Qingdeng resisted the stench, stepped forward, and stepped into the earth.
"Mr. Kikuchi! Mr. Kikuchi!"
He shouted two or three more times toward the inside.
After a while, a weak coughing sound was heard from deep in the room.
"Ahem...what are you shouting...it's so noisy...if you want to come in, come in quickly..."
I got Kikuchi Sensui's permission to enter the house... In this case, Aoto is no longer polite.
Although this dilapidated house, which is no different from a dilapidated house, does not look like a "home" in any way, but no matter what, this place is also the residence of others.
Therefore, Aoto took off his snow boots in a polite manner, and used his right hand to carry the Echizen Sumi Hina Riku Kanju that he had taken off his left waist.
The room was very dark, without any light, and very quiet.
The floor was covered with randomly piled clothes and all kinds of garbage, and there was basically no place to step down.
At this time, for some reason, Qingnobo suddenly recalled every sight and scene he saw while walking from Haramachi.
Although Haramachi is a very dilapidated and old slum, there is still a human atmosphere in the air of its streets.
The sound of babies crying, young people talking, old people coughing... These noises can be seen everywhere in Haramachi.
From time to time, you can see several children running around in the narrow alleys.
From time to time, you can also smell the very pleasant aroma of cooking.
From time to time, happy laughter can also be heard.
Only here...only this crumbling thatched house is lifeless, incompatible with the surroundings and everything in Haramachi, as if this place is cut off from the world.
There was no life in the environment, coupled with this terrifying stench... For a moment, Qingdeng had the illusion that he was not entering a thatched house, but heading to the devil's world.
"Be careful, don't step on something and fall."
Qingto turned his head, and after reminding Sae and Yae in a low voice behind him, he took the lead and walked cautiously towards the depths of the house with cautious movements as if he were marching through an undeveloped virgin forest.
"This home... the more I look at it, the more amazing it becomes... How can I live in a good home with this kind of virtue..."
Yae shrank his neck and murmured softly.
It seemed that she was also frightened by this living environment that was not like what normal humans would have.
"This is not simple yet."
As soon as Yae finished speaking, Shazhong beside him spoke slowly in a tone of neither sadness nor joy.
"When you have no intention of living, your home will naturally lose its 'human' atmosphere."
When talking about the two words "having no intention of living" and "losing the "human" breath", Sasaka emphasized her tone.
After a series of arduous "traveling through mountains and rivers", the three of them finally passed through the entrance hall and arrived at the living room of the house.
Although they were mentally prepared, Qingdeng and others were still shocked by the "tragic" scene inside the house.
First of all, the light is getting darker. It can almost be said that you can't see even your fingers.
Secondly, the smell was even worse. Qingdeng and the Erzhong sisters did not dare to take a deep breath for fear that they would faint from the stench.
At this moment, suddenly, a hoarse middle-aged male voice suddenly sounded.
"Who are you...? Do you have a problem with me...? Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"
Qingdeng raised his eyes and followed the sound.
With the blessing of his talent "Cat's Eye", the darkness of the environment has no effect on Qingdeng's vision.
The owner of the voice was naturally Kikuchi Sensui who hurriedly slipped back into the house after the Cyclops and his group were beaten away by Qingto.
He crossed his legs and leaned against the wall, holding a bottle of wine in his hand.
Judging from the bottle, the drink Kikuchi Senmi drank was the cheapest and inferior sake on the Edo market. It had no merit other than a large quantity to fill your stomach.
"I'm sorry... I was in a hurry to get back to drink... so I forgot to thank you... Thank you... Thanks to you, I don't have to go mining for the time being..."
Before he finished speaking, Kikuchi Qiansui picked up the wine bottle in his hand and took a swig.
Qingdeng, who didn't know what to say for a moment, silently turned his eyes away and looked around.
There was a pile of dirty bedding in the corner of the living room, covered with dirt.
Even in such a dim environment, this quilt still looks shiny.
Qingdeng felt that if he scraped the oil stains off the bedding, it would be enough to cook a plate of food.
Centered around the place where Kikuchi Sensui was sitting cross-legged, the surrounding floor was filled with empty wine bottles.
These empty wine bottles were scattered in piles here and there on the floor, almost covering the ankles of Qingdeng and others.
As far as the eye can see, there is basically no decent furniture, and all that comes into view is rubbish.
However, after taking a closer look, Qingdeng was surprised to find that next to the extremely dirty quilt, there was a medium-sized bookcase.
The bookcases meticulously and neatly list the Four Books and Five Classics, "Historical Records", "Zizhi Tongjian", "Poetry and Language", "Young Learner's Guide" and other books.
["The Pure Gold of Poetry" and "Kindergarten Reading": both are introductory textbooks of Japanese Chinese poetry]
In this shabby house, which is as dirty and chaotic as a fallen demon world, only this bookcase is still neat and clean.
Kikuchi Sensui was once a private school teacher—Aoto suddenly recalled the piece of information Arima had revealed last night.
"Okay, let's talk..."
Kikuchi Sensui's voice brought Qingto's consciousness back to reality.
"You are not willing to fight with the members of the 'Rabid Dog Family', why?"
As Kikuchi Sensui spoke, he let out a big wine burp.
He raised his face and gave Qingden a look that seemed to be looking at a certain point, but also as if he was not looking at anything.
In short, Kikuchi Sensui's eyes were lifeless, like the eyes of a dead person.
Since the other party got straight to the point, Qingdeng was willing to save time and get straight to the point.
"Mr. Kikuchi."
Aomori sat down on his knees in a relatively clean area in front of Kikuchi Sensui that was not covered by garbage.
"I took the liberty of visiting you today just to verify something with you - do you remember the story of Tachibana Takayuki from the town of Kitaban?"
Tachibana Takayuki...the next moment he heard this name, it was really just a split second. Kikuchi Sensui's eyes suddenly widened.
As his eyelids were raised, his empty eyes regained some brightness and vitality - however, this was only fleeting.
The light in his eyes came suddenly and went away just as quickly.
After a while, his eyelids lowered again, his eyes were buried deeply, and his whole person returned to the appearance of a "living dead".
"...Why do you ask this?"
Qingdeng didn't know if it was his own misunderstanding, but he always felt that Kikuchi Sensui's voice had become hoarse.
"I don't know anything."
Kikuchi Qiansui took a sip of wine.
"Please leave!"
Faced with Kikuchi Sensui's sudden eviction order, Qingteng turned a deaf ear.
"Mr. Kikuchi, as far as I know, you reported a murder to the execution office three years ago, and the person responsible for investigating the case was Tachibana Takayuki..."
"Didn't I say I don't know anything?
"
roar.
Hysterical roar.
Kikuchi Sensui's roar interrupted Qingden's words.
At the same time, he threw the wine bottle in his hand at Qingdeng.
The wine slipped out of the bottle and splashed everywhere.
To be continued...