Seeker 316

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Chapter 316. The Third Child Of A Poor Hatamoto

In the back alley, we repelled the thugs.

Kazane chased after the fleeing thugs, so she's not here right now.

She said not to overdo it, so I think she'll come back at some point.

The town girl who almost got kidnapped seems to be unconscious, but otherwise fine.

If we leave her alone, she'll probably wake up eventually.

The samurai girl reintroduced herself.

"I'm Tokuda Kusinosuke. I'm the third child of the poor hatamoto Tokuda family—well, maybe it's just too much. Um, well, uh... I'm the only daughter of the poor hatamoto family."

She stumbled in her introduction.

There are a lot of things to point out, but—

"Even though you're a girl, Kusinosuke? Isn't that a boy's name?"

Yuzuki made a merciless retort to the biggest question.

[Translation] I'm not sure how the skill is working, but it's probably a male name.

The samurai girl who introduced herself as Tokuda Kusinosuke scratched her cheek and glanced around.

"Um, well... That's... um, yeah, there are various reasons. I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask... "

"Probably not your real name, right? Is it not allowed to reveal your real name?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Due to certain circumstances, I can't reveal that either."

Yuzuki looks at me.

I shake my head, indicating that if she doesn't want to say, I won't ask.

It's not particularly problematic. And if she doesn't want to say, I'll let it go.

We don't want to be grilled about our amnesia setting either.

Besides, she doesn't seem like a bad person.

By the way, this samurai girl who goes by Tokuda Kusinosuke, if you couldn't see her chest, would pass as a gallant, androgynous pretty boy.

She seems to be around sixteen or seventeen.

Her black hair is tied in a low ponytail at the back of her neck, a hairstyle you often see on guys like this.

She looks good in her sky-blue haori, with a sword at her waist.

Yuzuki and I also introduced ourselves.

We talked about being adventurers who traveled from the west, crossing the desert.

Then the samurai girl—self-proclaimed Kusinosuke—got to the point.

"I was investigating the phenomenon called 'kamikakushi' that often occurs in this town."

"Kamikakushi? Is that the thing where people suddenly disappear?"

When Yuzuki asked, Kusinosuke nodded.

"Yeah. But when I asked the people in this town about it, it seemed that kamikakushi wasn't such a big deal. I thought it might just be ordinary kidnappings, but—"

"Kidnappings, huh..."

I look at the town girl lying on the ground.

When it comes to kidnappings, I remember Goludo, the wealthy merchant who kidnapped women merchants like Esurin and elf girls, and kept them confined.

There really are bad people everywhere.

Kusinosuke also glances at the town girl and continues.

"It was at that moment that I happened to encounter her about to be kidnapped. I thought it was my duty to intervene and chase after the kidnappers, but it seems I've gotten myself into trouble. ...My life is no longer my own. Or perhaps, I... no, it's nothing."

Kusinosuke shook her head with a self-deprecating and melancholic expression.

Because she's not a pretty boy, but a pretty girl, these expressions and gestures are also picturesque.

By the way, there are still things to nitpick and be curious about, but since the story might not progress, I'll just let it slide for now.

But let's at least ask this much for now.

"I roughly understand the story. By the way, why were you chasing after kamikakushi? You're not in an official position, right? Like us adventurers, taking on job requests?"

"When you say 'official position', do you mean town constables? Yeah, I'm certainly not in a constable's position. But isn't it natural for anyone to feel uneasy about others' misfortune?"

Kusinosuke said that with a straightforward gaze.

She seemed to be speaking from the heart, not saying pretty words to impress.

She seems to be the type who acts out of a pure sense of justice, regardless of self-interest.

Despite the setting of being from a poor something, she seems to have been raised well.

But then Kusinosuke's expression turns into one of frustration and dissatisfaction, and she continues.

"But this kidnapping case feels fishy. The constables are slow to act, and when I asked why, they were evasive. And now, a poor samurai like me is sticking her nose in."

"So the police officers don't want to act?"

That certainly seems fishy.

In our world—just like in modern-day Japan—not all police officers have a strong sense of professional ethics, and there could be possibilities of corruption.

But didn't the police also not want to act on the case of Gordo, who kidnapped Eslyn-san and others?

There's also the possibility of simple neglect of duty.

As I was thinking about that...

There was a tapping sound from above, and when I looked up, a figure in black clothing descended from the roof of a nearby house.

"I'm back, Daichi-kun. When I chased after those two earlier, they went into the back entrance of a big merchant's house. It was called 'Echigoya'."

It's Kazane's return.

My girlfriend is really getting into the ninja spirit.

Seeing Kazane's report, Kusinosuke showed a surprised expression.

"'Echigoya'!? Just as I suspected. From the stories I heard from the townspeople, I suspected that Ecigoya might be behind the kidnappers."

"Um... Daichi-kun, what's going on?"

Kazane asks, so I summarize the story.

After hearing the explanation from me, Fūne puts her hand to her mouth and seems lost in thought.

"Hmm... That does sound suspicious."

"It's super suspicious. Is that merchant at Ecigoya the mastermind behind the kidnappings?"

"We don't have proof, but probably. And I heard that the victims of kamikakushi are all young girls. Just imagining what's happening makes my blood boil."

Kusinosuke clenches her fist as she says that, and both Kazane and Yuzuki's gaze becomes sharper, with a hint of aggression.

Unforgivable—those three sharp gazes seem to convey that sentiment.

I address the three girls, driving the point home.

"But even if that's the case, we don't have evidence. And I'm concerned about the attitude of the constables. If we act recklessly, we might become wanted criminals, causing trouble for Mr. Wolf too. I want to avoid that."

"So, Senior, are you saying we shouldn't get involved in this?"

Yuzuki directs a slightly pointed remark at me.

Maybe she sensed a difference in attitude from me, the only boy here.

"I didn't say that. I said we should avoid reckless moves."

"What do you mean by not reckless moves?"

"Well... think about it. At the very least, we can't just raid blindly based on speculation."

And as I and Yuzuki start to get needlessly tense—Ping!

A special mission notification appears.

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Special Mission: Infiltrate Echigoya and gather information unlocked!

Experience Points upon mission completion: 30,000 points

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"...See, it's something like this."

"Yeah, that's what I meant to say."

Yuzuki and I assert the validity of our arguments.

Kusinosuke, who doesn't know that a special mission notification is in our field of vision, looks puzzled as if wondering what's going on.