A Sudden Incident: A Corpse in the Locked Room

Although he had some friendship with Oka, if Sayo discovered some of their secrets, there would probably be endless trouble.

"But my toys aren't fresh anymore."

"It's been a long time since I had any new toys."

Aria tugged at her father Caven's sleeve and acted spoiled. Ever since they had met Yorii Tsugikuni and the others, their family had gone out far less often than before.

As the toys they had imprisoned gradually became unable to endure their hospitality and died one after another,

Aria felt increasingly bored.

"There are plenty of outsiders."

"I think that foolish boy named Tatsumi would do nicely."

Seeing his daughter act spoiled, Caven gently rubbed Aria's hair.

Like his daughter, he also longed for the desperate screams of those outsiders.

Those sounds excited him so much that he could not help trembling.

However, although Caven greatly desired those human-shaped toys, the moment he recalled Yorii Tsugikuni's deep gaze, he became rational again.

Lowering his voice, he smiled regretfully at Aria. "But for Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni's sake, we can't touch him."

"Mm... Master, you're back."

"I thought you got lost."

After parting with Sayo, Yorii Tsugikuni returned to their residence.

He quietly went upstairs. With Yorii Tsugikuni deliberately controlling his movements, he made almost no sound at all.

As soon as he approached his room, Yorii Tsugikuni saw Sayo asleep against his door. He had originally wanted to carry her back to her room, but the moment he picked her up, Sayo woke.

"After dinner, I went out on patrol with Sayo again."

"Why are you still awake?"

Seeing Sayo wake up, Yorii Tsugikuni set her down and gently flicked her forehead with a finger.

Compared to the thunderous snoring of Ieyasu and Tatsumi, Sayo was so sensible that it made his heart ache.

"I was a little worried about you, Master."

"But now that you're back, I'm going to sleep too. We still have patrol duty tomorrow."

Sayo lowered her voice as she spoke to Yorii Tsugikuni.

During the day, she had heard the veteran members of the Security Force say that the Empire was not very peaceful at night.

Although she knew that Yorii Tsugikuni's strength made it difficult for him to encounter danger, she could not stop worrying until she saw him return.

"Good night, then."

"Good night."

In the quiet corridor, Yorii Tsugikuni and Sayo smiled at each other before returning to their respective rooms to rest.

Such simple feelings were plain and ordinary, yet they made one feel warm.

Time flowed at an even pace.

Yet when one slept, time could be folded, folding a long stretch of time into a single instant.

Life in the Security Force was often trivial and uneventful.

But sometimes, interesting things happened.

"You mean our mission today is to find a cat?"

"We're Security Force officers. Isn't this assignment rather absurd?"

Ieyasu looked at Sayo, who had just entered from outside, unable to accept the contents of the mission.

When he had first joined the Security Force, he had imagined them fighting all kinds of criminals and hunting Dangerous Species that occasionally invaded the Imperial Capital.

But now they were going to look for a cat.

"Quit talking nonsense. We're leaving immediately."

"The cat's owner is someone special. Since the mission has been issued, we must do our best to complete it."

Sayo did not explain much. The person looking for the cat had asked for help through her master, Ogre Ouka.

In Sayo's eyes, since her master had accepted the task, that proved there was nothing wrong with it.

"Big Sister Sayo, what does that cat look like?"

"Can you tell us about it?"

Sayo, Yorii Tsugikuni, and Ieyasu followed Sayo out of the Imperial Capital Security Force headquarters.

Once they reached the street, Sayo looked at Sayo and asked.

After all, if they did not know what the cat looked like, there was no way they could find it.

"The cat belongs to a wealthy merchant in the city. Apparently, he paid a great deal of money for it."

"But yesterday, that cat suddenly disappeared."

Sayo stopped at an intersection. She took out a sheet of paper and began drawing on it as she explained the situation to Yorii Tsugikuni and the others.

Soon, an animal with four legs and a large tail appeared on the white paper.

Pointing at the cat she had drawn, Sayo looked rather pleased. "There, this is the cat. It's black and white, with one pitch-black tail."

"Doesn't this cat look a little like a scorpion?"

"I feel like its legs are bent rather unnaturally."

Ieyasu widened his eyes as he looked at the monster Sayo had drawn. If he had not already known Sayo was drawing a cat,

he would have taken it for a giant scorpion at first glance.

And one wearing fur clothing, at that.

"Shut up. It's a cat, not a scorpion."

"Yorii, take a look. Does the cat I drew look like one?"

Hearing Ieyasu's words, Sayo looked at the cat she had drawn and added several whiskers to it.

After deciding she was satisfied, she handed her drawing of the kitten to Yorii Tsugikuni.

"It does look quite similar."

"But I think the cat's legs would look better if you drew them straighter."

Yorii Tsugikuni gave his opinion objectively. It was the first time he had seen someone draw a cat's legs sideways.

The entire cat looked as though it had stepped on something slippery, its limbs splayed out in every direction.

"Your eye is better, Yorii."

"Let's get going. If we finish the mission earlier, we can help more people."

After glancing at her drawing, Sayo blushed. She quickly folded the paper in her hand and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

After finishing everything, she clapped her hands and said solemnly, "Sayo Squad, move out!"

Led by Sayo, the group of four soon arrived outside a manor.

The cat's owner was the owner of the manor.

By the time they arrived, a servant was already waiting for them.

An Unexpected Incident, a Corpse in the Locked Room

"You must be the esteemed officers of the Security Force."

"My master asked me to wait here for your arrival."

Before Sayo could ask anything, the manor's servant began explaining the situation. He respectfully bowed to everyone, then described the details. "Yesterday, that rare black-and-white cat was playing in the courtyard when a pure white kitten suddenly appeared atop the wall..."

Yorii Tsugikuni surveyed the manor before him. He could sense that quite a few people were hidden within this seemingly ordinary estate.

He guessed they were likely guards stationed within the manor.

From such details alone, it was clear that the manor's owner was no ordinary person.

After listening to the servant's account, Yorii Tsugikuni quickly understood what had happened. Essentially, it was the story of two cats eloping for love.

"Then let's begin searching along the walls."

"If things go smoothly, we should find the little fellow quickly."

Sayo placed Koro on the ground. This was not the first time she had received a mission like this.

Using an Imperial Arm to find a cat was somewhat absurd, but when there were no important missions, it was not really a problem.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Following Koro, the group quickly found a clue.

Koro sniffed the ground, then began sprinting wildly. Judging by its excitement, it had clearly found the target.

"There! It's on the wall."

"Catch it!"

Following behind Koro, Sayo soon spotted a black-and-white cat in a large tree.

From its appearance, it was exactly the cat the servant had described.

"Sorry, little fellow."

"Don't let us catch you so easily next time."

Looking at the kitten on the branch,

Yorii Tsugikuni instantly activated the Sun Breathing Technique. Like an arrow released from its bow, he plucked the black-and-white cat from the branch.

"Yorii, your speed really is astonishing."

"When we have time, you must teach me how to exert force like that."

Just as Sayo was about to climb the tree to catch the kitten, she only saw Yorii Tsugikuni move.

Then the kitten on the branch was already in his hand.

Yorii Tsugikuni was so fast that Sayo had seen only an afterimage.

"Sure. If you're interested, Sayo, you can join our morning training."

"Every morning, I lead Sayo and the others through some training."

Yorii Tsugikuni gently stroked the kitten's head, soothing the frightened little creature.

Soon, the kitten that had been struggling to escape calmed down under Yorii Tsugikuni's comfort.

"Then I'll have to trouble you in the future, Yorii."

"Let's return the kitten."

Sayo nodded. They had completed the mission not long after setting out.

That put her in an excellent mood.

Looking at Yorii Tsugikuni holding the kitten, Sayo could not help nodding to herself.

She had completed missions with many Security Force teammates before, but Yorii Tsugikuni was the most diligent one she had ever seen.

So far, she was very satisfied with this teammate who had only recently joined the Security Force.

The four of them began heading back with the cat.

However, before they reached the manor gate, they heard a burst of noisy commotion.