I Formed the Strongest Swordsman Group-Chapter 38: Found Asura!

A full moment passed before Usui's deep voice finally broke the silence:
"Tachibana-kun, I must say... I'm truly seeing you in a new light."
A smile tinged with admiration and relief lifted the corners of Usui's mouth.
"To think... that you, who was always so unpromising before, could deliver such an impressive performance today..."
"I don't deserve such praise," Aoto quickly responded. "This humble official merely had good fortune."
Aoto wasn't being modest with these words.
He genuinely believed it was sheer luck that allowed him to solve this case in such a short time.
If that Xun Sanlang had been more alert and destroyed that candle before fleeing Granny Apple's house, or if Aoto and the others had arrived a step later allowing Xun Sanlang to escape successfully, then today's case could never have concluded with such a perfect outcome.
"...Tachibana-kun, I have a question for you."
A lazy voice suddenly spoke up at this moment.
It was Tōjō speaking.
Tōjō scratched his large belly while asking Aoto with a meaningful smile:
"When you deduced who the culprit was, why didn't you inform Nishino, who was in charge of this case, immediately?"
"Nishino is, after all, the dōshin responsible for this investigation."
"Proceeding to arrest the suspect alone without notifying him... could I interpret this as you intentionally trying to steal credit?"
Tōjō posed the sharpest question in the most languid tone.
Hearing Tōjō's question, Aoto couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.
This question was a huge trap—answer poorly and he'd fall right in.
But fortunately—Aoto had already prepared how to respond to such questions long ago.
"This humble official only realized that the victim and culprit must have had an extremely special relationship after leaving the crime scene."
"I initially intended to notify Nishino-kun immediately as well."
"But fully explaining my reasoning to Nishino-kun and persuading him to accompany me to arrest the suspect would have taken some time regardless."
"The culprit could flee at any moment, and capturing them was a race against time. If the culprit had escaped Edo, finding them later would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."
"Pressed for time, this humble official had no choice but to adopt this inferior strategy—going to apprehend the suspect alone immediately without informing Nishino-kun."
"In fact, my judgment wasn't mistaken—when I arrived at the culprit's home, he had already packed his belongings and was preparing to flee Edo."
"If I had been half a step later then, the culprit would have escaped."
As soon as Aoto's words fell, Usui and the others couldn't help but show peculiar smiles.
Wasn't everyone in this room a seasoned veteran who had weathered years in officialdom?
These old hands naturally wouldn't completely believe Aoto's explanation just now.
But none of them, including Usui, said much more about this issue.
Credit-stealing was something everyone had long grown accustomed to. Regarding credit disputes among dōshin, everyone had an unspoken understanding—as long as things didn't go too far, their leaders would turn a blind eye.
Especially for Usui, it didn't matter who solved the case or whether credit was stolen—as long as the case was solved.
Moreover, from a logical standpoint, it was difficult to find flaws in Aoto's explanation just now.
He didn't inform Nishino, who was responsible for the case, to prevent the culprit from escaping. Thus, his behavior couldn't be considered credit-stealing but rather providing help and support for this case.
As long as Aoto firmly insisted that his explanation was true, it would indeed be difficult to accuse him of malicious credit-stealing.
"...Truly incredible."
Tōjō narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze toward Aoto became thoughtful.
"Tachibana-kun, clearly your previous performance was never particularly outstanding."
"But today, you suddenly seem like a completely different person—transformed into a veteran investigator with quite experienced methods and skills."
"I'm quite curious, how exactly did you manage this?"
As soon as Tōjō's words fell, Usui, Arima, and the others quickly turned their attention back to Aoto.
Tōjō's question voiced the shared doubt they all had.
How did that Idiot Aoto suddenly become so capable?
A faint smile now appeared on Aoto's face.
Regarding this question, he had also long prepared wording that could gloss things over.
Clearing his throat once more, Aoto adopted an impassioned tone and loudly recited the response he had prepared in advance:
"This is all thanks to Lord Usui, Lord Arima, Mr. Butagaya, and Mr. Ushiyama!"
"Since this humble official joined the 'Three Squads,' Lord Arima, Mr. Butagaya, and Mr. Ushiyama have tirelessly instructed me with earnest guidance, selflessly teaching me various investigative techniques and case-solving methods."
"But the former me was too immature and ignorant."
"I didn't understand what joining the 'Three Squads' truly meant."
"My only thought was to receive my salary, never taking the work of the 'Three Squads' seriously, always muddling through days carelessly and aimlessly."
"But only recently, after personally witnessing the various disturbances created by thugs led by the 'radical Expel the Barbarians faction,' did this humble official suddenly awaken!"
"This humble official realized: how heavy the responsibility on my shoulders truly is as a member of the 'Three Squads.'"
"Recognizing the magnitude of my duty, I decided to cast aside all laxness!"
"And Lord Usui's words during this morning's meeting further enlightened me."
"My personal honor and disgrace are intimately connected to the Northern Watchhouse."
