The person who recognized Sanako was a young samurai whose facial features were still very delicate, but a pair of extremely vicious angled eyes ruined the overall beauty of his face.
"'Chiba's Onimachi'? Oh! It's the Chiba Sanako in 'Omachi Chiba', right?" Someone agreed.
Because the Little Chiba Sword Hall is located in Ome-machi, people also call it "Obe-machi Chiba".
"Chiba Sanako, hehehe, just right!"
The person speaking now is a young man standing next to the "Hanged-Eyed Warrior". He has three white eyes, a flat nose, and thick lips. His words and actions give off a strong sense of vulgarity.
It was this guy who had been rude to Sanako just now.
"I have admired this great beauty for a long time. Hehehe, I was just lucky. Originally, I just wanted to kidnap Natsume Yue, but in the end, I actually caught the famous Chiba Sanako. Hiss...! I didn't expect that in my life
In my lifetime, I have the opportunity to play with such a wonderful girl... ugh!"
Before this wretched "young man with a flat nose" finished speaking, the rest of his words turned into a cry of pain.
The "cornered-eyed warrior" standing next to him threw a punch, hitting the "stubby-nosed young man" right in the cheek.
The "cornered-eyed warrior" used a lot of force... the "snub-nosed young man" was sent flying directly. He stopped "flying" only after hitting a certain dining table. The guy's cheeks suddenly became red and swollen.
A wisp of light red liquid mixed with saliva and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Chiba Sadayoshi of the Little Chiba Sword Hall once had a debt of gratitude to Mr. Kamino."
The tone of the "cornered-eyed warrior" was as cold as if he could spit out ice slag at any time.
"Trespassing on Chiba Sadakichi's daughter Chiba Sanako...how many heads do you have that Mr. Kamino can chop off?"
The "young man with a flat nose" who was knocked out struggled to get up. He was suddenly punched by the "cornered-eyed warrior" and his face was filled with anger. However, after hearing the name "Mr. Kamino", he immediately burst into tears.
Like a ball of anger, the angry look on his face suddenly disappeared.
The only emotions left on his face were shrinkage and fear.
"...Then what are we going to do now?" Someone said solemnly to the "Diaojiaoyan Samurai" at this time, "Our goal is only Natsume Yue."
"Now one more person has been arrested, and the arrested person is the famous Chiba Sanako... How should we deal with this?"
"It's impossible to let her go, right? We can't let the outside world know that 'Natsume Sōhachiro's daughter is missing.'"
"How about...kill Chiba Sanako?"
As the man spoke, he raised his hand and wiped his neck with an indifferent expression.
"No!" "The Cornered-Eyed Samurai" retorted sharply without thinking, "I just said it, right? Chiba Nobuyoshi is kind to Mr. Kamino and wants to touch Chiba Nobuyoshi's daughter. God knows how Mr. Kamino will react!"
"...Tsk!" The samurai who had just proposed to kill Sanako Chiba smacked his lips impatiently, and then licked his lips hard at Sanako who was unconscious on the dining table, "Then what are we going to do?
Deal with this woman?"
Under the gaze of everyone, the "Diaojiao-Eyed Warrior" thought for a moment and then gritted his teeth:
"...Take her and Natsume Yue away together and take her back!"
"Let Mr. Kamino decide for himself how to deal with this woman."
The other people looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.
Apart from this method, there is no other method that is safer and less error-prone.
"That, that..."
At this time, a slightly trembling voice sounded from behind the "Diaojiaoyan Samurai" and others.
The owner of this tea house...the middle-aged man with half-white hair who had just greeted Natsume energetically and exchanged pleasantries, shrank out of the kitchen.
"I, I, I have followed your instructions and put medicine into Miss Natsume's tea."
"Can I let my wife and children go as agreed?"
"I promise! I will never tell anyone what happened today!"
The boss's head was drooped, his waist was bent, and his face looked pleading... His whole person showed an extremely humble posture.
After the boss finished speaking in such a condescending tone... the "Corner-Eyed Samurai" and others glanced at him sideways.
Bang!
The "Diaojiaoyan Samurai" kicked the ground hard, making a loud noise.
He jumped up quickly, threw himself on the boss, opened his arms, and hugged the boss's head hard——
Click!
The boss's head was turned 180 degrees.
The back of the head that should be facing behind you is turned to the front, and the face that should be facing in front of you is turned to the back.
The boss died suddenly before he could even cry out in pain.
"Sorry, rather than trusting you to keep your promise and not tell others what happened today... we still think it is more convenient and safer for you to never speak out."
