Edo, somewhere——

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap...

Amidst the sound of wood scraping, messy footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Footsteps from far to near.

Nishino's eyelashes fluttered a few times.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that caught his eye was the unfamiliar ceiling that he was still not used to seeing, and the mesh wooden fence that sealed him in the cramped space...

"What time is it now..."

While Nishino was muttering, he subconsciously raised his head to look at the sky.

"Ah... I almost forgot... I am being imprisoned..."

Looking at the thick ceiling above his head and the solid stone walls without any windows around him, a self-deprecating sneer appeared at the corner of Nishino's lips.

Although Nishino did not hate Western utensils as deeply as those who opposed the foreigners, he also held an attitude of respect and insensitivity.

Therefore, he did not buy a Western watch, and still relied on traditional observation of the sky to tell time, and listening to the bells that sounded every once in a while in various parts of Edo.

But, to be honest, it would be useless even if Nishino owned a Western clock.

Before being imprisoned, everything he carried, including his money bag, seal cage, and sword Zhenzhu, were confiscated.

At present, Nishino is a "breeze with two sleeves" on the physical level. Apart from clothes, he has nothing else on his body.

The sky cannot be seen, and the surrounding temperature has not changed significantly, so Nishino cannot judge the change of time based on the temperature of the room.

Fortunately, the ventilation situation is acceptable. Even if there are no windows, you will not feel stuffy.

Although Nishino didn't know where he was being locked up, judging from the constant temperature environment, he speculated that he was being locked up in a place similar to a basement.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

The sudden sound of footsteps was getting closer and louder.

——It’s so noisy...

Nishino didn't care who the owner of this string of footsteps was or what he was doing.

He closed his eyes in boredom and continued to rest with his eyes closed.

The footsteps are still continuing, still approaching, still getting louder.

After a while, Nishino heard footsteps and moved to the door of his cell, then stopped motionless.

Even with his eyes closed, Nishino could feel the light in front of him dimming and someone's shadow covering him.

"Nishino-kun! Nishino-kun!"

A male voice I have never heard before...

Nishino remained unmoved.

He ignored the call of the strange male voice and continued to close his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

But at this moment, a new male voice sounded outside the cell door:

"Nishino-kun~~"

As soon as the male voice finished speaking, the corners of Nishino's eyebrows suddenly jumped.

The last note of his voice was drawn out... This is a way of speaking that Nishino will never forget for the rest of his life!

Xiye opened his eyes suddenly and looked forward intently.

I saw two young men of similar age standing outside the cell door.

One of them, Nishino had never seen before.

As for the other person... Nishino is too familiar with him.

The reason why he is locked up in such a dark and miserable place is all thanks to this person!

"My grandson...!"

Nishino clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and words burst out one after another from his clenched teeth.

"Great~ You really didn't fall asleep~~"

The corners of my grandson's mouth extended to both sides, and he smiled.

"Nishino-kun, you look good~~I feel relieved to see you so energetic~~"

"Thanks to you, I now live like a domestic animal. I sleep when I eat, and eat when I sleep. Can I look bad?"

Although Nishino's tone was calm, there was sarcasm as sharp as a blade hidden in his words.

"Don't be so angry~"

My grandson spread out his hands as if helpless.

Nishino snorted hard.

If looks could kill... my grandson's body has been penetrated by Nishino's gaze thousands of times.

Suddenly, a gentle male voice intervened between Nishino and my grandson.

"Okay, okay, be patient and don't be impatient, be patient and don't be impatient."

The young man standing next to my grandson clapped his hands hard twice.

Before my grandson could speak, the strange male voice that Nishino heard came from that young man's mouth.

Nishino turned his eyes sideways and looked at the other person carefully.

This man is about 25 or 6 years old, with good facial features, sharp eyes, and a tall figure. Although he has a fair and delicate face that is very popular among Taoists, his movements show that he is capable and capable.

of masculinity.

Nishino asked in a deliberately rude tone:

"Who are you?"

Faced with Nishino's rude attitude, the young man was neither anxious nor annoyed.

I saw him with an elegant smile and a gentle and humble temperament.

"I have no name or surname, you can just call me 'Rakshasa'."

Rakshasa——Xiye's childlike expression shrank instantly when he heard this name.

"Rakshasa...are you the murderer of Kanazawa Chusuke and Kanazawa Qin!"

Nishino stood up like a carp, immediately rushed forward, threw himself on the wooden fence, grasped the railing with both hands on the left and right, and pressed his face against the gap between the fences.

He stared straight at the face of Rakshasa who was close to Chi Chi, as if he wanted to imprint the other person's facial features firmly in the depths of his mind.

"It's down there."

Rakshasa smiled slightly and openly admitted his "relationship" with the Kanazawa brothers and sisters without any hesitation.

His courteous demeanor and gentle tone of voice... It's hard to believe that such a gentle gentleman could actually be a cold-blooded killer and powerful swordsman who killed innocent people and instantly killed the "Hound of Fire".

Nishino looked at Rakshasa, and then at my grandson. His eyes were filled with a cold light of hatred and anger, with a stern edge.

"As expected... My grandson, you and the murderer of the Kanazawa brothers and sisters are indeed the same group!"

My grandson smiled but said nothing.

Nishino asked quickly:

"When did you start conspiring together?!"

"That's been true from the beginning."

My grandson said with a charming expression.

"At the beginning?"

Regarding Nishino, who was obviously shaken enough to ask questions, my grandson still had a cynical and frivolous attitude. He said in a joking tone:

"Didn't you understand? What I said was 'from the beginning' - from the very beginning, I was an undercover agent of the Party who was buried under fire to pay for thieves."

My grandson paused. It was not until Er that he continued:

"Nishino-kun, if possible, I don't want to kidnap you."

"But there is no way... who makes you the 'number one eucalyptus breaking master' in Beifan Institute."

The smile on my grandson's face gradually disappeared...replaced by a solemn expression with cold and hard lines on his face.

"If you are allowed to continue the investigation, the consequences may be disastrous."

"So - I'm sorry."

After finishing speaking, a look of regret appeared on my grandson's cheeks.

Judging from the appearance alone, it is difficult to tell whether his apology is genuine or false.
To be continued...