I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In addition, the murderer was very cunning and left no valuable clues at the crime scene.

Meanwhile, because the incident occurred at night in a secluded place, there were no witnesses.

With no witnesses and no useful clues at the scene, even an average-level police officer would be completely stumped in this situation.

But Nishino Hosoejiro was, after all, the "ace of the three rounds of the Hokuban-sho".

This predicament was not so dire that he felt helpless.

He immediately resorted to his unique, time-consuming, and labor-intensive method that never failed—monitoring the crime scene.

Nishino has a good habit: after handling each case, he will secretly review it and think about whether there are any areas where he needs to improve.

At the same time, in his spare time he would often visit the archives of the magistrate's office, review past case files, and learn from the case-handling methods and experiences of his predecessors.

While "swimming" through the vast ocean of case files, Nishino discovered a rather interesting phenomenon: whether they were murderers or thieves, all criminals had a particular fondness for returning to the crime scene.

After a thorough investigation, Nishino discovered that the main reason the criminals were frequently engaging in such unusual behavior was to gather intelligence.

Has the case been discovered?

Did I leave any evidence?

Did the authorities intervene?

How far have they searched?

How much importance do they attach to this case?

Do they have any speculations?

Should I go back, pack my things, and run for my life?

Many criminals return to the crime scene to gather more intelligence, believing they can ensure their safety and that their identities have not been exposed.

Some prisoners even try to get acquainted with the officers handling the case in order to find out more about the prisoners.

Of course, all of the above are based on "rational" considerations.

Some criminals with mental problems also repeatedly return to the locations where they disposed of the body or committed the crime. This is not for reasons such as gathering intelligence, but to satisfy their own desires, relive the pleasure of committing the crime, and pursue spiritual joy and transcendence.

Nishino had encountered a pervert like that before.

That was a case from 1859, two years prior.

The prisoner brutally murdered the owner of a Japanese confectionery shop over a trivial matter.

The victim was strangled to death from behind with a rope around his neck on his way home.

Due to a severe lack of clues, the search progress was once at a standstill.

The magistrate changed three different officers, but still couldn't find the murderer.

It wasn't until the fourth "united hearts"... that Nishino took the stage, that the situation in the case underwent a breakthrough change.

Within just one week of taking over the case, Nishino discovered that a middle-aged man was loitering near the crime scene almost every day, and that he would eat at least one wagashi (Japanese sweet) each time he appeared.

Nishino, finding the middle-aged man highly suspicious, immediately had him bound and taken back to the magistrate's office for interrogation.

Although it was far inferior to the methods used to punish thieves, the interrogation methods employed by the "three-round" system were still quite varied.

How could ordinary people who have not received any professional training possibly withstand an interrogation offensive that has thoroughly understood human weaknesses?

After just one night in the interrogation room, the middle-aged man confessed everything—he was the murderer who killed the landlady.

His subsequent confession was both comical and chilling.

He said that when he strangled the landlady, he smelled a wonderful aroma of wagashi (Japanese sweets) on her body. From then on, he found that whenever he went to the murder scene and ate a wagashi, he could recall the scenes of killing the landlady and feel an uncontrollable excitement.

Gradually, he developed a habit of eating a wagashi (Japanese sweet) near the murder scene every day, otherwise he would feel extremely uncomfortable.

After this case, "when in doubt, monitor the crime scene" became Nishino's unique method for solving cases.

Although not all criminals like to return to the crime scene, this can be a good way to break the deadlock when all other options are exhausted.

The teahouse where Nishino is currently located is only of average size, and the tea and food are not particularly delicious, but it has one outstanding advantage for a "detective" like Nishino—an excellent view.

The town where this teahouse is located is situated on higher ground.

There are no tall buildings or lush forests around.

On a clear day, simply sit by the window on the second floor of the teahouse, and you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire area within a 10-town radius. (1 cho = 109 meters)

If you extend your gaze southwest from where Nishino is sitting, you can clearly see the site where the Kanazawa siblings were murdered.

These days, Nishino and his men, including Okabiki, have been closely monitoring the riverbank stained with the blood of loyal soldiers.

Or they might pretend to be investigating a case and stake out the vicinity of the riverbank.

Or they might disguise themselves as ordinary people and sit on the street where they can see the murder scene.

Or like now, pretending to drink tea in this teahouse, but in reality, one's eyes never leave the window.

Whether it's people or things, "surveillance" is an extremely tiring job.

Even the strongest and most determined person would feel extremely tired if asked to stare at the same spot for hours without moving.

Therefore, Nishino and his colleagues adopted a "shift system".

Just two hours ago, Okabiki, the previous person in charge of monitoring the crime scene, went to rest, and now Nishino has taken over this tedious task himself.

