Everyone else in the room did the same. Except for the two Tenryou Commission officers restraining Okamon Mitsufune, all faced the doorway and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
Seeing this, Okamon Mitsufune was completely dumbfounded. Who on earth was this person, to warrant such a grand reception?
Tap, tap, tap...
The footsteps grew closer, then suddenly stopped. The person representing the pinnacle of power in Inazuma had arrived.
"Good evening, everyone."
Shiki greeted everyone present. Looking at the girl not far away, cold sweat broke out on Okamon Mitsufune's forehead.
'Why is she here? Why would the Shogun's side-handler pay attention to such trivial matters?'
Indeed, in Okamon Mitsufune's view, these were trivial matters.
He had just swindled some money and then sold the person off. Was such a massive mobilization really necessary?
"Hmm, Okamon Mitsufune, is it? Stop proclaiming your innocence. If you don't want others to know, don't do it. You know very well what you've done."
"Anyway, I found it out easily."
"Don't even think about playing dumb, it's useless, isn't that right? Yu Rou?"
As soon as the words fell, the girl walked out from behind Shiki. Seeing this familiar figure, Okamon Saburou instantly froze.
"This, this is impossible! You…"
"What's impossible? Does my appearance here make you so incredulous?"
Yu Rou's face was like Frost; it was this man who made her endure seven days of what could only be described as hell.
"You…"
Okamon Mifune didn't understand, why was she able to come back? And how did she get involved with the Sobayonin?
"It seems you've admitted what you did," Shiki said.
"Then explain them clearly. Who did you sell Yu Rou to back then?"
"A friend of mine from the streets. He introduced me to someone named Saburou, who then bought her from me for fifty thousand Mora…"
Okamon Mifune hadn't finished speaking when Yu Rou screamed, "Fifty thousand? You scammed at least five hundred thousand Mora from me, didn't you? That was a year's worth of my savings!"
"And you sold me for fifty thousand? Ogura Shop's kimonos are more expensive than that, aren't they? So I'm not even worth as much as a piece of clothing?"
"What else? Anyway, your savings are mine, so naturally I have to squeeze out your remaining value. I would have sold you no matter how much Mora the other party offered," Okamon Mifune said.
"You… you scumbag!"
Yu Rou swung her fist and landed a punch squarely on Okamon Mifune's nose. From the crunching sound, it was likely broken.
Okamon Mifune let out a muffled groan. Yu Rou wanted to give him a few more punches, but Shiki stopped her.
"You can do whatever you want after this is settled. Right now, I still need his leads."
"Tell me, what's your friend from the streets called? And what does that person named Saburou look like?"
As she spoke, Shiki quietly entered the Selfless State. Coupled with her super-speed thinking, no matter how small a fluctuation Okamon Mifune made next, it wouldn't escape her eyes.
As long as a person lies, there will definitely be a reaction, whether it's their breathing, heartbeat, or even a tiny facial muscle reaction, it will expose the fact that they are lying.
But in fact, Shiki was overthinking; with her presence, Okamon Mifune had no intention of lying and confessed everything directly.
His friend… rather than saying he was from the streets, he was more of an unemployed vagrant. Arataki Itto at least knows how to work for Mora, but he just relied purely on being a brute.
As for Saburou, he was a middle-aged man who looked about forty, with a slightly receding hairline and a slightly plump build, about 170 cm tall.
According to Okamon Mifune's confession, they were very likely a gang, specifically targeting those without household registration and people from remote areas. Orphans born for various reasons were also among their targets.
"I really only know this much. Please spare my life, seeing as I told the truth?"
"What do you think?"
As the words fell, Shiki got up and walked towards the door. Seeing this, Okamon Mifune immediately panicked.
"My lady, please spare me, my lady!"
Shiki ignored the wailing Okamon Mifune and softly said to Yu Rou, "Don't make too much of a mess."
"Xiao Rou, I was wrong! Can you please put in a good word for me?"
"Pah! Don't call me by that name! Disgusting!"
Yu Rou kicked Okamon Mifune to the ground, then took a pair of pliers from the wall covered with torture instruments.
"Hehehe, scamming Mora, huh? Selling me, huh?"
"From the moment you sold me until now, it's been fifteen days! Do you know how I spent these fifteen days?"
Yu Rou said, clamping Okamon Mifune's left index finger with the pliers, then forcefully twisted it!
Crack!
"Ah!!!"
Okamon Mifune's handsome features twisted in agony, and large beads of sweat dripped from his face due to the pain. His left index finger bent backward at a grotesque angle, quickly turning purplish-blue.
"Yu Rou, I was wrong, ah no… Lady Yu Rou, I was wrong, please spare me…"
"That's it? But this is just the beginning!"
Crack!
"Ah ah ah!!!"
"Hahahahaha! I'll teach you to deceive me!"
In the Machi-bugyo, Okamon Mifune's screams mixed with Yu Rou's morbid laughter echoed throughout the entire prison. Both jailers and prisoners alike shivered.
This would fit perfectly in a horror movie. Shiki listened, wondering if this child had awakened some incredible fetish.
'Forget it, it's good to vent, better than holding it in.'
However, the target of her venting was limited to Okamon Mifune. After all, things shouldn't go beyond three: first, revenge; second, catharsis; as for third? Hehe, there is none!
...
Back home, Shiki began to ponder. She believed that Inazuma's laws should undergo some changes.
However, she wasn't a legal professional, so she would have to consult with Yanfei, the teacher from Liyue… *cough cough*.
And the fact that someone could be missing in Inazuma City for fifteen days without anyone finding it problematic was simply outrageous.
In the future, more emphasis should be placed on this matter. She suggested that if someone wasn't seen for three days, it should be reported to the Tenryou Commission.
If the person was out on business, there would be records within the Tenryou Commission, and if they were safe and sound, everyone would be happy.
But if there were no records… then it meant something truly bad had happened.
The earlier it was discovered, the more efficient and faster the rescue would be. Disappearances like Yu Rou's, lasting fifteen days, were already too late.
To be honest, this was a complete accidental discovery. Shiki originally only wanted to investigate Kobayashi Sakura's parents in Higi Village, but it unexpectedly led to so many complications.
It was like opening a blind box.
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