Inosuke was not allowed to speak in Ogimoto House and was forced to wear a kimono. He was angry and uncomfortable the whole time.
But finally, he overheard something useful—the name of Uzui Tengen's wife.
Two young women stood at the door of a room while Inosuke hid in the corner of the corridor, eavesdropping.
"I don't know if Miss Makio is okay. She locked herself in her room and won't come out."
"She said she wasn't feeling well, but she hasn't gone to the doctor. The boss lady should drag her out by now."
"I just brought her food. Anyway, I'll just leave it in front of the door."
***
Meanwhile, at Kyogoku House, Zenitsu seemed entirely absorbed in playing instruments—his shamisen and koto music still echoing softly through the hall.
***
At the same time, on the second floor of a small pub, Giyu Tomioka was writing down the steps of brewing sake while explaining in more detail to the proprietress.
After a while, Tomioka finished writing and handed the paper to the boss lady, who was looking at him with heart-shaped eyes. Smiling slightly, he said,
"Try the method I explained first. If it works, then you can trust me later."
"No need. I already agree to all the conditions you mentioned," the proprietress replied directly and excitedly, accepting the paper.
It wasn't just Tomioka's appearance—though that helped. She genuinely thought his brewing method had potential.
Tomioka was caught off guard. He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.
He had asked for half of the profits from the pub—and even if she opened more locations, he wanted half of the total revenue.
"Are you sure? You're not joking?" Tomioka asked, still unsure.
"Of course! What I, Mori Fuji, say is final—like water that's already been spilled!"
"Ling~ Come here, we're signing the contract!"
Mori clapped her hands. The door opened, and a young girl entered with some white parchment.
Only after signing the treaty did Tomioka come back to his senses. He touched his face and thought silently to himself: Looks really are a kind of power.
Having completed something important for his future, Tomioka was in a good mood—and ended up drinking too much.
Nothing happened that night. It wasn't until noon the next day that Giyu Tomioka woke up groggily in his tavern room.
While Tomioka was peacefully asleep, Inosuke discovered the presence of a demon inside Ogimoto House.
Unfortunately, Inosuke was delayed by Ogimoto's guests, which allowed the demon to escape.
Inosuke clenched his teeth and cursed, "Damn it! I lost it! It's all that kid's fault for messing around!!"
Meanwhile, at Kyogoku House, Zenitsu had unknowingly walked right into danger.
The oiran of Kyogoku House… was Daki.
Even worse, Zenitsu had barged into her room after hearing a girl crying!
At that moment, Daki stood behind Zenitsu and said coldly,
"What are you doing in someone else's room?"
Zenitsu broke into a cold sweat. He didn't even need to look back—the voice alone told him that the person behind him wasn't human.
A demon!
What terrified Zenitsu more was that he hadn't sensed her presence at all until she spoke.
Could she… really be an Upper Rank demon?!
Zenitsu's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing Zenitsu squatting on the ground, speechless and motionless, Daki said with growing impatience,
"Hey, are you deaf?!"
At this moment, two little girls hiding near the door tried to explain for Zenitsu in shaky voices:
"L-Lady Daki… that person only came today, so…"
"Huh?" Daki's gaze turned ice cold. "So what?!"
Seeing this, Zenitsu quickly said,
"I walked in without permission. I'm really sorry!"
"Because the room was a mess and the child was crying…"
Of course, none of this mattered to Daki.
Instead, Zenitsu's face seemed to catch her interest.
"You're so ugly. It's revolting. Why don't you just die?"
"And what's with that hair color? Trying to stand out?"
Then Daki looked around the room again, her voice harsh.
"The room's still a mess? I told them to clean it already, didn't I?!"
She stormed over to the girl still crying on the floor, grabbed her ear, and lifted her up.
"AA…!"
The child let out a sharp cry.
"You're noisy!!"
Daki's irritation only grew. She twisted the girl's ear harder.
"What are you screaming for? Go clean your damn room!"
Blood trickled down the child's ear. She reached up instinctively toward Daki's arm to lessen the pain…
But fear made her hand freeze in midair.
Through tears, she pleaded,
"I-I'm really sorry… I'll clean it right away… please forgive me…"
Just then, the "timid" Zenitsu grabbed Daki's wrist with determination.
"Please… let go!"
Unfortunately, Daki slapped Zenitsu hard enough to send him flying across the room.
Walking slowly up to his unconscious body, Daki said coldly,
"Don't touch me, you arrogant brat."
"Looks like someone needs to learn their place…"
Back in the present—
At noon, Giyu Tomioka wandered through the street, looking for a place that sold grilled salmon with simmered daikon. He was hungry.
Meanwhile, on a rooftop not far away, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Uzui Tengen were engaged in a serious conversation.
"Zenitsu won't be coming," Tengen said gravely.
Tanjiro and Inosuke reacted very differently to the statement.
Inosuke stared at Tengen, who was crouching in front of them, and thought, This guy's really something…
He moved without a sound—not even the wind stirred!
Tanjiro quickly asked, "What do you mean Zenitsu won't come? What happened?!"
"…I'm sorry," Tengen said quietly.
"I made several bad calls… all because I was desperate to save my wives."
"Zenitsu disappeared. We lost contact with him last night."
"You should leave the Entertainment District. You're not ready for this."
"The demon that made Zenitsu vanish—right under my nose—must be one of the Upper Ranks."
"In this business, those who lose contact… are considered dead."
Uzui Tengen stood up and added,
"From now on, Tomioka and I will act alone."
Hearing that, Tanjiro shouted in desperation, "No, Uzui! We—!"
Before he could finish, Tengen cut him off.
"Don't be ashamed. Surviving is a victory."
"Don't throw away your life."
Just as Tengen was about to leave, he turned and saw Giyu Tomioka standing below the building…
…holding a steaming bowl of salmon and daikon.
He was eating quietly, eyes fixed on Tengen.