Chapter 121: Traces of an Upper Rank Demon and the Sudden Sound of a Piano!
Hinatsuru lowered her head. The moment she saw the five-stringed instrument in her hands, she froze as well.
This...
Her thoughts were a complete mess.
She had been so focused on practicing the five-stringed instrument that, in order to maintain her lie that she was proficient at playing it, she had nearly become obsessed with practicing.
Hinatsuru said awkwardly, "I was practicing the five-stringed instrument just now and forgot to put it away."
"Oh? Hinatsuru has such refined tastes?" Makio teased with a laugh. "Are you trying to show off in front of Tengen-sama?"
"No," Hinatsuru explained. "It's because of the Dragon Hashira-sama."
"The Dragon Hashira?!"
Suma immediately hurried over and, together with Makio, asked, "Is it the Dragon Hashira-sama Tengen-sama mentioned?!"
"Yes."
Hinatsuru then honestly explained everything that had happened.
When Makio and Suma heard that Ren had killed an Upper Rank demon and walked out afterward, their eyes widened just like Hinatsuru's had earlier.
"An... an... an... Upper Rank demon?!"
"The Dragon Hashira-sama actually killed an Upper Rank?!"
"While we're still searching for demons, someone has already killed an Upper Rank demon..."
Hinatsuru nodded.
"Yes. It was an Upper Rank, though I don't know which one."
Makio and Suma both sucked in a breath.
"The Dragon Hashira-sama's strength is terrifying!"
Makio couldn't help looking at her own hands and sighing.
"I'm already in my twenties, and my body has fully matured, yet I haven't even killed a Lower Rank demon!"
Suma nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! Makio has worked hard all these years, but her strength isn't even comparable to an ordinary demon. Compared with other people, it's really frustrating!"
Smack!
A hand came down hard on Suma's head.
Suma cried out.
"Waaah~! Makio's bullying me again!"
Hinatsuru: "..."
"All right, all right. Stop fooling around."
Hinatsuru hurriedly brought the conversation back on track.
"Actually, that's not even the extent of the Dragon Hashira-sama's abilities..."
Hinatsuru continued talking, telling them about everything else that had happened.
This included Ren going to the Kyogoku House to seek out a woman, disguising his identity afterward, and then showing off his incredible skill at playing the five-stringed instrument.
All in all, it was an extraordinarily bizarre story.
When Makio and Suma heard that the legendary Dragon Hashira had summoned a woman without paying, their expressions became rather strange.
Suma blinked.
"Is the Dragon Hashira-sama's life really so difficult that he has to disguise himself just to call over a lady? How strict must Lady Butterfly be normally...?"
Makio raised her palm impatiently.
"Suma, are you stupid? Lady Butterfly and the Dragon Hashira-sama aren't even officially together yet. Besides, after killing an Upper Rank demon, shouldn't our Dragon Hashira-sama be allowed to enjoy himself a little?!"
"No!"
Hinatsuru was beginning to feel exhausted.
Why couldn't these two understand what she was trying to say?
"It isn't about whether the Dragon Hashira-sama needed a woman. It's because..."
After hearing Hinatsuru's explanation, the two finally understood.
The Dragon Hashira had gone to the Kyogoku House to seek out a woman so that he could return home as soon as possible.
Suma's eyes filled with tears.
"Waaah~! That's so touching! So the Dragon Hashira-sama went to the Kyogoku House because he missed Lady Butterfly!"
Makio couldn't even be bothered to hit her again.
She looked at Hinatsuru and calmly concluded, "I didn't expect the Dragon Hashira-sama to be so versatile. He's really an interesting person."
Suma quietly shuffled a little farther away from Makio before adding, "Yeah. I heard Tengen-sama say that the Dragon Hashira-sama is incredibly strong. His talent is even greater than the Mist Hashira's. I wonder if that's really true?"
"It probably is."
Hinatsuru's expression became strange, as though she had remembered some unpleasant memories.
"At least his talent really is extraordinary..."
"Wait."
Makio suddenly asked, "Hinatsuru, didn't you already invite Ren-sama to stay?"
"No."
Hinatsuru shook her head.
"The Dragon Hashira-sama is injured, and he just killed an Upper Rank demon. He needs to rest. I haven't told him about this yet."
"Waaah~"
Suma sniffled and sighed softly.
"But Makio found a clue related to an Upper Rank demon. If no Hashira comes, we'll only be able to sit here and take the attacks."
"An Upper Rank demon?"
Hinatsuru frowned.
"What exactly happened? Didn't you send a message to Tengen-sama?"
Suma wiped her tears.
"I did that a few days ago. Tengen-sama may already be on his way here."
"Let me tell you."
Makio interrupted Suma and continued, "The reason is that I infiltrated the Kyogoku House in the Entertainment District today and discovered that one of the oiran there was behaving very strangely."
Suma blinked.
"How could an oiran possibly behave normally?"
Makio continued, "Although she's an oiran, she doesn't even respect the proprietress of the house. And she frequently bullies the children!"
Suma interjected, "That doesn't necessarily mean she's a demon, right? After all, Makio bullies me all the time. Does that mean Makio is a demon too?"
Smack!
Suma wailed.
"Waaah~! Makio's bullying me again!"
Hinatsuru: "..."
Hinatsuru helplessly rubbed her forehead and gritted her teeth.
"Continue."
Makio forced herself to calm down.
"There was one particularly strange thing."
Hinatsuru narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
Makio's expression became solemn.
"When I left tonight, I discovered that the proprietress of the Kyogoku House was already dead."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere became tense.
Hinatsuru cautiously asked, "Was it... that oiran?"
"I don't know."
Makio shook her head.
"But I took a look before coming here. Half of the woman's body was gone, and the wound was jagged. I could tell at a glance that it was the mark left by a demon biting and eating her."
Makio's tone became heavy.
"I suspect that woman may have been attacked by a demon."
Hinatsuru rubbed her chin and analyzed the situation.
"Then why didn't it eat the entire body? Wouldn't a demon hiding in the Entertainment District be easily discovered? If it attacked someone, it should have eaten the entire person."
Suma interrupted with tears still glistening in her eyes.
"Waaah~! Maybe the demon thought she tasted bad, so it threw her away halfway through. What a waste!"
Makio snapped angrily, "The adults are talking, Suma. Don't interrupt."
"Wait!"
Hinatsuru stopped Makio.
A flash of insight suddenly appeared in her eyes.
"I think Suma has a point!"
Makio stopped.
Even Suma stopped crying and looked at Hinatsuru happily.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Hinatsuru analyzed the situation.
"If it only ate half the body, that means the demon has very particular preferences when it comes to food. It may have a highly selective diet—for example, refusing stale meat, old meat, or uncooked meat."
"The habit of casually abandoning corpses also means that it disregards human rules. That suggests it possesses considerable strength!"
Makio lowered her head thoughtfully.
"An Upper Rank demon that doesn't eat three kinds of meat?"
Suma said, "Sounds like this demon is just as picky as Makio!"
Smack!
Suma burst into tears for the third time.
"Waaahhh! You hit me again! I'm telling Tengen-sama!"
"Uh..."
Suddenly, the sound of a five-stringed instrument rang through the night.