"…So you just brought her along??"
In Hanako's home, Yoshizuru Asato looked at Takeo with disbelief as he noticed yet another member of the Demon Slayer Corps had joined them.
Takeo glanced nonchalantly at Yoshizuru Asato.
"Is that a problem?"
"Well… not exactly," Asato replied, rubbing his chin as he analyzed the situation. "But we're likely just dealing with an ordinary demon—at most, one that's eaten four or five people. For a demon like that… do we really need three people to take it down?"
So far, fewer than ten people had gone missing in this town, which meant the demon couldn't have devoured more than eight or nine.
A demon of that level was only slightly stronger than the ones encountered during the Final Selection.
Any officially ranked Demon Slayer could take care of such a demon on their own. There was simply no need to send in multiple members.
And in fact, the Corps was only going to dispatch Takeo for this mission. But since this demon looked somewhat intelligent, and it was Takeo's first mission, they had assigned Asato this mission as Takeo's senior simply because he happened to be nearby and it was convenient for him to assist.
Besides, Asato already knew Takeo, so it was convenient for him to lead the newcomer.
But now, yet another person had joined them—a fellow Demon Slayer who had entered the Corps at the same time as Takeo. Their combined combat strength was already overkill.
Besides, that girl named Sakoma Iori — she should have her own mission, right? Was it really okay for her to stay here with them?
"Iori's perception is sharp. I think she might notice things we can't, so I brought her along," Takeo explained casually.
Yoshizuru Asato had been about to object when Sakoma Iori bowed respectfully and said,
"Good evening, senpai!!"
"!"
That single word—senpai—sent a wave of satisfaction through Asato's entire body.
The stern refusal he had been about to voice instantly melted away. His face broke into a wide grin.
"Sakoma Iori, is it? Very good—so energetic! Until your guiding Kasugai Crow comes to retrieve you, just stay with us for now."
"…You sure changed your attitude fast." Seeing how quickly Asato had been won over by a single word, Takeo couldn't help but mutter.
Asato shot him a glare. "You don't get it! Polite, respectful kids like this should absolutely be guided by a proper senpai like me!"
"Yes yes, senpai," Takeo drawled, his tone thick with sarcasm. That response earned him a dramatic eye-roll from Asato.
Clearly, Takeo's utterly insincere use of senpai gave Asato zero sense of seniority or satisfaction.
So, Asato decided not to argue with Takeo and led Iori into Hanako's home.
Hanako's shop was still open for business, and entering through the front door with a group could disrupt things, so they all went around to the back entrance instead.
Hearing the commotion, Hanako came out to greet them. When she noticed Iori among the group, she looked surprised and asked,
"Oh my, and who is this young girl?"
"She's Sakoma Iori, also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. You can just call her Iori, Hanako-san," Takeo explained as he introduced her.
When Hanako heard that Iori was also a Demon Slayer, she blinked in surprise. It took her a couple of seconds to process it before she smiled warmly and said to Iori,
"Hello, Miss Sakoma. I didn't expect there would be beautiful girls like you among the Demon Slayer Corps."
Ehm.. Sakoma Iori blinked but didn't respond.
Hanako gave the group another glance and then said,
"Everyone, please come in. I apologize, Miss Sakoma—I still have other guests to attend to, so I won't be able to host you right away. Please make yourself at home."
As Hanako spoke, she hurried off toward the front of the shop—it seemed there were customers waiting.
Once she was gone, Takeo turned to Iori and asked,
"Well? Did you notice anything?"
"…Have you both been staying at this lady's house these past few days?"Sakoma Iori replied with a question of her own.
Takeo shook his head. "I only stayed here for one night. He's been here for two."
By "he," Takeo was referring to Yoshizuru Asato.
Still unsure what was going on, Asato frowned and asked the two of them,
"What is it? Did you notice something? Why are you asking that?"
From the way Takeo had just questioned Iori, it seemed like he suspected something about Hanako. But what exactly was Takeo suspicious of?
Yoshizuru Asato didn't quite understand.
Sakoma Iori paused in thought. She didn't answer Asato's question directly; instead, she asked another:
"Then… neither of you did anything inappropriate over the past two days, right?"
