After briefly chatting with Kinoshita Mai for a while, the two finally left this path that would leave a huge psychological shadow on Kinoshita Mai for the rest of their lives.
"I'm going this way next..." Kinoshita Mai pointed to the intersection on the left.
"Ah, then we have to go our separate ways. I'm going to go here next." Qingdeng pointed to the intersection on the right, "Then we'll meet again later, right?"
"Well..." Mai Kinoshita, whose shy look never dissipated and who had hardly looked directly at Qingden from beginning to end, nodded, "Goodbye..."
After saying goodbye to Mai Kinoshita and saying goodbye, Qingto held the knife at his waist and continued to patrol the area he was responsible for.
And just when Qingnobo and Kinoshita Mai separated——
…
…
Beifansuo, Dongcheng's office——
"Master Dongcheng, you called me?"
Nishino opened the door and quickly entered the room.
Nishino, who had no cases to deal with today, was just about to go on a tour of the area he was responsible for.
But just when he was about to leave the Beifan Office, he suddenly received a call from his boss: Dongcheng, so he had to rush to Dongcheng's office.
After entering his boss's office, Nishino saw his boss: Dongcheng was sitting cross-legged behind the desk where he usually worked, looking at something in his hand with a serious face.
At first glance, you might think that Dongcheng is looking at some important documents and working seriously.
But in fact... the thing he was looking at seriously was a special picture that has always been in short supply among men...
Dongcheng is looking at this painting, which is of a very wild type: the heroine is a plump young woman, and the hero is a big octopus...
While he was looking there carefully, he freed up one hand to pick his feet. After he finished picking his feet, he used the hand he had just finished picking his feet to blow his nose...
"Hmm... um..." Dongcheng kept murmuring deeply while looking at the picture in his hand. People who didn't know better thought he was admiring some masterpiece.
After seeing Nishino coming, Dongcheng's face quickly put on a smile.
"Oh! Nishino, you're here!"
Dongcheng casually threw the picture in his hand on the table in front of Nishino.
And Nishino also looked like he was used to seeing it for a long time, and asked as usual:
"Master Dongcheng, come to me, what can I do?"
"I have something important to tell you." Dongcheng yawned widely, "But before we get down to business, let's chat for a while."
After saying that, Dongcheng raised the corner of his mouth.
"How's it going? How do you feel when the case in Koyanagi Town was robbed by that Tachibana Aoto yesterday?"
Nishino was stunned for a moment, but soon returned to his usual (￣︿￣) cold expression.
"To be honest - very displeased."
"Xiaguan was in a depressed mood last night and even skipped a few bowls of dinner."
"But I have to admit that in the handling of yesterday's case, I completely lost to Ju Qingden, and I am convinced that I lost."
"After arriving at the scene of the crime, the subordinate also noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with the candle."
"But I have never been able to think of 'town residents rarely use candles' as quickly as Tachibana Aotomo."
Having said this, Nishino sighed.
"It wasn't until I returned to the Kitaban Station yesterday and learned from others how Tachibana Aoto solved the case that I finally understood why I didn't realize why the townspeople didn't react when I saw the candle at the crime scene. How to use candles.”
"Because Xiaguan's family has always used candles."
"I have never used lamp oil since I was a child."
"'It's natural to have candles at home' - this idea has been subtly rooted in the mind of the subordinate."
"I'm so ashamed that I would make such a stupid mistake..."
Looking at Nishino who looked a bit ashamed on his face, Dongcheng grinned:
"That Tachibana Aoden has really changed a lot."
"Yesterday, when he reported how he solved the case to me, Lord Boi and others, I specifically asked him, 'Is he deliberately taking your credit?'"
"Faced with such a tricky question, although his answer is not impeccable, it is difficult to find any faults."
"Not only has his ability to handle cases become much stronger, but he also seems to have become more diplomatic."
A faint smile appeared on the corner of Nishino's mouth.
"I heard about how that Tachibana Aoden was able to undergo such a transformation."
"If he is, as he said, aware of the weight of his responsibility and determined to change his ways... hmm, that would be a good thing."
"With one less person holding us back, the burden on our 'Three Chapters' shoulders can be slightly lightened."
