Friendly Forces? What Friendly Forces?

Jiang Xia turned his head and glanced at Amuro Tooru.

Seeing that his boss had no intention of digging on his own, he could only carry the image of a good employee through to the end. He crouched down and searched for that pile of bones—they had to dig it up and show Watanuki Tatsuzo the goods before the old man would be more willing to take the bait.

At first glance, there was nothing unusual about the leaves on the ground. But upon closer inspection and turning them over, it became clear that the dirt and dust clinging to them were uneven, as though someone had dug them aside before covering them back up exactly as they had been. This was probably because Amuro Tooru had dug it up once while acting alone that afternoon.

Jiang Xia pretended not to notice anything. As though digging up this pit for the first time, he brushed aside the leaves and lifted the soil.

When he saw the skeleton beneath, he reported in sync with a hint of surprise, "There's a set of bones buried here. The collarbone looks a little strange... What is that? Steel nails?"

Amuro Tooru nodded and said in a slightly lowered voice, though still loud enough for those nearby to hear, "They were probably put in when the bone was fractured. He died before they could be removed. That makes identifying him much easier."

A flash of blade suddenly closed in. Someone leaped out from behind the bushes, drew his knife, and slashed diagonally. The planned trajectory encompassed both Jiang Xia, crouching beside the bones, and Amuro Tooru, standing next to him like a supervisor overseeing his work.

—The attacker was Watanuki Tatsuzo's most valued assistant. His original duty had been to monitor the inn lobby, but