"Hanako! Quick, prepare the finest sake!" the Madam of Tokihei House shouted urgently as soon as she stepped through the entrance.
"No need. Just brew some hot tea with this," Shinichi declined, discreetly pausing his hand near the small silver mirror at his waist when no one was looking.
He then naturally handed the Madam a packet of wisteria tea.
The Madam blinked at the tea leaves but quickly recovered, summoning all the house girls with an ingratiating smile.
"This Officer Moriki has done us a great favor today. Make sure he's well taken care of!"
Ignoring the geishas' flirtatious glances, Shinichi surveyed the brothel's interior upon entering.
Truth be told, compared to the lavish establishments in Yoshiwara's red-light district, Tokihei House was not only remote but also far less opulent in decor.
Even the geishas were plain-faced, relying heavily on thick makeup to compensate—no wonder business was so poor they suffered from dine-and-dash customers.
Still, Shinichi didn't particularly care.
After all, revelry wasn't his purpose here.
Choosing a room at random, he soon received the brewed wisteria tea from the Madam, who trailed behind the heavily made-up geishas.
"Officer Moriki, which lady would you like to keep you company?" the Madam asked with a sycophantic grin.
Shinichi unbuckled his longsword and slammed it onto the tea table with a thud, raising an eyebrow.
"What? Is company mandatory?"
The clatter of the wooden scabbard made the Madam flinch.
Instantly, the image of the ronin's miserable state flashed through her mind—except...
She swallowed hard while stammering, "Well, this is Yoshiwara... most patrons would, but of course, if you prefer solitude..." Her voice dwindled under Shinichi's silent stare.
For some reason, the pressure radiating from this exceedingly young officer felt suffocating, leaving her breathless.
Fortunately, Shinichi soon averted his gaze and pointed indifferently at a particularly young girl.
"Her, then. And don't let anyone near this room afterward. No disturbances—understood?"
Whoosh—the air seems to froze.
The chosen girl, her companions, and even the Madam stood stunned.
The girl Shinichi pointed at wasn't particularly beautiful, just an ordinary-looking girl.
Among these geishas, her only standout feature might be that she appeared very young.
'Could it be that this young officer has a preference for youth? And even asked everyone not to disturb her... Hiss~ Could it be...'
Not just the Madam, but others were secretly thinking along these lines.
Though somewhat fearful, the Madam mustered her courage and said.
"Officer Moriki, Kiyoko here... she's still a bit underage. Do you think perhaps..."
Slap!
With a casual smack on the tea table, Shinichi made everyone's eyes widen in shock.
A stack of crisp yen bills appeared on the table - just a glance suggested it was at least several hundred yen.
Instantly, the Madam's breathing became noticeably heavier.
"Officer Moriki! Enjoy yourself!"
The Madam's face blossomed like a sakura tree in full bloom.
Before the words had fully left her mouth...
BANG!!
The wooden door was decisively shut from outside.
Now the room contained only Shinichi and the girl called Kiyoko.
Truth be told, Shinichi had chosen her for no special reason - simply because this girl wore only a thin layer of makeup, making her more pleasant to look at.
However, the girl was visibly nervous facing Shinichi as he sipped his wisteria tea.
After all, she'd never been alone with a customer before.
"What's your name?"
"K-Kiyoko."
"I meant your real name."
"H-Higashino Kiyoko. Sir, would you like me to... to help you..."
"Stay there! Don't move! No - sit down, sit there and don't move. Don't worry, I don't mean anything improper. I just need to ask you some questions. Answer them truthfully!"
"Questions?" Higashino Kiyoko's eyes widened in confusion as she looked at Shinichi.
"Why did you come to Yoshiwara's red-light district? How many years has it been?"
"Three years. Back then... my father was gravely ill. To save him, I had no choice but to secretly sell myself without telling my brothers. But... father still didn't survive the winter."
"I'm sorry to bring up painful memories. But you're saying you came here three years ago, correct? During these three years, have you heard any strange rumors or monster legends circulating in the district?"
"Huh?" Higashino Kiyoko was stunned by this question.
Why would this polite officer be interested in ghost stories?
She had assumed he was investigating murderers or robbers.
Yet Shinichi's question did remind her of certain rumors she'd discussed with her sisters during leisure time.
"There is one rumor... they call it the Courtesan's Curse."
Shinichi set down his teacup, clearly intrigued.
"Courtesan's Curse? Tell me more."
....
"Damn it! Why are there so many people?!"
Beside a pushcart, the Wind Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps found himself thoroughly annoyed by the dense crowd of customers.
No one could have predicted, least of all Shinazugawa Sanemi himself, that his disguise as a peddler infiltrating the red-light district to secretly investigate demon activity would backfire so spectacularly.
The absurdity peaked when a roadside geisha casually asked Sanemi about the price of rouge on his cart.
Not knowing the value of these items, Sanemi casually quoted a price of ten coins, only for the geishas to widen their eyes the next second and then, like madwomen, throw themselves at him without regard for their image, their powdered faces unable to conceal their slightly ferocious expressions.
"How much!?"
Sanemi didn't know that the miscellaneous items prepared for him by the Butterfly mansion were no ordinary goods.
Whether it was the wooden combs, silver mirrors, or various cosmetics, they were all top-tier products, each worth dozens of coins at the very least.
His offhand quote instantly drove the geishas into a frenzy.
The geishas scrambling for the goods nearly came to blows, and the commotion attracted more passersby, soon escalating into an even greater uproar.
With great difficulty, Sanemi finally managed to extricate himself from the frenzied women.
By then, the Wind Hashira's resentment was about to explode, yet he couldn't vent his anger on those women.
He could only mutter viciously under his breath, "A bunch of crazy women!"
Just as Sanemi was cursing, an all-too-familiar voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Let me ask you something—have you seen any Demons? The kind that look terrifying and eat people?"
"Huh? What nonsense are you spouting, kid? Move aside, I've got things to do."
"Wait! You haven't answered me yet!"
The sudden voice made Sanemi freeze in place.
His bloodshot eyes widened to their limit, hardly believing his ears, but the familiar voice couldn't be mistaken.
Swish!
Sanemi spun around abruptly.
"Genya!?"