What do you mean?
Mizuki couldn't help but look back. Does this person have the personality of a complete softie?
However... Mizuki thought again, Kogatsu Oiran is very famous in the Flower District, perhaps she can find out some unknown things from her.
"Excuse me."
Mizuki nodded slightly and sat down in front of Kariha.
"Ah, please wait a moment." Kariha moved the small table over, poured tea, and pushed it toward Mizuki.
"Please."
"Thank you." Mizuki nodded lightly, picked up the tea, and took a small sip. "Actually, I do have something I'd like to ask you about."
"Please go ahead."
"It's about Suma."
Kariha paused for a moment, hesitatingly asking, "You and Tanshiko are...?"
Mizuki replied uncertainly, "Friends, or maybe like an older sister."
Kariha blinked. They did look alike, with the same red hair. "I see. No wonder you're asking about little Suma, but..."
Kariha smiled wryly and shook her head. "I might disappoint you, but I don't know anything about little Suma."
Tanjirou had asked about this before.
It was true.
Her heart rate showed no change whatsoever.
Mizuki asked again, "Do people often go missing here in the Flower District?"
"That's how it is here." Kariha closed her eyes slightly. "They say missing, but we can't rule out the possibility of running away."
"Only they themselves know the truth of what happened."
"Suicide, running away, or disappearing—that's generally what happens."
"While in the Entertainment District, we don't have the right to choose freely."
She knows absolutely nothing?
She hides it really well.
In this kind of gray area, as long as demons aren't openly eating people on the main street, missing persons will just be treated as runaways, attracting no attention at all.
I can't linger here anymore. The demon shouldn't be on Tanjirou's side.
Having decided to leave, Mizuki slightly raised her eyes and casually asked, "Have you ever thought about running away?"
"Running away?" Kariha suddenly showed a gentle smile. "I'll be leaving this place in two days."
"Leaving?"
"Yes, I can't believe someone is willing to marry a person like me..."
Mizuki saw a look of happiness on her face.
She had only intended to make a casual inquiry before leaving, prompted by Kariha's earlier sentiment.
But... isn't this kind of action called raising a flag?
Like, "I'm going home to get married after this battle"... Whether you call it intuition or raising a flag, Mizuki inexplicably felt that this woman might be in danger.
Mizuki smiled slightly. "Congratulations on regaining your freedom."
"Thank you." Kariha smiled.
Mizuki lowered her head slightly. "I won't bother you any longer. Thank you for taking care of that child, Tanjirou."
Kariha showed a look of realization and quickly said, "It was nothing."
"Goodbye."
..."So I told you, there's a demon on my side!"
"It looks like this, baring its fangs and claws!"
On the roof, Inosuke stretched out his arms, making a comical gesture.
Facing the duo's antics, Uzui Tengen said gravely, "Zenitsu has gone missing."
The person disappeared right under his nose, and he didn't sense anything unusual.
Mizuki's eyes flickered. Something happened on Inosuke's side and Zenitsu's side simultaneously.
Something is definitely wrong.
If the demon had moved from outside, Uzui Tengen couldn't have been completely unaware.
In other words... was it from underground?
Uzui Tengen turned his back to the group. "It's all my fault. I've made several misjudgments because I was focused on saving my wives."
Mizuki glanced at him. "Now is not the time to talk about that."
"Tanjirou, Inosuke." Mizuki stood up. "Follow this guy, and make sure he doesn't accidentally get killed."
Uzui Tengen's mouth twitched slightly. "Hey, hey, are you sure you didn't mix that up?"
"Who is supposed to be looking after whom?"
Inosuke said, "But there's a demon on my side too."
Tanjirou corrected him, "There is probably a secret passage in the room."
"A secret passage?"
"There is a high possibility that the demon is working inside the establishment. Since the demon hasn't been moving outside the shop, it must have cleverly disguised itself as a human inside."
Mizuki instructed, "First, go confirm Zenitsu's status."
Uzui Tengen asked, "What about you?"
"I will stand guard here at the Tokito House."
Uzui Tengen was confused. Why would this woman stay at the Tokito House if she was sending Tanjirou to follow him?
Tanjirou couldn't help but ask, "Miss Mizuki, did you discover something?"
"No, just a feeling. I feel like that demon might appear at the Tokito House."
Uzui Tengen's eyelid twitched. "A feeling..."
"In any case, the moment there is movement on your side, I will immediately go support you." Mizuki looked at the three of them. "Try to make a big commotion."
Uzui Tengen stood up as well. "Understood. We'll follow your instructions then."
Tanjirou looked at the sky. "Ah, please wait a moment. I want to go back and say goodbye to everyone at the Tokito House first."
Uzui Tengen didn't say much, only stating, "Gather at the Kyogoku House before night falls."
"I understand."
After separating from the other two, Mizuki and Tanjirou set off for the Tokito House.
"You go by yourself. I'll guard outside." Mizuki turned the corner and scaled the wall.
Miss Mizuki is truly decisive and swift... Tanjirou wiped his sweat and walked into the Tokito House.
Carrying Nezuko on his back, he arrived at Kogatsu Oiran's room.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but I will be leaving the Tokito House." Tanjirou squatted behind Kariha and pushed the food money onto the tatami mat... A moment later.
"I hope you keep smiling, Miss Kariha..."
"I hope you don't disappear too, little Tan."
"Please rest assured."
Kariha smiled, "Until we meet again, Tanjirou."
"Yes, Miss Kariha, until we meet again."
After Tanjirou left Kariha's room, he realized something belatedly.
Had he told Miss Kariha his name?
Tanjirou looked back at the Tokito House, confused.
It's fine, Miss Mizuki is here.
He needed to hurry and meet up with Inosuke and the others.
Who knows how Zenitsu is doing... Concealing her presence outside the Tokito House, Mizuki was resting with her eyes closed.
She had no proof, only intuition.
It wasn't just because of Kariha's words; today's meeting made her even more certain that something bad would happen at the Tokito House.
There was activity on the other two sides, but this side was utterly silent.
No matter how she thought about it, it felt wrong.
Sure enough, not long after Tanjirou left.
Several ribbons suddenly extended down from a crack in the ceiling.
Hearing the movement behind her, Kariha turned and asked, "Did something fall?"
"That's right. I have to eat you first."
Behind her stood a seductive figure in revealing clothes. Her long black hair danced like black snakes, and the patterns on her face added to her allure. "After all, after tonight, you won't be here anymore."
"Right, Kariha?"
In the seductive woman's pupils, the characters for Upper Rank Six were engraved.
Kariha's eyes trembled slightly. As if still unable to grasp the situation, she could only watch helplessly as the woman reached out toward her.
Suddenly, without warning, a snow-white arm seemed to reach out from the pitch-black space and grabbed her wrist.
The clash of colors was extremely jarring.
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