I formed the strongest swordsman group

2 hours later——

What Kinoshita Mai said was absolutely correct. Boss Kiryu returned on time when the hour hand of the clock just crossed "10".

Edo, Chishiya, courtyard——

The master and apprentice sat side by side on the verandah, facing the courtyard in front.

"Mr. Kiryu, Aomori, please have some tea."

Kinoshita Mai held a tea tray containing 2 cups of hot tea and a plate of wagashi, and walked behind the two of them with small steps.

At first glance, the girl in red looks and behaves as usual, nothing out of the ordinary.

But if you observe carefully, you can find that when she walks, her two little feet tremble slightly, the muscles in her legs and feet seem to be full of fatigue, and her voice is a little weird.

Although this is only the beginning of time, a certain old man has extraordinary senses.

"Young Master, what's going on with your legs, feet and voice? Why are you trembling? Why are you mute?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the body of the young man sitting next to him stiffened suddenly, and the hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air.

Kinoshita Mai was stunned for a moment, then her eyes wandered wildly, panicked, and her words were incoherent:

"Ah, ah...! This, this, this, no, nothing! It's just that my mouth is sore and my legs and feet are tired... Oooh, ahhh!"

She regained consciousness and yelled, trying to cover up her embarrassment and mistake with a loud voice.

Unfortunately... it's too late, the most critical information has already been heard by Boss Kiryu.

This can be regarded as her old problem.

Because she is introverted and not good at communication, once her mind is confused, she will say everything she should say and what should not be said.

"..."

Boss Kiryu lowered his eyelids and cast a straight, deep look at Mai Kinoshita.

Kinoshita Mai, who didn't dare to look at him, buried her head low, her pretty face flushed fiercely, she clutched the tea tray tightly with both hands and hugged it to her chest, as if she wanted to hide behind the tea tray in exchange for sense of security.

Abruptly, the old man pointed at the girl's red lips.

"...Oh, Master, there seems to be a strange stain on the corner of your mouth."

"Huh? How is that possible? I've obviously already washed it!"

As she spoke, Kinoshita Mai raised her hand to wipe her mouth, and then took a closer look - there was nothing on her hand.

Beep, beep, beep...

Suddenly there was a strange noise.

This was the sound of Qing Teng's hand holding the tea cup twitching slightly, causing the tea in the cup to splash out and fall to the ground.

The innocent girl who was deceived... Her face, which was already as red as fire, became increasingly hot, and even the tips of her ears and neck were dyed with a gorgeous red glow.

"Hmm...! Ah! I-I'm going to prepare lunch! Excuse me for now!"

After that, Kinoshita Mai hugged the tea tray and ran away in a hurry, ruthlessly "abandoning" Qingteng.

Kiryu: "..."

Qingdeng: "..."

As Kinoshita Mai's crisp footsteps gradually faded away, a heavy silence enveloped the inside and outside of the courtyard.

Boss Kiryu turned his head, expressionless and silent, and looked straight at Qingden.

Under the refraction of light from the spectacle lenses, the old man's eyes became blurry, difficult to distinguish and elusive.

"Oh, Boss Kiryu, look at it!"

Qingden looked down at the tea cup in his hand and said in a cheerful voice:

"The tea stems are standing up. It seems like something good will happen today!"

This is a Japanese feudal superstition: when drinking tea, if the tea stems stand up in the tea, it means something good will happen today.

"I don't know if something good will happen today. Anyway, I have received an unexpected 'surprise gift' today."

"I was just wondering why you came so early today. So that's why..."

"Your actions are too quick and precise, right?"

"In a few days, the young master will follow you to Luo, so I want to take advantage of these last few days to cook more meals that the young master likes to eat."

"I went out early today just to buy the freshest vegetables from the Eight Hundred Houses so that I can make a sumptuous meal for the table."

"In the end, you took advantage of the short gap when I was not in the store and scurried in smoothly."

"Your ability to find every opportunity is really superb."

[Note·Zhuofu Cuisine: Japanese-style Chinese banquet dishes. Eight Hundred Houses: All vegetable stalls are collectively called "Eight Hundred Houses\