In response to Horitake's question, Kagaya shook his head slightly.
"We aren't certain. However, the demon has undoubtedly crossed into the Kanto region."
Staring at the map, Horitake sat on the tatami mat, resting his chin in his hand as he fell into deep thought.
Information on this demon was non-existent. All they knew were three specific traits regarding its hunting habits:
First: It preferred handsome young boys, suggesting it might be a female demon.
Second: It never returned to its previous feeding grounds, following a "good horse doesn't turn back to eat old grass" philosophy.
Third: It had traveled from Kansai to Kanto and was likely already operating within the region.
After agonizing over the details for a long while, Horitake shook his head in frustration.
"There's no way, My Lord. With only this much information, I have no way of tracking this demon. If I can't find it, I certainly can't slay it."
At this moment, Horitake desperately wished he possessed a tracking ability like the Black Dog Demon. Unfortunately, he did not.
He turned his gaze toward Tamayo and Yushiro, hoping they might offer some assistance or a spark of inspiration. "Lady Tamayo, Yushiro—do either of you have any thoughts on this?"
Both shook their heads. Tamayo replied apologetically, "I am sorry, Master Horitake. The available information is too sparse; we cannot deduce anything further."
"Exactly," Yushiro added. "Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice. You might be a wanderer by trade, but this guy is constantly on the move too. To top it off, he never returns to the same spot. How are we supposed to track that?"
Just then, Shinobu Kocho gave Horitake a playful poke and asked with a clever smile, "Horitake, don't your eyes have a special ability? Can't you see the future? Couldn't you just take a look at where the demon will appear next, then head there early to lie in wait?"
"Shinobu-san, you really are my 'dear' sister... If only it were that easy!" Horitake sighed. "It's true my eyes can see the future, but I only see brief, random fragments. This ability is unpredictable! It triggers whenever it feels like it. If I could just see whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, wouldn't I be a god? Wouldn't I be invincible?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a voice rang out inside his mind!
[Ding! The host has captured Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, alive and delivered him to Tamayo. This is an unprecedented feat in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps, significantly disrupting the threads of fate and triggering a negative Butterfly Effect: Senjuro Rengoku's Crisis!]
Horitake's mind went blank for a second.
Who? Whose crisis?
Senjuro Rengoku?
Isn't that Kyojuro Rengoku's younger brother?! He's a civilian—how the hell is he involved in this?
Horitake was beyond complaining about the system's logic—especially this "Butterfly Effect" nonsense. He was bordering on a total meltdown.
I captured Hantengu and gave him to Tamayo. How does that leap all the way over to Kyojuro's little brother? These two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other!
He wanted to scream at the absurdity of it all. He was genuinely fuming at this "eight-degrees-of-separation" logic the system was throwing at him.
However, he forced himself to calm down and began questioning the system within his mind.
"Fine, you damn system. Tell me. What's going on? What kind of 'Butterfly Effect' is it this time?"
The system did not respond to his anger directly. Instead, it moved straight to the mission briefing:
[Ding! System Mission Issued:]
[Mission: Resolve the negative Butterfly Effect—Senjuro Rengoku's Crisis!]
[Description: Senjuro Rengoku, younger brother of the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, is a civilian with no ties to the Demon Slayer Corps or demons. However, due to an accident, Senjuro has been caught up in danger. He has been captured alive by a certain demon and is facing an unknown fate. His life is in immediate jeopardy.]
[Objective: Head to Kyojuro Rengoku's hometown and rescue his brother, Senjuro Rengoku.]
[Hint: This rescue mission may be related to the demon that the host is currently troubled by.]
[Tactical Advice: Upon reaching the target location, seek out places where 'Yin flourishes and Yang withers'—places heavy with the scent of rouge and powder. That is where the mission can be completed.]
[Urgency: Senjuro Rengoku has already been kidnapped. Time is running out. Please begin the operation immediately to prevent a tragedy.]
[Reward for Success: Recipe for the Life-Supplementing Potion.]
[Penalty for Failure: Death of Senjuro Rengoku. Kyojuro Rengoku will suffer extreme psychological trauma, affecting the Corps' top-tier combat power. Fate will be further disrupted, leading to a total collapse of the Butterfly Effect.]
Horitake listened to the mission details in a daze.
He wasn't just stunned; he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information packed into the prompt.
First, the target: Senjuro Rengoku. As Kyojuro's brother, the kid was having some seriously rotten luck to be snatched up by a demon.
But the real question was... how did he get caught?
Kyojuro was the Flame Hashira; his duties were heavy, and he was rarely home. That was understandable. But their father, Shinjuro Rengoku, was the former Flame Hashira! The man was incredibly powerful. How could a former Hashira let a demon waltz in and kidnap his own son?
How pathetic can you get?
Horitake couldn't help but recall Shinjuro's current state. Ever since his wife—the brothers' mother—passed away, Shinjuro had spiraled into a pit of despair and alcoholism. He was completely irresponsible and didn't seem to care about his home or his children.
Thinking about it that way, it wasn't impossible for a self-loathing, drunken father to have a momentary lapse in judgment that allowed his youngest son to be taken.
Sigh. Regardless of the details, Senjuro's crisis is definitely linked to that old man's negligence!
According to the mission, the incident was happening in Kyojuro's hometown. All he had to do was get there as fast as possible.
The system's hints were also quite revealing. First, the demon involved was likely the one he and Kagaya had just been discussing.
Wait...
Horitake looked back at the map and remembered the demon's preference for boys between twelve and eighteen. How old was Senjuro? He was roughly thirteen or fourteen.
He fits the demographic perfectly!
Then there was the final hint: look for a place where "Yin flourishes and Yang withers," a place "heavy with the scent of rouge and powder."
What kind of place is that...?
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