Yoshiwara—a name that had always carried an air of mystery and temptation in Japan’s local culture.
Its streets were steeped in all the charm accumulated over the long course of history.
At dawn, the cherry trees lining the street had not fully awakened. A light breeze brushed their branches, sending several petals drifting gently down onto the bluestone pavement like fragments of the visitors’ dreams from the night before.
The entire street was silent, stripped of its nighttime clamor. Only the dim lights of one teahouse, open unusually early, could be seen. Wisps of cooking smoke intertwined with the thin morning mist, seeming like a passage to another world.
The lanterns outside the teahouse swayed softly in the breeze, rustling as though recounting Yoshiwara’s old tales.
The distant mountain silhouettes gradually became clear. A great sun slowly rose, its warm light spilling over Yoshiwara’s streets and illuminating the profile of the man seated outside the teahouse.
He drank a cup of fresh tea toward the sunlight, exhaling a white dragon of steam that chased away the chill of the spring morning.
"You’re up early, young man. It’s rare for guests who come here to rise as early as you do."
As the teahouse owner tidied up his shop, he struck up a conversation with the strange customer.
"I just arrived here on my travels. I’ve long heard of Yoshiwara’s prosperity, so I came to see it for myself."
Luke smiled as he explained. "Do you know which establishment on this street is the best?"
Having just arrived in Yoshiwara, Luke could not be certain whether Upper Rank Six was still here after the Explorers’ interference. Asking the teahouse owner, who knew the area well, for information was a decent option.
"Ha! Young man, judging by the way you’re dressed, you must come from a wealthy family. Naturally, I should recommend Yoshiwara’s finest establishment to you."
The owner raised his brows and gave Luke a knowing look. "Go to Kyogoku House. That’s where you’ll find Yoshiwara’s oiran, Warabihime."
The corner of Luke’s mouth curled upward. The Explorers’ efficiency was pretty lousy. Upper Rank Six had not only failed to relocate—she had not even changed establishments.
Then again, perhaps he had not considered their difficulties. Muzan’s faction might be powerful, but it also had an obvious weakness.
Muzan, their boss, was practically the model of a shitty leader. He never listened to his subordinates’ suggestions, and his moods were unpredictable. Convincing Muzan required a seriously polished talent for kissing ass.
And every Upper Rank Demon had a personality of their own. Persuading them to abandon their territories was no easy task. On top of that, the Explorers in Muzan’s faction had to avoid arousing Muzan’s suspicions, so gathering their forces for a coordinated operation was far from simple.
At the very least, it was not something they could accomplish in the first few days after entering this world. The Explorers who had received Demon Blood needed to produce results before Muzan would grant them even a little importance.
"That does sound like a good recommendation."
Luke rose as he spoke and tossed down a small gold nugget. He had exchanged it in Endspace for everyday spending within mission worlds.
Inside Endspace, valuable universal equivalents usable in ordinary worlds were cheap. One hundred Endspace Coins could buy one hundred kilograms of gold, which could also be divided into gold bars, gold nuggets, and other forms according to one’s requirements.
This world was currently in Japan’s Taisho era, and the yen was already in use. When the yen had first been issued during the Meiji era, one yen had been worth roughly 1,500 milligrams of gold. Inflation was still not severe in this period, and the yen’s purchasing power remained high.
Ordinary people naturally used yen, but Yoshiwara never lacked lavish patrons willing to throw money around. Thus, Luke’s use of a gold nugget did not confuse the teahouse owner. It only delighted him.
"Thank you, sir!"
The teahouse owner repeatedly thanked Luke’s back, the smile on his face brighter than the rising sun.
Luke did not turn around. He merely strolled into the dawn light and waved a hand. "If you don’t want to die, pack your things and leave Yoshiwara."
Yoshiwara was far from Mount Fujikasane, and transportation in this era of Japan was still underdeveloped. Fortunately, he had a pair of strong legs. He had reached Yoshiwara after traveling all night.
He did not have Vegeta’s habit of arriving and then waiting around. He had no interest in waiting until nightfall, letting the enemy reach the peak of their power, and only then starting the slaughter.
In this mission world, he belonged to the disadvantaged Demon Slayer Corps faction, while the opposing side had thirty-three Explorers. If he still acted carelessly, he would practically be asking to die.
