Hijikata Toisho boldly put one hand around the geisha's shoulder and held her wrist with the other hand, smiling lightly.

"Hijikata, Mr. Hijikata..."

Looking at the handsome face so close at hand, the geisha's pretty face turned red, as if she had lost all her strength, and she collapsed directly into Hijikata Tobizo's arms.

…

Nagakura Shinpachi half-closed his eyes and sang softly a famous ballad from his hometown (Matsuzen Domain): "Ezashi Chaifen".

To be fair, the singing is not very good, but fortunately ballads are a kind of music that pays more attention to emotion than singing skills.

With the blessing of emotion, his singing successfully made the beauty smile.

…

Saito: "..."

Geisha: "..."

Saito: "..."

Geisha: "..."

A deathly silence fell between the two of them.

Saito picked up the wine glass on the dining table and drank it in one gulp.

Seeing this, the geisha hurriedly reached for the wine bottle beside her legs.

However, Saitoichi grabbed the wine bottle first and filled himself a glass.

"...Thank you for your escort."

he said.

"But I just want to drink in peace."

The geisha flattened her red lips in grievance, lowered the corners of her eyes, and clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"Yes... I'm sorry..."

Saito turned his gaze and glanced at her.

"... Let me state in advance that I have no intention of hating you or ostracizing you."

With that said, he handed the wine bottle in his hand to the geisha.

"Just... have a drink with me."

The geisha blinked, then shouted flattered:

"yes!"

…

"The heaven and earth are righteous, and they are mixed and endowed with manifolds. Below are the rivers and mountains, and above are the sun and stars."

Serizawa Kamo chanted quietly while sipping his wine. He also directly hugged the geisha like Hijikata Toshizo.

"Sirizawa-sama, what is this? Waka?"

"This is "Song of Righteousness" written by Wen Tianxiang during the Tang Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty. It is my favorite poem."

"Sirizawa-sama, do you understand Chinese poetry?"

Serizawa raised the corners of his lips and sneered.

"Of course! Don't look at me like this, I am very knowledgeable. I am not only proficient in Chinese poetry, but also Japanese songs. In terms of knowledge and talent, I am no worse than those literati at Changpingzaka Institute of Learning!"

…

"Do you know where this scar on my stomach came from? When I was still a member of the Iyo Matsuyama Domain, a bastard said that I was a 'little official who doesn't even know the etiquette of seppuku.' I was furious.

However, I decided to commit seppuku on the spot to show him, and look! This is the scar left behind after the act of seppuku!”

Harada Sanosuke opened his clothes, showed the scar on his stomach to the geisha, and told his story about "haramkipuku without dying" that has not changed for ten thousand years.

…

"Um...Miss Kinoshita, where is your hometown?"

"..."

"Miss Kinoshita?"

"...In, in Osaka..."

"Huh? Miss Kinoshita, are you from Osaka? That's a coincidence! I'm from Osaka too!"

After that, the geisha changed into Osaka accent.

"Miss Kinoshita, where is your hometown in Osaka? What did you do before?"

"..."

"..."

"...Miss Kinoshita?"

"Uh huh...!"

This is what society is afraid of.

Although Kinoshita Mai's shy and timid personality has improved a lot with Qingto's company and encouragement, there is still a long way to go before she can "be able to communicate normally with strangers."

Facing the geisha's enthusiastic reception, she was like a small animal, her body tensed up, her face flushed, and her eyes fixed on the tatami in front of her knees.

Weak, pitiful and helpless.

No matter what the geisha said or asked, her replies were either several beats too slow or she didn't respond at all, making it impossible to establish a smooth chat process. Even the experienced geisha couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

…

"Qian, Miss Qianba, do you want another drink?"

Sanako thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Then let's have another drink."

As she spoke, she handed the empty cup in her hand to the geisha.

The geisha hurriedly picked up the wine flask, filled her with a glass, and then stood aside quietly.

Just like Saitoichi, Sanako did not interact with the geisha next to her at all, and only ate and drank in silence.

Only when her wine glass is empty does the geisha finally have a chance to show off in front of her.

The geisha was completely overwhelmed by Sanako's cool aura.

Not to mention speaking, he didn't even dare to express his anger.

As a result, the atmosphere between them is not like "guest and geisha" at all, but more like "master and servant".

…

…

The arrival of the geishas to add to the fun was a small interlude.

Gradually, the banquet hall returned to its original order.

Those who eat eat, those who play and play, those who chat, and those who toast toast.

"Lord Tachibana! What happened the day before yesterday really offended me so much!"

Nengshi Liangbi held the wine glass and threw himself in front of Qingdeng.

The "incident of the day before yesterday" he mentioned was naturally referring to the incident in which "Qingden was arrested by the officers of the Kyoto Police Station".

At this time, it really scared both Inaba Masakuni and Nose Ryōbi into a cold sweat.

Qingdeng calmly raised his gaze and looked straight at Nengshi Liangbi with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Oh... speaking of this-"

Boom!

Qingdeng slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the dining table.

There was a loud "boom", like a mute note, and all the sounds and movements in the audience quickly weakened.

In an instant, the noisy banquet hall fell silent.

Everyone present - the Shinsengumi generals, the nobles of Kyoto, and the geishas - all turned their heads and focused their gazes on Ayoto and Nose Ryobi.

"Master Nengshi, I have a very important matter that I need to discuss with you as the envoy of Gyeonggi Town."

Qingdeng's face was expressionless and his tone was cold.

*******

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Chapter completed!