After departing from Tokyo, Horitake and Shinobu Kocho traveled in a hurried blur, heading straight for the hometown of Kyojuro Rengoku to rescue his younger brother.
The pair maintained a swift pace. Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in the deepening hues of twilight, they arrived at the small city nestled between the mountains and the water.
This was the ancestral home of the Rengoku lineage.
Walking through the streets, Horitake and Shinobu observed the bustling night markets and the neon-lit districts beginning to flicker to life.
Shinobu surveyed their surroundings before drawing a conclusion.
"While it can't compare to Tokyo, it's still a fairly prosperous and developed place. So, the Flame Hashira's home is here? He really does come from a prestigious background," she remarked. "Horitake-san, night has fallen. This is when demons become active, and it's the ideal time for us to hunt them. However, in a city this size, where do we even begin looking for the Flame Hashira's brother? We have no clues at all. Should we visit the Rengoku estate and ask his family?"
She continued, "I'm sure they've noticed his disappearance by now. Inquiring with them might yield some useful leads."
Shinobu's suggestion was the logical course of action—the standard procedure one would expect in such a situation.
However, Horitake shook his head, indicating that standard procedures wouldn't suffice this time.
"It's no use, Shinobu-nee. I doubt we'd get any useful information by visiting the Rengoku house. In fact, it's highly likely his family hasn't even realized he's missing yet."
"How is that possible?" Shinobu asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "A child of the house has vanished. How could they fail to notice something so significant?"
"Heh, believe it or not, they really might not have noticed. The situation at the Rengoku household is a bit... unique right now. Only three people live there. Aside from the Rengoku brothers, there is only their father."
Horitake's expression turned somber. "Kyojuro's father, Shinjuro Rengoku, is the former Flame Hashira of our Demon Slayer Corps. He used to be a highly respected senior, but ever since his wife—the brothers' mother—passed away, he has completely spiraled into despondency. He spends his days drinking heavily, indifferent to everything around him."
"He especially neglects his own family," Horitake added with a note of disdain. "He's become a completely irresponsible bastard. If I'm not mistaken, the former Flame Hashira is likely passed out drunk at home right now, blissfully unaware that his son is in danger."
Hearing this explanation, Shinobu was momentarily stunned.
"T-to think such a thing is possible... A prestigious former Flame Hashira, fallen to such a state? To be that irresponsible... it's truly excessive!"
"It is indeed. But then again, Uncle Shinjuro was once a good man. At the very least, his devotion to his wife was profound. Still, wallowing to this extent and abandoning his responsibilities is crossing a line. That's why going to the Rengoku house is pointless. We won't get any intel, and worse, we might agitate the old man. If he decides to start a drunken ruckus, things could get out of hand."
Shinobu sighed, a look of worry clouding her features. "If we can't get information from the family, how are we supposed to find him? It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack. By the time we find anything, it might be too late!"
Horitake, however, remained composed, a look of quiet confidence on his face.
"Don't worry. On the way here, I caught another faint glimpse of the 'past' and gathered some intel. If we ask around based on what I saw, we should be able to locate where Senjuro Rengoku is being held."
Before Shinobu could ask for clarification, Horitake took action.
He casually approached a passerby on the street, putting on his best "lost traveler" expression.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me if there's a place around here where the Yin is strong and the Yang is weak? Somewhere with a... heavy scent of rouge and powder?"
The pedestrian gave Horitake a long, strange look, scanning him from head to toe, before muttering that he didn't know and walking away quickly.
Horitake had anticipated such a reaction. Though he felt a bit helpless internally, it didn't stop him from trying again.
With a thick-skinned persistence, he continued to stop passersby, repeating the same cryptic inquiry:
"Pardon me, do you know of a place where the women vastly outnumber the men? A place thick with the smell of makeup?"
He asked several people in a row. Each gave him a peculiar look, and none provided an answer.
Finally, he approached an elderly gentleman. After being questioned, the old man looked Horitake over. Seeing that he looked like a decent young man—and noticing the increasingly embarrassed Shinobu standing beside him—the elder offered some earnest advice.
"Young man, take a word of advice from me."
The old man sighed. "It isn't right for a youth to be so obsessed with such pursuits. Furthermore, you have such a lovely companion right there with you. To be so blatant about seeking those places while she's by your side... it's a terrible way to treat her."
Having said his piece, the old man didn't linger, walking away and leaving a very awkward Horitake behind.
Horitake looked like he wanted to vanish into the pavement. He scratched his head vigorously, nearly turning his hair into a bird's nest.
"Seriously... I knew I'd be misunderstood, but I didn't think it would be this bad. What did that old man take me for? Some kind of degenerate who does nothing but indulge in wine and women?"
Shinobu walked over, her expression a complex mixture of pity and exasperation.
"Horitake... would you care to explain yourself? What exactly do you mean by 'where the Yin is strong and Yang is weak'? And 'thick with the scent of rouge'?"
Horitake threw his hands up in a gesture of helplessness. "What choice do I have? Those were the two specific details I saw in the fragments of the past."
Shinobu's face flushed with a mix of urgency and shame.
"But those clues are so... disreputable! A place where women outnumber men and there's a heavy scent of makeup... that obviously sounds like..." She trailed off, her voice growing soft and hesitant. "It sounds like a place of ill repute."
Horitake wasn't as thin-skinned as Shinobu. He decided to speak plainly.
"Let's call a spade a spade! We're talking about the red-light district—the pleasure quarters. Those kinds of places are everywhere!"
Shinobu's face turned a deeper shade of red, though it was unclear if it was from anger or embarrassment.
"Exactly! How could a place like that be where the Flame Hashira's brother was taken? How old is Senjuro? Why would he ever go to such a place? The Flame Hashira is an honorable man, and I'm sure his brother is the same. He's just a child; he would never step foot in a brothel!"
Horitake looked at Shinobu with a weary sigh.
"I also believe in Senjuro's character. He wouldn't go there of his own volition. But once you've been kidnapped, you don't exactly get to choose your destination, do you?"
His tone turned serious as he leaned in closer. "And Shinobu-nee, don't forget the demon we're hunting. It's likely involved in this. Aside from wandering around, this demon has a specific craving for young boys. Are you sure this female demon is 'consuming' these boys in the purely literal sense?"
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