"If this humble official performs inadequately and gets expelled from the 'Three Squads' during the 'Elder Council evaluation' in a month and a half, that would be a minor matter."
"But if the Northern Watchhouse is implicated and suffers disgrace as well, that would be a major issue."
"Even if only for the Northern Watchhouse, this humble official resolved not to continue muddling through days as before!"
"It is precisely relying on this firm determination that allowed this humble official to fortunately capture that vicious criminal today!"
Aoto's resolute words clearly reached everyone in the room.
"'Thanks to Lord Usui,' huh..." Usui repeated Aoto's words in a half-joking tone.
Regarding what Aoto just said about "thanks to Lord Usui" and "I must work hard for the Northern Watchhouse," whether Usui or Arima and the others, none believed it—these were likely just official rhetoric and flattery.
However—though they all thought the latter part about "for the Northern Watchhouse" was nonsense, they believed the first part about "realizing the heavy responsibility of the 'Three Squads'" was probably genuine.
After all, otherwise, they truly couldn't think of any other reason to explain why Aoto suddenly seemed like a changed person.
When someone makes a firm resolution and gains certain realizations, a changed mindset can indeed transform a person completely.
"Good! Very good!" Usui's eyebrows relaxed as he showed a happy smile. "Tachibana-kun! Having such a transformation is excellent!"
Though he knew Aoto's "thanks to Lord Usui" was definitely just flattering him, Usui still enjoyed hearing it!
He stood up, quickly walked to Aoto's front, and vigorously patted Aoto's shoulders.
"Tachibana-kun, I truly see you in a new light now!"
The faint annoyance that had been present during his conversation with Aoto in this morning's meeting was now completely gone from Usui's eyes.
"Maintain today's sharpness and drive! Understand? Right now, the shogunate desperately needs young people like you who can recognize the weight of their responsibilities!"
"Work hard! Keep up the good work!"
—When I was still Idiot Aoto before, you called me "Tachibana," but now that I'm showing some promise, you call me "Tachibana-kun"...
Though mentally complaining like crazy about "how utterly realistic," Aoto's outward movements didn't slow in the slightest as he quickly bowed to Usui before him.
"Yes! This humble official will definitely give it my all!"
Though mentally complaining like crazy about "how utterly realistic," Aoto's outward movements didn't slow in the slightest as he quickly bowed to Usui before him.
......
At this very moment—
In Edo, within a certain inconspicuous abandoned residence—
An extremely young man knelt on moldy tatami mats, wielding a brush as thick as a bowl's mouth, writing something on rice paper spread before him.
The youth wore no upper garment, his torso bare.
His robust, broad back was covered by a massive tattoo that spanned his entire back.
Anyone with sufficient knowledge of demon culture would immediately recognize it upon seeing the extensive tattoo on the youth's back—the youth's spine was tattooed with an extremely famous evil spirit.
A flesh-eating demon that flies through skies or moves underground, swift and terrifying—the Rakshasa!
A somewhat short middle-aged man slid open the door at this moment, slowly walked behind this youth, and then knelt on one knee.
"...Lord Rakshasa."
"What is it?" the youth called Rakshasa asked without turning his head.
"The homicide case in Kiyayanagi Town—the 'Three Squads' have already captured the culprit. It's an old man named Xun Sanlang."
"Oh..." The brush in Rakshasa's hand didn't pause. "The 'Three Squads' moved quite quickly this time... to catch the culprit so fast. Who is so capable to solve the case in less than half a day? Was it that Nishino Saijirou?"
"According to this subordinate's investigation... the person who solved the Kiyayanagi Town homicide case appears to be Tachibana Takayuki's son: Tachibana Aoto."
"Tachibana Takayuki's son?" The brush in Rakshasa's hand finally stopped. "...From what I know, Tachibana Takayuki's son has always been quite unpromising..."
Rakshasa remained silent for a moment before resuming movement with his brush.
"...Kashirō."
"Here."
"Afterward, help me keep an eye on that Tachibana Aoto. I'm quite curious why this tiger father's dog son suddenly shows signs of being a tiger cub."
"Yes."
"Also, afterward investigate whether that Xun Sanlang is a regular customer who frequently buys our 'pain relief medicine.'"
"Yes."
"If that Xun Sanlang truly is a regular customer who frequently buys our 'pain relief medicine'..." A hint of mocking smile appeared on Rakshasa's face. "Then this is rare good news. After so many improvements, our 'pain relief medicine' can finally be somewhat useful."
"Yes."
"Kashirō, is there anything else to to me? If not, then leave for now. I want to focus on practicing my calligraphy."
"...Lord Rakshasa, there is one more piece of... bad news to tell you."
"Speak."
"Our team sent to search in Ōu... found nothing. They failed to locate Shura."
Rakshasa's brush stopped again.
"...Another failure to find anything... As expected, this man who made history truly isn't likely to be found so easily."
"Continue searching. Even if we have to comb through every inch of this country's land, we must find Shura."
"Yes!"
Rakshasa set down his brush at this moment.
On the rice paper he had been writing on, only two large Chinese characters were written:
Law and Execution.