Chapter 244: Chapter 110: That Incident Where Aoto Encountered Strange Black-clothed People at Night [7200]

"Mr. Hijikata...!"

The girl in the kendo uniform, who a moment ago exuded an aura of "women not conceding to men," instantly transformed into a young girl the moment Hijikata pinned the peach blossom behind her ear.

With a shy face, she became the third girl tonight to throw herself into Hijikata’s arms.

And Hijikata warmly embraced her—just as he had done with the previous two girls.

By the window, Aoto was now dumbfounded...

"...How many partners does Mr. Hijikata actually have?" he couldn’t help but ask Chokata beside him.

Chokata remained silent for a moment, then answered:

"...I don’t know. I’m also not sure how many girls Mr. Hijikata has ambiguous relations with."

"From time to time, there’s a new girl I’ve never seen before—like the girl in the kendo uniform now hugging Mr. Hijikata, she’s someone I’ve met for the first time."

"Doesn’t he worry that one day these girls will discover what he’s been doing?"

The one asking this question wasn’t Aoto.

It was Saito.

Usually expressionless, Saito now rare showed a look of astonishment and took the initiative to ask the question.

"Indeed." Chokata answered, "Such an incident happened before."

"Two girls who both had a special relationship with Mr. Hijikata arrived at his house simultaneously one morning."

"Didn’t Mr. Hijikata get sliced to pieces on the spot?" Aoto blinked hard at Hijikata, intact outside the window, surprise spread all over his face.

"The two girls had a big fight with Mr. Hijikata on the spot, reportedly crying and yelling: ’Do you want this woman or me?’."

"Things seemed completely out of control."

"But then Mr. Hijikata somehow reconciled with these two girls."

"Not only did he reconcile, but he also restored their ambiguous relationships."

"Those two girls were the ones just called Ajing and Axiang by Mr. Hijikata."

Aoto: "..."

Usually quite talkative, Aoto now did not know what to say at this moment...

Whether in his past or present life, this was the first time Aoto had seen such a "Sea King" who could string along with numerous boats without letting any of them sink.

Could it be real? Someone capable of maintaining amorous relationships with multiple girls without being butchered by them?

In a way, this is a kind of talent.

And it’s the kind of talent that ordinary people can’t learn—even Aoto figured he couldn’t learn such talent.

Aoto couldn’t imagine himself as a "Sea King" who wouldn’t be sliced to pieces by the girls, like Hijikata.

At this moment, Hijikata finally released the girl in the kendo uniform from his embrace.

After bidding farewell to the girl in the kendo uniform, Hijikata didn’t prepare to return indoors immediately this time as he had before.

Instead, he lingered at the entrance for a while.

After waiting for a moment and confirming no more visitors would come, he folded his hands into his sleeves and returned indoors.

Upon returning indoors, he saw Aoto, Chokata, and Saito still lying beside the window.

"Mr. Hijikata..." Chokata said helplessly, "Where did you pick up that girl in the kendo uniform just now?"

"She has an air of the Samurai family. Would she not be...?" Chokata hesitated, "The daughter of some Samurai?"

"Picking up... sounds terrible. It’s mutual affection." Hijikata shrugged, "That girl’s name is Aya."

"She indeed is a Samurai’s daughter, the second daughter of a Hatamoto in Hakodate-cho."

"Hatamoto?!" Chokata’s eyes widened, "Mr. Hijikata, you picked up the second daughter of a Hatamoto?"

Aoto and Saito, their eyes couldn’t help but widen too at the moment.

Samurai directly under a vassal state daimyo are called "vassals."

While the Samurai directly under the Shogunate, namely the Shogun’s direct ministers, are divided into two levels: Hatamoto and Imperial Family.

The difference between these two ranks lies in whether one holds the "Imperial Eye."

The rank of a Hatamoto Samurai is above an Imperial Family Samurai, possessing the "Imperial Eye," meaning they are qualified to directly meet the Shogunate.

Imperial Family Samurai, on the other hand, cannot directly meet the Shogunate.

The Dōshin serving in the Edo Magistrate’s Office are mostly subordinate Imperial Family Members, while the Yoriki are generally Hatamoto.

Aoto himself was a subordinate Imperial Family Member, while Arima was Hatamoto.

Typically, Samurai and civilians do not intermarry.

No Samurai family would typically lower their family rank to let their children marry civilians.

Nor would any civilian dare to become in-laws with Samurai, even if it meant a chance for their family to prosper grandly.

Surprisingly, Hijikata, a man of peasant origin, has picked up the daughter of a Samurai... and a Hatamoto daughter at that...

Even the Hatamoto with the thinnest salary, so poor they couldn’t afford a meal, are still Imperial Family, possessing the "Imperial Eye," a rank unattainable by civilians.

Aoto did not know if he should deem Hijikata brave or reckless...

"Mr. Hijikata, what are you doing?" After a good while, Chokata finally gathered himself, "Have you forgotten the time you nearly got yourself killed by picking up the daughter of an Owari domain vassal and a sister of an Imperial Family?"

So it’s not even his first time picking up a Samurai girl?!

From astonishment upon astonishment, Aoto now felt slightly numbed...

```