Su Shuang's world is collapsing [Comprehensive]

Takagi Sada found that another new woman joined them silently, and planned to join the Aizu feudal vassals who fought bravely and the remaining members of the Shinsengumi to fight the new government army to the death, probably at Tathagata Hall. After the attack.

Speaking of which, the sudden attack on Tathagata Hall...it was really a tragic battle.

To put it simply, after the Shinsengumi team followed Otori Keisuke's first team and left Aizu for Sendai, the leader of the third division, Saitoichi, who stayed behind——At this time, he has changed his name to "Yamaguchi Jiro" ——Leading the [-] newly selected team members and several soldiers who officially became the troops directly under Aizu, they left Yanchuan for Takahisa at the beginning of September, and moved their camp to Tathagata Village, which was weakly defended.However, they stayed in Tathagata Hall for only one night, and the next day they were discovered by the new government army under the city and launched a surprise attack.

The 13 people from the Shinsengumi faced more than 300 people from the new government army. This was supposed to be a battle of complete annihilation.However, in the deadly battle, seven people managed to escape and rejoined the team outside Aizu City.Among them, there is Saitoichi.

When Takagi first met Jiro Yamaguchi... no, Saitoichi, he was in the Suzaku team.To be exact, he was in the pile of wounded soldiers of the Suzaku team, his head was covered with blood, his dark blue hair was mashed into strands with blood, and the black western-style suit on his body had become tattered.He was holding the Taidao that had almost been chopped off, and the blade was covered with deep black bloodstains, and sat there leaning against a wall.There were criss-cross bloodstains on his bare/exposed arms and calves, and he didn't seem to want to care about it, just sat there motionless.At first glance, one almost thought he was a dead man.

Just as Gao Muzhen wanted to go up to see what happened, he heard a slightly hoarse voice behind him.

"Oh, there's still one alive here! Yaeko, I'll take care of the wounded here!"

Of course Gao Muzhen knew that the voice was calling out to Yaeko, the younger sister of Kakuma Yamamoto, a vassal.Like most young Aizu women, she took care of the wounded during the day, and was formed into a team with the women at night, and she also took on the same defensive and attacking tasks.But the owner of this voice seemed a little strange, she turned her head abruptly.

Behind her stood a young woman with an unfamiliar face.The woman's facial features were ordinary, with a narrow forehead, a pair of slender eyes, small freckles on both sides of her nose, her complexion was a little sallow after sun exposure, and her lips were white due to malnutrition. Tall and slim, is the only bright spot.

Noticing Gao Muzhen's gaze, the young woman smiled at her, and introduced herself: "Hi, my name is Kazuo Shinoda, and I originally lived outside the city... This time I came here specially to join everyone."

The name sounds a bit strange too. "Yixu" means "together", and it is telling everyone clearly that this is a pseudonym.

Gao Muzhen looked at her suspiciously.

Yaeko Yamamoto ran over. "Kazuo! Why are you still standing here! Where are the wounded you mentioned just now... Ah! Zhenkun! Are you here too!"

Without waiting for Takagi Sada to ask questions, the lively Yaeko began to introduce the two of them to each other in one breath.

It is said that Kazuo Shinoda is the daughter of a family outside the city. She is 28 years old this year. She originally married elsewhere. She was the only one who survived, and with the determination of revenge, she sneaked into the city of Aizu with all her life, planning to join the women's team who also went to battle to kill the enemy and became famous.

On Takagi Sada's side was the respectable eldest daughter of the Takagi family of Aizu Ōmetsu Takagi who was Shi Gao Sanbai.Some people jokingly call her the "Iron Lady of Aizu" who is very assertive and able to support everyone, but it is rumored that she has become "the fierce woman of Aizu" for some reason.

For Yaeko's off-line introduction, the reactions of others are as follows:

Gao Muzhen: "..."

Shinoda Kazuo: "..."

"Pfft, that's really interesting, Yaeko." After a moment of silence, Shinoda Kazuo frowned and smiled. "Aizu's iron lady... It sounds like Takagi-kun is really someone you can rely on at ease?... It's the first time we meet, please take care of me."

The smile was kind and gentle, completely warm and harmless.

