girl holding a notebook

"It's really hard work," said Okita who didn't know when he was sitting on the railing, his dark green eyes were watching the young man wielding a wooden knife tirelessly in the courtyard, but the simple basic skills made the young man sweat profusely. "Give up, it's not enough with your current ability."

I don't know how long Okita sat there, maybe she felt it when Okita came here, but she didn't react at all.Maybe she didn't even have the memory of when Okita would come.

Sora continued to swing the wooden sword without saying a word, Okita's words passed by his ears like a gust of wind, without causing any waves.

"Mr. Hijikata is looking for you." Saito, who walked across the room, said to Okita who was sitting casually, and coldly glanced at the person who was training in the atrium. It was the boy who was proposed by the general manager to enter the Shinsengumi today. "If you don't want to miss training tomorrow, stop practicing." Saito's clear voice made Sora stop his swinging movement.

Pain, it seems that this is the only word that can describe the current situation. The arm seems to be extremely heavy. When the hand is stiff, the wooden knife will show signs of slipping, and Sora can only hold the wooden knife tightly.A person who cannot hold a sword is not qualified to be a samurai.

A look of astonishment flashed across Okita's face, and only for a moment, Okita smiled and said, "Sora listens to Kazukun very much." Smiling at Sora who turned around, Okita followed Sai who had walked some distance away rattan.

"Is Kazu-kun agreeing with Sora to be a member of the Shinsengumi?" Okita said, he apparently forgot that it was himself who recommended Sora to be a member of the Shinsengumi, and Saito didn't get an answer. Shrugged.

When she returned to the room, Sora was already hungry, and her whole body seemed to be falling apart. She never thought that she could train to this point, it should be thanks to the improvement of her physique.Sora didn't know whether to rejoice or lament at this moment.

"You... are you okay?" The notebook stared at Kong in amazement as if seeing an alien. Based on its observations in Kong's world, Kong completely belonged to a lazy personality.Has the person who trained hard in the atrium today been secretly transferred?

"...something..." It was just a sentence, Kong Du seemed to be exhausting all his strength, she understood the principle of step by step, but the current situation could not allow her to make such a choice.Starting from the task of "joining the Shinsengumi" means that there is a dangerous road waiting for her. It is better to hold on, stand up, and fight half of your life than to be killed at any time.

That night, Sora slept very well, probably because his body was too tired.The next day, the sky was still groggy, the sky was leaden gray, and the quiet Kyoto showed a different kind of peace only at this time.

Opening the sliding door, a gust of cold wind blows through, so cold, Kong put his arms around his arms, rubbing up and down.She still likes the days when she has down jackets and air conditioners. Thinking of this, Sora took the wooden knife that was set aside and walked to the courtyard yesterday.

"Mr. Saito,...good morning" I didn't expect that someone would come to the atrium like her at this time. I was startled, and Sora quickly recovered his demeanor.Through last night's dinner, she also got acquainted with several cadres of the Shinsengumi.

"Good morning, Sora." Saito's face was still calm.

Snowflakes fell from the sky one after another, one after another, without wind, as if someone had pressed the repeat button, going round and round.Using half of the time in the morning, Kong was still practicing basic skills, and the rest was used to familiarize himself with the natural flow of mind.Before breakfast, Kondo agreed that Sora would receive training like ordinary soldiers, but he did not really agree to Sora's joining the Shinsengumi.

Director Kondo's specious attitude made Sora wonder whether she had really completed the task of 'joining the Shinsengumi'.

The training of the soldiers is more difficult than Sora imagined, "The arm that swings the sword is too low,...raise it high", "Don't make me say it too many times, this kind of weak attack can't hurt the enemy."

Saito is a person who lives in the sword. During training, he exudes the coldness of a sword drawn from its sheath, and his ice blue eyes are at zero temperature. This kind of Saito already makes people shudder.

The days passed quickly, and ten days had passed in the blink of an eye, and getting up early was like a habit.There might be times when she would be slack, but every time she thought of Mr. Saito, Sora would feel a rush of energy and urge her to go to the courtyard.

At noon that day, Sora discovered for the first time that there were girls in the Shinsengumi.

When noon was approaching, Sora would always find Okita sitting with his back against the wall, and today was no exception.I often wonder what kind of people live in the room, maybe, in fact, there is no one.

"Mr. Okita...is it a flower rope?" Sora approached Okita, and saw the red rope wrapped around his fingers, untied and tied repeatedly.Okita was troubled by untying the rope, and looked up to see Sora who was watching the rope in his hand, "Is Sora surprised when I play with the rope?" Okita asked.

Sora pulled away the shortened distance, with a light blush on his ears, and said, "No...it's just that I rarely see anyone playing rope." And she herself only played it when she was a child. friend, "Can you lend me a try, Mr. Okita?"

"This...should be here...no, the next step is..." Sora fiddled with the flower rope he borrowed from Okita, recalling the scene of turning flower rope when he was a child.

