I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

What reason would the mastermind behind the production and sale of these illicit drugs have to kill Arden as well?

"Strange drugs" can damage a person's mind, making them impulsive, irritable, and unable to control their emotions.

Based on all the precedents Qingdeng knows, when users of the strange drug lose control due to the drug's effects, they are capable of doing anything, let alone murder.

For example, the first case that Qing Deng investigated after transmigrating to this world was that Xun Sanlang had no intention of killing Granny Ping, but after the effects of the drug took hold, he still drew his knife and cruelly killed Granny Ping.

Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that Arden was indeed killed by Aqi, who lost control of the drug in a moment of sudden onset, and that Aqi did indeed commit suicide to atone for his sins...

Although Qingdeng did not speak, his silence spoke volumes.

"Hahaha……"

Kikuchi grinned and let out a low laugh.

"Even you, Tachibana-kun, think A-Qi isn't innocent...?"

Having said that, Kikuchi lowered his gaze and head again.

Although it was only for a brief moment, in the instant Kikuchi lowered his head, Aoto, with his excellent eyesight, keenly observed that the hope that had just flickered in Kikuchi's eyes had visibly transformed into sadness and... a faint sense of relief...

"...That's not what I thought."

Qing Deng said slowly.

"But to prove that Aqi is innocent, we still need concrete evidence."

Kikuchi nodded slightly.

"The evidence...that makes sense..."

Several more low laughs followed.

After the laughter subsided, Kikuchi changed the subject:

"I never thought I'd have the chance to tell Mr. Tachibana's story to a third person in my entire life..."

"But I never imagined that I would meet Mr. Tachibana's son today..."

"Perhaps... Heaven allowed me to live on until now so that I could meet you..."

"Ha... if that's the case... then my messed-up life over the past year hasn't been entirely meaningless."

"Mr. Tachibana, I don't know what case you're currently investigating, and I won't ask any further questions."

“If everything I just told you… my story, Aqi and Arden’s story, Mr. Tachibana’s story, can help you… that would be wonderful.”

Kikuchi raised his head again and met Aoto's eyes.

"King Ju, I wish you great success in your military endeavors."

Kikuchi gave a calm smile.

A calm smile, so different from his previous manic behavior.

"Alright... I've done all I could... I've said all I could..."

"Please leave..."

"I'm tired...I want to sleep..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kikuchi suddenly slumped to the side and lay on the ground.

He curled up like a cat, burying his face between his legs.

Before long, his chest began to rise and fall rhythmically...

……

……

At this very moment—

Edo, somewhere in the suburbs—

Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!

The howling north wind slipped into Sanako's collar, threatening to bring a sharp chill.

"Well……!"

Sanako couldn't help but shiver and quickly raised her hand to tighten the blue scarf around her neck.

"It's so cold..."

As she tightened her scarf, Sanako looked up and gazed into the distance.

In the distance, a vermilion torii gate came into view.

"Finally found it... Is that the Tsukimiya Shrine...?"

Sanako murmured.

*******

*******

Oh no, my sister tested positive too...

I just had COVID-19, and I have antibodies in my body now, so I won't test positive again in the short term—that should be right, right...?

Chapter 408 The two "biggest" female protagonists in this work finally meet [4300]

Today, Sanako is still running around searching for the "missing" Aoto.

During the day they travel back and forth between various parts of Edo, and at night they gather at Shieikan to share information—this has almost become the daily routine for Sanako, Souji, Kinoshita Mai, and others recently.

To facilitate her movements, when searching for Qing Deng, Sanako always dressed as a "female warrior," wearing a white top and blue bottom kendo uniform, with her long black hair tied into a light and agile high ponytail, and a wakizashi for self-defense at her waist.

Of course, anyone who goes out in such cold weather wearing only a single layer of clothing is either an abnormal person who is naturally unafraid of the cold, or a idiot with a broken brain—Zanako is naturally neither.

Therefore, she tucked a warm cotton coat under her kendo uniform and wrapped her favorite blue scarf around her neck.

Logically speaking, wearing such thick clothes should conceal even the most outstanding figure.

However... all I can say is that Sanako is incredibly talented.

