After saying that, Chiba Dingji let out a long sigh...
...
...
The next day, in the morning—
Edo, Little Ishikawa Hoshimura Willow Street, Shiwei Hall, in the courtyard—
“Mr. Tachibana, why are you grinning?”
Nagakura, who was brushing his teeth shoulder to shoulder with Aoto by the well, suddenly asked Aoto next to him.
“Hmm?”
Hearing Nagakura say that, Aoto quickly raised his hand to touch the corner of his mouth—indeed, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.
“Nothing,” Aoto hurriedly brushed off with a casual excuse, “I remembered something happy.”
“What happy thing?”
“The stray cat living next to our Shiwei Hall had kittens.”
“What’s so happy about that?”
“From now on, there should be fewer mice around.”
“Oh, that is indeed something to be happy about.”
Quickly finishing their morning routine, Aoto wiped the remaining water droplets from his face, raised a big smile, and faced the still gentle morning sun.
—Today is really a beautiful day...
The weather is fine, with not a single cloud in the sky... Using these two idioms to describe today’s weather couldn’t be more appropriate.
The summer heat, which had been oppressing people’s bodies and minds since the start of the season, had faded significantly today, making it a very good day for a trip.
Aoto inexplicably felt a strong desire to bask more in this gentle morning sun.
Therefore, he strapped on his wooden clogs and with the casual attire of pajamas, stood outside the gate of Shiwei Hall, slowly stretching his muscles like an old man, while quietly enjoying the pleasure of sunbathing.
For no apparent reason, Aoto suddenly recalled the wonderful scenes from last night...
The indescribably smooth and tender cheeks...
As she waved goodbye and walked over ten meters away, she suddenly turned around, shyly smiling while energetically waving at him again...
This sensation, this scene, this feeling, was deeply imprinted in Aoto’s mind.
Although a night had passed, the sensation of lightly stroking Mukiwa’s cheeks could still reappear in his right palm; the excitement of seeing her face splashed with colorful fireworks remained in his heart; after watching Mukiwa leave, he could still clearly recall the unprecedented warmth on his cheeks...
Speaking of it is embarrassing... Involuntarily recalling scenes from last night, Aoto felt an urge to rush to the Thousand Affairs House right then and hug Mukiwa tightly.
Regardless of whether Boss Kiryu is there or not! Start by hugging Awu first!
—What kind of relationship do Awu and I have now...?
Aoto asked himself while looking up at the clear sky above.
Although he had traveled to this era for some time, Aoto still hadn’t fully understood or adapted to the moral concepts of this era.
Attending a fireworks festival with no outsiders, which carries a very strong sense of ambiguity for young men and women; they even performed the intimate act of “a woman lightly rubbing her face against a man’s hand”...
Aoto didn’t understand the moral concepts of this era, nor did he understand matters between men and women... After all, in his previous life, he was consumed by studying and fitness, and never dated a girl.
However, although he found it difficult to make a precise judgment about his current relationship with Mukiwa, his feelings for Mukiwa were crystal clear.
The initial reason Aoto had proactively invited Mukiwa to attend the fireworks festival was largely due to a surge of excitement.
But now, Aoto was confident that he would not let such a thing happen again.
If another lively event like the fireworks festival appeared, Aoto was certain that he could calmly invite Mukiwa.
Not relying on a sudden surge of excitement.
But on his sincere feelings for Mukiwa.
Thinking of this, a somewhat silly yet happy smile appeared on Aoto’s cheeks.
While Aoto was still engrossed in his silly smile—
“...Mr. Tachibana.”
A very familiar and pleasant female voice suddenly came from in front of him.
Aoto immediately restrained his smile and raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Miss Sazanoko?”
The one who suddenly called Aoto was Sazanoko.
Even in this scorching summer, Sazanoko maintained her elegant attire befitting a lady of a reputable family.
She did not wear the light and somewhat casual yukata. Her small feet were still neatly covered in clean white socks.
However, strangely enough, Sazanoko wasn’t wearing the “Yamato Nadeshiko” attire of a women’s kimono with a Shimada Bun at this time. Instead, she had tied her hair into a light high ponytail, wearing a “Samurai Princess” kendo uniform in white and blue.
From what Aoto knew, Sazanoko only dressed in “Samurai Princess” attire when she needed to practice martial arts.
“Miss Sazanoko, good morning.” Aoto took the initiative to greet Sazanoko, who was slowly walking towards him, “What brings you here?”
Aoto raised his gaze, looking around Sazanoko, noticing she hadn’t brought any companions and had come by herself.
“Mr. Tachibana, good morning.”
Sazanoko slightly bowed with a blank expression and greeted Aoto with a gentle salute.
Then, she suddenly changed the topic.
“Mr. Tachibana, do you have a moment now?”
“Huh?”
Aoto, confused by Sazanoko’s sudden stability, responded after a moment of being stunned:
“I have some free time now... Why? Is there something you need?”
“Mr. Tachibana, could you come with me for a moment? I would like to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor? That’s no problem... What do you need my help with?”

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