Tanjiro pretended not to see it, and Inosuke was so scared he pulled a hood over his head.
After two seconds of silence, Tanjiro asked again.
"Well, the letter repeatedly emphasized that when we arrive, we should stay low-key and not draw attention."
"Specifically… what are we supposed to do?"
Uzui Tengen averted his gaze and replied casually, "The solution is to disguise yourselves!"
"Though I hate to admit it, we'll be using the oldest trick in the book. You'll each sneak in under a cover identity."
"My three wives are all top-tier kunoichi. A huge entertainment district like this is the perfect place for demons to hide."
"I already tried infiltrating as a customer, but I couldn't get close enough to uncover the demon's true identity."
"That's why my wives have gone deeper undercover than any guest could manage."
"We've now identified three suspicious establishments. You need to find my wives and gather intel from them."
"They're Suma at Tokito House, Makio at Ogimoto House, and Hinatsuru at Kyogoku House."
As Uzui finished, Inosuke yanked his boar mask over his head, covering his nose. He guessed aloud,
"Maybe your wives are dead?"
Tanjiro flinched, ready to scold Inosuke for being rude—
—but Uzui's fist struck like a thunderclap, flooring Inosuke mid-sentence.
"Idiot," Uzui muttered.
Aoi entered with a knock, bringing in the prepared outfits. After a quick thanks, Uzui turned toward Giyu, who was still casually eating rice crackers.
"What about you?" Uzui asked. "How do you want to move?"
Giyu stretched with a lazy grace and answered softly, "Don't worry about me. I'll just take a stroll-"
Uzui furrowed his brow, thinking it over. Technically, Giyu didn't have a specific assignment.
"Fine. Just don't get caught."
With that, Uzui pulled out a set of makeup tools from a box.
"Giyu, while I work on the disguises, explain the demons' abilities to them!"
Giyu turned away, deliberately avoiding looking at Tanjiro and the others. If he looked too closely, he might actually burst out laughing.
As he calmly detailed the Blood Demon Arts and attack patterns of Daki and Gyutaro, the disguises were completed.
One look at the result, and Giyu's lips twitched uncontrollably. He hurriedly said,
"Tengen, you go ahead first. I still need to get ready."
Uzui gave him a strange look—Giyu was holding his forehead and refusing to make eye contact.
"…There are more makeup tools in the box. We'll head out."
After they left, Giyu stood up, glanced at the box, and muttered in disbelief,
"No need for all this makeup. Just tie up your hair and change clothes."
He tied his hair into a loose bun, removed his Demon Slayer Corps uniform, and kept only his haori.
His torso was partially exposed, lean muscles catching the light.
He put on a pair of black trousers and secured his Nichirin Blade to a white belt around his waist, partially concealed beneath his haori.
He figured the last time Gyutaro noticed him was likely because he was wearing the Corps uniform.
Hanamachi District
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were placed into three of the targeted houses:
Tokito House
"Let's take the one in the middle. He looks honest enough."
"I'll do my best!"
***
Ogimoto House
"Excuse me, Madam. Could I ask my household to take this child in?"
"I'm the mistress of Ogimoto House. I never misjudge people."
"Thank you very much, Ogimoto-sama~" Uzui said with a broad smile, handing Inosuke over.
***
An awkward silence followed. Uzui and Zenitsu exchanged glances.
Zenitsu's face darkened with dread.
"Ugh… I'm the only one left…"
Kyogoku House
After Uzui's relentless persuasion, Zenitsu was finally taken in by Kyogoku House.
Her (Zenitsu) performance—thunderous, playing fueled by fear and anger—stunned the women.
"That… that girl plays the shamisen so well!"
"Yes, and she's quite brave…"
"Are you new here?"
"I heard she has amazing hearing. Whether shamisen or koto, she can mimic it after hearing it once!"
Zenitsu sulked, "I'm ugly, but at least they accepted me…"
***
Meanwhile, what was Giyu Tomioka doing?
The main street of the district was bustling. Giyu was among the crowd.
Today, the oiran was making her ceremonial street appearance.
As he listened to the chatter around him, Giyu remembered—
The woman being paraded today would later be abducted by Daki.
He sipped the sake in his hand, then quietly stepped away from the crowd.
"She survives eventually… but maybe I can lessen what she goes through."
Still, for now, he returned to the tavern.
There were still a couple of days before the confrontation. No harm in relaxing.
Sitting back down, swirling the sake in his cup, a stray thought crossed his mind—
Should I become a sake merchant after this is all over?
Once the demons are all gone, he couldn't keep relying on the next Ubuyashiki… or Kocho Shinobu working double to feed him.
"No matter the era, people always need sake."
He nodded to himself. "That's it. I'll open a brewery."
Draining the last of his cup, Giyu rose, wandered to the front desk, and paid his tab.
Then, he asked politely,
"Hello. I'd like to speak with your manager, if that's alright?"
"Our boss… is usually—"
The young woman at the counter glanced up—and froze.
Even beauty has its uses.
"Our boss is upstairs. Please follow me~"
Giyu nodded and smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"Ah!–" She quickly turned her face away, flustered.
***
Elsewhere…
Tanjiro and the others were doing their best to blend in while subtly gathering intel on Tengen's wives.
During a conversation in his assigned room, Tanjiro, who couldn't lie to save his life, winced as he claimed,
"Suma is… actually my sister."
Oiran Koixia sighed and replied,
"I didn't believe Suma would run away. She's strong. Independent."
"She never seemed like the type to be blindly in love."
"But someone found a diary. It claimed she ran off with a man."
Tanjiro's eyes sharpened. He knew this was just a cover-up made by the demon.