Chapter 72: The Twelve Kizuki?
Most people's temperaments are naturally inclined toward compromise.
If you say, "This plague is dangerous, I'm trying to save people," or, "I have some money here, please help us out," these patients will almost always refuse to cooperate. They're too scared of the "mysterious doctor" to risk it.
But if you say you're an enforcement officer from Tokyo and that if they don't talk, they'll all be thrown into a dungeon to rot? Suddenly, they become very willing to find a "middle ground" and start talking.
After Natsuya's backhand slap, the man's eyes cleared up instantly. He even stopped yelling at his wife.
But Natsuya wasn't done. He didn't give the man a single frame to recover. He grabbed the man by the collar and hoisted him up.
"You idiot! You think silence is going to save you?!" Natsuya barked in that cold, monotone "Interrogation Voice."
"That 'Miracle Doctor' is the one who poisoned you! He told you not to talk to people with swords? Look at us—do we look like some random wandering ronin to you?"
"We are here representing the government... no, we represent the Metropolitan Police Department!"
Natsuya pointed at his high-collared uniform. Although the man didn't understand the rank insignia, he could tell the fabric and craftsmanship were leagues above anything a commoner wore.
Are these two kids really going to drag me to a Tokyo prison?
The man crumbled. Natsuya saw the weakness in the NPC's eyes and immediately doubled down.
"Withholding information makes you an accomplice! You want to go to the big house? Spend your days eating Interrogation Pork Bowls and dropping the soap in the showers?!"
SLAP!
Another backhand. Now the man's cheeks were swollen with perfect symmetry.
The combination of a fictional government agency, brute force, and terrifyingly specific "modern" threats was too much for a simple farmer who had never stepped foot in a school.
The wife broke first.
"Stop! Please! I—I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" she cried, looking at her husband's bruised face. "The abandoned sanatorium on the west side of town! Every night, at midnight... the Miracle Doctor comes from that direction!"
"And... and..." the husband stammered, shivering. "The doctor isn't tall. They're wrapped in thick clothes, but the hair peeking out is white. The voice... it sounds like a woman's voice, I think..."
Once the intel was spilled, the man collapsed into a Dogeza position, his tone completely different from before. "Please, Sir! Don't arrest us! We've told you everything we know!"
Natsuya let go of the man's collar. "See? Was that so hard? Relax. Take this cash, buy some real food, and make sure you take the medicine Lady Kocho gives you. The Tokyo Police will remember your 'contribution'."
He immediately dropped the "Hard-Boiled Cop" act, returning to his usual lazy, detached self. It was as if the violence of the last two minutes had been a collective hallucination. He even took a swig from his wine gourd.
Mmm... Ramune soda.
He turned to Shinobu and wiggled his eyebrows. Mission Accomplished.
Shinobu: ≖_≖
(How... why are you so good at being a thug?!)
She looked at Natsuya, then at the terrified couple hugging each other on the floor, and sighed. She rubbed her temples. After offering a few genuine words of comfort to the couple (who now looked at her with pure awe and fear), she grabbed Natsuya by the wrist and marched him out of the house.
"We have the intel. Stop spacing out."
Natsuya glanced at his HUD as a new skill popped up: [Intimidation LV.1]. He turned back to the petite girl.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Police? Pork bowls? 'Lady Kocho'?" Shinobu hissed under her breath. "Where on earth did you learn all that nonsense?"
Natsuya shrugged. "I've seen a lot of 'Police Procedural' dramas."
"Don't worry about the 'how'. Just tell me: did it work or not?"
Shinobu looked annoyed, but a small smirk tugged at her lips. "It worked. Lord Kokonoe is 'most effective'."
Effective? It was a tactical nuke. When they left, the civilians had almost tried to give the bribery money back to them out of sheer terror.
She looked at Natsuya, her smile becoming a bit more real. "Next time... maybe less slapping. It's bad for the Corps' PR."
"I'll try."
His answer was 100% insincere.
What an unpredictable, reckless person... Shinobu thought. But also... exactly like Nee-san said. He's a bit of a brat, but... interesting.
At dusk, the trio met at the rendezvous point.
"We have a lead, Lord Igarashi!" Shinobu blurted out, sounding like a child eager to show her parents a good grade. "There's a 'Miracle Doctor' who can 'cure' the Blood Demon Art infection."
"They only appear at night and are extremely wary of swordsmen. They specifically tell the victims not to trust anyone carrying a blade."
The Storm Hashira nodded with a smile, acknowledging her success. "I found something as well," Igarashi added. "This 'Doctor' doesn't always cure the patients. From what I've gathered, at least eight people have gone to the sanatorium for treatment and never returned. It's been ten days since the first disappearance."
Shinobu frowned. Ten days? If the culprit was a man-eating demon, those people were already digested.
The probability of the "Doctor" being a human was effectively zero.
"Let's go see this sanatorium for ourselves," Igarashi decided. "The sun is setting. Whether it's a demon or just a very dedicated criminal... we'll introduce ourselves."
Igarashi looked at Natsuya. "Kokonoe, stay close to Lady Kocho."
The three set off, blurring through the streets toward the outskirts of town. Even though Igarashi and Natsuya slowed their pace, the young Shinobu struggled to keep up.
Natsuya caught Igarashi's eye, then reached over and grabbed Shinobu's medical pack, slinging it over his own shoulder to lighten her load.
"Is this the place?"
The abandoned sanatorium looked eerie and twisted in the twilight. However, a flickering firelight shone from a first-floor window, casting dancing shadows against the glass.
They moved in using stealth. Soon, they could see clearly inside.
The "Doctor" was currently treating a small child. Several other patients were waiting in line.
"Child, your case is complicated," the doctor whispered. "Go to the back room. I'll give you a thorough examination later tonight."
Once the child wandered off obediently, the doctor called up a gaunt, sickly man.
The doctor barely looked at him before pressing a hand to his forehead. A faint, grayish smoke seemed to flow from the man's skin into the doctor's fingers. The man let out a gasp of pure relief.
"I—I feel better! You really are a Miracle Doctor!"
The "Doctor" showed zero gratitude. She impatiently waved him away, telling him to get out of the sanatorium immediately. Before he left, she reminded him: "Do not talk to the samurai with the swords."
"It seems our 'Miracle Doctor' isn't exactly human," Igarashi whispered to Natsuya and Shinobu. "Did you find anything else?"
"Yes," Shinobu replied, her face like ice. In the backyard, they had found the remains of several missing Slayers and the emaciated corpses of children.
Natsuya stared at the room where the "Doctor" was "working." He began to crack his knuckles and roll his shoulders.
So... this is a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
[Mukago ???] (Lower Moon Four)
[Power Level: 327]
Body: 293
Tech: 20
Mind: 14
[Blood Demon Art: Poison Spores]
[Blood Demon Art: Hypersensitivity Lash]
[Blood Demon Art: Rot]
Compared to this stat sheet... every other mob I've fought was just a tutorial trashcan.
☆☆☆
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