Inside DiBen House, the older woman who had "bought" Inoko wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"That should do it. She was painted up like some kind of nightmare earlier, but once you scrub it off… she's unexpectedly neat-looking."
"This is a steal. I'm going to train Inoko into a rising star who'll surpass Koika of Tokito House and Daki of Kyogoku House."
"Get her packaged up, packaged up!"
The two women dragged a thoroughly unwilling Inoko toward the inner rooms.
"By the way, isn't this girl… weirdly sturdy?"
"Isn't that better? A little plump is cute, soft to the touch!"
"Plump is one thing. This is more like… solid as a rock…"
At the same time, Zenko had found his own house.
To be precise, he'd been thrown in for free.
Right then, Zenko sat among the others, eyes bulging with fury, veins standing out on his hands as he played a shamisen with everything he had.
"Th… that kid plays the shamisen really well. It's just that she's kind of ugly. Is she new?"
"Yeah. I heard her hearing's amazing. If she listens to an instrument once, she can play it back… still, she really is kind of ugly."
"Tell me about it. And the house actually agreed to take her…"
They kept their voices low on purpose, but Zenko's hearing was sharp enough that every "honest opinion" landed cleanly.
Zenko played harder.
Keep talking, you jerks.
I'm going to become the number one oiran in Yoshiwara, just you wait!
"I heard two super handsome guys delivered her. Different styles, but both were ridiculously good-looking."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. The madam was so stunned she just stared."
"Well… that explains it."
"Were they really that handsome? I want to see!"
The very madam they were talking about appeared behind them, took a slow pull from her pipe, and said softly, "I can tell that child is going to climb higher."
"Huh?"
The two gossiping girls froze.
The madam continued, "I can feel it. That determination. Like she wants to make the man who abandoned her pay for it."
"She's tougher than she looks."
As she spoke, the madam couldn't help recalling the moment she'd met them on the street.
That white-haired handsome man had patted Zenko's head hard.
"Or you can just take her for free. This kind of goods can scrub toilets, run errands, do anything."
The madam's lips curved. She gave Zenko one last deep look, then walked away.
Meanwhile, at Tokito House.
Tanjiro… no, Sumiko had already become the subject of constant discussion.
"Sumiko, take these. Can you carry them?"
"Don't worry, I'm really strong!"
Sumiko hoisted two large crates in each hand, with a bundle balanced on his head, and marched steadily toward Koika's room.
"That's insane strength…"
"Yeah…"
After winding through the corridors, Sumiko reached his destination.
"This should be it."
He nudged the sliding door open with his foot and stepped inside.
Two young apprentice oiran were chatting within.
"I heard the mistress of Kyogoku House fell from a window and died. Did you hear?"
"Of course! And lately there've been more and more sisters 'running off' too."
"They just vanished? That's terrifying. We should be careful."
"Mm!"
Their conversation caught Sumiko's attention. After setting the bundle down, he walked closer.
"What does 'running off' mean?"
The two girls noticed him and smiled.
"Little Sumi, you don't know what 'running off' is?"
"It means leaving before you've paid off your debt. But if they catch you… I heard it gets ugly."
"Sometimes girls run away with the man they like, but that's rare."
"Wasn't Suma one of those?"
Tanjiro's mind snapped to attention.
Suma.
Wasn't that Mr. Uzui's wife?
He had to ask.
"Um…"
Before he could press further, a voice sounded from behind.
"Don't spread other people's gossip."
"Yes!"
The two girls nodded quickly and fell silent.
Koika beckoned at Sumiko. "Come."
"Yes!"
Sumiko walked over in small steps.
"Thanks for carrying things for me," Koika said warmly. "Here, I'll give you some sweets. Eat them quietly by yourself, okay?"
She took his hand and gently placed a small packet of sweets into his palm.
"Oiran! Oiran!"
"We want sweets too! We want sweets too!"
The two little apprentices rushed in, clinging to Koika and shaking her arm.
Koika's expression turned awkward. "No, you can't. Didn't you just eat?"
They were all ignoring him.
Tanjiro didn't want to waste this chance.
"Um…"
"Suma… did she 'run off'?"
A flicker of suspicion slid across Koika's eyes as she stared at him.
"Why are you asking that?"
Oh no.
Tanjiro instantly realized how reckless he sounded.
If he couldn't give a proper reason, she'd get guarded, and he'd never learn anything about Miss Suma.
So Tanjiro's face twisted into something strange. His body trembled as he forced the words out, one by one.
"Because… Miss Suma… is my…"
The last two characters took everything he had to squeeze out.
"Si… sister."
The three across from him froze like they'd been struck by lightning.
"After the older sister, the younger sister got sold here too?" Koika's eyes softened with pity. "What a miserable fate…"
"Y… yeah," Tanjiro said quickly. "But I haven't seen my sister in a long time. We've stayed in contact through letters…"
"And I know my sister. She isn't the type to run off."
Koika nodded slowly. "So that's why."
"To be honest, I thought Suma was the kind of girl who worked steadily. She never seemed like the type to run."
"I never saw her obsessed with any man either. But someone found writing in her diary that sounded like she planned to run, so…"
Koika's gaze dropped, sadness creeping in.
"But… that's all we can think. No one's heard news of her being caught. If she really did run… then at least she got lucky."
Tanjiro listened, but his mind latched onto one thing.
"Running off."
It was the perfect cover.
If someone disappeared, everyone would just assume they fled their debt. No one would question it too deeply.
Miss Suma's "diary" was probably staged.
Meanwhile, Tengen Uzui had returned to his full getup, standing along the rooftops as he surveyed the entire Entertainment District.
"Still no abnormalities today. Figures. Unless they're starving, those things won't reveal their tails so easily."
"To hide demon aura this well… could it be an Upper Rank?"
"The enemy's in the dark. I'm in the dark."
Uzui's lips curled.
"Feels like a truly flashy slaughter is coming."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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