I assembled the strongest swordsman group

"Upon arriving at the crime scene, I also noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with that candle."

"But I haven't been able to make the connection as quickly as Tachibana Aoto did, that 'townsmen rarely use candles'."

Having said that, Nishino sighed.

"It wasn't until I returned to the Hokuban-doku yesterday and learned from others how Tachibana Seito solved the case that I finally understood why I hadn't realized that the townspeople didn't use candles much when I saw them at the crime scene."

"Because my family has always used candles."

"I have never used lamp oil since I was a child."

"The idea that 'it's only natural to have candles in the house' has been subtly and gradually taken root in my mind."

"I am so ashamed that I made such a stupid mistake."

Seeing the hint of shame on Nishino's face, Toujou grinned:

"That Tachibana Aoto has really changed a lot."

“Yesterday, when he was reporting to me and Lord Usui and others on how he solved the case, I specifically asked him, ‘Are you trying to steal my credit?’”

"Faced with such a tricky question, his answer, while not flawless, was hard to fault."

"Not only has his ability to solve cases improved a lot, but he also seems to have become more tactful."

A faint smile appeared on Nishino's lips.

"I've heard about that Ju Qingdeng, and I wonder why he was able to undergo such a transformation."

"If he really does realize the weight of his responsibility and is determined to change his ways, as he claims... well, that would be a good thing."

"With one less person holding us back, the burden on our shoulders can be lightened a bit."

"Hmph..." Toujou smiled meaningfully, "If Tachibana Aoto becomes reliable... that means the strength of the 'Arima Group' will be greatly enhanced. Aren't you worried that after the 'Arima Group' becomes stronger, it will cause our 'Toujou Group's' status in the Hokuban Police Station to decline, making it difficult to get any good cases?"

"Heh." Nishino sneered, "Let them come at me."

"I don't think the 'East City Group,' with me in charge, is so weak that the 'Arima Group' can surpass us so quickly."

"Hehehe..." Dongcheng chuckled for a while, then stretched lazily. "Alright, let's stop this small talk for now."

"Let's get down to business."

“Nishino, after several days of discussion, the higher-ups have decided that you will take over the ‘Neko-sō’ case.”

“‘Cat Monk’?” Nishino’s brow twitched.

"What's wrong?" Dongcheng grinned, looking at Nishino's expression. "Nishino, why do you look like you don't know who Cat Monk is?"

"Ah, speaking of this Cat Monk, Nishino, have you heard the rumors about Cat Monk that have been circulating widely among the common people lately?"

"Many people are saying that this Cat Monk is actually a female ninja who has mastered some kind of ninjutsu that is almost lost."

Dongcheng, with a forced smile, shrugged his shoulders.

"I wonder where this rumor actually came from..."

"If that cat monk really is some kind of female ninja... that would be great. I've never seen what a ninja looks like in my entire life."

Nishino ignored Tojo's joke.

His expression turned slightly serious, and he asked in a solemn tone:

"Lord Tojo, why did you suddenly decide to hand over the 'Neko-sō' case to me?"

"What else could it be?" Dongcheng sneered. "It's because the person in charge of this case before hasn't made any progress."

"In order to catch this big thief, the 'three-times' of our two garrisons in the south and north have changed three chief officers in succession."

"But without exception—all have come to nothing. The investigation into 'Cat Monk' is still ongoing, and we still haven't figured out whether he is male or female."

"Nishino, you should know what kind of people those Neko-sō stole money from, right?"

"Each one has more powerful backers than the last, and each one is incredibly influential."

"Everyone knows they're no good, but we just can't do anything about them."

“Those who have been harmed by Mao Xiaoseng have recently put pressure on our government, demanding that we arrest Mao Xiaoseng as soon as possible.”

"Without any other choice, the higher-ups have decided to put you, the 'top detective in the Northern Garrison,' in full charge of this case."

"Heh... Sending you out here, it seems the higher-ups are in a hurry too."

"Hmm? Nishino, why do you look so unwilling?"

At this moment, Dongcheng noticed that Xiye looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Nishino pursed his lips.

After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice:

"...Lord Dongcheng, since you've asked, I'll be frank: Yes, I... am not really keen on taking on this case."

"The person whose belongings were stolen by that cat monk... is either a notorious Yakuza or a heartless, unscrupulous merchant..."

"Because they all have powerful backers, we have been able to only watch these scumbags do evil all this time."

"No matter the reason, stealing is stealing, and a thief is a thief."

"However... I still feel quite pleased to learn that such a master thief has emerged who specializes in targeting scumbags like these who are difficult for us to deal with."

"The villains who should have been imprisoned are instead being arrested by us, and we have to send our precious manpower to arrest and punish those villains... This is truly..."

Having said that, Nishino seemed to have no intention of continuing and shut his mouth.