"Oh..." Dongcheng smiled meaningfully, "If Tachibana Aoden becomes more reliable... then this means that the strength of the 'Arima Group' will be greatly enhanced, don't you worry?" After the Arima-gumi becomes stronger, will it cause the status of our 'Tōjo-gumi' in the Northern Bureau to decline, making it difficult to receive any more good cases?"
"Ha." Nishino sneered, "Just let them come over."
"I don't think the 'Dongcheng Group' with the lower official in charge will be so weak that the 'Arima Group' can overtake us so quickly."
"Ho ho ho ho..." Dongcheng chuckled for a while, then stretched hard, "Okay, let's stop chatting here."
"Let's talk business."
"Nishino, after several days of discussion, the upper management has decided that you will take over the 'Cat Monk' case."
"'Cat Monk'?" Nishino's brows jumped sharply.
"What?" Looking at the expression on Nishino's face at this time, Dongcheng grinned, "Xiye, why do you look like you don't know who the cat monk is?"
"Ah, speaking of this cat monk, Nishino, have you heard of the rumors about the cat monk that have been widely circulated in the market recently?"
"Many people are spreading rumors that this little cat monk is actually a female ninja who masters some ninjutsu that is about to be lost."
Dongcheng, who was smiling but not smiling, shook his shoulders.
"I don't know where this rumor originated..."
"If that little cat monk is really some kind of female ninja... that would be great. I have never seen what a ninja looks like in my life."
Nishino ignored Dongcheng's joke.
His expression turned slightly serious and he asked seriously:
"Master Dongcheng, why did you decide so suddenly to hand over the case of 'Cat Monk' to me?"
"Why else?" Dongcheng sneered, "He was not the person who was in charge of the case before, so there has been no results."
"In order to catch this big thief, our "three chapters" in the south and north divisions have changed three general managers one after another."
"But there are no exceptions - all have been in vain. Until now, the case of 'Cat Monk' has not been found out whether he is a boy or a girl."
"Xiye, I don't need to tell you, you should also know who those people whose money was stolen by Cat Monk are, right?"
"There are more people backstage than each other, and each game is harder than the last."
"Everyone knows they're not good birds, but we just can't do anything about them."
"These people who were poisoned by Mao Xiaoseng have recently put pressure on our government, asking us to arrest Mao Xiaoseng and bring him to justice as soon as possible."
"As a last resort, the higher-ups have decided to let you, the 'number one crime-solving master of Beifan Institute,' take full responsibility for this case."
"Ha... I sent you to take action. It seems that the people at the top are also anxious."
"Hmm? Nishino, why do you look so reluctant?"
At this time, Dongcheng saw that Xiye was hesitant to speak.
Nishino pursed his lips.
After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice:
"...Lord Dongcheng, since you have asked this question, let me just say it bluntly: Yes, I don't really want to accept this case."
"The person whose property was stolen by that little cat monk... was either the notorious Yakuza, or a profiteer who was ruthless to get rich..."
"Just because they all have a strong backing, we have always had to watch these scumbags do evil."
"No matter what the reason is, stealing is stealing, and a thief is a thief."
"But... when I found out that there was such a big thief who targeted these scum that we couldn't deal with, I still felt quite happy."
"We are unable to arrest the evildoers who should be put in jail. Instead, we have to send precious manpower to arrest and punish the people who punished those evildoers... This is really..."
Having said this, Nishino shut his mouth tightly as if he didn't want to talk any more.
Tojo has remained silent since Nishino started talking about why he didn't want to take on the "Cat Monk" case.
It wasn't until Nishino finished speaking that Dongcheng finally grinned——
"Xishino, I can understand you very well."
"I actually also like this little cat monk who does things we haven't been able to do."
"But - no matter how much we don't want to accept these tasks that we don't like, what can we do?"
Dongcheng's grin widened.
After sneering hard for a few times, a hint of mocking coldness appeared from the corner of his mouth.
"Who said we are samurai who must abide by the shitty Bushido?"
"Master Dongcheng?" Nishino was stunned when he saw his boss who suddenly made such remarks.
Dongcheng seemed to be immersed in his own world.
Ignoring the shocked look from Nishino, he continued quietly:
"Although there are many random people who use all kinds of fancy rhetoric to explain what bushido is."
