My Gang of Swordsmen-Chapter 59 - 43: Bushido Is a Pile of Crap

After chatting briefly with Mukiwa again, the two finally left this path which, for the rest of her life, should leave a huge psychological shadow on her.

"I need to go this way next..." Mukiwa pointed to the intersection on the left.

"Ah, then we part ways here. I need to go this way next." Aoto pointed to the intersection on the right, "Shall we meet again if fate allows?"

"Mm..." Mukiwa nodded, her shy expression never fading from her face, almost never having looked directly at Aoto, "Goodbye..."

After bidding farewell to Mukiwa, Aoto, with his hand on the sword at his waist, continued to patrol the area he was responsible for.

Just as Aoto parted ways with Mukiwa—

...

...

North Guard Station, Tojo’s office—

"Lord Tojo, you called for me?"

Nishino opened the door and quickly stepped inside.

Without any cases to handle today, Nishino had been about to head to his assigned patrol area.

But just as he was about to leave the North Guard Station, he suddenly received a summons from his superior, Lord Tojo, and had to quickly rush to Tojo’s office.

Upon entering his superior’s office, Nishino saw his superior, Tojo, sitting cross-legged behind his usual office desk, looking seriously at something in his hands.

At first glance, one might think Tojo is focusing on some important document, working diligently.

But in reality... the item Tojo was examining intently was a special illustration that’s always in high demand among men...

Tojo was looking at this picture, the type that’s quite unique: the female protagonist was a plump housewife, the male protagonist was a large octopus...

All the while he’s examining it, he had one hand picking his foot, and after he was done, he used that same hand to blow his nose...

"Hmm... hmm..." Tojo continuously emitted deep humming sounds while gazing at the illustration in his hand, making those unaware think he was admiring some world-class masterpiece.

Upon seeing Nishino arrive, Tojo quickly plastered a wide smile on his face.

"Oh, oh! Nishino, you’re here!"

Tojo casually tossed the illustration onto the desk in full view of Nishino without any hesitation.

And Nishino, accustomed to the sight, asked as usual with a normal expression:

"Lord Tojo, what do you need me for?"

"There’s something important to tell you." Tojo yawned broadly, "But before we get to business, let’s chat a bit first."

With that, the corners of Tojo’s mouth lifted.

"How is it? How does it feel to have your case in Mukiura Town snatched by Tachibana Aoto yesterday?"

Nishino paused for a moment, but soon, he reverted to his usual stoic expression (￣︿￣).

"To be honest—very displeased."

"Last night, due to my foul mood, I even ate a few bowls less for dinner."

"But I must admit—that in handling yesterday’s case, I was completely outdone by Tachibana Aoto, and I wholeheartedly accept it."

"Upon reaching the crime scene, I also noticed the suspicious candle."

"But I couldn’t quickly connect the dots like Tachibana Aoto did that ’Townsmen rarely use candles.’"

At this, Nishino sighed.

"I didn’t understand why the town didn’t use candles until I heard from others about how Tachibana Aoto solved the case when I returned to the North Guard Station yesterday."

"Because at home, we always used candles."

"I’ve never used lamp oil since childhood."

"’Having candles at home is a matter of course’—thought has unconsciously taken root in my mind."

"Making such a foolish mistake... I am very ashamed."

Seeing the slight embarrassment on Nishino’s face, Tojo grinned widely:

"That Tachibana Aoto has changed a lot indeed."

"Yesterday, as he was reporting to me, Lord Hosoi, and others on how he solved the case, I specifically asked him if he was deliberately stealing your credit."

"Faced with such a tricky question, although his answer wasn’t flawless, it was hard to find fault with it."

"Not only his case-handling skills have improved, but he also seems to have become more tactful."

Nishino’s mouth hinted at a faint smile.

"I heard about Tachibana Aoto and why he underwent such a transformation."

"If he indeed, as he claims, realized the gravity of his responsibilities and decided to reform... well, that’s a good thing."

"With one less person dragging us down, our ’Three Times’ burden could be slightly lightened."

"Ho..." Tojo laughed meaningfully, "If Tachibana Aoto becomes reliable... this would mean a significant boost in the ’Arima Group’s’ strength. Aren’t you worried that as ’Arima Group’ grows stronger, it might lead to a decline in our ’Tojo Group’s’ status at the North Guard Station, making it harder to get good cases?"

"Heh." Nishino let out a cold laugh, "Let them charge ahead."

"I don’t believe that with me overseeing the ’Tojo Group,’ we’ll be easily surpassed by the ’Arima Group.’"

"Ho ho ho ho..." Tojo chuckled for a while, then stretched with force, "Alright, let’s end the small talk here."

"Let’s discuss the main business."

"Nishino, after several days of discussion, it’s been decided—you will take over the ’Cat Monk’ case."