"Mr. Sakumura, that just now was...?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked somewhat puzzled.
Those people who had just walked past.
"...It was nothing. They merely resembled someone I knew."
Sakumura pulled his conical hat lower and let out a soft sigh.
"For now, let us focus on gathering information."
"Even so..."
Musashi looked around.
"There really aren't many people stopping to watch. I suppose that's what peaceful times are like—whatever happens, nobody pays it any mind. Only truly rare things draw people's notice."
"Indeed."
Another unfamiliar voice.
No—again?
Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes.
She knew that voice.
All too well.
"No matter when it is, humanity never changes. Ah, but of course. How could humans possibly change so easily?"
"They gather to watch, eager to meddle in others' affairs, yet the moment it ends, they immediately disperse and cease to care. Then, when something like it happens again, they still step forward to watch the joys and sorrows unfolding amid the crowd."
"That is what people are like. Everything is reality—though, not entirely."
Everyone turned around and saw—
A handsome Western man dressed in Western clothes.
Fujimaru Ritsuka knew that face far too well.
Edmond Dantès—the Count of Monte Cristo—the "accomplice" who had saved her from peril on several occasions.
"You—"
"There is no need to call me anything."
The man who looked exactly like the Count of Monte Cristo spoke before Fujimaru Ritsuka could, effectively stopping her words.
"I am merely an unremarkable missionary. Think of me as a bateren from Nanban."
"Wow, you're so tall, sir. Are you a tengu?"
O-Nui had already lost count of how many beautiful and mysterious people she had encountered today, but her curiosity remained undiminished.
"A tengu...?"
A flicker of confusion appeared in the missionary's eyes before he shook his head.
"Is that an