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Chapter 22 - DSPH Chapter 22: A Demon's Information

For Aoki, the sparring match was just a small detour.

If it wasn't for Keisuke, he wouldn't have even bothered.

He left the training room, heard someone was looking for him.

He reached the entrance, saw a girl with pink braids peeking inside.

"Miss Kanroji? What are you doing here?"

Mitsuri Kanroji's face lit up. She ran over, held up a food box.

"Aomura, I made cherry cakes! Let's eat them together!"

Aoki hesitated. "Let's go to my room, then."

He couldn't eat the cherry cakes. He'd use practice as an excuse.

Mitsuri took a cherry cake, nibbled a small bite.

The scent of cherry blossoms, sticky rice, and bean paste flooded her mind. She smiled, her eyes crinkling. She ate the whole cake in one bite, lifted her teacup, drank deeply. Then, she looked up.

Aoki was practicing Aoki Style, his face serious, his movements precise.

Practicing inside meant he had to control his power. It helped him learn control. It also helped him feel the details of Aoki Style.

He stopped. Mitsuri blinked. "Aomura, is this how you train to be strong? With martial arts?"

"Not entirely. Martial arts make you strong, but they don't break your limits," Aoki said.

"How do you break limits?" Mitsuri picked up another cherry cake, stuffed it in her mouth. Her cheeks bulged.

"Breathing Styles. You need Breathing Styles to be truly strong," Aoki said. He sat beside her, poured himself a drink.

Mitsuri asked, curious, "Where can you learn Breathing Styles?"

"The Demon Slayer Corps," Aoki said.

"The Demon Slayer Corps? Are they all strong, like you?" Mitsuri asked, confused.

Aoki thought for a moment. "Most aren't as strong as me. A few might be stronger."

He thought his power was at least Lower Moon level.

No one below the Pillars could beat him.

Mitsuri left. Akiyama Keisuke came.

"Aomura, you were amazing at sparring!

"

His face was still stunned.

Aoki said, "You flatter me, Keisuke. Actually, I need to tell you something. I won't be coming to class anymore."

"What?" Keisuke blinked.

"I'm leaving," Aoki said.

He'd stopped to master his power, build his fighting style. He'd done that. Time to go.

"What?" Keisuke was shocked. "Are you unhappy with the dojo?"

"It's not the dojo," Aoki said. "I was just passing through. I've stayed long enough. I need to move on."

Keisuke looked sad. He bit his lip. "But you haven't learned the killing moves of Aoki Style!"

"These basics are enough for me," Aoki said.

The killing moves were for humans. They wouldn't help him.

Keisuke heard the finality in his voice. He sighed. "Okay. I won't bother you, then."

He said goodbye, went to see his master.

Before he could speak, Mizuno Kengo said, "He turned you down, didn't he?"

"How did you know?" Keisuke asked. "Actually, I didn't say anything."

He told Mizuno Kengo what had happened.

Mizuno Kengo's face was thoughtful. "He used Aoki Style in the fight. He's mastered it. He's found his own path. He doesn't need to learn our Aoki Style."

"His own path?"

Keisuke was amazed.

Was he already a master?

He knew Aomura was strong, but this...

"It's good. For a genius like him, fixed moves would just hold him back."

Mizuno Kengo said, "He found his own path. But he still uses Aoki Style. He's part of our lineage."

Keisuke looked at his master. He seemed better, not as crushed. He felt relieved.

Aomura was leaving. His plan had failed. He'd have to find another way to cheer up his master.

...

Night fell.

Aoki left the dojo, quiet. He ran across the rooftops, light as a feather.

He'd try one last time to find the demon.

If he couldn't, he'd give up.

He couldn't waste his time here.

He might tell the Demon Slayer Corps, if he got the chance.

He searched all night. Nothing.

Aoki sat on a roof, thinking.

He wouldn't find the demon tonight. Before dawn, he'd start another job... Borrowing money.

He'd been doing this for a while. It wasn't going well.

The rich families, whatever their secrets, looked clean on the surface.

He was working alone. He was spending most of his time looking for the demon.

Who should he target?

Aoki thought of the sparring match. His opponent, Fujita Seiyu. His last name.

"I remember... There's a Fujita family in town. They own a steel company. Rich, powerful. Good reputation."

Aoki had been searching families with bad rumors. Fujita wasn't on his list.

But you couldn't judge a book by its cover. A family's true face might be hidden.

Aoki vanished, silent.

Lights blazed. Buildings towered. Guards patrolled every corner.

The Fujita estate was a fortress. A mouse couldn't sneak in.

But tonight, the fortress had a visitor.

Aoki stood on the roof of a three-story building. He looked down. He blended with the night.

"They're rich."

The estate was huge. The Fujitas were the richest family he'd seen.

That was a problem.

Too many buildings. Where should he start?

Aoki had no easy answer. He'd start with the important buildings.

The guards would tell him which ones.

Important rooms were guarded. Or the doors were locked. You couldn't sneak in.

But Aoki needed only a crack. He could get anywhere.

He searched three buildings. Then, he found something.

Aoki leaned against a wall, held a letter. He looked at the bed.

A fat man lay in the middle. Three young women lay beside him.

One was Asian. The others were a blonde white woman and a curly-haired black woman.

They learned foreign languages in this era?

Interesting.

Aoki looked at the letter.

It was simple. Someone named "Muto" asked Fujita to meet for tea.

The meeting place was interesting: Yagihime Society.

"Yagihime Society... An art gallery, right?" Aoki murmured.

Tea at an art gallery?

Aoki put the letter back. He looked at the fat man in bed. He vanished.

---

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