I formed the strongest swordsman group

"Hey, Sanosuke, you're blocking me."

"Shinpachi, you still have the nerve to talk to me? Isn't your big ass blocking Mr. Hijikata?"

"Okay, stop messing around, everyone else is still waiting to take pictures."

Hijikata Toshizo said, putting his arms around the shoulders of Nagakura and Harada, and stepped aside to let the camera go.

After hearing that this was a magical machine that could record images accurately, everyone at the scene became interested.

Even some people who are usually very inactive showed rare enthusiasm at this time.

"...Mr. Tachibana."

Saito appeared quietly behind Aoden and said slowly and hesitantly:

"Can we... take a group photo?"

Looking at this close friend who had followed him for the first time, Qingden smiled calmly:

"sure."

Heisuke Toudo, who was not far away, heard this and shouted impatiently:

"Ah! Mr. Tachibana, I also want to take a photo with you!"

In an instant, as if a chain reaction had started, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke... everyone expressed their desire to take a photo with Aonto.

Qingdeng was like the principal at a university graduation ceremony, standing alone on the stage while others took turns stepping forward to take photos with him.

Out of the blue, Hijikata Toshizo suddenly shouted to Ayoto:

"Tachibana, those of us who come from the Imperial Guard Hall, let's take a big photo together!"

As soon as this statement came out, it immediately attracted everyone's echo and approval.

Qingden smiled and nodded.

"Okay, that's what I meant!"

Seeing that Seito agreed, Hijikata Shizo immediately went around to call people over.

"A Sheng! Come here quickly! And you, Shannan! Stop being a pestle!"

Shannan Keisuke smiled helplessly as he walked towards Hijikata Toshizo.

In fact, Shannan Keisuke is not as enthusiastic about photography as others.

It wasn't until Hijikata Toizo dragged him just now that he had to take a photo with him.

In a short time, under the leadership of Hijikata Toshizo, all the "Taiweikan faction" were in place.

Aoto, Kondo Isamu, Hijikata Tozo, Souji, Yamanan Keisuke, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Ichi, Inoue Genzaburo, Toudo Heisuke, Harada Sanosuke—these 10 people who decided to go to Los Angeles with their passion. , gathered together after a long absence.

Since the Shinsengumi became a huge army dominating the Gyeonggi Province, it has become increasingly difficult for them to reunite with each other.

Due to the large number of people, if they were arranged in a "long snake array", they would definitely exceed the shooting range of the camera.

Therefore, they were arranged in a fan shape, with Qingden standing in the middle and the others forming his "two wings".

"Okay! Don't move!"

Kenzo Tamoto said as he got into the black cloth behind the camera.

"One...two...three...four...five...Okay! You can move!"

After Kenzo Tamoto took the photo, Sanosuke Harada looked excited and laughed proudly.

"Hmph~~ I have a hunch that the photo we just took will go down in history! As for the name of the photo, it's called 'The Trial Guard Hall—The Strongest Sword Hall in Edo'!"

Kondo Isamu grinned:

"That's a pretty good name."

"Oh, that's bad! If I had known this, I should have shaved off my beard earlier! Wouldn't it be ridiculous if future generations saw my slovenly appearance?"

Nagakura Shinpachi said as he gently rubbed the stubble on his chin with a worried look on his face.

Hijikata Toshizo shrugged:

"Don't worry, this photo isn't that clear, I can't see your stubble."

Just as everyone was about to disperse, Qingdeng shouted first:

"Wait a moment, don't leave in a hurry!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Serizawa Kamo and Shinmi Nishiki not far away.

"Serizawa! New acquaintance! Come here quickly, let's take a photo together!"

As soon as these words came out, Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki were both stunned.

"A group photo? Us?"

Serizawa frowned.

"We are not from the Trial Guard Hall, so we don't have to come forward to join in the fun, right?"

While Aoto and others were taking photos in great excitement, Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki kept standing on the side, neither speaking nor coming forward to participate in the "photo session", looking "reclusive and independent" ", "Everyone is drunk and I am alone sober" with a cold look.

Of course, from another perspective, the two of them seemed to be isolated by Qingdeng and others.

Qingdeng smiled and explained:

"We were just taking a group photo of the 'Trial Guard School'."

"And now, I want to take a group photo of the Shinsengumi."

"So, Sanako, Amu, Elodie, Yataro, you guys should come over quickly too!"

This time, Elodie and the others were stunned.

Sanako and Awu were fine, and quickly returned to normal.

Elodie's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise on her face.

Yataro Iwasaki was even more stunned.

"Mr. Tachibana, me, me?"

