"The Yoshiwara red-light district? In that case, Tengen, I'll go with you right away," Shinichi said without hesitation.
If there were traces of an Upper Moon, having another Hashira along would be safer.
"Finally, there's a chance to fight an Upper Moon. No matter what, you have to count me in! I've been itching to chop off those damned Upper Moon heads!" Sanemi's face twisted into a fierce expression, his bloodshot eyes brimming with battle lust.
"You?" Uzui Tengen looked Sanemi up and down.
The man practically had "don't mess with me" written all over him.
Taking such an obviously dangerous person to the red-light district of Yoshiwara—forget investigating Demons, they'd be lucky if the district managers didn't mistake him for a thug there to cause trouble and throw him out.
Moreover, Shinobu's earlier words had reminded Uzui Tengen that for undercover investigations in the red-light district, female team members weren't strictly necessary.
After all, that place was no good environment for respectable young women.
Male team members would fare much better.
With some light makeup, they could infiltrate just as effectively, and male members were far less likely to encounter... certain special situations. Right?
No matter what, Uzui Tengen's domineering idea of randomly grabbing a few female members to participate in the investigation was finally dismissed.
"Hey, Sanemi, what are you going to do? Didn't Shinobu just say she needed good-looking male members? Sanemi, you and 'good-looking'... pfft—" Kumeno beside him couldn't hold back his laughter.
Kumeno's words also made everyone in the Butterfly Mansion stifle their giggles.
Almost instinctively, they all turned to look at Sanemi's "ferocious" face, their minds conjuring up images of him wearing a kimono and calling out in a "delicate" voice.
"Welcome, dear customer~"
Pfft— pfft— Many couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Only Sanemi stood there utterly confused.
What was so funny?
What did killing Demons have to do with being good-looking or not?
Why were these idiots laughing? It was downright infuriating!
Clearly, the straightforward Sanemi hadn't yet grasped the implications of Shinobu's earlier words.
This investigation mission wasn't just about slaying Demons.
In fact, not only Sanemi, but even Shinichi, who had volunteered, hadn't fully realized it yet.
To Shinichi, it was simply a matter of duty—investigating and eliminating a potential Upper Moon was the Hashiras' responsibility.
"What a shame. I wanted to go with Shinichi too, but the Butterfly Mansion is swamped right now. I need to stay and help my sister," Shinobu said, looking at Shinichi with regret.
Her clever violet eyes sparkled with an ambiguous, almost expectant glow, though no one could tell what exactly she was hoping for.
Kanae glanced at her sister.
For some reason, she felt that ever since Shinobu and Shinichi had returned, something about her sister seemed different—more cheerful, more lively.
Tanjiro clenched his fists and declared loudly, "Uzui-san, Shinichi-senpai! If possible, please take me with you!"
The trail of an Upper Moon—it might just be Upper Rank Three, Akaza!
Tanjiro would never let slip any chance to avenge his family.
"Hmm? A bit rough around the edges, but with such a dazzlingly proactive spirit? Not bad. I like you," Uzui Tengen crossed his arms, eyeing Tanjiro with approval.
He quite admired this brash young man who had dared to stand up to him earlier.
"If Kamaboko's going, then I'm going too!" Inosuke, the boar-headed wild child, bellowed, though for now, no one paid him any attention.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro's other close friend, Zenitsu, shrank back.
'An Upper Moon? Just the thought of it was terrifying.'
'His arm hadn't even fully healed yet.'
But when he overheard the other injured members at the Butterfly Mansion whispering about what exactly the Red-light district was and how many beautiful women worked there, Zenitsu's eyes instantly gleamed gold.
What? His arm? His arm was fine! Strong as steel!
With the initial misunderstanding caused by Uzui Tengen cleared up, it wouldn't do for everyone to keep loitering and disrupting the Butterfly Mansion's operations.
So, under Shinichi and Kanae's joint urging, the nosy patients were all sent back to their rooms, and the three shaken Butterfly Mansion girls were led away by Kumeno.
Not long after, Kanzaki Aoi regained consciousness, though the overbearing Sound Hashira had left her with quite the psychological scar.
Now, under Kumeno's care, she went to rest as well.
Shinichi and Uzui Tengen prepared to go together to meet with Oyakata-sama.
After all, this was an operation that might involve an Upper Rank Demon, so it was necessary to report in advance.
Sanemi also insisted on accompanying the two.
Before leaving the Butterfly Mansion, Shinichi was stopped by Shinobu.
At her signal, the two moved to a relatively quiet corner.
"Now, Shinichi, let me make this clear. You can go to the red-light district, but! Absolutely! No! No inappropriate contact with those women there! Under no circumstances!" Shinobu stared into Shinichi's eyes, enunciating each word with utmost seriousness.
Seeing Shinobu's earnest yet slightly stern expression, Shinichi almost laughed.
This side of her looked especially adorable—was this what they called jealousy?
After Shinobu's confession, the relationship between Shinichi and Shinobu had changed yet somehow remained the same.
Or perhaps their bond was as close as before, and most Demon Slayers likely wouldn't notice any difference in the relationship between the Forest Hashira and the Insect Hashira.
Only a few observant individuals or those who paid attention to the two might sense something—like Shinobu's sister Kanae, or the female Demon Slayer Fuyuki Tachibana, who had always been a fervent supporter of their pairing.
The most obvious change might be how Shinobu addressed Shinichi—from "Shinichi-kun" to the more intimate "Shinichi."
Calling him without honorifics wasn't impolite; rather, it reflected how Shinobu now saw him as family (or as her beloved).
"Alright, don't worry. You know me, Shinobu. My heart is small—it only has room for one person. A beautiful, adorable little butterfly who gets a bit jealous sometimes." Shinichi smiled and gently pinched Shinobu's cheek.
Such simple sweet talk instantly painted Shinobu's face crimson.
She huffed stubbornly, "Hmph~ Really? How do I know you're not just saying that? After all, there are so many beautiful butterflies in the world."
Without another word, Shinichi grabbed Shinobu's small hand and pressed it against his chest through his collar.
"Then let my little butterfly listen for herself and see if I'm lying~"
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
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