Lower Moon One - Enmu, train, Kyojuro.
Hearing these three keywords, Yuki's heart clenched instantly!
The matter of retrieving Yoriichi's sword from the Swordsmith Village could wait, and teaching the Pillars the Crimson Blade could also be postponed.
But if he arrived too late, who knew if Kyojuro might encounter Akaza!
Yuki abruptly stood up, his voice urgent:
"I need to find Kyojuro immediately!"
Kagaya didn't question Yuki's urgency, simply nodding.
"I'll have you transported there by the fastest means possible."
As Yuki left Headquarters, he was surprised to find a black car already waiting outside.
The moment he saw it, the car felt strangely familiar—
It was one of the vintage cars the Kakushi had driven during the final battle, used to ram into Muzan in his giant infant form.
Judging by its appearance, the car strongly resembled a Chevrolet from the early 20th century.
The Ubuyashiki Clan's reputation for "considerable wealth" was truly well-deserved.
Behind the wheel sat Haruko, a Kakushi whom Yuki knew well.
Upon seeing Yuki, Haruko immediately said in a low voice:
"Mr. Yuki, please get in the car immediately!"
As soon as Yuki settled into the car, he felt a powerful surge of acceleration pressing him back against the seat.
Even on the bumpy mountain road, Haruko drove with remarkable speed and stability.
At sharp turns, she even executed drifting techniques!
He instinctively glanced at Haruko beside him, her eyes focused and determined, and casually asked, "Where did you learn to drive?"
Haruko replied without taking her eyes off the road, "I learned to drive in my hometown in Gunma Prefecture."
Noticing Yuki's apparent interest in her background, she continued, "Initially, I learned to drive to become the chauffeur for the eldest daughter of a prominent Gunma family."
"But later... while driving the eldest daughter to Mount Haruna for a trip, we encountered a Demon."
"Fortunately, I was driving fast enough to escape with her."
"Afterward, the eldest daughter praised me as the 'Akina Mountain Speedster.'"
Hearing this, Yuki felt that peculiar sensation growing stronger. He asked again, "Your family doesn't happen to run a tofu shop, do they?"
Haruko's eyes widened instantly, her beautiful gaze filled with astonishment. "Huh? How did you know?"
Yuki chuckled dryly, offering no explanation.
Mount Haruna in Gunma Prefecture was, in fact, the real-world inspiration for "Mount Akina."
Living in Gunma Prefecture and running a tofu shop...
I get it now! The person beside me is actually the Akina Mountain Speedster!
With Haruko's help, Yuki arrived near the train station just as the sun was setting.
He spotted a small shop selling boxed bento meals. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard a hearty shout:
"Five ants!"
Hearing that voice, Yuki finally relaxed.
Seeing Yuki appear, Kyojuro's already bright eyes shone even brighter:
"Mr. Yuki!"
"Did Lord also entrust you with investigating the train incident?!"
"How shameful! It seems my own strength still isn't enough to earn Lord's complete trust!"
Yuki smiled and shook his head. "No, Mr. Ubuyashiki trusts you completely. I simply heard you were investigating and came to offer my assistance."
"Think of me as here to help you complete your mission faster so you can move on to your next task sooner."
As he spoke, Yuki sat down next to Kyojuro and accepted a bento box from him.
Opening the lid, he saw glistening white rice and succulent slices of fatty beef.
Inside, he also noticed a halved boiled egg.
He wondered how the egg had been cooked; the yolk had an odd greenish hue.
Yuki pushed aside the bento box with the strangely cooked egg, taking another one from Kyojuro.
This box contained no such egg, only a generous portion of rice and beef.
He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, his eyes widening slightly.
"Delicious!"
Seeing Yuki's praise for the bento, Kyojuro declared in his hearty, booming voice:
"The flavor of this bento is truly exceptional!"
"And what a coincidence! My father once saved the owner of this shop."
"To be able to protect others like my father, I feel truly honored!"
Yuki suddenly paused, his chopsticks still in mid-air.
A faint sense of unease stirred within him.
Just then, a terrified scream erupted from nearby.
"You monster! Get away from my granddaughter!"
Thud!
The sound of a bento box being thrown against something.
Hearing this, Yuki's unease intensified, accompanied by a strange sense of déjà vu.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had witnessed this exact scenario somewhere before.
Before him, Kyojuro sprang to his feet, moving with the speed of a blazing flame.
The moment Yuki saw Kyojuro smash through the partition wall, he also witnessed the scene unfolding on the other side.
A burly, bald-headed Demon covered in stripes was grinning savagely.
Its arm was clamped tightly around a young girl wearing round-framed glasses.
The girl's face was turning purple from the Demon's suffocating grip, her eyes wide with terror and helplessness.
Further away, the elderly owner of the bento shop stared at the Demon in horror, her arm still frozen in the motion of throwing something.
Clearly, the "smack" Yuki had just heard was the old woman hurling her bento at the bald-headed Demon in a desperate attempt to save her granddaughter.
At that moment, Yuki felt the sense of déjà vu and unease growing even stronger.
He remained seated, watching Kyojuro draw his Nichirin Blade and unleash Flame Breathing.
In an instant, the bald-headed Demon was cleaved in two.
Seeing this, Yuki suddenly smiled—
He finally understood the source of his strange feeling.
He reached out and clenched his hand sharply in the air.
Though nothing appeared to be there, the sensation in his palm told him he had grasped something.
As Yuki tightened his grip, the air before him began to distort violently.
A figure with a square mark on his cheek, clad in a black coat, suddenly materialized in the air.
Yuki's hand was clamped tightly around his neck.
At that moment, Yuki felt everything around him sharpen into focus.
The strange sense of unease and déjà vu vanished instantly.
Yuki glared at the man whose neck he was choking, his voice low and furious:
"Did you find it amusing to put that disgusting stuff in someone else's bento?"
"Did you find it amusing to manipulate someone else's dreams?"
"Enmu, answer me!"