He pointed at himself, with a look of strong hesitation on his face.

"But...but...I'm not from the Shinsengumi, I'm from the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Qingdeng:

"To me, you are already a member of the Shinsengumi. Stop talking nonsense and come here."

"Mr. Orange..."

Yataro Iwasaki's face was filled with emotion, as if he might cry at any time.

Qingdeng had already said this, and Elodie and the others no longer hesitated and trotted to the front of the camera.

Now, only Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki remain.

Serizawa looked at Aonto with a complicated expression, neither advancing nor retreating.

At this time, he suddenly felt a big hand pressing his shoulder.

Serizawa Duck turned his head and saw Niimi Nishiki smiling and saying to him:

"Serizawa brother, let's go."

"..."

Hesitation and hesitation started the final tug on his cheeks.

Finally... after about 5 seconds, he slowly took a big step and walked towards the group, followed by Niimi Nishiki.

No one at the scene objected to their joining.

Comradeship is indeed a very special bond.

Qing Deng had read such a little-known fact in his previous life:

Comradeship... especially the kind of comrades-in-arms who go in and out of danger together and entrust their lives to each other, will burst out amazing energy, just like a strong love relationship, or even more than a couple.

Whether this little-known fact is true or false, Qing Deng is not a professional scholar, so he does not know.

However, based on his own actual experience, he thinks that this statement still makes some sense.

Looking back to the beginning, when Serizawa Duck and Niimi Nishiki joined the Shinsengumi, even if it was not said that everyone hated them, it could be said that they were incompatible.

This is not that Qing Deng and others deliberately excluded him.

The "Shiweikan faction" headed by Qing Deng came from the same sword hall and had a very deep friendship with each other. Naturally, they would stick together and there was no room for outsiders to interfere.

On the other hand, Kame Serizawa and Niimi Nishiki were from the same hometown (Mito) and close friends for many years, so they formed a small group of their own.

In this way, the estrangement and opposition between the "Shiweikan faction" and the "Mito faction" became a natural thing.

However, after experiencing many bloody battles, fighting the enemy side by side, and going through life and death together, the gap between the two groups gradually disappeared.

Comrades who had squatted in the same trench, worked together, and shared weal and woe... Such a bond has surpassed ordinary friendship.

Even Hijikata Toshizo, Saito Ichi and others who used to be very hostile to Kame Serizawa no longer hate each other as before.

Of course, such a change is naturally inseparable from the glorious military exploits of Kame and Nishiki who earned them with sweat and blood.

The Shinsengumi is an army, so naturally it respects strength.

Whoever is better at fighting and whoever is more capable will get more respect.

Hijikata Toshizo is to the Shinsengumi what Zhang Liao is to the Eastern Wu, and he can stop children from crying at night.

Whenever the "vice-chief of the devil" is mentioned, the soldiers of the Shinsengumi will be trembling.

Despite this, no one dares to question his status.

The reason is that his excellent skills in both civil and military affairs are obvious to all.

In the face of hard battles, Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki have never been afraid, and have always been in the front, accumulating real military merits.

Serizawa Kame even once won the first merit in the battle (Iga Battle).

No one will deny that Serizawa Kame is one of the most brave and combative swordsmen in the Shinsengumi!

Even those who hate Serizawa Kame the most have to admit his bravery and military exploits, and then give him the greatest respect.

On the other hand, whether it was because he was convinced by Qing Deng or because of the friendship between the two, Serizawa Duck was not as sharp as before.

In a word, he became much calmer, like a precious sword that was put back into the sheath and no longer easily shown to others.

With the addition of Serizawa Duck, Elodie and others, the front of the camera became particularly crowded.

It took a lot of effort for everyone to find their own positions.

Qing Deng still stood in the middle, with Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo on his left and right.

The girls, led by Sanako, stood in front of him, and Awu hugged Elodie intimately.

The others stood or squatted so that everyone's face could be photographed by the camera without being blocked.

Perhaps infected by the lively atmosphere at the scene, Kenzo Tamoto got into the black cloth behind the camera with great interest.

"Stand still! Don't move! One... two... three... four... five... OK, that's it!"

...

The filming continued.

After taking the group photo, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke and others took turns to take individual photos, saying that they would send the photos back to their hometowns so that the elders and villagers in their hometowns could see how majestic they are now.

Harada Sanosuke, this big live treasure, even took off his upper body and threatened to take a photo of the scar on his stomach.