"But the so-called Bushido, in the final analysis, is just one sentence——"
Dongcheng's head slowly drooped.
Immediately afterwards, a deep voice, like coming from the ninth abyss, poured into Nishino's ears.
"Forget all the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, and be like a puppet without any thoughts of your own, serving your life wholeheartedly for the master you serve."
"My master said that coal is white, so you must also say that coal is white."
"The Lord asked you to bring back the heads of 1,000 people... Then you have to find a way to kill 1,000 people... No matter how wronged you are, how resentful you are, even if you shed blood and tears, you have to endure it, you can't Any disobedience to the Lord..."
"Ah... this kind of thing that is even more disgusting than the watery shit I pooped in the morning is actually a 'morality' that we warriors must abide by? Don't you think it's funny?"
"hahahahahahahahahahaha--!"
Dongcheng suddenly raised his head, with a momentum that seemed to lift the ceiling above his head, patted his round belly, and laughed wildly.
"Master Dongcheng...?" Nishino was completely dumbfounded.
It was... the first time he saw his boss acting like he was crazy.
"Ah... Look at it this way... we samurai who have to abide by this shit-like 'morality'... are just a bunch of humanoid shit..."
Dongcheng slowly stopped smiling.
"If you think about it... the people of this country are really pitiful, being ruled by a bunch of human-shaped shit... Ho ho ho ho ho ho..."
"Master Dongcheng..." Nishino took a deep breath and mustered up his courage, "You...what's wrong?"
Seeing Dongcheng like this for the first time, Nishino couldn't help but feel doubts, fear and uneasiness in his heart.
He didn't even know what to say now.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally just said "What's wrong?"
"Ah...it's okay, it's okay." Dongcheng lowered his head again and waved his hand to Xiye, "It's just the words you just said that made me...can't help but feel something."
"Okay, I'm sorry. I seemed to have mentioned too many things that have nothing to do with the main business. Let's get back to the topic."
Nishino saw a familiar smile appear on Dongcheng's face.
"In short - the superiors have decided that you will be fully responsible for the 'Cat Monk' case."
"No matter how unhappy you are, there is no room for refusal or negotiation."
Dongcheng paused.
"Nishino, you are quite dull-minded sometimes."
"Huh?" Nishino was stunned.
"Since you don't want that little cat monk to be caught... wouldn't it be nice to leave this case to you?"
Hearing Dongcheng's words, Nishino seemed to be suddenly enlightened, and his pupils shone brightly.
"...Yes!" Nishino said loudly, "I understand! Please hand over the case of 'Cat Monk' to me with confidence! Your life will definitely be in jeopardy!"
Dongcheng smiled and nodded, then waved to Nishino.
"Okay, I've finished what I need to tell you, please step back."
"Go to Lord Boi to hand over the 'Cat Monk' case."
"I also have to concentrate on some unfinished documents."
"Yes." Nishino turned and walked out of the room.
But just as he was about to open the door and walk out... his steps stopped.
Dongcheng's crazy-looking posture just now... lingered in Xiye's mind for a long time.
Nishino couldn't help but turn his head and looked at Dongcheng with complex eyes that mainly showed confusion and astonishment.
"What?" Dongcheng smiled at Nishino who was looking at him, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"No……"
"If not, just go out quickly. How can I do my work if you're always there?"
"Yes..." Nishino gritted his teeth, looked away, no longer hesitated, and left Dongcheng's office.
And when Nishino's front foot had just left... the smile Dongcheng showed to Nishino quickly dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye...
"Ahh..."
"To have such a big reaction to what Nishino just said..."
"Hoho...Am I becoming more and more abnormal...?"
Dongcheng's originally straight body bent down.
It was as if all the bones in his back had been taken away, and the posture of his entire body took on a lethargic look.
Dongcheng raised his plump hands, covered his face with his palms, and clasped his messy hair firmly with his fingers.
Dongcheng obviously has a big belly, but his body is very fat.
But at this moment, he looked so small and humble.
Like a helpless child.
Dongcheng murmured in a trembling voice, like a prayer:
"Your Highness..."
"When...can I wash off the blood on my hands...?"
*******
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