The door slid open, and the man frowned.
"What else do you want?"
Ema pursed her lips. "Can we speak… alone?"
Seeing the man's hesitant face, her eyes glowed.
"You see… we're not normal people."
The man staggered, and she took that as an invitation to step in. Then she closed the shoji door behind her.
"We need to know about that island and that demon so we can stop this plague."
When Ema said that, the man squinted. "You think you can stop that demon?"
"I don't think so. Those two young men out there can kill that demon. They're much stronger than they look."
The man went to a table and sat before it. Ema sat on the other side and placed her hands on the table.
"We're the ones risking our lives. All you have to do is lead us to the island."
He looked down after she said that. "I left that island when I was just twenty. I am Kenji Takeda."
Kenji laughed softly when he saw Ema's confused and slightly expectant expression. There was no shock.