While taking photos, he even did not forget to introduce the scar on his stomach to Tian Ben Kenzo:

"Thinking back then, when I had not yet become a ronin and was still an official in Iyo Matsuyama Domain, a nasty guy slandered me as a 'petty official who didn't even know the etiquette of seppuku'. I am a person who loves to be serious. Didn't he say that I didn't even know how to seppuku? I pulled out my wakizashi on the spot, stabbed it into my stomach, and seppuku was performed on the spot for him to see!"

……

……

After taking a lot of photos in succession, Hijikata Toshizo slipped into an inconspicuous corner alone and rested secretly.

Suddenly, a muffled voice sounded from his side:

"A-Sui, it's about time you explain something to me, right?"

Hijikata Toshizo raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice with a surprised look on his face.

"A-Sheng, why are you here?"

In front of his sight, Kondo Isami, holding the sword at his waist, strode towards Hijikata Toshizo.

"A-Sui, explain something to me quickly."

He repeated without any sadness or joy.

Hijikata Toshizo regained his composure and smiled slightly:

"Explain? What do you want me to explain?"

"You are really abnormal today. What happened?"

"Abnormal? Dare to ask me what's abnormal about me? I was in a whim, so I paid for everyone to take pictures out of my own pocket. Is there any problem?"

"I can't explain it in detail. Anyway, I just think you're abnormal."

"Really... you're being too unreasonable, aren't you?"

Just as Hijikata Toshizo was giving a wry smile, a new voice suddenly rang out:

"Mr. Hijikata, if there's really a hidden story behind it, let me hear it."

Then, footsteps approached.

This time, Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isami were both stunned.

The two of them knocked in the direction of the sound, and saw Souji taking small steps and coming to them in the blink of an eye.

Hijikata Toshizou looked strange:

"Xiao Si? Why are you here too?"

Soji smiled:

"Even Kondo-san can find your abnormality, how can I not see it?"

"What kind of friendship do you think we have?"

"It's understandable that Qing Deng and the others don't find anything unusual about you."

"But we are siblings."

"We can immediately detect any abnormality on the other side - we have such ability, don't we?"

After hearing this, Hijikata Toshizou stopped making excuses.

Looking at the two people who "sandwiched" him with a pincer attack from the left and right, Hijikata Toshizou sighed and spread his hands, his expression dominated by strong helplessness.

"Alas... I really can't do anything with you..."

"You can see the abnormality in this, I really admire you..."

Although he was complaining, there was no sign of annoyance on his face, but a faint smile.

Then he fell silent, without saying a word, as if he was thinking about the wording.

Kondo Isami and Souji were not in a hurry and waited quietly.

He did not keep them waiting for long.

After a moment, a faint voice came out:

"... About half a month ago, I always had a strange dream."

"I dreamed that you were all moving forward on a vast land."

"And I... was stuck in the same place, unable to retreat, let alone move forward."

"No matter how hard I tried, I could never make my legs move forward half a step."

"I can only watch you getting farther and farther away from me."

"To be honest, I don't know how to interpret dreams, and I don't understand the specific meaning of this dream."

"I only know that every time I wake up from a dream, an inexplicable and inexplicable uneasiness will always come as expected, wrapping my whole body tightly..."

"Thinking of the upcoming 'Choshu Expedition', I can't help but wonder: Will this dream predict my death?"

At this point, Hijikata Toshizo curled the corners of his mouth and showed a calm smile.

"If I go to the underworld and meet the King of Hell, I will naturally not be able to follow you."

"I am not bragging, I am never afraid of death."

"After going to Kyoto with Tachibana, I have been prepared to 'die at any time' and have never expected to die on my deathbed."

"If I really die heroically in the 'Choshu Expedition', I will be willing and have no complaints."

"But... I don't know why, since I have been having this strange dream, I suddenly have a strange and strong desire - I inexplicably want to leave some traces of my life in this world, especially the traces of my fighting side by side with you."

"So, I thought of the camera, and then found Kenzo Tanamoto."

"Then, it's today's story."

Hichikata Toshizo finished speaking.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kondo Isami murmured slowly in a low voice:

"No wonder you are so enthusiastic about taking photos today, and you keep asking people to take photos with you. That's why."

If we talk about who is the most enthusiastic person to take photos today, then Hijikata Toshizo might be able to compete for the quota.

He just kept asking people to take photos with him, and almost everyone took photos with him.

Hijikata Toshizo nodded slightly:

"Yes, that's right. When I think that I may die on the battlefield of Choshu, I always want to take more photos..."

"Mr. Hijikata, what are you talking about!"

Before Hijikata Toshizo finished speaking, he was interrupted by Souji in a rude tone.

She frowned, and her cheeks were full of displeasure.