After exchanging names and introductions with each other, since they are Yaeko's friends, Takagi Sada is less wary.At this time, after seeing that Gao Muzhen no longer doubted herself, but expressed a welcoming attitude, Kazuo Shinoda said "I'm sorry" to her almost immediately, and then walked towards the girl leaning against the wall with the medicine box. , Bloody people.

Gao Muzhen later wondered if it was because Shinoda Kazuo was the one who walked towards Saito Kazu first, so he always remembered her.

At that time, she only saw Kazuo Shinoda knelt down on one knee beside the wounded man, carefully inspecting the wounded man, and asked cautiously, "...Hello? Are you still alive? Where are you injured?"

Although she was asking this question, her hands were not idle. Before the other party answered her, she had already started to clean and bandage the wounds on his arms and calves.

Then, Gao Muzhen saw the wounded young man sitting by the wall holding a dagger opened his right eye, and glanced at Shinoda Kazuo who was squatting in front of him with neat movements.

"...It's not a serious injury, it's okay." He replied quietly in a pleasant voice.

... Later, it seemed that Jiro Yamaguchi and Kazuo Shinoda knew each other just like that.

In Gao Muzhen's impression, Shinoda Kazuo didn't appear in Aizu for a long time-of course, it didn't take many days from then to Aizu Kaicheng.However, in these short ten days, this not-so-good-looking woman was extremely active.

Once after the war, Gao Muzhen heard someone talking about Kazuo Shinoda.

"That woman is really powerful... It is said that the married husband's family used to open a dojo, and after more than ten years of practice, it is amazing to have such swordsmanship..."

"No, it's not that her swordsmanship is stronger than that of men. But she is very popular among women..."

"...It's also impressive in actual combat...I thought it was just a show, but today I mustered up the courage to kill the enemy with two strikes. It's really neat!"

Gao Muzhen felt a little surprised.is that so?That woman who lost her husband and family at a young age and came here alone, really has such beautiful swordsmanship?

But at night, when she patrolled her shift, she was even more surprised by what she saw.

She was just about to turn a corner when she suddenly heard Jiro Yamaguchi's usual calm and nice voice from behind the wall.

However, the calmness in that voice now seems to be showing signs of wavering.He paused, as if it was very difficult, and asked a word.

"Excuse me... do you like cherry pancakes?"

Gao Muzhen:! ! !

She hurriedly hid her body in the shadow behind the corner, and then sneaked out to watch.She couldn't tell why she did this, it was just a subconscious action—but when she saw clearly that the woman standing opposite Yamaguchi Jiro and slightly turning her face to the side was Shinoda Kazuo, she felt herself Couldn't have been more surprised.

Yamaguchi-kun...that woman is four years older than you! !And she is a young widow of unknown origin... No, it's not that this identity will make people look down upon, it's just... no matter how you look at it, it makes people feel that she is not calm, skilled in swordsmanship at a young age. The one that Yamaguchi-kun, who exists as a great swordsman to rely on with peace of mind, will fall in love with.

And Kazuo Shinoda's answer was even more confusing.

Facing the young and handsome swordsman asking himself such an ambiguous question, Kazuo Shinoda seemed unmoved.

"No, I don't like sweets." She said clearly in her naturally hoarse voice.

Jiro Yamaguchi looked a little disappointed.Surprisingly, however, he didn't apologize and leave right away - although that choice was more like his own style of painting.

"Really..." He paused suspiciously, and seemed to muster up his courage again, and continued to ask: "So, do you know a person named Xiaomei?"

Shinoda Kazuo answered faster this time.

"My husband's younger sister is called Xiaomei, but I have been married for so many years, so I don't think she will know Yamaguchi-kun?"

As if she felt that the behavior of the young man in front of her was a bit strange, she started the so-called "defensive attack".

"Xiaotian is the last name of my husband's family. What is the last name of Xiaomei whom Yamaguchi-kun knows?"

Being asked provocatively, Jiro Yamaguchi, who originally belonged to the Wukou family, fell into silence.After a while, he said softly: "...Her surname is Qingyuan."

In Gao Muzhen's memory, this was the first time he mentioned the surname "Qingyuan".

Shinoda Kazuo also seemed very surprised—maybe she didn't expect that Jiro Yamaguchi would actually tell her—she paused for a long time, and then smiled and said: "...that's a pity. The Xiaomei I know, It's not the one Yamaguchi-kun knows."

As if feeling a little emotional, Shinoda Kazuo narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the young man in front of him, his voice seemed to become a little low.

"Yamaguchi-kun...are you separated from that Xiaomei?"

After hearing the words, Erlang Yamaguchi was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "...No, it's not. It's just parting...I have the responsibilities I want to fulfill by staying here, and she also has hers..."

"So, she's gone." Shinoda Kazuo grunted and said clearly.

Yamaguchi Jiro: "...Thank you for bandaging my wound that day."

He forcibly changed the subject, Kazuo Shinoda looked a little surprised.

"No, that's nothing... that's my job... It's great that Yamaguchi-kun is fully recovered," she replied with a smile.

However, Jiro Yamaguchi's expression was still very serious.

"No, I still want to thank you." He said, then raised his head slightly to look at the night sky, his handsome profile was bathed in the bright moonlight at night, showing a bit of purity and purity.

"Because I promised her... I will definitely kill the enemy desperately, and I will definitely survive desperately, and then go find her..."

"So I can't just die like this."

Shinoda Kazuo:! ! !

She looked so startled that for a moment nothing was said.Then, she seemed to return to normal quickly, showing a tolerant smile similar to that of a big sister.

"Is that so...Yamaguchi-kun will definitely survive."

Kazuo Shinoda did not say anything that ordinary people would curiously say, such as "It's nice to be young" or "Does Yamaguchi-kun like that Mei?", but Kazuo Shinoda once again gave a surprising answer.

"I will live to meet the person you made an appointment with... I believe so."

Takagi Sada thought that Yamaguchi-kun, who fought bravely with such thoughts, would surely have survived to the end of the war as Kazuo Shinoda said.

Because someone made an appointment with him to shine on the battlefield of Aizu, and then go back to see her.Just like when we parted, we will meet again amidst tears and smiles, right?

In the last battle before the opening of Aizu, Kazuo Shinoda, who did not cut her hair short like other women, walked in the queue of the women's team, and met Jiro Yamaguchi for the last time by chance at the wall of Tsuru Castle in Aizu.

Also standing in the queue of the women's team, Gao Muzhen witnessed the farewell between Kazuo Shinoda and Jiro Yamaguchi.

Going out of the queue to say hello to Jiro Yamaguchi, Kazuo Shinoda didn’t seem to care much about everyone’s kind teasing—she always smiled tolerantly and kindly, responding to such jokes with the attitude of a big sister and said, “Don’t be kidding, I'm already an old woman, Yamaguchi-san just care about me like a big sister in my hometown" - Walking towards Jiro Yamaguchi, who is in full uniform and has a serious face.

The artillery of the new government army rumbled.Since the [-]th, they have bombarded Crane City day and night like this.

Standing under the scarred city wall, amidst the sound of huge cannons, Kazuo Shinoda smiled at Jiro Yamaguchi.

"Remember your agreement with Xiaomei, Mr. Yamaguchi." She said.

Everyone knows that in today's Aizu, every day may be the last day of their lives.Even Gao Muzhen sewed a small piece of cloth on the inside corner of his clothes, with the words "death in battle on September [-]th" written on it.This habit has only recently become popular. Before going out, sew such cloth strips on the inside of the corner of the clothes, or simply write these words on your clothes, write the date of the day you go out, and then add The word "fight to death" expresses one's determination and will to fight bravely and die for Aizu.

But Shinoda Kazuo has always been a strange person.Gao Muzhen noticed that she didn't write similar words of bravery on her clothes.The same is true in other matters, for some reason I always feel a little maverick... Sometimes Gao Muzhen even thinks that this kind of behavior is not like a traditional good wife at all... Married to her husband's family for more than ten years It is a miracle that he was not suspended.

Lo and behold, she is now speaking inappropriate words again.

"...Take care, Yamaguchi-kun." She looked at Jiro Yamaguchi, and then nodded goodbye to him.

Jiro Yamaguchi was silent, just pressed his right hand on the hilt of his waist, and watched her walk back to the women's team.Then, he also turned around, resolutely followed the Suzaku team and left.

Gao Muzhen, who was standing beside Shinoda Kazuo, couldn't help turning her head slightly to look at her.

Maybe it's because Takagi Sada's gaze is really special, Shinoda Kazuo quickly noticed it.She also turned her head and gave Gao Muzhen a gentle smile.