"At this time of national crisis, everyone in this country needs to contribute."
"Your sacrifice will further help us in our great cause of repelling the foreigners."
After that, the "Diaojiaoyan Samurai" slowly let go of the boss in his arms...
"Remember to take this man's body away later, tie his body to rocks, and throw it into Edo Bay."
There was no trace of remorse or guilt on his face.
…
…
As soon as he returned to the residence, Qingnobo saw Harada's proud face.
"Mr. Tachibana!" Harada held his spear in his right hand, put his left hand on his hip, raised his chin, raised his chest and raised his head with a triumphant expression, "We have successfully captured this man in a suit!"
Lying on the ground in front of Harada was a young Kazuto in a suit and tie who had been sitting across from him in the pastry shop with a pale face and a beard.
Qingto made detailed inquiries to Saito and the others, and soon learned the entire process of the three of them arresting the man in the suit.
This man in a suit not only doesn't know any martial arts, but his physical strength is visibly poor. His steps are sloppy, and when his feet swing... it's more like floating than running.
Such a guy who neither knew martial arts nor had very poor physical strength would naturally not be able to escape the hands of Saito and his group of young and strong warriors.
The man in the suit didn't even run out of the street. He was subdued to the ground with the help of the three Saito men.
Saito and the others not only caught the man in the suit, but also learned his identity through the identification of a passerby.
"Huh? Isn't this Mr. Hanada?" - After Saito and the others subdued the man in suit, a woman dressed in kimono from the crowd of onlookers exclaimed.
Someone actually recognized this man in a suit... Of course it was impossible for Saito and the others to turn a deaf ear to such important information.
As a result, Saito and the others immediately found the woman who made this exclamation among the onlookers and interrogated her in detail.
The person responsible for questioning this woman... is Saito.
From another perspective, the taciturn Saito is very suitable for the role of "interrogator".
Because words are precious, Saito never minced words when asking questions. He always went straight to the topic and could explain the questions in 5 words. He would never use 6 words.
For example, when questioning the woman, Saito asked straight to the point:
"Do you know this guy?"
Furthermore, Saito rarely has emotions, and his expressive face is quite oppressive, which can bring strong psychological oppression to the person being questioned.
Under Saito's efficient questioning, which didn't waste any time or words, they soon got a lot of information about the man in the suit from the woman's mouth.
This man in a suit is named "Shichiro Hanada" and he is Dr. Lan Fang who lives in this residence.
The so-called Lan Fang doctors are doctors who use Western medical techniques.
Hanada Shichiro went to sea to learn Western medical skills 6 years ago, and returned after completing his studies 2 years ago. Because his medical skills are quite superb, and the medical skills he uses are Western medical skills familiar to Westerners, he is very popular in the Edo Residence.
favored by Western people.
Because the main clients are Westerners in the Edo Residence, in order to facilitate the treatment of regular customers in the Residence, Hanada Shichiro now lives in the Residence.
After questioning the woman until they had nothing more to ask, Saito and the others thanked the woman for being so cooperative with their investigation.
Then he turned around and began to interrogate the man in the suit...that is, Shichiro Hanada.
Faced with the interrogation by Saito and others, Hanada Shichiro was very harsh.
He has always insisted that he is an innocent citizen. The reason why he ran away when he saw Qingteng and others in the pastry shop was because he was frightened by the glaring knives in Qingteng and Nagakura's hands and thought they were people from the "radical anti-barbarian faction".
Come in and kill the "national traitors".
As for the bearded man who was sitting at the same table with him and sitting across from him, Shichiro Hanada said - "I had treated this man before, because I happened to bump into him in the pastry shop, so I invited him over.
We had snacks together, I only know that his name is Takakura Heigoro, but I don’t know the rest!"
No matter how Saito and the others interrogated him or threatened him, Hanada Shichiro remained unmoved and insisted that he was innocent.
Regarding Hanada Shichiro's insistence that he is an innocent member of the public, Qingto has only one attitude: Whatever you say! Anyway, I will escort you back to the prison first!
The streets of the settlement are never a suitable place to ask questions.
After being escorted back to the prison, I had plenty of time to slowly investigate the relationship between Hanada Shichiro and the bearded man who was suspected to be a member of the anti-barbarian group.
All possible suspects have been caught, and Qingdeng and the others have no reason to stay in the residence for any longer.
Anthony and his family helped Qingdeng and his family a lot today.
Now that we are leaving the residence, we cannot, emotionally or rationally, leave without even saying hello to Anthony and the others.