Perhaps because he had just eaten glutinous rice balls, blood flowed to his stomach, and Nishino felt waves of drowsiness rushing to the top of his head.

—How can a samurai yawn in public?

As Nishino thought this, he licked his palate vigorously.

This was a "life hack" that his father taught him.

When you feel the urge to yawn, lick your palate forcefully; this will effectively suppress the urge.

To combat fatigue, Nishino decided to order another cup of tea to perk him up.

"Miss Teshiro! Miss Teshiro!"

He turned his head and shouted towards the stairwell not far away.

"I'm coming!"

With each energetic response, Miss Teshiro returned to Nishino's sight.

"A cup of black tea, please."

"Um... I'm sorry, sir, we're out of black tea. Is red tea the only option?"

"Black tea...that's fine too. Please add more tea leaves and make it stronger."

"Okay!"

As Nishino listened to the receding footsteps of Miss Shoudai, he stretched out his right thumb and vigorously rubbed his tired brows.

Just then, a conversation that started behind him caught his attention.

"Huh? Is that Hosojiro Nishino?"

"Oh? It really is him."

Nishino paused slightly, then turned his head at a barely perceptible angle to glance behind him out of the corner of his eye.

The speakers were a pair of young carpenters dressed with towels draped around their necks.

"I never expected to run into such a big celebrity here."

"Hmm, Nishino Hosojiro is just like the rumors say... He's someone you can tell is not to mess with just by looking at him. I've heard a lot of rumors about him. It's said that he has a very harsh personality and is very strict with people. Anyone who works for him is tortured to the point of wishing they could die. If it weren't for the high salary he offers, no one would be willing to work for him."

“I’ve heard similar rumors, but it’s undeniable that he is indeed a very capable person. Among all the members of the Beifan Bureau, he is the most outstanding. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be recognized as the ‘number one detective in the Beifan Bureau’.”

"Heh, he's quite lucky. If Prince Ren hadn't been demoted to the Fire and Thieves Bureau, Prince Ren would probably have taken his title of 'Top Detective in the Northern Frontier Bureau' long ago."

"That's not entirely true. Niou's strength lies in swordsmanship. If we're talking about solving cases alone, Niou might not be able to beat Nishino."

……

To avoid being overheard by Nishino, the young couple deliberately kept their voices very low.

However, they miscalculated one thing: Nishino's hearing was excellent.

Although they spoke in hushed tones, every word and every sentence they uttered was still crystal clear to Nishino's ears.

"Severe personality, harsh treatment of others"—Nishino not only refused to refute this assessment, but also nodded vigorously: "Yes, you're right! That's exactly the kind of man I am."

He has always believed that Gangyin is not just a job, but a mission.

Now that we have donned the tasselless jitte, we must bravely shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting Edo and its people.

[Note: The jite (十手) is the standard equipment for the "three rounds" of the magistrate's office. The doujinshi wears jite with a red tassel at the end, while the okakihiki wears jite without a tassel.]

As a leader, any slackness or mistake could lead to irreparable and severe consequences.

Therefore, Nishino was extremely strict with his subordinate Okabiki, to the point of being harsh and stern.

People who were scolded by him until they cried, people who only worked for one day and then ran away with their buckets... there were countless examples of this.

However, on the other hand, it was precisely because of his strictness that everyone who was able to persevere under his command was an outstanding talent capable of working independently.

This is precisely why Nishino's team has consistently maintained an exceptionally high case-solving rate across the three sessions of the Hokuban Police Station.

However, Nishino had some reservations about another assessment made by the two young men—that he was not as good as Tachibana Seito.

No human being with sound mind and body likes to be told they are inferior to another, and this is especially true for someone like Nishino, who aspires to be the best of the best and has an exceptionally high sense of self-esteem.

If it is said that Qing Deng's swordsmanship is superior to his, then Nishino has nothing to say.

He was self-aware enough to know that if he and Qingdeng were switched places, he would not have been able to survive those increasingly brutal battles.

However, he never believed that Qing Deng's criminal investigation skills were better than his own.

This confidence is forged through the harmonious blend of talent and rich experience.

However, although he was very unwilling, Nishino had to admit that he was now very impressed with Qing Deng, who was no longer the same as before.

Nishino's values ​​drive him to harbor a natural and intense hostility toward the incompetent... especially the incompetent within the samurai class.

The former Qing Deng was clearly a samurai, and even a "three-time" active-duty member of the Hokuban-do, but he turned out to be dull-witted and slow-witted—he was practically dancing on a minefield in Nishino.

If Aoto were Nishino's Okabiki, he would have already given him a thorough dressing-down and made him question his existence.

Therefore, Nishino had never given Aoto a friendly look before.