"This is the Tokito House. There's also an oiran here right now, named Koinatsu."
"She's just an ordinary human."
Suzuki Makoto glanced once and didn't look again, instead scanning the distance.
"What's wrong?"
"The presence of that oiran demon is almost everywhere in Yoshiwara. But aside from her own, the other presences are quite ordinary. It's not the faint kind that gradually dissipates after passing by, but rather feels like a territorial marker."
Tengen Uzui frowned. He had never seen a demon that marked out a territory before. And if this demon had clones, it would surely be even harder to kill.
"Should we request backup? Ask for more Hashira to assist?"
"That won't be necessary. If we can find your three wives, we'll make our move tonight. If we can't..."
"Let's still move tonight. If they're alive, killing this demon might be our only chance to find them. Otherwise, if we wait past tonight, the risk of them being eaten will be even greater."
The Sound Hashira wasn't blinded by emotion and could still make a calm judgment.
"Alright. Let's walk around for a bit first. We'll check every place tainted with this demon's scent. Then, in the late hours of the night, after the crowds have dispersed, we'll make our move."
Suzuki Makoto was glad his comrades were like this. Since that was the case, he also wanted to do everything he could to help find his wives.
"The Ogimoto House is just ahead."
The man frowned slightly and stopped.
"The top floor of that Ogimoto House is surrounded by a demon's presence. And within it, there's also the presence of a weakened woman. She's just weak, though; her life isn't in danger."
Tengen Uzui's eyes lit up, but he managed to restrain his excitement.
"Mr. Suzuki, I have some of my wives' belongings here. I was wondering if you could identify who is inside by their scent?"
"No, what I sense is a presence, not a scent. If I had met your wives before, I might be able to verify it, but I'm not a bloodhound, after all—"
Suzuki Makoto paused. Speaking of bloodhounds, they seemed to have one right here.
"Tanjiro, can you give it a try?"
"Huh? Me?"
The Sound Hashira took out the personal belongings of his three wives, had Tanjiro Kamado smell each one, and then they pretended to be customers and entered the Ogimoto House.
"Tanjiro, can you smell anything?"
"I can definitely smell Mrs. Makio's scent here, but it's all over the house. I can only confirm that Mrs. Makio was active here for some time, but I can't get a clear scent from the top floor."
The boy answered in a small voice, a hint of shame in his tone.
"Mr. Suzuki, it's Mrs. Makio. From here, I can hear the demon in the attic constantly interrogating someone. The name they're using in the interrogation is 'Makio'."
Zenitsu Agatsuma, on the other hand, gave everyone a pleasant surprise.
Tengen Uzui let out a small sigh of relief. If Makio was still alive, then the chances of the other two being alive were much higher. He figured the demon must have sensed something was wrong but wanted more information, which is why it hadn't killed her.
The group made a quick excuse and left the Ogimoto House, finding a corner to start planning.
"We can confirm what's happening at the Ogimoto House. Mrs. Makio, who infiltrated it, has been captured and is being held in the attic, guarded by a demon."
"The demon's main body is at the Kyogoku House. She should still be playing the part of an oiran right now. However, there's another, completely different presence inside her, which is likely another demon lying in wait."
Suzuki Makoto drew two circles on the map.
"So for now, Mr. Uzui, you take Inosuke and Zenitsu and stay here to keep watch."
"What about you?"
"I'll take Tanjiro and continue searching other places. Since Mrs. Hinatsuru and Mrs. Suma weren't discovered in the places they infiltrated like Mrs. Makio was, it means the demon must have a lair-like place somewhere in Yoshiwara."
Suzuki Makoto folded the map and looked at Tengen Uzui.
"In the time before we get back, have Zenitsu continue eavesdropping. If the demon tries to take Mrs. Makio away, just attack directly—remember to send a signal."
"Got it."
And so, the six of them split into two groups. Suzuki Makoto, along with the Kamado siblings, began scouring the places in Yoshiwara where the demon's presence lingered.
Soon, they made a discovery in a row of dilapidated houses on the edge of Yoshiwara.
"Mr. Suzuki, it's Mrs. Hinatsuru!"
Tanjiro said in a low voice.
Hinatsuru was bound inside a small, single-story house. A demon's presence lingered inside as well, and the woman was similarly weakened, but not in any mortal danger.
"Let's not move just yet. We'll check other places. Maybe we can find Mrs. Suma, too."
"Yes, sir!"
However, Suzuki Makoto didn't end up finding Suma. Instead, he stopped in a certain district.
"Mr. Suzuki, what's wrong?"
"I've found the demon's nest."
"Huh? Where is it?"
"Underground. There's a vast space."
The man's face was ice-cold. Just by standing here, he could sense how many vengeful spirits lingered in the demonic den beneath his feet.
"Could Mrs. Suma be down there?"
"It's very likely. But even if she isn't, we can't delay any longer. We have to make our move tonight. Let's go back and rendezvous with the others first."
The five people and one demon gathered again near the Ogimoto House.
"There are now four places we need to strike—the Kyogoku House, where the main body is; the Ogimoto House, where Mrs. Makio is; the area on the outskirts where Mrs. Hinatsuru is; and the location of the demon's nest."
Suzuki Makoto spread out the map, which had four circles drawn on it that were not too close to each other.
"I'll handle the main body here. As for the other locations, my idea is to have Lord Sound Hashira go to the demon's nest. Since the nest is underground, it will require large-scale destructive methods to reach. Therefore, besides myself, only Mr. Uzui can handle it."
"Leave it to me."
The Sound Hashira accepted the task without hesitation.
"Regarding the two wives, to prevent any mishaps, it's best to work in pairs. One person will attack the demon, and the other will handle the rescue. Inosuke, Zenitsu, you're in charge of Mrs. Makio. Tanjiro, you and Nezuko will be responsible for Mrs. Hinatsuru."
"Yes, sir!"*3
Suzuki Makoto took out a handful of fireworks.
"When I've engaged the demon's main body, I'll shoot off a red firework. The moment you see it, you act. If the operation goes smoothly, launch a green firework. If not, launch a red one, and anyone nearby will rush to provide support at full strength."
Everyone took their fireworks. Suzuki Makoto folded the map and gave the Sound Hashira an apologetic nod.
"I'm sorry. We only speculate that Mrs. Suma is in the demon's nest; we couldn't find her exact location."
"No, thank you very much, Lord Suzuki. Without your help, I can't even imagine how this would have turned out."
Tengen Uzui gave Suzuki Makoto a very solemn bow.
______
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