Luke arrived before Kyogoku House’s entrance, gripped the door, and forcibly pulled apart the locked doors.
The woman at the front desk, who had been asleep with her head on the table, drowsily lifted her head. "Sir... we’re not open yet..."
Luke sniffed the air. His nose was not as ridiculously sharp as Tanjiro’s, but his five senses were also powerful enough to detect the scent of blood hidden here.
It seemed the teahouse owner had not lied to him. The oiran Warabihime was indeed still at Kyogoku House, and Luke’s mood brightened.
Treasure chests, here I come.
"Sir, it isn’t business hours yet. Why not come back tonight?"
Seeing Luke stride inside, the receptionist stood and spoke apologetically. She had never seen someone come to buy sex first thing in the morning.
Most of the girls here had spent the entire night in bed with clients and were sleeping deeply right now. How could they have the time or energy to receive customers?
Still, this young man in black was strikingly handsome. The girls would probably like him...
Luke headed for the stairs. As the receptionist approached him, he suddenly shot out a hand, grabbed her by the collar, and yanked hard. A broad expanse of pale skin immediately spilled free.
"Sir, don’t be so impatient. How about I call a few girls over for you to look at?"
The receptionist had been startled by Luke’s action, but having worked in a pleasure house, she remained very calm in this situation. Besides, Luke was tall and handsome. Even if she did not charge him, it would not exactly be a loss.
Yet Luke’s expression was stern. Ignoring her words, he exerted force again and tore the kimono completely off her body. "Heh. So someone gave you instructions."
As he spoke, he threw the bundle of clothing toward the front doors. But just as it was about to touch the sunlight outside, the clothing came alive. Its sash grabbed the doorframe like limbs, forcefully rebounded, and retreated into the shadows.
The receptionist hugged her breasts with one hand and covered her lower body with the other. She had been shocked by Luke suddenly stripping off her clothing and was about to let out a coquettish protest—but after witnessing that bizarre, horrifying sight, the protest became a scream that pierced the dawn.
The bundle of clothing that had fled into the shadows rose upright like a praying mantis and confronted Luke. Yet Luke did not even look at it.
At that moment, rapid footsteps sounded from above the stairs. Before long, a courtesan dressed in white appeared. Her deep-purple hair was tied in a single ponytail, and a beauty mark rested beneath the corner of one eye on her soft, lovely face.
When she saw the scene, surprise first flashed through her eyes. Then, as she looked at Luke, concern filled her gaze. "What are you doing, sir? It isn’t even time to receive customers, yet you’re causing trouble at Kyogoku House? I suggest you leave quickly. Our proprietor is not someone you can afford to provoke."
Her words seemed threatening, yet she was urging him to leave. It was strange, because she appeared to completely ignore the upright, moving clothing and regarded only Luke as the one causing trouble.
Luke looked up at the woman before him, somewhat surprised himself. If he was not mistaken, she should be Hinatsuru, one of the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui’s three wives, who was infiltrating Kyogoku House. He had not expected her to have come to investigate Yoshiwara so early.
Hinatsuru was alive. She had not been killed by Explorers from Muzan’s faction. It seemed the Explorers were trying to hook a bigger fish.
Hinatsuru was frantically signaling Luke with her eyes, telling him to run. It was daytime; as long as he escaped onto the street outside, he would be safe.
She had never seen Luke before, but when she saw the Demon Slayer Corps uniform beneath his black haori, she knew he was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Since she had not encountered him before, Luke could not be a Hashira or a Hashira’s Tsuguko. He had to be an ordinary Corps member or a newcomer, which meant that his appearance here was extremely dangerous.
According to her husband’s previous assessment, a tremendously powerful Demon might be lurking here. If it was one of the Twelve Kizuki, killing a new Demon Slayer Corps recruit would take no more than an instant.
She had also seen the moving clothes just now. Based on her experience, she could tell it was a powerful Blood Demon Art. The Demon here might not even be a Lower Rank.
"Causing trouble?"
Luke smiled. "That’s not entirely wrong. I did come looking for this establishment’s owner... its real owner."
"As expected of someone who knows about our abilities."
Footsteps came from the staircase on the left. The newcomer’s voice was lazy. "What a shame. Only one of you came."
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