Nakime hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"I accidentally mentioned your trip to Yoshiwara to Lord Muzan… and he seems to be angry."
Kokushibo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Angry?
Could he… actually be jealous?
No way… Did I really manage to provoke that kind of reaction from Lord Muzan?
Instead of feeling guilty, Kokushibo found himself oddly pleased.
However, rather than heading straight to Muzan, he first made his way to Kyogai's mansion within the Infinity Castle.
There, he informed Kyogai that Gyutaro and Daki had successfully received the manuscript.
"That's wonderful."
Kyogai let out a long sigh of relief.
"I was worried they wouldn't like it. They were originally quite fond of the first title…"
"But Lord Kokushibo insisted we change it."
Time seemed to freeze.
"…What did you just say?"
All six of Kokushibo's eyes widened simultaneously.
Standing beside him, Nakime almost felt dizzy from envy.
Having six eyes really is convenient…
Meanwhile, Kokushibo felt utterly defeated.
Kyogai had actually finished writing that novel…
And he had really handed it over to Gyutaro and Daki.
At this point, Kokushibo could only silently pray that the siblings would simply treat it as fiction and not take its contents seriously.
Nearby, Enmu remained completely absorbed in reading Kyogai's novels.
After reading so many stories featuring female protagonists, he even found himself wondering what it would be like to become a woman.
Unfortunately…
He doubted Lord Muzan would ever grant such a request.
So he wisely kept those thoughts to himself.
Looking around at the gathered Lower Rank demons, Kokushibo suddenly had another idea.
Since things have come this far…
Why not recruit every single member of the Twelve Kizuki to my side?
Seeing that Kokushibo still had no intention of visiting Muzan, Nakime finally spoke up.
"Lord Kokushibo…"
"Shouldn't you go and see Lord Muzan?"
"After all… you're the one who made him angry."
She sounded less like a subordinate and more like a kind-hearted neighbor trying to reconcile a quarrel between husband and wife.
Nakime had originally prepared a lengthy speech to persuade him.
Unexpectedly, before she could begin, Kokushibo simply stood up.
"You're right."
"I'll go see him."
Poor Muzan.
Without realizing it, Nakime had once again pushed the situation in a direction completely unfavorable to him.
When Kokushibo arrived at Muzan's private chambers, Muzan had already removed most of his makeup.
His long black hair cascaded smoothly down his back like flowing silk.
With an amused smile, Kokushibo walked over.
"Lord Muzan."
"You've already changed into different clothes."
"Why not perform a dance for me?"
Muzan shot him an icy glare.
"And why," he asked coldly, "should I dance for you?"
Truthfully, Muzan had become an excellent dancer.
After all…
Daki had "enthusiastically" instructed him for quite some time.
Kokushibo merely smiled and sat beside him.
"Lord Muzan."
"I'd like to discuss something with you."
"No."
"No discussion."
Muzan refused immediately.
The last time Kokushibo had proposed a large-scale operation, the outcome had been far from satisfactory.
Not only had the mysterious creatures escaped…
They had actually become even stronger.
There was no way he intended to be persuaded so easily again.
Kokushibo had expected exactly this response.
Without the slightest embarrassment, he gently placed his hand over Muzan's.
"My lord…"
"What exactly worries you?"
"Are you afraid my plans will put you in danger?"
"Or…"
"Do you suspect I've harbored ulterior motives from the very beginning?"
His hand was unexpectedly warm.
Muzan made no attempt to pull away.
Instead, he silently repeated to himself over and over:
I won't be fooled again.
Absolutely not.
Seeing that Muzan still remained silent, Kokushibo continued patiently.
"This time, we won't mobilize the entire Twelve Kizuki."
"Please hear me out."
By the time he finished speaking, his other hand had already come to rest lightly upon Muzan's shoulder.
That finally caught Muzan's attention.
"So…"
"Not everyone will be involved this time?"
"Exactly."
Muzan narrowed his eyes.
"If you intend to deploy all Twelve Kizuki again…"
"I refuse."
