The night in Yoshiwara is filled with pleasure and noise.
The sound of the shamisen, the loud voices of drunken revelers, and the false laughter of courtesans.
But through all that noise, a small but clear scream pierced Zenitsu's ears.
'…A cry? No, this isn't just crying. Someone is in pain.'
Zenitsu stopped plucking the strings of his shamisen.
His absolute sense of hearing detected a brutal act of violence taking place behind the walls, in the room at the end of the corridor.
"U-Uh, excuse me… my stomach hurts, I need to go to the restroom…!"
Zenitsu clumsily scrambled to his feet and dashed out of the room.
The sound led him to the most luxurious room in Kyogokuya, the living quarters of an Oiran.
The door to the room was slightly ajar, and the scene visible through the gap was harrowing.
The room was a mess. Shards of a broken vase were scattered everywhere, and in the center, Warabihime—hailed as the greatest beauty of Yoshiwara—was pulling a young courtesan's ear.
"Argh! It hurts! Oiran-sama, I'm sorry…!"
"Shut up. How many times have I told you to clean the room properly? You don't even deserve to eat."
Daki's movements were fierce. The young girl's ear was already swollen red as if it were about to tear, and droplets of blood were dripping onto the floor.
Despite this, Daki's expression showed not a hint of sympathy. Rather, a cold smile hung on her lips as if she were enjoying the sadistic act.
'That's too much!'
Warning signals blared in Zenitsu's head, screaming for him to run away.
However, the moment he saw the child crying before him, his body moved faster than his reason.
Thwack!
Zenitsu lunged forward like a bolt of lightning and grabbed Daki's wrist.
"...Huh?"
Daki's eyes widened. She seemed unable to believe that an ugly, low-ranking courtesan of this pathetic establishment dared to lay a hand on her.
"Let go of her hand."
Zenitsu's voice was low and firm. It wasn't his usual whining tone.
"You call yourself an Oiran… aren't you ashamed? What are you doing to a child?"
Daki slowly turned her head to look at Zenitsu.
Her graceful neck tilted to the side with a sickening crack. It was her characteristic habit.
"Who do you think you are?"
A murderous aura emanated from Daki's eyes.
"You ugly brat… are you so desperate to die?"
The moment she tried to shake Zenitsu off, Daki felt a slight sense of incongruity.
The grip of this girl(?) holding her wrist was not simply that of a strong woman.
It was the grip strength of a trained man with thick bones and solid muscles.
'Hooh…?'
Daki was about to blow this arrogant thing away instantly, but she hesitated.
It was right before business hours.
'If I stir up a scent of blood here for no reason, I don't know what will happen to me if I'm called before Tamamo-sama. Under the guise of "education," she would slice my very spirit into pieces. I shouldn't do anything to stand out. Even if I do it, it should be after business is over.'
Daki forcibly suppressed her rising murderous intent. Instead, she exerted force in her captured hand and roughly threw Zenitsu off.
Flash!
Zenitsu was pushed back but quickly regained his balance.
"Hmph, an unlucky thing has crawled in. Hey, you."
Daki, without even looking at the fallen young girl, glared at Zenitsu and spat out her words.
"I'm letting you off just this once. Get out of my room right now. And take that child and throw her somewhere out of sight. If I see you in my sight one more time… I won't just pull your ear; I'll rip your head off."
Daki slammed the sliding door shut. Left in the corridor, Zenitsu pulled the trembling child into an embrace.
"Are you okay? It must have hurt so much…"
"Th-Thank you, sister… sob… because of me…"
Cold sweat poured down Zenitsu's back as he comforted the child. The energy that woman exuded just now—it wasn't human.
'The sound… it's different. The sound of her heartbeat, the sound of blood flowing. That woman… is a demon. And a very strong one at that.'
Beyond the door, Daki also stood with her back to the entrance, a chilling smile on her face. She toyed with her own wrist.
'She's not a girl. He's a boy. A Demon Slayer brat using Breathing.'
Her eyes gleamed fiercely.
'Is he a little rat who came looking for the Sound Hashira's wives? Fufufu… I must report this to Tamamo-sama. A very interesting toy has rolled in on its own.'
The next morning, Kyogokuya began the day with a small disturbance.
"Oh my, Zenko is nowhere to be found?"
"She must have run away. Didn't they say she stood up to Warabihime-sama last night? She probably got scared and quit."
The courtesans dismissed Zenko's disappearance as a common runaway incident.
There were countless children who couldn't endure the harsh life of the brothels and fled.
But to Tanjiro and Inosuke, this news was like a disaster.
That morning, the atmosphere among the three people who met on a secluded rooftop was heavy.
Actually, it was two people. Zenitsu never showed up.
"Zenitsu… isn't coming."
Tanjiro's voice trembled. Even as he tried to catch a scent, the heavy aroma of incense unique to the brothels was erasing all traces.
"Missing, huh. This is the worst."
Tengen, with his arms crossed, roughly ran his hand through his lavishly decorated hair.
"My wives, and now even Zenitsu. Those bastards already know we're here. They are swallowing us up as we move."
His eyes held deep traces of self-reproach.
"It was my misjudgment. I drove you guys into a death trap."
"Then we have to go save them! Zenitsu is strong, he'll be holding on!"
Tanjiro shouted urgently, but Tengen firmly shook his head.
