Tokyo
Asakusa
In this era, Asakusa was one of the most bustling districts in all of Japan.
The streets thronged with people, rows of Western-style buildings rising on every side. For a moment, when Nightingale first arrived, she almost felt she'd wandered back into a modern city.
In Asakusa stood a building known as the "Asakusa Juunikai"—the twelve-story "Ryouunkaku," a tower that dominated the skyline. It was the tallest building in Japan at the time; from its top, you could see all of Tokyo and even distant Mt. Fuji. (Though in 1923, it would be demolished after being severely damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake.)
And yet, amid all this prosperity, there stood one exceedingly peculiar ramen shop.
The city was aglow, bustling with noise, but the shop's entrance was tucked away in a damp, shadowy corner where even sunlight rarely reached. Because it was so hidden, customers were rare; every so often, someone would stumble across it by chance, but the owner's noodles always had a strange aftertaste—ensuring most never returned a second time.
But today, for the first time in ages, a customer appeared.
Nightingale stepped inside and her expression changed ever so slightly.
Not a single customer... Is it not open yet? But the door was unlocked...
"Oh! Welcome, welcome!"
A voice filled with both excitement and delight echoed in the cramped little shop. A middle-aged man bustled out, beaming, as if worried his rare customer might run off if he didn't greet her loudly and quickly enough.
"Haha! What a lucky day! For a moment, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. Please, sit, please!"
Bowing, the man quickly grabbed the rag from around his neck and gave the table and chair a perfunctory wipe, motioning for Nightingale to sit.
She took her seat, casting a calm glance around the empty restaurant. Her question was casual, almost idle.
"Are you here alone?"
"It's a small operation, after all. Not enough customers to pay any employees. Besides, one person is enough for this work."
"Isn't it just because this place is so out of the way? I didn't even know there was a ramen shop here until I walked in."
"The rent is cheapest here, that's why..."
Maybe because it had been so long since he'd had a customer, the owner was exceptionally cheerful, answering every one of Nightingale's questions with a smile.
"So, what would you like to eat?"
Nightingale was silent for a moment. She glanced at the owner and answered, slowly, "Do you have a recommendation?"
"Absolutely! The beef ramen is my specialty—guaranteed to satisfy!"
"In that case... two bowls of beef ramen. My friend will be joining me shortly."
"Right away! Please wait just a moment!"
Delighted with the order, the owner hurried into the kitchen, the old wooden floor groaning under his steps.
Nightingale watched him go, then added, "And no scallions in mine."
"Got it!"
Time passed in silence. Nightingale said nothing else until the door opened again—this time, a man and a woman stepped inside.
The woman had long, lustrous black hair, gentle eyes, and wore a deep-purple kimono—a beautiful sight.
The man followed behind her in white clothes, moving at her pace with the air of a loyal attendant. His eyes, as he watched the woman, were soft and warm as melting snow; but the instant his gaze landed on Nightingale, his expression turned sharp and hostile.
The woman was Tamayo. The man was Yushirou.
Neither was human—they were demons, hiding in the world of humans, unnoticed by most.
Nightingale wasn't surprised to see Tamayo. As their eyes met, she nodded slightly. Then, meeting Yushirou's fierce glare, she simply looked back, unbothered.
"I apologize, Nightingale-san," Tamayo said, bowing her head politely, "Yushirou insisted on coming along. He won't listen even to me."
"There's no need for you to bow or apologize, Tamayo-sama! I can't just leave you alone in a room with someone this dangerous!"
As soon as Tamayo turned to him, Yushirou's eyes overflowed with adoration, but every time he looked at Nightingale, he radiated hostility.
"Yushirou..."
"Yes!"
He snapped to attention the moment his name was called—just a hint of displeasure in Tamayo's tone was enough to put him on edge.
But his inner thoughts were clear for all to see:
Ah... Tamayo-sama looks beautiful even when she's annoyed. No, whether in heaven or on earth, Tamayo-sama is the most beautiful of all!
Tamayo couldn't hear his thoughts completely, but she could certainly tell her scolding had no effect. This was Yushirou's usual pattern: quick to admit fault, never to change.
It had been over two years since their first meeting with Nightingale, and in all that time, Yushirou's attitude had never improved, no matter how Tamayo tried to get him to be more polite.
Tamayo almost felt like sighing—and Yushirou, noticing, thought:
Ah... even Tamayo-sama's sighs are gorgeous. I want to paint her like this and admire it every hour...
Yushirou frowned as he looked around the shop, dissatisfied.
"I ordered a bowl of beef ramen for you as well. It should be out soon."
After Tamayo took her seat opposite Nightingale, Nightingale spoke with an almost absentminded air, "By the way... I asked for mine without scallions. Do you think the owner will forget? Will he bring me a bowl with scallions anyway?"
Tamayo blinked, not quite following why Nightingale would ask.
"If you told him, I'd think he wouldn't put them in, right?"
