Hello, dearies! Here's another chapter!
Tanjirou was never known to be a skilled liar. Even a complete stranger can tell when the honest boy was keeping a secret. He guessed it had something to do with how he was raised. His parents were honest, good-natured people, and they raised their son to be the same. That is why it took a great deal of effort for Tanjirou to open the shoji doors and pretend like nothing life-changing had happened,
"Sumiko-chan!" The young courtesan greeted the disguised boy. "Thank goodness you answered. I'm terribly sorry to bother you after you just finished servicing a customer, bu- What's wrong?"
Apparently, Tanjirou's attempt to hide his distress had failed. His eyes must have given something away, because now the courtesan was staring at him with concerned eyes.
"Did something happen with Yukihime-sama?" She questioned. "I would be surprised if something did. Yukihime-sama is a favorite here in the brothel. She's usually very kind and generous. None of the courtesans here have ever complained about any offensive behavior. Unless..." She gasped, clutching Tanjirou's arm softly. " Could it be... that hat was your first time with a woman?"
"U-Uh..."
The courtesan giggled. "Oh, you silly girl! There's absolutely nothing to be worried about. No one here will judge you for enjoying the pleasure of a woman's company. Plus..." Her lips pulled back into a smirk. "If it was Yukihime-sama, I'm certain she was very generous with you."
A sudden blush rushed to the boy's cheeks. His mind went back to the events of tonight. But, soon shame turned into anger. That vile demon is a regular here? He disguises himself as a woman to defile these nice ladies? He preys on them like a wolf hiding in sheep's clothing! What if he was responsible for all of the missing courtesans!? Usui-san is going to want to know about this!
"Anyways, dear. We are a little short-handed tonight, so I was wondering if you could bring some of these things to Koinatsu-Oiran's room?" The courtesan pointed towards the pile of silks and chests next to her. "I know it's a lot, but we just don't have enough helpers tonight..."
Tanjirou shook his head, trying to shake away his anger and shame. "To Koinatsu-Oiran's room, right? Sure, I'll do it!"
The young slayer gave the courtesan a fake smile. He rushed to grab all of the fancy silks and heavy chests. Not wanting to keep talking about 'Yukihime-sama,' the young slayer rushed down the hall with all of the items in his arms. "Take a left at the end of the hall. Her room is the very last one!" The courtesan yelled as Tanjrou kept jogging away from her.
I need to get my mind off of this whole thing, and focus on the mission. Maybe I should report to Usui-san about this?
"Sumiko." A monotone voice stopped him in his tracks. A strange scent struck him. His eyes followed the source.
A young, short woman stood in the middle of the large hall. Her black hair was shoulder-length and neatly cut. Her small frame looked so fragile and delicate. Anyone would probably mistake her for a harmless flower, but Tanjirou could tell that she was most definitely not a normal girl. The way her piercing black eyes stared at him, like she hunting him. It was like staring into the eyes of a predator. Her scent was like that of a human, but at the same time it wasn't.
Who is this girl?
"W-Who are you?"
The girl ignored his question. Her delicate, bare feet made no noise as she approached him. "You need to be more careful. The longer you stay here, the better the chances that you will 'loose your footing.'"
Tanjirou instinctively backed away from her. Something about this woman made him feel unsettled. "What do you mean 'loose my footing'?"
The girl was now inches away from his face. He struggled to keep eye contact. Those eyes were like deep pools of emptiness. "Many courtesans have been 'loosing their footing; lately. It's what the locals refer to when one of these women decide to run away from this meaningless lifestyle. Once their caught, terrible things happen to them. Many of them don't come back."
"Don't come back..."
"Yes. Just like Suma-Oiran."
Suma!? That's Usui-san's wife! "How do y-"
"Girls, would you please stop spreading such rumors." A kind voice interrupted them.
The two turned to see the beautiful Kotatsu-Oiran open her shoji doors. Her delicate face was shaped into an expression of discontent. "Really...There is no way to say for sure that those girls ran away. You mustn't spread such rumors without knowing the whole truth."
The strange girl besides Tanjirou did not respond to the older woman's words. Instead, she gave Tanjirou one last glance before she turned her back to the both of them. Tanjirou and the Oiran watched her calmly walk away.
"That girl is so strange..." The Oiran commented.
Tanjirou couldn't agree more. That girl is strange, and dangerous...
Fuyuji walked away quickly, trying to get out of Tanjirou's sight as soon as possible.
The petite girl exited the brothel quietly. That's when she was bombarded with an annoyingly loud voice in her head.
Fuyumi! What do you think you're doing!? Muzan-sama gave us direct orders to stop monitoring the Kamado siblings!
Fuyumi flinched at Anne's volume. That blond woman never could learn how to keep her thoughts at a low volume. What do you think I'm doing right now? I'm leaving this place.
The why, pray tell, are you speaking to that boy!? Why are you helping him find his missing comrade!? You need to get out of there now! One of the Upper Moons is in that brothel!
Fuyumi scoffed. It's not like she didn't notice the demon's presence before. I know... I could feel that putrid demon's presence the second it arrived here.
Lucy will be delivering the final ingredient to Tamayo tonight. We must get away from this mess before the real war begins…
I know, Anne...
Fuyumi glanced behind her. The bloodbath has hardly just begun...