Aoto found a large cloak that could be used to cover his blood-stained clothes, and allowed Saito and others who had to escort Hanada Shichiro and others to escape first. After that, they returned to Anthony's mansion alone.
…
…
…
Outside Anthony's family's mansion, Anthony, Elodie and Leroy, who were standing side by side in front of him, briefly and comprehensively summarized their "capture operation".
"...Anyway, that's what happened. We successfully caught a few suspicious elements, so we are going back to the prison now."
When Qingden came to say goodbye, Elodie was still in class.
After learning from Leroy that Qingdeng and the others were leaving the residence, Elodie quickly took a 20-minute leave from her tutor Gerald, and then followed Anthony and Leroy to say goodbye to Qingdeng.
"Mr. Angouleme, thank you very much for your help today."
Although he had already said "thank you" to Anthony and the others many times today, Qingdeng still felt tired and once again handed over the gift of thanks to the old man, the young man and the maid in front of him at this moment.
"Mr. Tachibana, there is no need to be so polite. Compared with your life-saving grace, our small favor is nothing."
Qingdeng took the trouble to say "thank you", and Anthony, who was smiling, also took the trouble to say "you're welcome".
After thanking Anthony, Qingden turned to Leroy to thank him.
Leroy made black tea for them today... Although at the same time that Leroy made the black tea, Saito and the others discovered the bearded man who entered the confectionery shop, so Seito and the others did not have the opportunity to drink Leroy.
The black tea prepared by Roy must show some appreciation for other people's hard work.
The "old" and "maid" of this trio of "one old, one young and one maid" have already thanked and said goodbye... Qingden turned his attention to Elodie, who was now standing behind Anthony.
Elodie has been quite quiet since just now, not talking much, and just standing behind Anthony.
After Qingden looked over, Elodie, who felt Qingden's gaze, raised her little head and looked at Qingden. Then she blinked her big eyes as hard as she could and placed her bare hands in front of her belly button.
She quietly tightened her grip on the fabric of her robe in her belly...
Looking at Elodie's obviously different look, Qingden couldn't help but raise his eyebrows out of confusion.
At this moment, Elodie took a deep breath, and then showed Qingden a decent smile that looked like a "little adult".
"Mr. Orange, what a pity."
"I was thinking of continuing to play with you, Mr. Tachibana, after today's class is over."
"It seems... we have to wait until next time."
The fog that arose in my mind just now because I was wondering why Elodie looked weird now suddenly dissipated.
Elodie's words just now made Qingden suddenly recall the words Leroy had said to him just about half an hour ago -
(Mr. Orange, thank you very much for your willingness to play with the lady just now.)
…
(Miss...she has been very lonely since she moved to Edo.)
…
(Today I wielded a sword with someone for the first time in a long time...Miss, she must be very happy.)
…
Qingden looked at Elodie's face carefully. Although it was well hidden, he could still detect a hint of loneliness from her eyebrows, the bottom of her pupils, etc.
It took a lot of effort to find people who could play with her, but now these people are leaving, and she, grandpa and the maid are the only ones left in the spacious mansion... Although he doesn't know whether it is accurate, Qingden guessed that Elodie is probably like this now.
Get in the mood.
Qingden instantly understood why Elodie looked strange now, his cheeks relaxed, the corners of his mouth also relaxed, his eyes and expression softened due to the relaxation of the muscles on his face.
"...I'm sorry, Mademoiselle Angoulême. I can't play with you anymore today."
Qingdeng did not make any long remarks to this sweet, courteous little girl.
After briefly apologizing to Elodie for having to leave the residence now, Qingden squatted down so that his eyesight was half that of Elodie, who was only 142cm tall.
"Although I can't tell when it will be...but when I have the opportunity or time to come here again, I will continue to play with you."
"At that time, let me see more tricks in stabbing swordsmanship."
Qingdeng's tone was not passionate...and his tone was calm.
But the strange thing is that after listening to it, Elodie felt a strange sense of peace of mind.
The bursts of loneliness that flickered in the bottom of his pupils were mostly dissipated by the strange sense of security that emerged from the bottom of his heart.
She smiled.
Although Elodie had been smiling just now, the smile she showed now was completely different from the smile she showed just now.
More natural? More friendly?
It is difficult to describe it with specific adjectives.
If Qingden could use his own words to describe the smile Elodie is showing now...
This was a shy smile with a childish air that was unique to a girl of her age... Qingden felt that there could be no more accurate evaluation than his.