"You think so? You're sure?"
Nightingale's eyes were fixed on the table. Her hand slid across the surface, fingers absently tracing, scratching at the wood. "Then I'll bet... my bowl is going to be loaded with scallions."
"...Are we gambling, then?" Tamayo asked, puzzled. "Is there something at stake?"
"No. Nothing will happen either way."
Nightingale's gaze drifted toward the kitchen. Her voice was impossible to read. "Nothing ever really changes."
Soon, the owner appeared, beaming, carrying two bowls of ramen. Even before he reached the table, his cheerful voice rang out.
"Heh heh heh! Two bowls of beef ramen!"
He set the steaming bowls down in front of Nightingale and Tamayo. Yushirou, meanwhile, hadn't been given a bowl—he didn't even sit, just stood respectfully behind Tamayo.
"Your beef ramen is ready. Call if you need anything."
The owner walked back to the kitchen, still smiling. Nightingale glanced down at her bowl.
The beef was piled so high that she couldn't even see the noodles beneath—never mind scallions, there was barely room for anything else.
So, her guess was wrong—reality proved it.
The next moment, Nightingale drew her Noble Phantasm, aiming it at the shop owner's unsuspecting back.
"I don't eat beef."
BANG!
The owner's abdomen and innards were pulverized by the impact; the force splattered flesh against the wall. The owner turned, face twisting in bewilderment.
"Kh...! Demon Slayer?!"
Thick blood seeped between his teeth, and as realization dawned, his face twisted with rage. Fangs extended, eyes blazing red.
On instinct, he tried to heal the massive wound with his regenerative powers—but this time, what always worked for him failed. The wound brimmed with a merciless, toxic energy—preventing regeneration, eating through flesh at a terrifying pace, spreading outward, rotting and corrupting everything it touched.
It was as if the force had been crafted for the express purpose of eradicating demons—no wonder the owner recognized them as Demon Slayers.
With his cover blown, the owner prepared to make a desperate last stand, but Nightingale's trigger finger was faster. Another shot; another flash of gunpowder. The bullet tore his head apart.
The anti-demon medicine in Nightingale's bullets took effect at once, and the owner's body disintegrated into black dust, the air filling with the scent of burning hay.
Only when the last speck of flesh had drifted away did Nightingale finally look back at Tamayo, still calmly seated.
"This demon's Blood Demon Art was a tricky one, but he himself wasn't very strong."
"I would say, Miss Nightingale, it's you who are too strong..."
Tamayo and Yushirou had watched the whole thing. The demon hadn't even managed to fight back—Nightingale had annihilated him without effort. Part of that was the anti-demon medicine in her bullets, but her sheer skill stunned Tamayo as well.
Suddenly, Tamayo could understand why Yushirou was so wary of Nightingale.
Yet more than anything, Tamayo felt a surge of hope.
The stronger Nightingale was, the greater their chance of killing Kibutsuji Muzan.
Why had Tamayo agreed to cooperate with Nightingale? Because Nightingale alone had shown a real chance to utterly destroy Muzan.
Once, Tamayo had believed herself the happiest woman in the world—a loving family, a devoted husband, a precious child. Her only regret was frail health, knowing she wouldn't live to see her child grow up.
Then, she met Kibutsuji Muzan. He promised her eternal life. Wanting to watch her child grow, she accepted.
But after becoming a demon, the first thing she did was kill her husband and devour her child.
Tamayo hated Muzan, but as a demon, she couldn't break free from his control. Only when Yoriichi Tsugikuni gravely wounded Muzan did she seize her chance for freedom. She went into hiding, determined to find a way to destroy Muzan forever.
For revenge, Tamayo would become a demon who hunted demons.
Yushirou was once Tamayo's patient, and when she failed to save his life, she turned him into a demon—with his consent—hoping to give him a second chance.
"As long as he eats someone's flesh and blood, he can copy their appearance and even their scent perfectly."
Tamayo quietly recited the effects of the owner's Blood Demon Art.
"In a crowded city, a demon like that could blend in almost perfectly."
Nightingale's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing at the spot where the owner's remains had vanished. "Even I didn't sense he was a demon until he exposed himself. Too bad he was foolish."
"For a demon to open a ramen shop in a human city... and use human meat in place of beef for his customers..."
For a moment, a murderous glint flashed in Tamayo's eyes.
"But in the end, it was his own foolishness that gave him away, letting us uncover a demon so skilled at hiding right in this city."
Tamayo's voice settled back to calm as she continued, "According to what we know, even as a human, this man loved eating human flesh and inventing new ways to prepare it. Muzan noticed that and turned him into a demon. In a way, we just did a public service."
Tamayo had lived in Asakusa since before meeting Nightingale, and the thought that such a demon had been lurking so close left her uneasy. She wasn't afraid of the demon himself, but of being discovered by Muzan, hunted by the Twelve Kizuki, and losing her chance to one day take revenge on the one who stole everything from her.