It was late at night, and Kanae was walking alone.
Most of the shops had already closed, and pedestrians were few. The ones still wandering the streets were all men. A few tried to approach her, but after noticing her expression and the hand resting on the hilt of her katana, they thought better of it.
This was only the second time the city that never slept had become so quiet at night.
And both times, a demon had been responsible.
"That woman," Kanae murmured as she continued walking. "I'm sure she's doing this on purpose. Kagerou… I'll punish him lat-"
She suddenly stopped.
Her nose twitched.
A familiar scent had reached her.
"...Blood." Her expression changed, and her grip tightened around the handle of her katana. "This is the scent of fresh blood"
The first thought that came to her mind was Kagerou. She should inform him immediately. Then they could search for the demon and deal with it together.
But then...
What if this wasn't a demon attack?
What if someone had been injured in the middle of the night and needed help?
And if it really was a demon attack, what if the victim was still alive?
What if she went to find Kagerou and the demon escaped in the meantime?
What if-
The questions continued spinning through her mind.
Then Kanae stopped.
Her gaze hardened with conviction.
She took a deep breath, drew her katana, and began walking toward the source of the blood.
If someone was still alive, she could not afford to waste another moment.
---
Back at the ryokan, Kagerou sat across from Akari. They had already finished discussing everything Kagerou needed to know about the disappearances.
"Just like the Gun Demon- well, just like every demon- this one is mostly active at night," Akari explained. "But unlike that one, this particular demon primarily targets women. It only started about a week ago, and several women have already fallen victim to it"
Kagerou listened carefully, memorizing every detail.
Once he had gotten all the information he needed, however, his thoughts immediately returned to Kanae.
It had already been half an hour since she left.
Under normal circumstances, Kagerou wouldn't have been worried. Kanae was a powerful Demon Slayer, and he knew better than anyone that she could handle herself.
But these weren't normal circumstances.
There was a demon somewhere in this city.
And Kanae was out there alone.
The feeling of unease that had been building inside him only continued to grow.
Kagerou was about to leave the ryokan and search for her when Akari stopped him.
She wanted to talk.
Kagerou had initially wanted to refuse. He knew there were more important things to worry about right now, but when he saw the way Akari looked at him, he hesitated.
He remembered their past.
He still didn't clearly remember everything that had happened between them that night, but he remembered enough to know that Akari had feelings for him.
And because of that, the guilt had never completely disappeared.
With a heavy heart, Kagerou eventually agreed to stay.
For a while, they talked about the past few years, about the things that had happened to them, how their lives had changed, and everything they had experienced since the last time they had truly spoken.
They even drank sake together.
But as the conversation continued, Kagerou's attention slowly drifted away.
His thoughts kept returning to Kanae.
For some reason, the worry inside him continued to grow.
The sake in front of him no longer had any taste; even his kiseru, which he had been smoking earlier, had long since gone out, and the cup of sake in his hand remained untouched.
Akari noticed.
She looked at Kagerou sitting across from her, staring silently at the cup in his hand.
A sad smile slowly appeared on her face.
She finally understood.
She had no chance.
Perhaps she never had.
"...Kagerou-kun," Akari called softly.
Kagerou raised his head and met her gaze.
He was surprised by the sadness in her smile.
Then he understood.
His eyes lowered.
"I'm sorry, Akari, but I-
"No need," Said Akari, lowering her head, avoiding his gaze. "Please don't say that. It only makes it hurt more"
She took a quiet breath before continuing.
"Go... Go search for her." Her voice trembled slightly. "It's dangerous outside"
Kagerou didn't need to hear those words twice.
He immediately stood up, picked up the ninjato lying beside him, and started walking toward the exit.
But after taking only a few steps, Kagerou suddenly stopped.
He didn't turn around.
He couldn't.
For all his strength, there was one thing Kagerou had always been terrible at dealing with... A woman's tears.
He was afraid that if he turned around and saw Akari crying, his resolve would weaken. Worse, he was afraid that he might say something he didn't truly mean just to make her feel better.
He didn't want to give Akari false hope.
So Kagerou simply stood there with his back toward her, lowered his head slightly, and tightened his grip around his ninjato.
"...I'm sorry, Akari"
Then he walked away.
He didn't wait for her response.
Akari was a smart woman.
She would understand what he meant.
And she did.
She remained seated, silently watching Kagerou's back disappear through the entrance of the ryokan.
She was sad.
There was no denying that.
But there was no need for tears.
Not anymore.
She had already understood that there would never be a "we" between her and Kagerou.
Perhaps that was what hurt the most.
Whatever feelings she had for him, whatever possibility she had once imagined, it had ended before it had ever truly begun.
Still...
Knowing that reality made the pain a little easier to bear.
Akari remained silent for a few moments.
Then she turned toward one of her employees.
"...Yui-chan!"
"Yes?"
"Bring me another bottle of sake"
Akari smiled faintly.
"And come drink with me"
"Eh?"
"I'm not drinking alone tonight"
With that, Akari picked up her empty cup and poured herself another drink.
Meanwhile, Kagerou was already far from the ryokan.
His only thought now was Kanae.
---
Kanae kept walking; with each step she took, the scent of blood in the air grew stronger. Without realizing it, she began to run.
Her nose continued to follow the trail, pulling her deeper into the unfamiliar streets. Then, when she reached an alley and realized the scent was coming from within, Kanae didn't hesitate to enter.
However...
The moment she reached the end of the alley, Kanae's body went rigid.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the scene before her.
A man was crouched with his back toward her, his pale figure illuminated faintly by the moonlight. He was squatting over someone lying motionless on the ground.
For a moment, Kanae couldn't understand what she was seeing.
Then she noticed the blood.
The unmistakable scent that had drawn her here was everywhere, thick enough to make her stomach tighten.
The man slowly raised something toward his mouth.
Kanae's expression changed.
That wasn't a man rescuing someone.
He was eating them.
A chill ran down Kanae's spine.
She tightened her grip around her katana, but she didn't immediately move. Her eyes remained fixed on the stranger's back, carefully observing every movement.
Then, as though he had sensed her presence all along, the crouching man suddenly stopped.
Silence filled the alley.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
The man turned his head over his shoulder.
A pair of strangely beautiful, multicolored eyes came into view.
His smile widened.
Kanae's heart sank.
Those eyes...
There was something deeply wrong with them.
The man stood up, casually wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth before turning around to face her completely.
He smiled as though they had simply met by chance.
"Ah..."
His voice was gentle, almost cheerful.
"What a lovely young lady"
Kanae's fingers tightened around her sword.
She could feel it now.
The overwhelming presence coming from him.
He wasn't human.
He was a demon.
And not just any demon.
Now, with a clear view of the demon's eyes, Kanae could see the truth etched into them: the kanji for Upper Rank (上弦) across his left eye, and the kanji for Two (弐) in his right.
Upper Rank Two.