Kokushibo smiled.
"Then let me explain."
"The Yoshiwara Plan."
The plan itself sounded surprisingly simple.
Every member of the Twelve Kizuki would infiltrate Yoshiwara.
Those capable of disguising themselves would blend into the Entertainment District as courtesans or attendants.
Once enough rumors spread about mysterious disappearances and unusual newcomers, both the Demon Slayer Corps and those mysterious creatures would inevitably investigate.
Then they could eliminate both enemies in a single operation.
Naturally…
Kokushibo never truly expected both sides to appear.
His real objective was much simpler.
The Demon Slayer Corps was currently recovering from recent battles.
During this period, he merely wanted to divert Muzan's attention elsewhere.
Unexpectedly
The instant Muzan finished listening, he slammed a hand onto the table.
"Isn't that still sending out the entire Twelve Kizuki?!"
Kokushibo immediately shook his head.
"My lord."
"You misunderstand."
"I specifically said we wouldn't deploy everyone."
"What if Upper Rank Four, Hantengu…"
"And Upper Rank Five, Gyokko…"
"Remain behind to guard the Infinity Castle?"
Gyokko and Hantengu, somewhere far away:
"…"
"So we're being left behind?"
"Run!"
"Run now!"
Muzan's eyelids twitched.
He almost laughed from sheer disbelief.
"You don't want to send those two…"
"But you expect everyone else to go?"
"If Gyokko and Hantengu became oiran…"
"Who exactly would become their customers?"
Even Muzan found that image impossible to imagine.
Kokushibo, completely shameless, gently wrapped an arm around Muzan's waist as he continued his persuasion.
"My lord…"
"This really is our best opportunity."
"We can use Yoshiwara to lure both the Demon Slayer Corps and those mysterious creatures."
"Meanwhile, Gyokko and Hantengu can continue investigating clues related to these mysterious beings."
Then Muzan suddenly caught something in Kokushibo's wording.
"…We?"
"You said we."
He slowly turned toward Kokushibo.
"…You're planning to disguise yourself as an oiran too?"
Kokushibo nodded without hesitation.
"Naturally."
"If I'm asking everyone else to do it…"
"I should set the example myself."
For the first time in quite a while…
Muzan smiled.
It was the same satisfied smile he had once worn long ago after narrowly escaping Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"…Very well."
To Kokushibo's complete surprise, Muzan reached out and lightly lifted his chin.
"In that case…"
"I'm coming too."
Kokushibo suddenly had a very bad feeling.
He had only invented this ridiculous plan as an excuse.
He never imagined it might actually become reality.
Meanwhile…
Inside the hidden nest of the mysterious creatures.
Mumei calmly looked over all of his subordinates before issuing his first official command.
"From this moment onward…"
"All of you will find suitable human hosts."
"Choose only attractive, healthy humans."
"This operation targets one of the most densely populated places in the country."
He then pointed toward another group.
"And you…"
"Infiltrate them."
The mysterious creatures looked at one another in confusion.
They lowered their compound eyes and examined their own insect-like bodies.
Were they not already beautiful enough?
In their eyes…
Mumei possessed the most perfect appearance imaginable.
Coincidentally, both the Twelve Kizuki and the mysterious creatures had set their sights on the same destination
The Yoshiwara Entertainment District.
Meanwhile…
The Demon Slayer Corps had reached a similar conclusion.
Reports of frequent disappearances within Yoshiwara had continued to increase.
Whether the culprit was a demon…
Or one of those mysterious creatures…
No one could say for certain.
After careful deliberation, Kagaya Ubuyashiki decided that, once the current missions were concluded, the Demon Slayer Corps would secretly dispatch swordsmen to infiltrate the Entertainment District and investigate.
Thus…
Without any prior coordination…
Humans.
Demons.
And the mysterious creatures.
All three factions simultaneously focused their attention on Yoshiwara.
None of them realized…
That this single operation would become a major turning point, changing the course of the war forever.