After Nishino began explaining why he didn't want to take on the "Neko-sō" case, Tōjō remained silent.

Only after Nishino finished speaking did Toujou finally manage a smile.

“Nishino, I understand you very well.”

"I actually really like this cat monk who did things that we've never been able to do."

"But what can we do, no matter how much we don't want to accept these tasks we don't like?"

Dongcheng's grin widened even further.

After letting out a few forceful, cold laughs, a mocking and playful chill appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Who told us to be samurai who have to follow this shitty Bushido?"

"Lord Tojo?" Nishino was stunned as he looked at his superior who had suddenly made such a statement.

Dongcheng seemed to be immersed in his own world.

Ignoring the astonished look Nishino gave him, he continued quietly:

"Although many random people use all sorts of fancy words to explain what Bushido is."

"But the so-called Bushido, in essence, boils down to one sentence—"

Dongcheng's head slowly drooped down.

Immediately afterwards, a deep voice, as if from the deepest abyss, entered Nishino's ears.

"Forget all concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, and be like a puppet without your own thoughts, wholeheartedly serving the lord you serve."

"If the lord says the coal is white, then you must also say the coal is white."

"Your lord has ordered you to bring back the heads of 1000 commoners... So you must find a way to kill 1000 people... No matter how wronged or resentful you feel, no matter how much blood and tears you shed, you must endure it and not disobey your lord in any way..."

"Ugh... this stuff that's even more disgusting than the diarrhea I had this morning is supposed to be the 'morality' that we samurai have to uphold? Isn't that hilarious?"

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha—!"

Dongcheng suddenly tilted his head back as if he were about to rip open the ceiling, patting his round belly while laughing wildly.

"Lord Tojo...?" Nishino was completely stunned.

This was the first time he had ever seen his boss act like he was going crazy.

"Ah... so it seems... we samurai, who are forced to abide by this shitty 'morality'... are just a bunch of human-shaped dung blocks..."

Dongcheng slowly stopped smiling.

"Thinking about it... the people of this country are truly pitiful, ruled by a bunch of human-shaped turds... Hehehehehe..."

"Lord Tojo..." Nishino took a deep breath and mustered his courage, "What... is wrong?"

Upon seeing Toujou in this state for the first time, Nishino felt a surge of doubt, fear, and unease.

He didn't even know what to say.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to utter only, "What's wrong?"

"Ah...it's nothing, it's nothing." Dongcheng's head drooped again, and he waved his hand at Xiye. "It's just that what you said just now made me...feel a bit emotional."

"Okay, sorry, I seem to have talked about too many things that are not related to the main topic. Let's get back to the main topic."

Nishino saw a familiar smile on Tojo's face.

"In short—the higher-ups have decided that you will be in full charge of the 'Cat Monk' case."

"No matter how much you dislike it, there is no room for refusal or negotiation."

Dongcheng paused.

“Nishino, you can be quite slow-witted sometimes.”

"Huh?" Nishino was taken aback.

"Since you don't want that cat monk to get arrested... then wouldn't it be perfect to hand over this case to you?"

Upon hearing Dongcheng's words, Xiye felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone through, his eyes shining brightly.

“…Yes!” Nishino replied loudly. “I understand! Please entrust the case of ‘Neko-sō’ to me with confidence! I will do my utmost to help!”

Dongcheng smiled and nodded, then waved to Xiye.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. You may leave now."

"Go find Lord Usui to hand over the 'Neko-monk' case."

"I need to focus on dealing with some documents that I haven't finished yet."

"Yes." Nishino turned and walked out of the room.

But just as he was about to pull the door open and leave... he stopped in his tracks.

The image of Toujou acting like a madman just now lingered in Nishino's mind.

Nishino couldn't help but turn his head and look at Tojo with a complex gaze, mainly filled with confusion and astonishment.

"What?" Dongcheng smiled at Nishino, who was looking him up and down. "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"No……"

"If you don't have anything, then get out of here. How am I supposed to work if you just stand there like that?"

“Yes…” Nishino gritted his teeth, withdrew his gaze, and left Higashi's office without further hesitation.

The moment Nishino left... the smile that Toujou had just given Nishino vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye...

"Ah..."

"They actually reacted so strongly to what Nishino just said..."

"Heh heh... Am I becoming more and more abnormal...?"

Dongcheng's originally straight body bent over.

It was as if all the bones in his back had been removed; his entire body appeared listless and dejected.

Dongcheng raised his thick hands, covered his face with his palms, and gripped his messy hair tightly with his fingers.

Despite having a large belly, Dongcheng's body was originally very fat.

But at this moment, he looked so small and insignificant.

Like a helpless child.

Dongcheng murmured in a trembling voice, as if in a prayer:

"Your Highness..."

"When... will I ever be able to wash the blood off my hands...?"

*******