A place where "Yin flourishes and Yang withers"... a place heavy with the scent of rouge and powder... What else could that possibly be?
Horitake already had a strong suspicion, though he felt it wasn't quite the right time to voice it aloud.
Furthermore, if the demon involved in this mission was indeed the same elusive predator they had been discussing—a potentially female demon with a penchant for boys between twelve and eighteen—then...
What a degenerate world we live in!
He couldn't help but wonder: was "devouring" truly meant in the literal sense? Before the actual, physical consumption, was there another form of "consumption" taking place? Was Senjuro Rengoku about to suffer that kind of fate? It was hard to say.
Plagued by these bizarre speculations and a complex swirl of emotions, Horitake looked around at the group before turning his gaze toward Shinobu Kocho.
"Shinobu-san, were your words blessed by a shrine or something? They're incredibly effective."
Shinobu blinked, looking a bit dazed. "What do you mean?"
"You just told me to use my eyes to look into the future, and right on cue, my eyes caught a glimpse of something... interesting."
Everyone present knew how miraculous Horitake's eyes were. Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew electric. Shinobu leaned in, her voice urgent. "Horitake, did you really see the future? Did you see the demon? Where is it going next? Can we catch it before it strikes again?"
Horitake quickly held up a hand to calm her down. "It's not that simple. Like I said before, I can't just see whatever I want on command. That would be absurd. I simply saw a specific event—one that is likely connected to this fleeing demon."
"What did you see?"
Horitake turned to Kagaya. Instead of answering directly, he posed a question: "My Lord, does the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, have a younger brother?"
Kagaya was taken aback. Though he didn't understand the sudden shift in topic, he answered immediately. "To my knowledge, Kyojuro does indeed have a younger brother named Senjuro Rengoku."
"And how old is this Senjuro?"
"I'm not entirely certain, but he should be around thirteen or fourteen."
"I see. Then it fits."
"What fits?"
"I just saw a brief fragment of the future," Horitake explained. "I saw a boy, roughly thirteen or fourteen years old, who looks remarkably like Kyojuro—the hair and eyebrows are practically identical. This boy was being kidnapped by someone who appeared to be a demon. That's all I saw; the vision cut off after that."
Horitake's explanation sent the room into deep thought.
Kyojuro's brother, Senjuro, fell exactly into the demon's target age range, and he had supposedly been kidnapped. The coincidence was too strong to ignore. If this was the work of the demon they were hunting, it made sense—its hunting habits were far too specific to be a mere fluke.
Then, Horitake raised a hand to correct himself. "Oh, wait. Actually, let me clarify. What I saw might not have been the future, but rather the very recent past or the present. In other words, Senjuro has likely already been kidnapped, though he shouldn't be in mortal danger just yet."
This revelation made everyone's hearts sink. Since it involved the brother of a Hashira, they couldn't afford to be anything less than dead serious.
Lady Amane looked at Kagaya and asked softly, "My Lord, should we inform the Flame Hashira?"
Kagaya and Horitake shook their heads at the exact same time, their movements perfectly synchronized in opposition.
"No," Horitake said firmly. "We can't tell Kyojuro. He's powerful, certainly, but in a situation where his own family is at stake, concern will cloud his judgment. There's no telling what he might do in a state of panic."
Horitake then stepped forward, volunteering himself. "Time is running out. My plan is to head out immediately to rescue his brother and resolve this matter before Kyojuro even realizes what's happening."
Kagaya nodded in agreement. "I agree. Since you are the one who saw the vision, and the demon in question is likely the elusive one we've been discussing, you are the most suitable person to handle this."
With the Lord's approval, Horitake couldn't afford to waste another second. He stood up abruptly. "Then there's no time to lose. I'll set off at once to ensure Senjuro's safety. By the way, My Lord, where is the Rengoku family home? If I'm not mistaken, Senjuro wouldn't have wandered far, so this must be happening near their estate."
As the leader of the Corps, Kagaya knew the circumstances of his Hashira inside and out. He immediately pointed to a specific town on the map.
Horitake studied the map for a moment, committing the location to memory. It seemed the Rengoku family came from a well-to-do town; they were clearly of noble stock.
With his destination set, Horitake turned to leave. To his surprise, Shinobu stood up as well, blocking his path.
"Wait! I'm coming with you!"
Horitake looked at her, stunned. Previously, they had traveled together because of a chance encounter and the gravity of their shared mission. But now, Shinobu was volunteering to join him of her own accord.
Shinobu herself was feeling a whirlwind of emotions. The moment she saw Horitake preparing to leave, an impulsive urge had seized her, forcing her to stand and speak. Is being by his side... actually what I want? she wondered.
While having a beautiful companion was certainly a plus, Horitake had his reservations. "Shinobu-san, perhaps you should stay. Someone needs to protect My Lord and Lady Amane on their return to Headquarters. We can't have them traveling without a guard."
It was a logical argument—so logical that Shinobu found it hard to refute.
However, Kagaya was far too perceptive to let such a moment pass. He had no intention of playing the villain who stood in the way of their developing bond. He spoke up with a gentle smile:
"It's quite alright, Shinobu. You should go with Horitake. Do not worry about my safety; I made ample preparations and brought plenty of guards for the trip here. The return journey to Headquarters will be perfectly secure."
With the Lord providing such a perfect "assist," how could Shinobu refuse? she quickly moved to Horitake's side, almost as if she were sticking to him.
"Since My Lord says it's fine, I'll be operating with you."
Horitake smiled, happy with the outcome. "Fine. But we're in a hurry. This is going to be a long, high-speed trek. You'll have to keep up with my pace, otherwise, I'll have to leave you behind."
"Don't worry," she countered confidently. "I can keep up."
"Then let's go! My Lord, Lady Amane, Lady Tamayo, Yushiro—please excuse us. Farewell, everyone!"
After a hasty goodbye, Horitake and Shinobu sprinted out of the basement, leaving Tamayo's manor behind. They quickly cleared the outskirts of Tokyo, racing like a pair of shadows toward their destination.
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