"...Tachibana, what are you looking at?"
"Hmm?" Aoto turned his head to glance at Nishino behind him, "Nothing much, just looking out the window at the scenery to pass the ti."
They had been staking out in this inn for almost an hour now, and Aoto was so bored he considered counting the patterns on the room’s walls.
"Oh..." Nishino replied with an "Oh," then fell silent.
The room sank into a slightly awkward atmosphere.
Teaming up with other groups for missions was common practice at the Magistrate’s Office.
But teaming up with the "North Guard Station’s top detective" - this was Aoto’s first experience.
Aoto and Nishino weren’t very familiar with each other, and the little interaction they had was mostly unpleasant.
When Aoto was still "Blockhead Don," Nishino always treated him with a rather arrogant attitude, barely giving him a side glance or bothering to speak to him.
With Nishino’s attitude, Aoto naturally didn’t bother trying to endear himself.
Because of the slightly awkward relationship between the two, they hadn’t talked much on their way from the Magistrate’s Office to Takaracho for the mission, just exchanged simple work-related opinions.
But Aoto wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.
He felt like Nishino’s tone had beco... a bit softer when speaking to him.
At this mont—the old servant beside Aoto suddenly cried out:
"Ah! Gentlen, Kin’emon has appeared!" The old servant shouted while raising his hand to point east on the street outside the window.
As soon as the old servant finished speaking, Aoto quickly turned his head, following the direction of the servant’s pointing finger.
And Nishino also took a swift step to the window.
They saw where the old servant’s finger was pointing — a young man, walking unsteadily.
About twenty years old, face dirty and disheveled, hair tied into a crooked bun, clothes worn loosely, with a toothpick in his mouth, looking like a swaggering punk.
According to intelligence, this Kin’emon was a notorious thug in Takaracho, recognized by almost every townsn as a shaless, infamous scoundrel who bullied the weak and won.
Now it seed the intel was indeed correct.
As Kin’emon passed, pedestrians showed disgust on their faces, avoiding him in the street as if dodging filth.
Being avoided with disdain—a situation Kin’emon didn’t see as shaful, but rather felt proud of, raising his head higher with arrogance.
"Is that Kin’emon?" Nishino asked the old servant for confirmation.
"Yes!" The servant nodded vigorously, "I’d recognize this vermin Kin’emon even if he were ash. Lords, shall we go and apprehend him now?"
Nishino opened his mouth, ready to respond.
But Aoto had already replied ahead of him:
"No rush. Kin’emon is still a bit far from us, let’s wait until he’s closer, it would be safer."
Nishino glanced at Aoto with a mixed expression of surprise: "... Yes, as Tachibana said, let’s wait until he’s nearer to apprehend him."
Aoto and his team stood by the window, keenly observing Kin’emon as he approached the casino, getting closer to them.
Just then, Aoto suddenly spotted—on the west side of the street outside, a "masked man" wearing a white fox mask appeared.
The man was rather tall, seemingly only slightly shorter than Aoto.
Because of the mask obscuring his face, his appearance couldn’t be discerned, but judging from the exposed neck, palms, and other skin areas, this person seed quite young.
The masked man walked with an imposing deanor, exuding an aura of command.
His height above the era’s average, coupled with the mask that completely concealed his face though it wasn’t a festival, and his regal stride made him quite noticeable on the street, prompting Aoto to glance at him several tis.
But Aoto didn’t pay much attention to him, rely considering him a regular passerby with a peculiar outfit.
After a few glances at the masked man, he returned his focus to observing Kin’emon’s movents intently.
Surprises... often arrive suddenly.
Just as Aoto retracted his gaze from the masked man... an abrupt change occurred.
The masked man coming from the west of the street and Kin’emon approaching from the east were on a collision course.
Out of the blue, the masked man accelerated his pace.
From strolling, he quickened to a brisk walk, then further sped into a sprint.
Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he dashed along the street.
Then, when there were only a few steps between him and Kin’emon, he leapt forward, lunging at Kin’emon—
"Ahhh—!"
Kin’emon let out a wailing scream.
The masked man’s right fist struck forcefully on Kin’emon’s left cheek, knocking him straight to the ground.
Just walking down the street and being suddenly punched, knocked to the ground by the masked man’s sneak attack, Kin’emon clutched his left cheek tightly, staring in terror at the masked man.
This right hook was just the beginning.
The masked man flipped over, straddling Kin’emon, raising both fists and punching Kin’emon’s face repeatedly.
"Ow ahhhhh! Who the hell are you!"
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