"Then you should try to come in the morning or evening!" Elodie half-joked with a smile, "I don't need to go to class only during these times!"
Qingdeng laughed loudly.
"Yeah! I'll try my best."
…
…
After escorting Shichiro Hanada and the archers headed by the "middle-aged man with a beard" back to the prison, and then continuing to deal with the handover of suspects and reporting on today's arrest operation and a series of complicated but necessary things,
The sun has sunk below the horizon.
Qingdeng has already done everything he can do.
Now we can only wait for the professional interrogation team - the prison guards to extract information from these people.
After dragging his tired body after a long day's work, he returned to the trial defense hall with Saito and the others under the stars, and Aoto spent the rest of the day peacefully as usual.
Have dinner, practice at night, and go to Chihiro House to take a shower with Saito, Nagakura, and Harada...
However - just when Aoto used the hot water in the Chihiro House bath to wash away most of the fatigue on his body, and returned to the trial hall with the wooden basin containing the dirty clothes, soap and other things he had changed... What made Aoto...
A situation in which "comfortable business as usual" was destroyed occurred.
As soon as the huge shadow of the Trial Guard Hall appeared within Qingdeng's field of vision, Qingden saw Youdao's familiar figure standing at the gate of the Trial Guard Hall from a distance.
It was Chiba Jutaro who had a pretty good relationship with Aoto.
I saw Jutaro Chiba standing outside the gate of the trial hall, with an anxious look on his face, talking to Kondo and Okita who were standing face to face with him.
Kondo and Okita's expressions were particularly solemn.
It was okay for Kondo to have a solemn expression...but Okita's expression was also very solemn, which made Qingto couldn't help but feel his heart sinking.
Okita, who was cheerful and cheerful every day, actually showed such an expression... Qingto vaguely guessed that something bad must have happened, and he had an unknown premonition in his heart.
Qingto hugged the bathtub tightly in his arms and led Saito and the others to speed up their pace slightly.
"Ah, Tachibana-kun!" Okita was the first to notice the returning Qingto and others. He waved vigorously towards them, "You guys came back just in time!"
I came back just in time... After hearing Okita's words, the ominous premonition in Qingto's heart became stronger.
Before Aoto could ask "What's wrong?", he heard Chiba Jutaro, who looked a little pale, said quickly:
"Tachibana-kun, have you seen Sanako today?"
"Miss Sanako?" Qingden frowned suddenly.
…
…
Although Chiba Jutaro was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, he had not lost his basic language skills.
After his relatively clear and detailed explanation, Qingto, who understood what had happened, suddenly became as solemn as Kondo and Okita.
Sanako is missing!
Sanako, who had the task of "going to teach little Princess Date" today, was supposed to return to the Little Chiba Sword Hall at noon today, but as a result, Sanako was nowhere to be seen until the afternoon.
The return figure of the son.
At first, Chiba Jutaro and the others didn't pay much attention to it, because Sanako suddenly had an idea and wanted to go somewhere for a walk before going home. It was common for him to relax.
Time passed bit by bit...it was not until the night sky gradually became darker that Chiba Jutaro and the others gradually realized that something was wrong.
Sanako has never stayed away from home for such a long time...
Chiba Sadakichi and Chiba Jutaro, who gradually felt an ominous premonition in their hearts, could no longer sit still.
Chiba Sadakichi personally went to the Uwajima Domain's residence and asked them if they knew where Sanako was.
Chiba Jutaro first went to several places where Sanako often went, such as the Genbukan, to look for Sanako.
Neither Chiba Sadaikichi nor Chiba Jutaro... got nothing.
The ominous premonition in my heart turned into a terrifying conjecture!
It was getting dark, and the prison office had long been closed. If I went to report to the official, the building would be empty.
Chiba Jutaro and others, who were worried about Sanako's safety, did not care whether it was dark or late, and decided to mobilize all the manpower they could mobilize to help them find Sanako.
For example, they had just entrusted people from the Xuanbu Hall to come and help. Chiba Jutaro approached him and Sanako's cousins: Chiba Michisaburo, the master of the Xuanbu Hall, and Chiba Tamonshiro, the master of the Xuanbu Hall.
Sanako was the apple of their eye of the Chiba family. After learning that Sanako was missing, Chiba Michisaburo and Chiba Tamonshiro were also very nervous.
After Chiba Jutaro explained the whole story to them, they said without hesitation that they would "do all they can to help."
The reason why Chiba Jutaro showed up at the Trial Guard Hall at this moment was to ask everyone in the Trial Guard Hall if they had seen Sanako, and to ask everyone in the Trial Guard Hall to help him.
