My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 323 - 131: "Phantom Thief" Tachibana Aoto Makes an Entrance!

Then come the Samurai cases.

And then the cases of ordinary citizens.

Handling just these "normal people’s" cases already keeps the Magistrate’s Office so busy they can hardly manage, let alone have the energy and time to deal with cases involving the people of Hieda.

On a regular day, they never really care about the life or death of the Hieda, even more so when the Magistrate’s Office is currently dedicating the majority of its effort and resources to cracking down on the "Radical Anti-foreigner Faction."

If Mukiwa tried to report to the Magistrate’s Office that "there’s a group of madmen using the Hieda to test swords," her report would definitely sink without a ripple.

The Magistrate’s Office would at most send a few Jishinban servants to the crime site to make a show of patrolling around.

After a moment of silence, Aoto’s previously furrowed brows slightly loosened.

"...I understand the main issue."

"But there are still many parts I don’t understand."

"Miss Kinoshita, back at Shiwei Hall... why did you choose to reveal yourself in that way?"

Aoto sighed deeply, a mix of emotions on his face.

"Dropping down from the ceiling, landing behind me... Honestly, you startled me at the time. I thought you were a thief aiming to steal from Shiwei Hall or perhaps a member of the Anti-foreigner Group seeking revenge."

"Hahaha..." Mukiwa laughed awkwardly, crossing her hands behind her back. Her right foot tucked behind her left, as she bashfully said, "I wanted to scare you, to give you a surprise back then..."

"I fully expected you to be so shocked you’d fall to the ground and crawl backward."

"Who knew you’d pounce right over and pin me to the ground..."

Hearing Mukiwa’s explanation, a helpless smile tugged at Aoto’s lips:

— Miss Kinoshita also has a childlike side...

Reflecting on this inwardly, Aoto added: However, from an age perspective, Miss Kinoshita is indeed still a child.

If Aoto remembered right, Mukiwa was only 15 this year.

Although, from the perspective of this era, a 15-year-old girl was already of marriageable age and could have children.

But in Aoto’s view, Mukiwa, not even 16, was still a girl who hadn’t fully grown up.

"Don’t do such things in the future."

With hands on his hips, Aoto spoke with a slightly stern tone.

"Thankfully, I left my sword by my feet and didn’t wear it at my waist then."

"Otherwise, I might have drawn my sword instead of just knocking you over."

After giving Mukiwa a brief scolding, Aoto fell into thoughtful silence for a few moments before throwing out a new question:

"...Miss Kinoshita, why did you seek my help?"

"Revealing your true identity to me directly... aren’t you afraid I’ll arrest you and hand you over to the Magistrate’s Office for my own merit?"

"Successfully capturing the Cat Monk that’s troubled the Magistrate’s Office for so long... that would be quite a remarkable achievement."

As soon as Aoto finished speaking, he saw Mukiwa’s cheeks flush with a happy smile beneath her black mask.

"Because besides you, I have no one else to turn to."

"You’re the only one I trust a lot, and you’re quite skilled."

"I believe you will never betray me."

"And... and..."

Mukiwa seemed eager to say more.

Yet when she reached "and," her words unexpectedly faltered.

Repeating "and" in a mumbling tone a few times, Mukiwa raised her hand to pull her mask higher.

Concealed by the mask, Aoto couldn’t see—Mukiwa’s cheeks were blushing slightly now.

"And what?" Aoto asked, puzzled.

"And... and... you’ve told me before: you don’t dislike the Cat Monk, and you even wanted to try being an honorable thief like the Cat Monk if there was a chance!" Mukiwa said anxiously, "That’s why I trust you won’t betray me."

"Ha... ’won’t betray you,’ huh..." Aoto softly echoed Mukiwa’s words, then laughed wryly, speaking in a half-joking tone, "I feel oddly flattered..."

With that, Aoto scratched the back of his head.

"Betraying you, turning you into the Magistrate’s Office... that’s something I truly couldn’t do."

"But as for assisting you to deal with that Man-Slayer Group that uses the Hieda to test swords... Miss Kinoshita, let me ask a few more questions."

"Do you plan for just you and I to handle this Man-Slayer Group?"

"How much intel do you currently have on this group? How many are they? Where do they usually appear?"

"What is your plan to deal with them?"

Like a barrage, Aoto fired off several questions in quick succession.

Facing Aoto’s series of questions, Mukiwa calmly and unhurriedly responded one by one:

"Besides you, I have no one else to rely on, so indeed... I can only rely on the two of us to handle this matter."

"Regarding the Man-Slayer Group, I don’t have much information now, only that they have consistently been using the Hieda from the Hieda Residence Area in the North Suburb of Edo for testing swords."

"I plan to ambush in the Hieda Residence Area, waiting for the Man-Slayer Group to reappear and directly catch them in the act! There’s no better method available."

With that, Mukiwa looked up, staring straight at Aoto without blinking.