Mizuki asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"
The two brothers looked at each other, a little embarrassed. "Not exactly, but it's been spreading all over the city, so it shouldn't be false, right?"
Mizuki: "..."
"I heard you just said three people died. Does that mean three people died in that Shinto-ryu martial arts hall?"
Both of them waved their Hands repeatedly, "No, no, five or six people died!"
"Huh?"
"Three head instructors died! And it looked like two apprentices."
It was clear that these two had only heard rumors.
However, the general direction couldn't be wrong.
Inquiries are a means of gathering information, and information that might be useless to others could be of great use to someone else.
Three head instructors... Mizuki's thoughts sank slightly: "Does that mean other martial arts hall head instructors were also victims?"
"Yes! How many days has it been? All three martial arts hall head instructors in the city are dead."
The other person added, "Four days."
Basically, one person died each day.
"Did they all die at night?"
As soon as Mizuki asked this, it drew looks from the two as if she were an idiot.
But at least she was their benefactor, so neither of them dared to actually say it out loud.
"It was always at night, and they were all beaten to death in the dojo's training ground."
"Everyone says that demon was a battle maniac in life."
That somewhat matched her perception of Chicken Nest Seat.
Her understanding of Chicken Nest Seat came entirely from the Flame Hashira's edits: pink crew cut, blue-black tattoos, bare Hands and feet, exuding the aura of a practical martial artist.
It was only after living here for several hundred years that she understood those tattoos were a symbol of a criminal, indicating that he must have committed some crime in his life.
"Were there any witnesses?"
The two brothers looked at each other blankly.
Well, she might as well have not asked.
Just as Mizuki was about to get up and leave, one of them asked his companion uncertainly.
"It seems the daughter of the Shinto-ryu Kendo Hall head instructor is still alive, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes! The head instructor's daughter is still alive!"
"That girl is also exceptionally beautiful~"
Mizuki raised a Hand to interrupt, speechless: "Which way is the Shinto-ryu dojo?"
"That way." Both of them pointed in unison.
Mizuki took a deep breath: "Thank you."
What a waste.
Even if she didn't need the money, she still felt it was a waste.
Following the direction of their fingers, Mizuki asked for directions along the way and successfully arrived at the entrance of the Shinto-ryu martial arts hall.
The passersby she asked were all wary of the topic, not wanting to say more than a few words to her. The slightly better ones just casually pointed the way.
The entrance to the Shinto-ryu martial arts hall was wide open, empty and deserted, with no one in sight.
There was a faint smell of blood in the air, and Mizuki followed that scent to the dojo's training ground.
Before she even got close, she heard faint sounds coming from the training ground.
After a moment of hesitation, Mizuki stepped inside.
In the spacious area, a small figure was half-crouching on the ground, wiping something.
Mizuki scanned the area; dark red blood had only recently congealed, spilled in large patches like a slaughterhouse. The floor was cracked in several places, forming deep pits.
Clearly, an astonishing battle had taken place here yesterday.
Unless there was intentional dismemberment, such a large amount of blood would be impossible to achieve.
But this kind of destruction... didn't seem like a one-sided massacre.
It was a struggle.
Only a battle between two parties could create such a commotion.
Noticing the movement behind her, the small figure turned around.
It was a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, looking at Mizuki expressionlessly, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Mizuki stepped into the dojo: "Hello."
As soon as she greeted, the girl silently turned back and continued wiping the floor.
Mizuki slowly walked up to her.
"Although it's rude to ask this..."
"May I ask, did you see the appearance of that demon?"
Under Mizuki's gaze, the girl took a deep breath, but then heavily exhaled through her nose the next moment, continuing to wipe the floor with her head down.
This indicated that she was very angry, but she suppressed her anger and chose not to direct this malice at Mizuki.
The girl's voice, devoid of emotion, rang out, "What if I did?"
"What if I didn't?"
"Can you help me get revenge?"
Mizuki's wine-red double pupils stared at the girl's body: "Pink crew cut, criminal tattoos."
The girl's heart tightened with a thud.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly; she actually knew.
This girl wasn't strong; although it was evident she had likely learned some self-defense, she definitely couldn't defeat a man of normal physique, let alone evade a demon's attack.
"You know him?!" The girl suddenly looked up, grabbing Mizuki's collar with both Hands, tears streaming from her eyes uncontrollably, her anger spiraling out of control.
"Where is he! Where is that monster!"
Mizuki's wine-red double pupils reflected in her eyes, and the girl froze for a moment.
Mizuki slowly pushed down her Hands, replying with the girl's own words: "Even if I knew, what then?"
"Can you kill him?"
The girl's tense body slowly relaxed.
Yes, even if she knew, what then?
That heart, which had just passionately pounded, suddenly quieted again.
The girl said abruptly, "You're not from the Demon Slayer Corps, are you?"
"Did they come looking for you?"
"Yes."
"No."
..."Aren't you going to ask what they asked?"
"They are no match for that demon. Even if they find him, they can't stop him."
"What about you?"
"I can."
The girl looked at her with hopeful eyes, her lips moving twice, then she composed herself and began to speak.
"When the other two head instructors were killed, I tried to convince my father to leave."
"But he didn't listen to me."
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly: "So, yesterday he was actively waiting for the opponent here?"
The girl cried softly: "Yes, he thought it was just someone pretending to be a ghost."
"Were you there too?"
"Father had sent me to stay at my aunt's house, but I was worried and ran back in the middle of the night."
"What did you see?"
"Father was... fighting that demon..." The girl's face was pale. "The arm that Father cut healed instantly."
To be able to injure an Upper Rank Three demon, even if the opponent wasn't serious, this head instructor had some skill.
"That demon saw you," Mizuki said without hesitation.
Since the girl could spot the demon, there was no reason the demon wouldn't sense her.
Unlike 'sorcerers' like Douma, Chicken Nest Seat should be a battle maniac with an extreme craving for combat, so there's no reason he wouldn't notice.
"Yes, he saw me."
"But you didn't die."
The girl's tears washed away the bloodstains on the floor, and she said choked with sobs: "I was so scared that I knelt by the door, unable to stand up until he left, only able to watch him eat my father."
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