Should I say it was a coincidence... Chiba Jutaro came to the imperial examination hall at the right time.
Qingden happened to meet Sanako just today.
"Today near noon, I saw Miss Sanako." Qingden said solemnly, "She was with a girl named Natsume Yue. The two of them seemed to be going somewhere to play."
"Natsumezuki?" As soon as Qingto finished speaking, Chiba Jutaro's eyes widened in shock and surprise.
After working hard all night, I finally got some high-value information related to Sanako... Chiba Jutaro was overjoyed and quickly asked:
"Tachibana-kun! Can you tell me in detail the whole process of your meeting with Sanako today?"
Qingden nodded, and then recounted in detail the whole story of his encounter with Sanako today.
After Aoto told everything he knew, Chiba Jutaro then asked a new question:
"Did Sanako say where she was going with Natsume Yue?"
"No." Qingden shook his head gently, "Miss Sanako didn't say where they were going, and I didn't ask either."
The most critical place was completely blank... Chiba Jutaro's eyes were filled with anxiety and regret uncontrollably.
At this time, Qingnobo, who had been the "questioned person" just now, suddenly changed his identity. He asked Chiba Jutaro in a serious tone:
"Mr. Jutaro, Miss Sanako told me today: That Natsume Yue is one of the disciples who is currently practicing martial arts in the Little Chiba Sword Hall. Since she is from your Little Chiba Sword Hall, then you know this girl
Where do you live?”
"I don't know...but the student book hidden in the sword hall should have Natsume Yue's address!"
"Okay." Qingden nodded, "In that case, let's go to Natsume Yue's home now! After finding Natsume Yue, maybe we can get some clues from her!"
Natsume Yue is the only clue at present... In addition to finding Natsume Yue, there is no other more effective action at the moment. Therefore, Chiba Jutaro nodded vigorously and solemnly, expressing his agreement with the proposal that Qingnobo just made.
.
…
…
Since Sanako's whereabouts are unknown now, it is impossible for them to remain indifferent to the trial.
Therefore, without the need for Chiba Jutaro to make any more pleas, Aoto and Okita spontaneously expressed their willingness to help.
After a brief discussion, the team at the Trial Guard Hall quickly divided the work.
Okita and others went to various places in Edo to look for Sanako.
Aoto and Chiba Jutaro went to find Natsume Yue. The two of them first went back to the Little Chiba Sword Hall, found Natsume Yue's address in the sword hall's student book, and then went straight to Natsume Yue's home without stopping.
.
As expected of a major wine merchant who has become famous in recent years... Natsume's family exudes an aura of wealth just from the outer wall.
After notifying the steward of the Natsume family, Aoto and Chiba Jutaro were led into the house. Not long after, a big shot appeared in person and met with Aoto and the others.
This big shot is Natsume Yue's father: Natsume Sohachiro.
Chiba Jutaro, who missed his sister so much, didn't care about etiquette. After a few simple greetings with Natsume Sohachiro, he bluntly explained why they came and asked where Natsume Yue was now.
Before coming to Natsume's house, Aomori had imagined various situations.
Some speculated that Natsume Yue was safe, while others speculated that Natsume Yue might have disappeared with Sanako.
Obviously, he had made various conjectures in advance and made various mental preparations...but the answer Natsume Sōhachiro gave now still exceeded all Qingto's expectations.
"Azuki came back this afternoon." Natsume Chonghachiro said solemnly, "But she is not at home now."
"Her grandmother, who lives in Osaka, has never been in good health."
"This afternoon, someone sent a letter from her grandmother: she fell ill again. Although her condition is not serious, she still needs to rest in bed for some time."
"Because she was worried about her sick grandma, Ah Yue hurriedly set off for Osaka at about 7 a.m. (4 p.m.). She should not be able to come back for half a month."
"What?" Chiba Jutaro was so shocked that his eyes were as big as bells, "Miss Natsume is not at home now? Then, did she mention anything related to Sanako to you today?
"
"No." Natsume Sohachiro shook his head, "She only told me: She met Miss Chiba outside today, and then went to play with Miss Chiba. She had a great time with Miss Chiba."
"..." Qingto, who was sitting side by side with Chiba Jutaro, was now frowning.
Sanako disappeared today, and Natsume Yue, who went to play with Sanako today, happened to be away from home because she went to Osaka to visit her sick grandmother...
How the hell is there such a coincidence... Qingden thought to himself in his heart, while he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Natsume Souhachiro deeply with a meaningful look.
*******
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