"No. You two, pull out from here."
"What?! What are you saying!"
"There's a high possibility the opponent is an Upper Moon. Moreover, this is their stage. This is not a level that low-ranking members like you can handle."
Tengen spoke as he placed his hands on Tanjiro and Inosuke's shoulders.
"Go back. This is an order. My wives, and Zenitsu too… I, the flamboyant Uzui Tengen-sama, will save them and return. Don't die a meaningless death; stay alive."
"But…!"
"Go!"
Tengen vanished into the darkness without looking back. It was the silhouette of a man trying to bear every burden alone.
"...."
Tanjiro bit his lip. He was frustrated. But he couldn't disobey the leader's order.
Inosuke also snorted in frustration, but he couldn't say anything, suppressed by Tengen's spirit.
Soon, Inosuke came up with a surprisingly logical thought.
Tengen said for low-ranking members to pull out, but though their rank was technically low, they weren't at the very bottom anymore.
At Inosuke's suggestion that they wouldn't really be disobeying orders then, Tanjiro agreed that they couldn't just leave and decided to look for Zenitsu and Tengen's wives that night.
That evening, Tanjiro packed his bags. But he couldn't just leave as if he were running away.
He had to say goodbye to Koinatsu, the lead Oiran of the house he had infiltrated, Ogimotoya.
She was someone who had been kind to Suma when she worked there briefly and had shown warm consideration to Tanjiro even when he was full of mistakes.
Tanjiro visited Koinatsu's room and revealed his identity.
Far from being angry, she held Tanjiro's hand instead.
She said she had known he was a man from the beginning.
"You have your reasons, right? Take care of yourself."
"Thank you… thank you so much."
Tanjiro bowed deeply and left the room. A person with a warm heart.
Because there were people like her here, he thought he absolutely had to protect this place as he threw himself out of the window.
However, only a few minutes after Tanjiro left, a sinister shadow alongside a deep darkness fell over Koinatsu's room.
"My, Koinatsu. Are you sleeping already?"
Daki, perched on the window frame, looked down into the room with a seductive smile. Her obi wriggled in the night wind like a living snake.
"Wa-Warabihime…?"
Koinatsu sat up in confusion. Why was an Oiran from another house here?
"Congratulations. You've passed."
Daki stepped into the room, still wearing her footwear.
Clack, clack.
Her footsteps echoed like a heartbeat.
"Passed… what does that mean…?"
"Our Master has a hobby of collecting beautiful things. Especially elegant and talented women like you, he likes them very much."
From behind Daki, red and flamboyant obis rose and surrounded the area.
"Most of the decent Oirans in Yoshiwara have already moved over to our Mugenrou. They received special education from Tamamo-sama and became very wonderful dolls. You're the only one left, Koinatsu. Once you come, it will be complete."
This was not a simple kidnapping. It was a selection process by the Akatsuki Trading Company to monopolize the talent of Yoshiwara and brainwash them to construct a perfect empire of the night.
It was a system where they kidnapped excellent Oirans like Koinatsu and sent them to Mugenrou, where Tamamo would educate them and reborn them as the ultimate courtesans.
Then they would be sent back to each brothel, dominating even the internal human relations of the district as Oirans with authority.
That was the method by which Akira had swallowed up the brothels of Yoshiwara. Koinatsu was the last one remaining.
"On top of that, your voice oddly resembles Tamamo-sama's? It's a bit irritating."
"No… don't come any closer!"
Koinatsu backed away, but the obis were already blocking her path of retreat.
"Don't resist. I don't want to hurt you. If you go to Mugenrou, you can live beautifully forever without aging. Isn't that the greatest happiness for a woman?"
"Mmpfh…! Mmmph!"
In an instant, the obis coiled around Koinatsu's body.
"This is the end. Fufu, when he finds out I've captured the last Oiran, that person will praise me and hold me. And maybe he'll give me more of his blood? Kuhuhu."
Unable to even scream, she was sucked into the flamboyant obis.
Daki laughed with satisfaction as she floated the obis containing Koinatsu in the air.
It was then.
A boy leaped through the window.
"Let that person go right now!!"
It was Tanjiro, who was thought to have left. He had caught the thick scent of a demon carried by the wind and returned, intuiting that Koinatsu was in danger.
On his back was the wooden box containing Nezuko.
"Huh?"
Daki, keeping the obis holding Koinatsu afloat, looked down at Tanjiro with annoyance.
"Oh? Are you also a Demon Slayer? Were you in cahoots with that Zenko guy?"
Looking at Tanjiro, Daki let out a small, mocking laugh.
"How dare you try to touch the tribute intended for that person. You've truly lost your mind from fear."
"Don't treat people… like objects!"
Tanjiro drew his Nichirin Blade with eyes full of rage.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide.
"Hmm…"
Daki curled the corners of her lips and swung her obi like a whip.
"Fine. Before you enter Tamamo-sama's education room, I'll touch you up a bit first. I'll cut your head off beautifully and offer it to Master as a gift."
Inside the once-quiet brothel room, the clash between the demon serving the ruler of the night and the young swordsman trying to protect humans was about to begin.
And.
"So you've come, Tanjiro Kamado. Mukago said she wanted Nezuko so badly. I think she said it was her birthday soon. Should I bring her a gift?"
The master of this district of pleasure.
The Night King slowly opened his red eyes.
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