"Ayo! O-Of course not!" Yoshizuru Asato answered immediately. "I've only been staying here, that's all! I definitely haven't done anything improper to Miss Hanako!"
"Then that's strange."
Sakoma Iori frowned and murmured to herself.
Hearing that, Takeo pressed, "What's strange? What did you notice?"
"Didn't you feel like… she's afraid of us?"
Sakoma Iori turned the question back to Takeo.
This time, Takeo fell silent.
She was right. The reason he had found Hanako suspicious in the first place was precisely because of how she behaved toward him and Asato.
On the surface, she was polite—almost overly so—and seemed genuinely grateful to Asato.
But in reality… Takeo could sense a faint trace of fear coming from her.
This was also a result of Takeo's enhanced abilities—his nose seemed to have become even more sensitive, as if he could smell emotions in the air.
It was a skill he had only recently started to develop, so he wasn't entirely sure of its reliability yet.
Especially after he had sensed Hanako's emotional state, he had begun to doubt himself. After all, why would Hanako be afraid of Yoshizuru Asato, the person who had rescued her?
Of course, even if he hadn't been mistaken, Takeo figured it might simply be because they were men—and they carried swords.
Hanako, being in a more vulnerable position, might just be instinctively afraid.
Still, even with that reasoning, the feeling stuck with Takeo.
Now that Sakoma Iori had voiced the same thing, it confirmed that Takeo's sense of smell hadn't been wrong—Hanako was definitely afraid of them.
Afraid of Demon Slayer Corps members.
"Wait, wait, wait—Takeo, are you saying you suspect Miss Hanako is a demon?" Yoshizuru Asato finally caught on to what the two had been discussing.
He immediately jumped into the conversation and looked at Takeo. "But you know as well as I do—demons can't appear during the daytime, and yet—"
Asato trailed off and looked up at the sky.
The sun now hung high in the sky, sunlight spilling across the ground. With the windows and doors of the house wide open, the rays streamed indoors as well.
If Hanako were a demon, then with this much direct sunlight, she would have turned to ash as early as dawn. There was no way she could still be standing here.
Takeo quietly turned to Yoshizuru Asato and said,"What if… she's connected to a demon?"
Asato's eyes widened at the suggestion.
…
As the sun gradually sank in the west, another day came to an end.
After a busy day, Taniguchi Hanako shut the front entrance of her home, raised and secured the wooden panels that served as shutters for the storefront, and finally returned to the house through the back door.
But the moment she stepped inside, she saw Takeo, Asato, and Sakoma Iori fully equipped and ready to head out.
Hanako paused in surprise. Her eyes swept over the three of them before finally landing on Yoshizuru Asato.
"Sir Yoshizuru… what's going on?"
"Oh, we've located the demon that's been attacking people in the area. We're heading out to eliminate it. Thank you so much for your hospitality these past few days, Miss Hanako—we truly appreciate it!"
Yoshizuru Asato spoke with sincerity and gave her a respectful bow.
At his words, Hanako's body gave a slight tremble.
Even her breathing grew a little rapid. After a few seconds, she finally responded, asking in a low voice,
"You… you really found the… demon?"
"It's just some traces for now," Takeo interjected with a smile. "But if we follow the trail, we should be able to track it down. Hanako-san… are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"
The red-haired boy had intended to continue explaining, but upon seeing Hanako's expression, he quickly shifted to asking with concern.
Hanako took two deep breaths to calm herself, then forced a smile and said, "I… it's nothing… Are you leaving now?"
"Yes," Takeo replied.
Hanako inhaled once more, her voice trembling as she said, "Then… let me see you off."
No one objected.
Hanako escorted the three of them to the front gate. She stood by the doorway, waving as she watched them depart.
Their figures gradually receded into the distance, slowly vanishing into the evening mist.
Hanako stood there blankly, staring in the direction they had gone.
Only after their silhouettes disappeared entirely did she suddenly snap out of it.
Without even bothering to shut the door behind her, she turned and ran off in another direction.
Her footsteps were hurried.
Very hurried.
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o(*￣▽￣*)ブ12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI