Two days have passed since Kondo and Matsudaira were arrested and the Shinsengumi's disposition was issued.
After losing the title of Shinsengumi, losing the place where the Shinsengumi can go back, and losing the most important general, all that's left is...
"What a joke!"
"What on earth did Director do?!"
"That bastard Xixi, is he planning to put all the charges of assassinating the general on his head?!"
"Let's go to Xixi's side! Anyway, the Shinsengumi will be banned sooner or later!"
"In this case, let's risk our lives and save our general!"
"Hmm!!"×n
On the outskirts of Edo, under the stars, in a dilapidated shrine.
The former members of the Shinsengumi who had lost their place of residence gathered here and shouted passionately.
"even so…"
The fourteenth, who had been leaning against the door with his head lowered, his expression hidden in the shadows while smoking a cigarette, slowly blew out a puff of smoke and finally spoke.
"He also said, let us live well, right? Even if the Shinsengumi organization disappears, even if everyone is divided, he hopes that we can uphold the belief of the Shinsengumi and do what we can do. Kondo-san is like this That’s what you said?”
Sougo turned around slowly, with his hands in his trouser pockets, and looked at Shizuo who had said these words quietly. After a few seconds, he asked in a calm tone: "So even if you step on Kondo Do you have to do this to San's body? Hijikata-san, is it really worth it? Even if you refuse to save Kondo-san, you still have to be loyal to this extremely corrupt shogunate and continue to be a samurai. Does this really make sense? ? Even so, must we protect Edo? I... don't want to.
We failed to protect the general, and now if we can't even protect our own boss, then we are no longer worthy of being warriors, we are just a bunch of wimps. "
After blowing out another puff of smoke, Fourteen lowered his head and replied in a normal tone: "It's up to you. If the Shinsengumi you have in mind is like this, I won't stop you."
With that said, Fourteen turned around and slowly came to the door, standing next to Gintoki who had been sitting under the eaves of the door from beginning to end, "I don't know what is right anymore. But, I don't want Kondo-san I agree with you about dying. I don’t want you to die in vain. Kondo-san and I agree on this."
Having said this, after breathing a sigh of relief, Fourteen raised his hand and waved it behind him, and then... walked away slowly, and continued softly:
"I no longer have the right to restrain you. I am no longer the deputy captain of the demons, and I no longer have the rules of the game. In addition, if there is anything that restrains your hearts, it must be for the Shinsengumi. , is the most important thing. Just believe this and go fight. Even if the road ahead is bumpy, you are all the True Sengumi..."
From that day on, Hijikata Jushiro, deputy chief of the Hara Shinsengumi group, accepted the assignment from the shogunate and became the most ordinary street policeman under a certain person to maintain the security of Edo.
By the way, everyone in the True Selection Group received a notice similar to demotion, but... only fourteen people accepted it.
It has been a full week. A week has passed since the exact execution time of Kondo and Matsudaira was announced, and there is only less than a week left before that time.
Fourteen has lost count of how many times he woke up from the nightmare of seeing Kondo being beheaded in public. He also doesn’t know how many times he unknowingly walked to the front of the Shinsengumi’s warehouse before he realized what was in front of him. Behind the sealed door is no longer my place of residence, and there is no longer that "general" who always has a silly smile on his face and does stupid things...
In the Master Room, a hard-core detective wearing sunglasses and holding a cigar was having his own inner monologue.
[Men sometimes just want to forget everything and immerse themselves in work. Yes, all we can do for a hard-core man is to invite him to the bar for a cup of Camus after work.]
(Note: Camus. Also known as Golden Flower Cognac or Camus; it is produced by the French CAMUS company, which was founded in 1863 and is a famous French cognac manufacturer.)
"Store manager, the trouble remains as usual."
Boom!
A can of strawberry milk was placed in front of the money store by Gintoki, which instantly shattered the hard-core atmosphere just now.
Gintoki sat down on the sofa and said angrily: "No such thing."
“Men sometimes confuse bars with boondoggles.”
"Who is the idiot? You idiot," Gintoki complained, rolling his dead eyes, and then looked at the small money shop opposite, "But speaking of which, I didn't expect that he would be assigned to your small money shop. How is he now?"
After lighting the cigar, taking a puff and exhaling, the small money trader said helplessly: "What else can I do? No matter if I invite him for a drink or a book, he won't come."
"What's going on with the book? Why did you invite him?"
"Sure enough, he is the vice-captain of ghosts. He is not so easy to tame. He actually has subordinates who are so difficult to train. Some men are just aloof wolves who don't want to be led by the rope of power. Come on, he and I are the same kind. "
Looking at the small money shop talking to himself, he recalled in his mind that he was in an SM club, ordered the M set meal, and was tightly bound by chains. Gintoki complained again: "No, you are simply being cheated." Are you being led away? You might as well let the chains strangle you to death! Where are the others?"
"Everyone is the same. After the new general took over, the police organization changed its appearance. In fact, it sounds nice, but in fact it just removed the thorn in the side of Duke Xixi, leaving only his own army. With Maomao People related to the public relations were purged one after another, and even those who had nothing to do with it were either dismissed or assigned a sinecure. The real selection team was also disbanded, and everyone went their separate ways. Now, the hard-core man who truly protects justice is really Team selection no longer exists…”
Listening to Xiao Qianxing's words, Gintoki recalled what happened after Kondo was taken away that day.
That day, when the Shinsengumi team members returned to the Shinsengumi team, they saw the remaining members of the Shinsengumi team standing at the door of the Shinsengumi team, preparing to put a seal.
The Shinsengumi, who didn't understand the situation yet, immediately pounced on the Mikaigumi and started to fight with them, but in the end they stopped when they saw Gintoki walking towards Sougo and Shijue on crutches from the store step by step. , as if hoping this person could give an explanation.
sorry…
Hearing the only words that came out of Gintoki's mouth, all the Shinsengumi team members, including Sougo and Fourteen, were stunned at the same time.
Everyone... has understood.
…
There are only five days left before the public execution of Kondo and Matsudaira.
At dusk, somewhere in a tall building in Edo, Katsura, holding a bouquet of white flowers, quietly looked at the sunset in the distance, as if mourning something.
"In the end... both you and I broke our promises. I failed to fulfill my promise as an enemy to send you on your way, and so did you."
With that said, Gui threw the bouquet in his hand from upstairs, and the petals... slowly drifted away with the breeze.
“But as a Friend of Grant Thornton, I will fulfill the remaining promises of building the new era you and I desire.”
…
At the same time, Yoshihara.
He was lying on the bed sideways, with only a single quilt wrapped around him. His hair was a little messy, his clothes were loosely draped around his body, his calves protruding from the quilt on the other side were raised, and he was holding a pipe in one hand and smoking it easily. Yue Yong was smoking, and Jiang Cheng, who was lying next to him wearing only single clothes, smiled helplessly.
"Is there any point in doing something like this?"
"I don't know." Yue Yong replied calmly while smoking a cigarette without looking back, "But isn't that just like this for human beings? Even if the possibility is small, they can't help but take chances. A miserable creature that I chase after everything. Moreover, my luck... seems to be good. Just like when I first met you, even if there was only one in a billion hope of saving Yoshiwara, I still had it firmly in my hand. inside."
As she spoke, Yue Yong used her other hand, which was curled up in the quilt, to use a little force.
"I really caught it! You really caught it! It hurts, bastard! Change someone! Change me to a gentler wandering girl! Hey! Hey! Change someone, change someone! Change me to a gentle condom worth 30,000 yuan..." Ah! It hurts! Let go! Smelly woman!"
Dusk... doesn't seem to end.
At night, under the dim light, Jiang Cheng, who had dressed rustlingly and walked to the sliding door, turned around and glanced at Yue Yong, who was sleeping soundly, just as he was about to open the sliding door.
"Thank you always..."
After thanking him softly, Jiang Cheng opened the door and stepped out.
…
Outside the Yoshihara gate, Jiang Cheng was leaning on the wall beside the gate, his head lowered and his hands folded, waiting for something quietly.
"Hey, is it over yet? You're getting faster and faster than before."
A woman's voice that was indifferent and yet had a hint of teasing that was barely noticeable came from Jiang Cheng's head.
After hearing such a voice, Jiang Cheng shook his head and smiled helplessly, and started slowly without looking.
At the same time, the woman wearing the same dress as Miss Baihua also took off her disguise and jumped down to follow Jiang Cheng.
It was a woman with bright red long hair, wearing a white doctor's robe, and black-framed glasses on her face.
The woman takes out a pack of ladies' cigarettes from the breast pocket of her coat and pulls out a long, slim lady's cigarette.
Snapped!
After lighting it, the woman took a deep breath.
"I was also looking forward to some kind of farewell party, but in the end there was nothing."
"How could there be such a thing?" Jiang Cheng shook his head helplessly, "I already owed a lot of debt. If I don't run away secretly, I won't be able to pay it off."
"He's exactly the same as before, a scumbag who ran away after being in debt."
"You too, you still like to be slender..."
Before Jiang Cheng could finish his words, a scalpel shining silver under the starlight was pierced into the back of Jiang Cheng's head.
puff-
thump!
"I'm talking about cigarettes, cigarettes! What are you doing, you stinky woman!" Jiang Cheng yelled as he got up.
(End of chapter)