Then, he asked out of the blue, "Takagi-kun... have you ever heard of Yoshimitsu Awataguchi?"

Gao Muzhen: "??? It seems...a famous swordsmith from long ago?"

Shinoda Kazuo showed a smile.

"Yes, that's right. Yoshimitsu Awataguchi was a famous swordsmith in the Kamakura period, and a famous short sword maker..."

Gao Muzhen:? ? ?

Seeing the question mark expression on her face, Kazuo Shinoda soon stopped popularizing "Introduction to Swordsmiths" to her.

"'Yiqi Yizhen' is the only Taidao inscribed in his life, so the name of the sword is 'Yiqi Yizhen', which is the only treasure in his life..." She said so in a trance, and then turned to Looking at Gao Muzhen, she suddenly smiled.

"Forget it. . . . Why am I talking about this now. Please forget about it."

For some reason, that smile left a deep impression on Gao Muzhen.

That was also the last impression Kazuo Shinoda left on her.

After the brutal World War I, many good men in Aizu...even good girls, gave their lives.Then, Rong Baogong finally announced his final decision, and Crane City surrendered.

Gao Muzhen saw Jiro Yamaguchi again... No, when Saitoichi was in Wuhe Town in Dounan.

At that time, he had changed his name to "Ichinose Denpachi" again.His true identity as the leader of the third team of the Shinsengumi, Saitoichi, was concealed by everyone. As an ordinary wounded soldier of the Suzaku team, he spent the harsh winter in the prisoner-of-war camp and escaped the new government. The army's rigorous screening, pursuit and screening, and the serious injuries suffered from the final battle are also slowly recovering.

He followed other Aizu people who were punished and moved to the place where he was exiled-the Donan Domain of Sanmanshi.The barrenness there is simply beyond imagination. During the long and cold winter, he lived with four other Aizu clansmen and engaged in hard and monotonous work. From land reclamation to hunting, all kinds of trivial matters such as farming and building houses piled up. Coming here will almost completely obliterate the image of the swordsman who made all opponents fearful back then.

When Gao Muzhen saw him, he was terribly emaciated due to his unhealed injuries and the harsh environment in the prisoner-of-war camp.Only those dark blue eyes are still very bright, with a will burning like fire inside.

For some reason, that appearance made Takagi Sada instantly think of the tachi that Kazuo Shinoda mentioned before his final battle, the only tachi that was inscribed by Yoshimitsu Awataguchi in his life, "One Phase One Shock".

Later, she also asked her younger brother Morinosuke Takagi about the information about Yiqi Yizhen. It is said that this sword had been burned in the summer battle in Osaka, and then it was repaired by Zaijian.

In her imagination, it should be a beautiful and sharp sword. Even if it is burned by fire, even if it is covered with scars, even if it is difficult to go to the battlefield again... From the beginning to the end, it should be an impressive sword. A magic soldier who is delighted by seeing or dreaded by seeing.Some people want to have it, some people want to use it for themselves, to be admired, to be feared, to be relied on, to be chased...

Just like Ichinose Denpachi in front of her now... no, Saito Kazu, the third team leader of the Shinsengumi.Whether it is scarred or calm and sharp, no matter where it exists, it is the best, most reliable, outstanding and irreplaceable knife for Shinsengumi.

They had a brief chat.When Takagi Sada mentioned Kazuo Shinoda who lost news in the last battle, for a moment she almost thought that Saito's eyes had darkened.

"Is that so... Such a person finally dedicated his life to Aizu..." He said with a sigh.

Perhaps in order to try to talk about less sad topics, Gao Muzhen suddenly thought of Shinoda Kazuo's strange words before parting.So she said it.

"Speaking of... after you left, Shinoda-kun said... something strange."

Saito:?

Takagi Sada: "She mentioned Yoshimitsu Awataguchi... Uh, has Ichinose-kun heard of this person?"

For some reason, she felt an overly bright light suddenly flashing across Saito's eyes.

He slowly repeated the name she had mentioned. "...Awataguchi Yoshimitsu?!"

Gao Muzhen thought that he hadn't heard it, so he narrated it according to the explanation given by Kazuo Shinoda at that time.

"Yes, Shinoda-kun mentioned him at the time... She said that Yoshimitsu Awataguchi was a famous swordsmith in the Kamakura period and a famous short sword maker."

