Shirou Emiya — Doesn't Want to Work Overtime!

Twilight fell quickly.

No matter how much Shirou pleaded for information about the demon, the three women refused to answer him. They insisted he spend the night safely indoors, warning him not to wander the streets after dark.

But really, it was just because his own strength was far too low. If that monster could wipe out hundreds of people at a whim, there was nothing Shirou could do to fight it.

He would simply become its next meal—just another helpless victim, devoured without a trace.

Still, Shirou refused to give in.

Even if they'd warned him, he was determined to search for the demon's trail himself.

He might not be a match for it, but if he could discover any trace of the demon ahead of time, he could at least help the Demon Slayer Corps. Anything was better than waiting helplessly in the restaurant, doing nothing as more people died.

I have to do something for the people here—at the very least, do everything I can to minimize tonight's casualties.

"Caw! Caw! Caw!"

Bathed in the last golden rays of sunset, a jet-black kasugai crow glided down through the light and landed on Hinazuru's outstretched hand, its sharp beak opening and closing as it spoke.

"Uzui-sama says he's on a mission far from Yoshiwara—at top speed, he'll need three days to return. But he's already reported the incident to the Corps. The Oyakata-sama is dispatching other demon slayers as quickly as possible."

Hinazuru relayed the message to Suma and Makio.

But the crow wasn't done. It snapped its beak again, rattling off another message, and Hinazuru's expression changed as she listened.

"Uzui-sama also says this demon that's suddenly appeared isn't an Upper Moon. And it's not the one hiding in the pleasure district, either."

"Is that really possible? A non-Upper Moon demon could do all this?" Makio's voice was incredulous. She didn't know any Breathing Techniques herself, but she'd seen plenty of demons—none with the power to erase an entire district in a night.

Of course, she'd never seen a true Upper Moon either, so she couldn't say for sure.

If this isn't even Upper Moon level… what are the real ones like? She shuddered at the thought. It wasn't that she doubted Uzui Tengen's judgment, but it was just so hard to believe.

"Uzui-sama said Upper Moon demons wouldn't make such a scene. That's the reasoning."

If every Upper Moon rampaged so openly, the Corps wouldn't have to spend years searching for them without success. The difference between the Upper Moons who stayed hidden and those who revealed themselves was a whole other level—like the difference between open battle and assassination. No one ever knew where the next blow would come from; it was a chilling thought.

"Still, this incident is so severe that the Oyakata-sama is sending other Hashira to resolve it quickly and limit the casualties."

At the mention of the Hashira, Makio and Suma finally let out a breath of relief. If only regular Corps members were coming, with that level of destruction, all they could do was watch helplessly as people died. That was the last thing either of them wanted to see.

But with Hashira involved, the demon would likely be taken care of swiftly.

After all, according to Uzui Tengen's judgment, this demon hadn't reached Upper Moon strength—and for a Hashira, slaying anything below an Upper Moon was usually an easy task.

Lower Moons simply didn't have the strength to take on a Hashira.

"Uzui-sama's orders are that, unless a second demon appears, we're to stay out of this and keep gathering information. If the one hiding in the pleasure district does show itself, then we're to assist the Hashira in taking it down."

After relaying the crow's message, Hinazuru vanished from the rooftop.

Makio and Suma now knew exactly what they needed to do: their top priority was to flush out the hidden demon in Yoshiwara. Without a nichirin blade or Breathing Techniques—only kunoichi skills and wisteria poison—taking on a strong demon head-on would be suicide.

Better to hunt for the hidden demon among the crowds than to charge into a fight.

---

"I always heard this place was lively, but I never expected the nightlife to be so dazzling!"

A man with long blond hair, the tips dyed red, sat in a rickshaw, eyes wide with excitement as he took in the scene.

He looked as if he'd never seen a district this vibrant. Beneath his thick, dark brows, his eyes sparkled with energy—the sort of man who could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere.

"We're here, sir. The area ahead has been sealed off since last night's incident, so I can't take you any farther—I'm sorry."

The driver, a scrawny-looking man, bowed his head in apology.

"No, no! You've done me a huge favor bringing me this far in a place I hardly know. Really, I should be the one thanking you!"

The man, wearing the brown uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps and a flame-patterned haori, spoke with a booming voice that made the few passersby on the street clamp their hands over their ears.

The driver was so stunned by the volume he just stared, blank, as the man pressed a bulging coin pouch into his hands.

Finally, he snapped out of it.

"S-sir, this is too much!"

But the man was already walking away, only pausing when the driver nervously tapped his shoulder.

"No, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be wandering here for ages and lose precious time. You deserve every bit of it!"

The man clapped him on the shoulder with a broad grin, making it clear that money meant nothing to him.

For the Demon Slayer Corps, wealth was nothing compared to the mission. Unless every demon was destroyed, money had no meaning.

Ignoring the rickshaw man's stunned look, he turned and leaped effortlessly onto the rooftops.

The houses of Yoshiwara were all low and flat. From up here, it was easy to scan the surroundings and spot any sign of demons.

He soon spotted another figure on a neighboring rooftop—a red-haired boy, searching the area just as keenly.

And the moment he looked at Shirou, Shirou turned and met his gaze.