The sun-drenched veranda of the Shinsengumi headquarters. I sat on the edge of the veranda with my scabbard resting on my knees. Instead of maintaining the blade, I lazily wiped the dust off the surface of the sheath with a handkerchief. There wasn't much to do right now anyway.

It was just a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

Of course, it wasn't that I had no intention of breaking that peace.

Under the shade of a tree, I noticed Sis laughing while having a trivial conversation with Hijikata. Strangely, it's annoying. Rather than continuing to watch those two, it might be better to find something else to do.

Then again, I wasn't diligent enough to go out and look for something myself. I much preferred sitting still and waiting for fun to roll in on its own. Wait. This might be the perfect situation right now.

As I stood up from the veranda, a small puff of dust rose at my feet. I approached the two with a leisurely stride, my lips curling into a lopsided smirk.

I wondered what that stench of mayonnaise was. Hijikata-san, you sure are taking it easy during work hours~