"What 'died on the battlefield of Choshu', bah bah bah! These are all your fantasies!"

"It was just a weird dream, you can associate it with 'die on the battlefield'!"

"In my opinion, you are just overthinking!"

"I often dream of mountains of konpeito drowning me."

"After so many years, why hasn't this dream come true?"

"Dreams are just dreams, don't think too much!"

"How could a dignified 'Demon's Vice-Captain' die under the sword of a Choshu man?"

"Don't say such unlucky words... cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!"

Suddenly, Souji stopped talking and turned into a violent cough.

The cough came too fast and too violently, which scared Kondo and Hijikata, and both of them changed their faces.

Kondo Isami asked first:

"Xiao Si, what's wrong with you?"

After coughing a few more times, Souji patted his chest and took a deep breath to adjust his breath:

"No, nothing... I just caught a cold recently, don't worry about it."

Although Souji is the "Heavenly Sword" of the Shinsengumi and has a physical fitness far beyond that of ordinary people, in fact, her physical health is not good.

When the seasons change, she often catches a cold and a fever.

Now it is the time when autumn turns to winter, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is very large, which makes it very easy to catch a cold.

For Souji's physique that is prone to illness, Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isami are not surprised.

Therefore, after they expressed their condolences, they stopped thinking about it.

Kondo Isami turned his gaze back to Hijikata Toshizo:

"Ashi, this is really unlike you."

"If it was you in the past, you would only sneer at these mysterious things."

"You wouldn't even do something like 'taking photos with others as a souvenir.'"

Hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo shrugged with a playful look on his face.

"Yes, that's true."

"If it was 'my former self', it would be true."

When he said the words "my former self", he emphasized his tone.

"My former self would not do such a fussy thing."

"But now..."

He paused for a moment.

Then he turned his head, raised his eyes, and looked at the people not far away who were still vying to take photos.

Instantly, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, his facial lines relaxed, and his expression became softer.

"Now I'm... a lot more timid."

After saying that, he stood up.

"Anyway, it won't hurt for everyone to take more precious photos, right?"

After leaving this sentence, Hijikata Toshizo said no more and strode away.

Before leaving, he did not forget to add loudly:

"Don't tell anyone what I just said, especially Tachibana."

"I don't want my personal reasons to affect Tachibana's judgment and command."

After leaving this sentence, he quickened his pace and left.

Kondo Isami stared at his back with a complicated expression.

After a while, he sighed.

"Xiao Si, what's going on?"

"I'm worried about A-Sui's state of 'finishing the funeral early'..."

Faced with Kondo Isami's depression. , Souji smiled helplessly:

"There is no way, we can only take it one step at a time."

"I still insist on my opinion-it's just an ordinary dream."

"Mr. Hijikata is just thinking too much."

"There was a time when I often dreamed that I ate too much Konpeito, so my teeth were all rotten."

"It made me depressed during that time, fearing that I would end up with a miserable end of no teeth at a young age."

"As a result, my teeth are still good to this day."

"The facts prove that dreams are just dreams, there is nothing special about them, so don't worry about them."

"Besides, who is he?"

"He is the 'Demon's Vice Chief' Hijikata Toshizo!"

"Who has the ability to take his life?"

"Think about it from another angle, this is actually a good thing."

"The 'Demon's Vice Chief' occasionally has the side of the 'Bodhisattva' Vice Chief."

After listening patiently to Souji's consolation, Kondo Isami nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"Well, you talk too much."

"A-Sui is very lucky, he won't die easily."

"Xiao Si, we have to keep an eye on A-Sui from now on."

"Because he doesn't do anything stupid."

He said, he stepped forward and prepared to leave.

After taking two steps, he suddenly found that Souji was standing still, so he asked:

"Hmm? Xiao Si, what's wrong? Aren't you leaving?"

Souji laughed:

"I was busy taking pictures just now, and I'm a little tired, so I want to rest here for a while. Brother Kondo, you go ahead."

Kondo Isami heard this, without any doubt, and walked away directly.

Souji stared at his back.

After confirming that Kondo Isami had gone far away, she suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth tightly, and then coughed hard and violently:

"Cough, cough! Cough cough cough cough cough cough!"

Because she coughed too hard, she had to lie on the ground to make herself feel more comfortable...

...

...

Choshu, somewhere--

"Ready--fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"First row, retreat! Second row, step forward! Ready--fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots one after another.

Dense barrage like rain.

This unit that is practicing musket volleys is the last and most elite armed force of Choshu-the special forces.

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When typing this chapter, Leopard actually forgot the name of Elodie's father... (leopard coward.jpg)