Zenigata Heiji

The story

One day, a man’s body is discovered within the grounds of a shrine, and in his pocket is a scrap of paper resembling a building blueprint. Hearing of the case, Heiji quickly begins his investigation. His colleague, the okappiki Manpachi, hastily assumes it was a simple robbery, but Heiji senses something is not right. According to Sasano Shinzaburo, the chief yoriki of the Minami Magistrate’s Office, there are suspicions of a major conspiracy behind the scenes, and the authorities are taking the matter seriously. Trusting Heiji’s sharp insight, Sasano asks for his cooperation in solving the case. Around the same time, a traveling troupe that has been the talk of the town arrives in Edo. Their star performer, Tsubame, captivates audiences with her singing and stage presence. Heiji, Hachigoro, and Oshizu, who is close to Heiji, go to see the show and are enthralled. Yet Heiji quietly remarks, “There’s a loneliness in Tsubame’s eyes.”