Hearing the sound, Chizuru opened the window and looked for the source of the sound. Chizuru lowered his head and saw Mr. Okita under the window and the boy squatting in front of Mr. Okita playing with the flower rope, turning the flower rope?Speaking of why Mr. Okita is sitting under the window, and there is a boy playing with the rope.

"...Sorry" Chizuru said, looking at the two of them with embarrassment, "Let me do it, please..." Chizuru, who didn't know how to address Sora, had a blush on her face.

Sora, who failed again, looked at Chizuru who poked his head out of the window. After getting no objection from Okita, Sora approached Chizuru's side and untied the flower rope in his hand, "I am Hoshino Sora."

"Mr. Hoshino"

Chizuru's address to Sora made Okita narrow his eyes and chuckle.

"Just call me Sora," Sora corrected.In the Shinsengumi, she is younger than Todo Heisuke, and no one will call her 'Mr. Hoshino'.Chizuru's address made Sora somewhat awkward, and he also had doubts about Chizuru's identity.

Chizuru, who took the flower rope in Kong's hands, quickly pulled out the broom, the Milky Way, and the umbrella... Sora and Okita were a little surprised by how lightly they pulled out all kinds of tricks.

"Hey...that's amazing. Sure enough, girls are very good at turning flower ropes?"

girls?Sora looked Qianzu up and down, his eyes stayed on the neck for a long time, and being stared at by Sora unabashedly, Qianzuru's fair cheeks were already red enough to drip.

"Sorry, it's very strange to see a girl in the village. ... So, I will never say anything about it."

Women are not allowed to live in the garrison, so you continue to wear men's clothes. Chizuru remembers Mr. Hijikata's words very clearly.But both Mr. Okita and Mr. Saito knew the identity of her woman, which also prevented her from deliberately avoiding the question of her identity.

"Thank you very much... Sora.... If Sora doesn't mind, I can teach you how to play rope," Chizuru said, "Mr. Okita...do you want to play together?" Chizuru looked at Okita on the other side hesitantly, thinking He also cared because he was deceived by Okita and had tatami marks on his face.

"Well... let's play together" Okita replied, Qianzuru was choked up in his throat because of Okita's frank promise when he was ready, Mr. Okita would actually agree...to play with the rope.

"Hehe, you're such a cute girl." Sora was amused by Chizuru's expression, and said with a smile, "Mr. Okita probably made an appointment with the children to play rope together. They are all very cute children of seven or eight years old."

"Playing with the children?" Qianhe showed a lonely expression. She also knew her current situation. She was under house arrest in the room, and it was a luxury to be able to go out. She did not continue to show her lonely expression. Okita and somersault rope.

When Saito arrived for lunch, Sora realized that it was already noon.

"I said, it's time for dinner." As soon as the words came, a light brown long-haired boy came from the corridor, with a handsome face and about the same age as Qianzuru. "Sora is also here, Mr. Kondo seems to be looking for you."

"...Well, I'm sorry." Sora was stunned for a moment and replied, Mr. Kondo would ask her for something.

Close to Kondo's room, Sora knocked on the door and asked, "Mr. Kondo, excuse me."

"It's okay, come in"

Kondo sat kneeling in front of the table, and the papers were spread on the table. At this time, in January of the first year of Genji, Hijikata was ordered to go to Osaka.

"Don't be cautious." Kondo turned to face Sora and said, as the head of the Shinsengumi, he didn't put on any airs. "Do you still want to join the Shinsengumi? Sora, your sword can't kill, no matter how hard you try, you can't be like the chief Just like Sui, you are a different person from them."

Kondo's calm words powerfully bombarded Sora's heart. She couldn't integrate into this turbulent world. Killing and being killed in her bones were an insurmountable gap in her heart. Why was it me?At the beginning, she thought about the question countless times, but to this day she has become numb.

Undeniable to Kondo's words, Sora lowered his head.Perhaps, even she herself didn't know where she would go.

"...I heard from Saito that you have learned the natural Rishin-ryu swordsmanship?" The dullness dissipated with Kondo's gossip-like tone.

"...Yes,... my grandfather was taught by Mr. Sansuke Kondo"

There was a look of surprise on Kondo's face, and he just imagined that Sora might be someone from the test hall, "... If you want to continue learning the natural flow of mind, you can come to me in the evening," Kondo said, looking up and showing surprise With a blank expression, he pondered for a moment, "Temporarily stay in the Shinsengumi as my servant boy."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kondo."

Although he was a servant boy, he did not prevent Sora from going to the dojo to practice, perhaps as Mr. Kondo said, "temporarily".

Winter nights are always dark and very early, Sora hesitated but still followed Mr. Kondo's words and knocked on the door of Mr. Kondo's room in the evening.

The candlelight in the room was flickering. After Sora knocked on the door for a while, Kondo and Okita walked out one after another. When Okita saw Sora's usual face, he showed a little imperceptible admiration, "It's great to be Mr. Kondo's servant boy. " Okita said.

After Okita left, Kondo said to Sora who didn't know why, "The chief executive has this personality, so don't take it to heart."