My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 326 - 132: Encounter with the Man-Slayer Group

Aoto wrinkled his nose, trying to distinguish the components in the air.

The scent of damp mold, the stench of urine and feces, the foul odor of rotting food... Various nauseating smells mixed together made Aoto instinctively slow his breathing.

Looking at the ground beneath his feet, the uneven surface reminded one of the moon’s surface.

There was a large pit here, a protruding rock there; a heavy rain had fallen this afternoon, so those depressions were filled with pools of water of a nauseating color.

Occasionally, he could spot dead rats, dead insects, and other strange objects floating on the surface of these pools.

Hardly a single intact house could be seen here; wherever his eyes landed, he saw buildings that seemed they could be kicked into collapse.

The oppressive silence was broken only by the sound of rats and insects, causing those unfamiliar with the area to think it was some abandoned wasteland.

In short—the area was perfectly suited as a film location for suspense or ghost stories.

This was Aoto’s first time visiting Edo’s only Hieda Residence Area.

The desolation and filth of this place were shocking, far surpassing any of Aoto’s previous imaginings.

"Follow me." Mukiwa said softly, "I know of a rather ideal spot for a vigil, let’s set up there."

Aoto softly replied "Mm," then followed Mukiwa towards the center of the Hieda Residence Area.

As they ventured deeper into the area, Aoto finally saw living people.

Not every Hieda had a house to live in.

Many lacked even a mat, bedding down under the sky with the earth as their bed.

Along the way, Aoto saw many Hiedas with their legs tightly closed and arms tightly hugging each other, huddled in dirty corners of streets or dim alleys between buildings.

To avoid disturbing them or waking them up, Aoto and Mukiwa deliberately walked with muted steps, taking less conspicuous paths.

The "ideal spot" Mukiwa mentioned was a large tree by a crossroads.

The tree stood nearly 5 meters tall, the highest point of elevation in the Hieda Residence Area—at least along the route Aoto had traveled to the tree; no buildings rose higher than this.

Not only was it high, but its location by the crossroads in the central area afforded a great view, with dense foliage providing cover.

Moreover, according to Mukiwa: among the 7 bodies found due to street killings, 3 were discovered around this crossroads, making it a hotspot for incidents.

Considering all these reasons, the tree was indeed an excellent spot for a vigil.

Its trunk had many uneven footholds, making it easy to climb, and Aoto and Mukiwa quickly reached one of the tree’s thickest branches.

"Mr. Tachibana, carefully watch the east and north," Mukiwa pointed to the directions, "I’ll observe the west and south."

Aoto nodded, signaling his understanding with motion as there was no need to dispute Mukiwa’s reasonable personnel arrangement, and then turned his gaze towards the north and east.

Their designated views meant Aoto and Mukiwa sat back to back.

Aoto still had many questions for Mukiwa.

Before long, Aoto spoke in a low voice that was soft as a mosquito’s buzz yet audible to Mukiwa:

"On the night I first encountered you disguised as ’Cat Monk,’ why did you suddenly appear at the Magistrate’s Office?"

"Ah, that..."

Facing away from Aoto, Mukiwa slowly raised her hand, lifting her mask further to hide her face more thoroughly.

"There wasn’t a complex reason."

"I just happened to hear on the street in the morning that you were going to be on night duty that evening."

"I was curious, so I came to see what you ’Three Times’ Samurai do during your night duties."

"But as soon as I snuck into the Magistrate’s Office, you discovered me..."

—So she simply wanted to see how we conduct our night duties...

After musing this inwardly, Aoto joked:

"During night duty, we mostly spend time ’doing nothing and waiting for daylight.’"

With a small joke, Aoto returned to the main topic.

"Miss Kinoshita, earlier you mentioned that you’ve been patrolling Edo’s City Town every night recently, searching for traces of the ’Radical Anti-foreigner Faction,’ have you discovered any noteworthy intel related to them?"

"No." Mukiwa’s lips parted slightly, letting out a light sigh, and responded in equally soft tones, "I don’t know if it’s bad luck on my part lately or that the group headed by the Anti-foreigner Group prefers not to act during late hours; I haven’t detected useful intel."

"In fact, my nightly patrols are not solely focused on tracking the ’Radical Anti-foreigner Faction.’"

"While searching for the ’Radical Anti-foreigner Faction,’ I’m also alert to ordinary criminals in Edo’s City Town."