Near Yoshiwara's red-light district, in an inn bearing wisteria crests.
Three Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps sat together, discussing how to execute their covert investigation mission.
The three youngsters—Tanjiro and his friends—listened attentively to Shinichi and the others' discussion.
Beside Tanjiro lay an open wooden box, while the tiny form of Nezuko crawled about on the tatami mats.
Tanjiro listened intently, but Zenitsu, chin propped on his hand, seemed somewhat distracted.
Tengen solemnly pulled out a stack of letters from his chest and handed them to Shinichi and Sanemi.
"These are the intelligence reports my wives sent me before they went missing. As I suspected, there are definitely demons lurking in Yoshiwara's red-light district. Through my wives' prolonged covert investigations, we've narrowed down the approximate area. However, not long ago, all communication from them ceased."
"Wives?" Shinichi blinked slightly as he took the letters.
Was Tengen's wording odd, or had he misheard him?
Sanemi casually grabbed a few letters and opened them.
His face immediately showed visible impatience.
Whether influenced by Tengen's former ninja identity or not, his wives' letters were written in an extremely ninja-like style that made Sanemi's head throb.
(Note: Uzui Tengen's three wives also came from ninja families.)
"Your wife—uh, wives—have excellent calligraphy. So, what's our plan?" Sanemi frowned and tossed the letters to Tanjiro, who was watching them eagerly.
Since Sanemi wasn't originally in charge of this mission, he simply skipped the thinking process and asked directly.
In truth, Sanemi was highly capable—just a bit short-tempered.
Shinichi shared a similar attitude.
Regardless, aside from slaying potential demons, this mission also involved rescuing Tengen's wives as a side objective.
Thus, it was best to follow the lead of the person directly involved.
Without hesitation, Tengen pulled out a roughly hand-drawn map of Yoshiwara's red-light district and pointed to the marked areas.
"Our main targets are these three locations: Toko House, Ogimoto House, and Kyogoku House. My wives infiltrated these brothels before losing contact. I've tried investigating undercover as a customer myself, but found nothing."
"Seriously? We're on a mission just to find your wives? That's ridiculous," Zenitsu grumbled, resting his chin on his hand.
Hearing this, Tengen's eyebrows shot up.
In a flash, he appeared beside Zenitsu, grabbing him by the collar like a chick and scolding him.
"You brat! Daring to question your superior's orders? And what do you mean 'just to find my wives'? My wives risked their lives for the Demon Slayer Corps' mission, you little punk!"
"Ahh! Wait—what do you mean 'wives'?!" Zenitsu's mind went blank, echoing Shinichi's earlier confusion.
"What's so hard to understand? Suma is in Toko House, Hinatsuru in Kyogoku House, and Makio infiltrated Ogimoto House," Uzui Tengen stated matter-of-factly.
"WHAT?!?! YOU—YOU HAVE THREE WIVES?!?!"
"Stop screaming you damn brat!"
BAM!
Knock knock knock~
"Excuse me, everyone's dinner is ready. Also, we've brought the costumes and makeup Uzui-san requested," a young man in wisteria-patterned attire said gently as he opened the door.
"Costumes?" Shinichi frowned.
"Makeup?" Sanemi questioned.
....
A moment later, Sanemi's forehead bulged with veins as he gritted his teeth and stood up while roaring wildly.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY? Dressing up as women to infiltrate those damn brothels? In your dreams! Absolutely not! (╬ಠ益ಠ)"
Tengen looked at the agitated Sanemi, his face immediately showing a faint expression of disdain.
"Relax, with your rough demeanor, no amount of makeup could hide it. You're not cut out for undercover missions."
"Damn you!"
Ignoring the furious Sanemi, Tengen then turned his gaze to Shinichi.
That look instantly sent a chill down Shinichi's spine.
As a fellow veteran Hashira, the Forest Hashira certainly had no intention of cross-dressing either.
So Shinichi firmly declared, "No way!"
Faced with Shinichi's resolute refusal, Tengen didn't press further and merely shrugged indifferently before shifting his attention to Tanjiro and the other two youngsters.
"Huh? Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" Tanjiro instinctively sensed something ominous when he met the Sound Hashira's gaze.
"Yummy, yummy~"
Beside Tanjiro, Inosuke—who had somehow removed his boar mask—was happily devouring his delicious dinner.
No one would have guessed that beneath that wild boar mask lay an incredibly handsome face.
What a gap moe!
....
Needless to say, Shinichi and Sanemi could only watch as Tengen, dressed as flamboyantly as a top host from a nightclub, led the three youngsters—now clad in kimonos and wearing makeup thicker than a common whore—into the bustling crowd of the red-light district.
"What was he thinking? Making those three kids look so hideous?" Sanemi crossed his arms, puzzled, as he asked Shinichi.
Shinichi's heterochromatic eyes reflected the fading figures of Tengen and the others.
He chuckled and said, "Who knows? Maybe that's exactly what the customers in the red-light district are into. Anyway, Sanemi, we should get moving too. We can't let Tengen and the others handle this alone."
"Tch, fine. What a hassle!" Sanemi clicked his tongue but quickly set off with Shinichi to infiltrate the district.
Of course, they couldn't wear their Demon Slayer Corps uniforms or haoris for this mission.
For disguise, Sanemi transformed into a street vendor pushing a cart, with his Nichirin Blade hidden beneath it.
The cart was piled with everyday items like mirrors and wooden combs, and a wide straw hat covered his head.
No one would ever suspect that this ordinary vendor in the crowd was actually a formidable Hashira.
As for Shinichi, he went all out—replacing his Nichirin Blade's sheath with a plain black one, leaving his short sword at the Butterfly mansion and donning a black police uniform.
With a leather belt fastened and a badge pinned to his chest, he became a dashing young officer, strutting confidently into the Yoshiwara red-light district.
Of course, Shinichi's police disguise wasn't for cracking down on illegal activities—business in Yoshiwara was entirely legal, and many of Tokyo's elite could often be found indulging in its pleasures.
Shinichi disguised himself as a police officer partly because he already possessed an officer's ID (a gift from Chinatsu, as mentioned earlier) and partly to provide cover for the others.
If there were indeed Demons lurking in the red-light district of Yoshiwara, his conspicuous "police officer" persona would make the other disguised individuals appear less noticeable by comparison.
In any case, the tightly coordinated infiltration operation into Yoshiwara's red-light district had officially begun.
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