Chiba Domon Shiro’s personality is just like this: respecting the strong, disdainful of the weak.
As long as your strength and talent are impressive enough, even if there was once unpleasantness between you, he is willing to see you in a new light.
The Red and White Battle a few days ago made Chiba Domon Shiro personally feel Aoto’s power... From the day he lost to Aoto, Chiba Domon Shiro has had no objections to “trying to make Aoto a son-in-law of the Chiba family.”
Apart from Chiba Domon Shiro, many disciples of Xuanwu Hall also admired Aoto because of the match they lost to Shiwei Hall.
They suffered defeat... This certainly filled the disciples of Xuanwu Hall with unwillingness, but alongside their melancholy, they also admired Aoto, who single-handedly eliminated most of their competitors.
This is also the custom of Xuanwu Hall.
Under the leadership of the very competitive Chiba Daisaburo, the entire Xuanwu Hall is filled with an atmosphere of eagerness to fight and desire to compete with the strong.
As such, the strong can receive special respect and treatment in Xuanwu Hall.
Having beaten the disciples of Xuanwu Hall thoroughly, Aoto found his popularity soaring within Xuanwu Hall—such a result was beyond his expectations.
Despite not being adept at handling matters between men and women, these brothers have managed to concoct a plan that looks decent and quite actionable—
Using “holding a swordsmanship performance at the fireworks show’s venue” as an excuse to lure Aoto and Sazanoko over! The swordsmanship performance will indeed be held, but during it, they will try to create opportunities for Aoto and Sazanoko to be alone and have intimate contact. When the fireworks begin, they will use “since you’re here, might as well take a look at the fireworks” as an excuse, naturally creating the opportunity for Aoto and Sazanoko to watch the fireworks together!
Sazanoko is very interested in activities related to swordsmanship.
Tell her “come to watch fireworks” and she probably won’t come, but if you say “come for the swordsmanship performance,” she will likely gladly agree.
That is precisely what Chiba Shigetarou grasped about Sazanoko’s preference.
Sure enough, when Chiba Shigetarou told Sazanoko that he and Chiba Domon Shiro were planning to demonstrate swordsmanship at the fireworks festival, Sazanoko’s eyes immediately lit up as she exclaimed “please be sure to let me participate!”
The above is the reason why Chiba Shigetarou suddenly decided to hold a swordsmanship performance and invited Aoto to participate.
It’s all a setup.
So far, the plan has been progressing quite smoothly.
Aoto and Sazanoko have both gone “hook, line, and sinker.”
In recent days, Chiba Shigetarou and Chiba Domon Shiro have been meeting frequently, discussing and perfecting the action plan.
Like right now, Chiba Shigetarou has invited Chiba Domon Shiro out again, explaining his newly thought “battle plan.”
“Speaking of...”
Chiba Domon Shiro suddenly changed the subject.
“Brother Shigetarou, have you told Mr. Tachibana about attending tomorrow night’s swordsmanship exhibition to Sazanoko?”
Chiba Shigetarou was taken aback, waving his hand: “Not yet, I plan to tell her tomorrow afternoon.”
“Will you delay telling her until then?”
“Heh, you don’t understand this, do you?”
Chiba Shigetarou grinned.
“It’s only safe to delay until the last moment when she has no time to have second thoughts.”
Even though tomorrow night is when the “battle” begins, Chiba Shigetarou hasn’t yet informed Sazanoko about this matter that “Aoto will be performing swordsmanship with us.”
The reason is just as Chiba Shigetarou mentioned before: to avoid Sazanoko feeling regret upon hearing the news and refusing to participate in tomorrow night’s swordsmanship exhibition.
Chiba Shigetarou is still studying what kind of feelings and attitude Sazanoko has towards Aoto.
To ensure tomorrow night’s “battle” is a complete success, Chiba Shigetarou approaches every action with “caution, and more caution.”
“Ah! Brother Tadomaru! I’ve just thought of another great idea!”
Chiba Shigetarou slapped his thigh suddenly and then eagerly explained his so-called “new idea” to Chiba Domon Shiro: to try persuading Sazanoko to wear makeup tomorrow night...
About half an hour later—
Edo, Oke-machi, Little Chiba Sword Dojo, the Alpha arena exclusively for the Chiba family’s tribe—
Huff—! Huff—! Huff—!
The sound of the wooden glaive swinging rapidly fills every corner of the dojo.
Dressed in a kendo uniform with white on top and blue on the bottom, Sazanoko stands at the very center of the dojo, swiftly wielding a wooden glaive that is taller than herself.
Ponytail flinging, black hair flying.
The captivating red glow on her pretty face and rosy neck glistens with shimmering sweat.
Judging from the intricacy of the technique contained in the glaive, the blade speed that allows such a large knife to be swung with such force is something that makes one dare not treat Sazanoko’s Glaive Technique as merely “skills toyed by a mere woman.”
Although Sazanoko is proficient in Beichen One-Sword Style’s Small Tachi Technique, she is most skilled at the Glaive Technique.
After completing a full set of swordsmanship movements all at once, Sazanoko handed the glaive to her left hand, panting “ha... ha...” while reaching her free right hand into her collar to take out a handkerchief to elegantly dab the sweat beads off her face.
“It’s still not quite smooth...”
Sazanoko looked at the glaive in her hands and murmured.
She had been practicing a new move Chiba Dingji taught her a few days ago.
Over and over again, but there was always some move that just wouldn’t go smoothly.

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