"...Yes, I know him." Saito replied slowly after a moment of silence.

The topic continued, and Gao Muzhen said happily: "That's good... Mr. Shinoda finally mentioned that the only Taidao inscribed in this person's life is called 'One Phase One Shock'. She said that the meaning of that name is a lifetime. There are only a handful of treasures in the…”

Saito:! ! !

Although he was talking about a seemingly common topic, Saito suddenly raised his head, his eyes were almost frighteningly bright, and he stared at Gao Muzhen.

He looked obviously shocked, his mouth was slightly opened in astonishment, a "huh?!" came out of his throat, and he stared blankly at her face.

Obviously, he didn't really look at her face seriously, but was looking through her, as if looking at someone else; but Gao Muzhen still had a slight fever on his face because of this gaze, and looked away uncomfortably look away.

On the face of the Wukou swordsman whose expression is usually so calm that it is almost indifferent, the expression at this moment is colorful and unpredictable.Finally, after several colorful expressions on his face, he spoke, and his voice sounded unsteady.

"It turns out...it's really her."

Gao Muzhen:? !

"...Why don't you admit it... What happened to Mr. Hijikata that made you come back..." He murmured, his expression became a little worried.

"Really... Did you really die in the final battle?!" His voice raised slightly, and his voice actually sounded a little difficult.His eyes flickered several times, and finally turned around unexpectedly, and strode back to the way he came from.

"...Going to investigate. There should be a list of those who died... Shanchuan-kun should also collect the list of martyrs who were buried by others... If the whereabouts are only unknown, then with her It is possible that I have escaped from Aizu successfully... But why did I run back...? Was there any conflict with Hijikata-san? That person will not leave the Shinsengumi on his own, so... "

Gao Muzhen was stunned as she had never seen this person with a naughty side before.

"I-Ichinose-kun!"

Behind him, she raised her voice and stopped him.

He turned around with a [? ? ? ] expression, as if very puzzled why she called him suddenly.

Gao Muzhen took a deep breath.

"You...Actually, Shinoda-kun is your old acquaintance, right? She knew you before, didn't she? Then why did she pretend not to know you in Aizu? Why didn't you recognize her?"

This series of questions made Saito widen his eyes slightly in astonishment.But he soon realized it, and the expression on his face seemed a little gloomy.

"You ask me a question, and I don't know the answer."

He replied seriously, his expression still so serious.

"I think she should be the one I know... As for cross-dressing, it has always been her forte..."

He thought about it and continued to answer.

"As for why she pretended not to know me... and why she came back to Aizu, I don't know the reasons."

Saying this, the surprise and confusion he had shown just now seemed to have gradually disappeared.He returned to the usual Saitoichi again, earnest, calm, firm and full of reason.

"But... I believe she's still alive. Because we made an appointment..."

On the cold road in Dounan, a tall and straight young man in a black western-style suit smiled softly and firmly.

"Qingyuan Xueye, I will definitely fulfill my promise."

...Because, she is the only female player in the Shinsengumi.

[Special episode Saito/End]

The author has something to say:

February 6:

Happy Children's Day everyone!Originally, I wanted to write [-] characters to meet the occasion, but when I wrote Xiaoyi, I couldn't control my unicorn arms. . .Therefore, here is the big chapter of [-] words~~Please eat slowly~~:P

【Instructions before eating】

1. The setting of this episode is similar to the parallel world, and it can also be regarded as the key choice in the game to enter the personal line of Xiaoyi~~ Well, please do not take your seat seriously [.

2. The Takagi Sada mentioned in this chapter is the later Takagi Tokio.As for who Ms. Takagi Tokio is, lovely girls can get their mothers by themselves [Kicked away

3. The pseudonyms used by the girls in this chapter, of course, have allusions.In order not to affect everyone standing on CP, let me reveal a little bit~~ In some records, the first wife Yijun married when he was exiled in Dounan was surnamed Xiaotian, who was four years older than him.The lady’s name in the record is spelled in hiragana, and there is no corresponding Chinese character or translated name, and the pronunciation is a bit peculiar, probably similar to the Japanese word “Izuo”.So the author Zhe took the liberty of quoting a little indiscriminately. . .There is no other implied meaning, please pay attention to [.

4. The girl repeatedly mentioned the reason for the first issue and the first shock, do the little angels know? :P