If we say that Sanako, wearing only a single layer of clothing, has a figure that stands out 100 times.

So, when Sanako changed into a cotton-padded coat, her figure became more noticeable, with a score of 80.

It's just a difference between 100 and 80.

The magnificent parts remain magnificent, the delicate parts remain delicate, and the parts that resemble plump peaches still resemble plump peaches.

Starting this morning, Sanako began searching the outskirts of Edo.

Due to limited productivity, the outskirts of Edo were mostly semi-developed or even undeveloped areas.

Underfoot was a dirt road overgrown with weeds, dusty when it was sunny and turning into a muddy swamp when it rained.

The surrounding area is filled with ancient trees that have been growing for countless years, possibly even older than the Edo Shogunate.

Looking around, it was not exactly desolate, but it was certainly deserted.

Sometimes you can walk for miles and not see a single living person.

Everywhere there is grass, everywhere there are trees, everywhere is a similar landscape.

Although she herself was very reluctant to admit it... Sanako really did get lost...

Fortunately, just when Sanako was at a loss for what to do, she encountered a flying kick.

Flying Kick – This can be roughly understood as a deliveryman in the Edo period.

Just as ancient China had "deliverymen," Japan's Edo period also had a profession that specialized in delivering letters and packages, called "hikatsu."

The fastest of them is known as "Flying Kick".

The term "flying cavalry" refers to the practice where, upon arriving at each post station, the cavalry does not rest but instead changes horses or personnel and departs without stopping.

Both flying kick and follow-up flying kick were initially used exclusively by the shogunate. It wasn't until 1663 that the Edo shogunate recognized flying kick as a commoner, but follow-up flying kick was still only used for official duties.

The flying kick performed by the common people is commonly referred to as "machi flying kick".

Machihiko often hangs bells on his body, which jingle as he runs.

Over time, the sound of bells became a distinctive feature of the Machi Hikari.

When people hear the sound of bells, they know that the town's flying kick has arrived.

Some daimyo of feudal domains would develop their own logistics systems. These flying knights, belonging to a particular daimyo, were called "daimyo flying knights".

The foundation of logistics is transportation and transport vehicles.

Without convenient transportation and excellent transportation infrastructure, logistics is simply out of the question.

In Edo-period Japan, transportation relied primarily on human legs and local Japanese ponies; the roads were mostly dirt tracks that became impassable after rain.

It is easy to imagine how high the cost of a long-distance transport would have been, given the limited transport capacity and transportation conditions during the Edo period.

If the goods are being transported within eastern Japan, the cost is relatively low because of the "Five Roads" connecting the Kanto, Kinki, and Tohoku regions.

However, in western Japan, where there is no well-developed transportation system like the Five Roads Road... transportation costs are shockingly high.

The shogunate's tsukkomi (a type of flying kick) and the daimyo's tsukkomi (another type of flying kick) were often used for military and political purposes, and were therefore used without regard to cost or consequences, so we will not discuss them further.

Machihiko, whose primary goal is profit, generally offers two types of services: "regular delivery" and "express delivery".

The former is cheaper and affordable for ordinary people, but its disadvantage is that it is extremely slow. For the same trip between Osaka and Edo, the shogunate's "Tsuguhikatsu" takes only 4 days, and the fastest is about 3 days, while the "ordinary courier" of the "machihikatsu" can take more than a month, or even longer.

The latter is essentially the opposite of the former. Its transport speed is incredibly fast, almost on par with the Flying Kick, but the price is exorbitant, with shipping costs ranging from several taels of gold to tens of taels…

Merchants typically only use the "express delivery" service of Machihiko when a major business opportunity arises.

However, it is worth mentioning that, as the largest city in Japan at present, the movement of people and goods within Edo has never been very convenient.

Therefore, some businesses with keen business acumen opened "city express delivery" services in Edo.

The mail was to be transported from one place in Edo to another. The price was very cheap, averaging between 24 and 34 mon, which even ordinary people could afford.

Sanako encountered a town deliveryman who was providing "city delivery service".

Finally, she encountered a living person, and Sanako quickly stopped the person and asked for directions.

In conclusion, Sanako asked the right person.