Chapter 141: Daki
'I have to hold back,'Akira reminded himself, taking a slow, measured breath.'This flashy idiot will be useful later. Even if I snap and beat him half to death right now, it wouldn't be satisfying enough to justify ruining the mission.''Although Daki and her brother are only Upper Rank Six, it would be a massive headache if they split up and ran off in different directions.''While Tengen isn't quite on Gyutaro's level yet, he is more than capable of bullying Daki to keep her occupied.''Besides... this ridiculous disguise really does guarantee that absolutely no one will recognize me.'
Listening to Uzui Tengen's increasingly unrestrained laughter echoing through the room, accompanied by the short, stifled sounds from Suma and the others hiding nearby—unable to maintain their composure after their husband's absolute merriment—Akira closed his eyes. His fists, hanging loosely at his sides, clenched and unclenched repeatedly as he continuously fortified his mental endurance.
Even so, feeling the large hand that occasionally slapped his shoulder in amusement, Akira's eye twitched violently.
But he endured it.
They were about to hunt an Upper Rank demon together. If he retaliated now, he could at most inflict some minor, superficial injuries on the Sound Hashira. If he did that, this prank-like incident would simply end with a laugh. Tengen's current unrestrained behavior stemmed exactly from knowing Akira wouldn't compromise their objective.
Akira refused to let him have his way so easily.
"Hiss—whoosh—"
After a series of deep breaths, Akira suppressed the burning irritation in his chest, pushed himself up from the floor, and walked toward the door.
As soon as he stepped out, Suma and the other two women nearby immediately covered their mouths tightly, not daring to laugh anymore, even holding their breath.
Inside the room, Tengen also stopped laughing.
Just as he was staring blankly at Akira's back, the young man turned his head and spoke as if nothing had happened. "Let's go. Let's go solve that thing in the Entertainment District together."
"After solving it, will you solve me next?" Tengen asked.
"Bingo. Congratulations, you got it right," Akira replied flatly. "But there's no prize."
Seeing Akira waiting outside the door, Tengen finally bit the bullet and walked out. The main business was important.
Since Akira could suppress his anger for the sake of their mission, Tengen naturally could also cast aside other distractions for the task at hand. In any case, they had to deal with the demon first.
Watching the two figures walk away side by side, Suma quietly asked, "Lord Tengen, nothing will happen, right?"
"With Lord Tengen's strength and Mr. Kanzaki working together, there definitely won't be any problems," Hinatsuru comforted from the side.
"Is it possible that the 'problem' Suma is talking about comes from Mr. Kanzaki?" Makio shook her head helplessly.
"Ah, this..."
Hinatsuru was also at a loss for words.
The three women exchanged glances, then could only silently pray. They prayed for Tengen and Akira to return safely, and that Lord Kanzaki, being magnanimous, would not hold the previous incident against their husband.
Silently hurrying toward Yoshiwara, Tengen finally broke the quiet. "By the way, are we just going in directly? Do you know the exact location or the disguised identity of that demon?"
He asked because, although the Demon Slayer Corps currently had a relatively large number of Hashira, each one had daily patrol duties to complete. If they rushed blindly into the sprawling Yoshiwara district without even a basic direction for their investigation, there was no telling how much valuable time they would waste.
"I'm not sure about the specifics yet," Akira replied, his tone shifting into complete seriousness. "But according to the current intelligence, the demon's disguised identity is likely that of a famous Oiran. We can inquire a bit once we arrive, then investigate the most popular Oiran one by one. That should be fine."
"With your looks, achieving this shouldn't be difficult," Akira added, glancing at the flashy Hashira. "At most, it will just cost some money."
Tengen was undeniably good-looking. His iconic white hair, with just a little grooming, easily enhanced his striking appearance. Coupled with his strong physique and a generous display of wealth, he would definitely face no obstacles handling the high-end establishments of the Entertainment District.
"Makes sense," Tengen nodded, but then paused. "What about you?"
"You made me look like this, and you still expect me to meet an Oiran alone?" Akira pointed to his current 'distinguished appearance,' narrowing his eyes dangerously at the older man.
Feeling a sudden chill under Akira's piercing gaze, Tengen quickly averted his eyes and nodded, immediately agreeing to the arrangement.
After traveling for more than a day, they arrived near their destination just as night fell on the second day.
The lanterns were already lit. It was the busiest, most vibrant time for the Entertainment District.
Although Akira remembered that Daki eventually hid in the Kyogoku House in the original timeline, this operation was happening a few years earlier than expected. He didn't know the specific establishment she currently occupied or the exact alias she was using right now.
Therefore, the two of them still had to gather information the old-fashioned way.
Fortunately, there were only three major establishments of note in the district, so narrowing it down wouldn't take too long.
With a 'let's try our luck' mentality, Akira led Tengen toward the Kyogoku House first.
Thanks entirely to Tengen's striking looks and heavy purse, the owner of the Kyogoku House received them with overwhelming enthusiasm, quickly arranging for their top Oiran to meet the wealthy patrons.
The sliding doors parted.
Her long black hair was elegantly styled, secured with several ornate hairpins at the back of her head. The traditional adornments perfectly complemented her striking, almost aggressive facial features. As she looked down at them, her condescending gaze exuded a suffocating, heavy pressure that filled the room.
When her eyes swept over Tengen, a fleeting flash of surprise crossed her features, quickly replaced by a dark, hidden appetite.
Then, she looked at Akira. He immediately noticed the undisguised, raw disdain swimming in her eyes, clearly repulsed by his terrible disguise.
"Daki, these two are highly important clients," the owner hovered nervously near the doorway. "You must make them happy, understand?"
Facing the owner's desperate reminder, the woman merely cast a cold, indifferent glance in his direction, offering absolutely no verbal response.
Strangely, the owner didn't seem to mind her blatant rudeness. He bowed hastily and left the room, his footsteps carrying a distinct hint of urgency. Despite being the master of the Kyogoku House, every time he stood in the presence of this newly ascended Oiran, an involuntary chill ran down his spine.
Watching this brief interaction, Akira basically confirmed the newcomer's true identity.
A normal woman working in the Entertainment District—even a high-ranking Oiran—would never act like this. Ignoring the establishment's owner and showing such blatant, unfiltered disdain to a paying patron was completely unnatural.
Daki. Her human name had been Ume.
She was born into the lowest dregs of the Entertainment District. After her mother—who had always treated her poorly—succumbed to a fatal disease, Ume and her older brother, Gyutaro, had only each other to rely on for survival.
While Gyutaro was born hideous and deformed, Ume possessed an unmatched, stunning beauty.
Because of that beauty, she managed to extract enough money from the men who propositioned her to keep both herself and her brother fed. But that very same beauty also turned her into a target for covetous, high-ranking men who believed they could take whatever they wanted.
One day, a samurai tried to violate her, repeatedly hurling vicious insults at her brother. In retaliation, Ume stabbed his eye out.
For that crime, she was bound, dragged away, and burned alive by the samurai and his accomplices.
When Gyutaro finally returned from his grim work collecting debts, he found only the charred, barely breathing body of his sister, her beautiful face completely disfigured by the flames.
Driven to madness, Gyutaro slaughtered the samurai and his men. Carrying his dying sister through the freezing snow, he encountered Doma—who held the title of Upper Rank Six at the time. Doma offered them blood, turning the siblings into demons.
Now, after hundreds of years of devouring humans and growing their strength, this tragic brother and sister stood together as the current Upper Rank Six.
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