Chapter 29 – Tokyo
They had finally arrived at their destination.
Winter had come and gone, and spring had quietly begun to embrace the world.
Life was returning.
Tokyo—once known as Edo before the Meiji Restoration several decades earlier.
Since Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate, this city had served as Japan's de facto seat of power. But it was only after the Restoration that it was officially named the capital—a center for everything.
Hundreds of years of history were buried beneath its soil.
Even after sunset, the city—now illuminated by modern electricity and glowing lamps—refused to sleep.
Tall wooden buildings in traditional Japanese architecture stood proudly, their curved roofs lit by the soft glow of paper lanterns and electric bulbs.
People walked the streets in an eclectic mix of kimono and Western suits, reflecting the shifting tide of an era.
The influence of the West had found its way into every corner of the city since the Meiji era.
This was the Taisho era—a time of transformation.
And the moment Hikaru and Shinobu Kocho stepped into this city, they could immediately feel it.
Tokyo's presence was overwhelming. Radiant. Alive.
For travelers from small towns, it was the kind of view that left you breathless.
But for Shinobu, this wasn't her first time.
And for Hikaru—a traveler from a different future—this all felt almost ordinary.
Still, as they walked through the busy streets, Hikaru found his gaze lingering on the butterfly hairpin swaying gently atop the girl in front of him. There was something... cheerful about the way she walked today.
A quiet happiness she didn't quite know how to express.
Like those modern girls I've seen shopping with friends before...
"Yosh, we're here!"
Shinobu stopped abruptly.
It wasn't sudden enough to catch Hikaru off-guard. With his Total Concentration Breathing: Constant maintained at all times, he never lost balance over something so minor.
He stopped and followed her gaze—
Neon signs glowed brightly ahead. An elegant Japanese-style building loomed in front of them, with a large sign hanging above its entrance that read:
"Lip Rouge Crimson"
A beauty shop—
Or in modern terms, a cosmetics store.
"Let's go in," Shinobu said, turning to face him.
For some reason, there was a glint of mischief in her soft violet eyes.
But before anything else—
The scent hit him.
Even from outside, a thick cloud of perfume and powder filled the air. A fusion of Eastern and Western fragrance—still rudimentary by modern standards, but already taking shape.
That wasn't the real problem, though.
The real problem was—
Every customer inside was a woman.
Colorful. Dazzling. Dressed in eye-catching clothes and full of energy.
As a man...
Wouldn't it be a little too weird to walk into that?
Hikaru wasn't someone who got flustered easily. Something like this wouldn't make him nervous.
And yet...
"Come on, Hikaru-san."
Shinobu's voice was sweet and coaxing.
He hesitated.
And then finally said, "I'll wait outside. Go ahead."
It was a gentle refusal—
Not because he was shy, but because it just didn't feel like the right place for him. Shopping for cosmetics together? That was usually something couples did after they'd grown a little closer.
And they... weren't quite there.
Hikaru understood well how easy it was for people to get caught up in the illusion of feelings. That's why he kept his heart in check—respecting both others and himself.
"Ah... you misunderstood."
Shinobu stepped closer, lowering her voice as if whispering a secret.
"This isn't really a cosmetics store. It's a front. We're here to pick up medicine."
"…Medicine?"
Hikaru blinked.
He looked again at her face—now faintly tinged with red.
That's when it clicked.
As the head of the Butterfly Mansion and the Demon Slayer Corps' medical team, of course Shinobu was responsible for their supply lines. Having a hidden pickup point in a large city like Tokyo made perfect sense.
Realizing his mistake, Hikaru let out a quiet sigh.
So it was just a misunderstanding.
"I see. Sorry for doubting you."
He stepped forward.
"In that case, let's go in, Shinobu-san."
"Mm."
Shinobu nodded softly and turned around.
It gave her a moment to hide the blush on her cheeks.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
She saw women and couples entering and leaving the shop freely. Plenty of young pairs browsing together.
She didn't really understand her own feelings right now.
But one thing was certain—
Somehow, somewhere along the past six months, the boy behind her had started to affect her heart.
Maybe…
They were just too similar?
The steady steps that never wavered. The gentle smile he always showed the world. His kindness, his grace… none of it ever felt fake.
It all reminded her—
So much of someone she once knew.
Someone she had loved deeply.
"…Nee-san…"
The word slipped out in a whisper.
She clenched her fists tightly.
That face—her sister's face—surfaced in her mind once more… along with the unresolved vengeance that had never fully faded.
Suddenly, Hikaru stopped walking.
"Sorry… I just remembered something important."
Shinobu blinked and turned to him in surprise.
"…Something important?"
Her voice was soft, her smile faint.
"Yeah."
This time, his expression wasn't casual.
It was serious.
"…I see. Then I'll go in on my own."
She didn't push. Somehow, she could tell—this was urgent.
And so, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said:
"Come back quickly, okay?"
The words slipped out naturally.
But once they were said, she froze for a moment.
Because the last time she'd said those exact words… was back when her sister was still alive.
Before she became the Insect Hashira.
"…Yeah."
Hikaru raised a hand in acknowledgment and turned away.
He had caught the subtle shift in her expression.
Maybe something was stirring inside her.
He wasn't blind to emotions.
But—
Right now, there was something more important he had to do.
"…Kibutsuji Muzan, huh…"
Hikaru looked up at the night sky.
The city lights shimmered against the blackness above, and within the never-ending tide of people moving through the streets…
It was as if something was calling out to him.
Tugging at his feet to keep moving.
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