"Hiru hasn't arrived yet…" Kanae sighed as she gazed at the bright moon overhead. "Did he get lost? Should we send a Kasugai Crow to pick him up?"
"It's fine. Hiru's Kasugai Crow is very reliable—he should be here in the next few days," Makomo said, resting her chin in her hand.
"From our preliminary investigation, this area is the most peaceful. People keep going missing, but over all these days we've only run into a few ordinary low-level demons. There's no way they could have eaten so many people… Maybe your intuition is right, Kanae."
"Perhaps…"
Kanae pressed her lips together.
"Right now, I almost hope I'm wrong. No matter how you look at it, a low-level demon couldn't possibly grow to this extent while remaining hidden from the Demon Slayer Corps. Even if it's just using Blood Demon Art to manipulate people, it would have to be at least Twelve Kizuki–level…"
"Don't say that. Making a discovery is a good thing—it means we can prevent further losses," Makomo said, her expression turning serious. "But if the enemy is a key figure behind a cult, then what we really need to worry about afterward is the followers. In fact, those believers may be the most troublesome part."
Kanae rubbed her forehead. "Sigh… no matter how much we plan, it still feels insufficient…"
"Kanae, you need to have more confidence in your own strength," Makomo said with a smile. "You've got me and Hiru backing you up. And with Hiru around, power is the one thing we don't need to worry about."
"That's about the only thing we don't need to worry about… sigh…"
"Alright, alright. That gloomy face doesn't suit you," Makomo said, lightly poking Kanae's forehead. "By the way, how about coming to Sagiri Mountain for the New Year this year? Bring Shinobu and the children you've adopted too—it'll be another lively celebration."
"Sure. I haven't personally gone to visit Teacher Urokodaki in a long time either. I've only sent messages through Kasugai Crows… How has he been?"
"He's still full of energy," Makomo said, her eyes narrowing with a grin. "Sabito tried challenging him when he went back last time, but he didn't even last fifty moves before getting smacked on the head. He ended up with a huge bump."
Kanae finally smiled, looking more relaxed. "Teacher Urokodaki hasn't lost his edge at all."
Makomo was about to continue when a Kasugai Crow suddenly flew straight in, landing on the table in front of them.
"Caw! Message from the Human Hashira! I found an amazing dessert shop! I'll buy the sweets first thing tomorrow morning and hurry over to rendezvous! Caw—! I'm terribly sorry I couldn't stop him!"
"Oh my… so he got held up by sweets?" Makomo laughed, gently tapping the Kasugai Crow on the head with her finger. "That really does sound like him. And thank you for bringing us the message."
"At a time like this…" Kanae sighed, worry evident on her face. "Isn't Hiru being a little too relaxed?"
"It's fine. We just need to wait for his good news," Makomo said as she poured some water and slid it over to the Kasugai Crow. "Hiru only looks unreliable—he's actually very capable. Kanae, you'll understand once you spend more time with him."
"I do hear Sanemi and Giyu mention Hiru often… It's just that I've never really had the chance to interact with him myself."
"Oh, right, right," Makomo said, clasping her hands together. "I heard this from Sabito before."
"What was it?"
"It seems Giyu is quite concerned about Shinobu."
"Eh?" Kanae looked surprised. "But they barely even talk."
"Well, it is Giyu~"
"Haha, that's true."
"And also—"
"Ah, I've heard that one too…"
The long night passed quickly amid Makomo and Kanae's whispered gossip. Just as the Kasugai Crow had said the day before, Hiru arrived at the Wisteria House the next morning, carrying a food box—and bringing with him intelligence on the nearby cults.
"Eh? You gathered all of this, Hiru?" Kanae asked.
Hiru set the food box down and nodded lightly. "Just happened to be on the way."
"I told you—Hiru's very reliable when it comes to getting things done," Makomo said with a smile, leaning closer to Kanae to look over the information in her hands. "Hmm… so there are four cults in this area altogether?"
"Yeah. But the largest one is that Eternal Paradise Faith. They say it's been around since the Edo period," Hiru said. He opened the food box, gestured for them to help themselves, and after being turned down twice, started eating on his own. "No need to overthink it. I'll handle the biggest one. You two split up the smaller cults. We'll regroup here once the investigations are done."
"Huh—surprisingly straightforward. I thought you'd come up with something more… entertaining," Makomo teased.
Hiru looked up at her, visibly exasperated. "…Did Sabito feed you more nonsense again?"
"Hehe~"
"Hiru, are you sure it's alright for you to investigate the Eternal Paradise Faith alone?"
Kanae asked, her concern evident. "According to the intel, their cult leader is rumored to be a divine child who can hear the voice of the gods, with multicolored eyes. There's a strong chance the leader is a demon…"
Hiru nodded. "Yes, that's what it says. I think that's the most likely possibility too."
"Then how about this," Kanae said. "The three of us each take one of the smaller cults first, and then investigate the big one together afterward. The cults are spread pretty far apart—if something happens, it'll be hard for us to support each other."
"Then you and Makomo can work together," Hiru replied. "I'll be fine on my own."
"That's not what I meant. I was trying to say—"
"I know what you're worried about—that I'm being too reckless," Hiru said calmly.
"If it really is a demon, and one that's grown to this extent, then even at worst it could rank among the Twelve Kizuki. Blood Demon Arts are notoriously hard to guard against. But my constitution is special—relatively speaking, I'm the least likely to run into trouble. At most, I'll wait a few more days and act after you've finished your investigations and are on your way back."
Kanae still frowned in disagreement, but Makomo spoke up.
"I've also heard some scattered rumors about the Eternal Paradise Faith over the past few days. Supposedly, that divine child cult leader is extremely difficult to meet. Hiru, what method do you plan to use?"
"Of course—by infiltrating."
"And what about the followers?"
Makomo set the information down, her expression equally serious.
"I trust that with your strength, you could deal with the cultists and kill the demon. But if you proceed according to your usual methods, even with the Oyakata-sama's influence in the government, the aftermath would still spread far and wide. So I want to hear your entire plan. If the impact is too great, we'll have to reconsider. And if you insist on going through with it anyway, I will write to Yoriichi."
What plan could I possibly have? Obviously, infiltrate directly. If I run into ordinary people, erase their memories. If I run into a demon and can win, I finish the job. If I can't, I run…
Hiru sighed inwardly. Outwardly calm, he looked at the two girls who refused to back down.
"It's very simple," he said evenly. "I'll become a follower of the Eternal Paradise Faith. After all, as a believer, requesting an audience with the cult leader would be perfectly reasonable."