed multiple times not to have touched or gazed inappropriately at Toshisuke, those claims were solely his side of the story.

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