Coming from a beautiful woman, saying something like "I want to eat them" just sounded off. But not so much if the one saying it was actually a demon who ate people.
If Itsuki were there, he would've recognized her in a second.
The hoe standing by the window was none other than Daki, Upper Moon Six.
The same demon he'd been trying to avoid ever since he ended up in this world.
"Someone," Daki called out lazily.
A young girl rushed in, clearly nervous.
"H-Here!"
"Come to the window."
"Yes!"
The girl quickly stepped over, keeping her eyes low as she peeked out.
"Did you see that pair of sisters walking by earlier? The ones prettier than me?"
"I saw… I mean—no! I didn't see anything!"
The second the words left her mouth, the girl froze. She knew she'd messed up.
Daki's face twisted to disgust
Smack—Daki's slap sent her flying into the doorway.
"Next time, use your head. Now go downstairs and tell someone to find out where those two went."
"Yes!" the girl yelped, scrambling up. She quietly closed the door behind her as she left—she knew better than to leave it swinging open after something like that.
"I really hope they're still nearby," Daki muttered, staring into the mirror. "Fresh prey like that doesn't come around often." She'll just send these humans to get them for her, she doesn't feel like hunting as of now.
Daki had been using her oiran identity to hunt for years now. Every decade or so, she'd switch up her appearance, age, and even the brothel. It kept the cycle going.
And every time, it was the same—if someone didn't behave, she'd get rid of them. Sooner or later, she always ended up running the place from the shadows.
This brothel was no different.
Soon after, following her orders, Kyogoku House sent people to follow the Butterfly Sisters.
"Sister, we're being followed."
"They're just civilians. Ignore them. Once we leave Flower Street, we'll move faster."
"Okay."
An hour later, another servant girl stood in Daki's room, shaking like a leaf.
"L-Lady Courtesan… they disappeared after leaving Flower Street."
Daki's smile vanished. Finally, she'd found something worth chasing—and now they were already gone?
She shot a sharp glare at the girl, who flinched.
"B-But! We did find out something—they came from a place called Ren Martial Hall Dojo. Maybe there's a clue there?"
The word "Martial Hall" made Daki think of sweaty old men. Her mood dropped.
"Forget it. If you see those sisters again, tell me. Immediately."
"Yes!"
"Now get out."
"Yes!"
And just like that, Flower Street went back to its usual routine.
Half a month passed. Ren Martial Hall Dojo was still calm.
Since Kanae and the others left, Shinjuro had gotten even more unrestrained. Not just drinking more but also hitting harder during training.
Itsuki, who had become his unofficial punching bag, knew this all too well.
Thankfully, Kanae had left him with some simple medicine recipes before she left. Add in his tough body from constant training, and he could manage.
Aside from that, his daily routine now included sparring with Kanao.
She was a natural at Flower Breathing. In just over ten days, she'd picked up the Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum and could even exchange a move or two with him.
It wouldn't be long before she could really go toe to toe with him hopefully.
Kanao could feel it too. She wasn't just stuck doing footwork drills anymore—she was finally catching up. There was a spark of confidence in her eyes now.
If she kept this up, she'd shine in her own way.
Late at night in the hall master's study…
The head of the Ren Martial Hall sat sipping tea with Itsuki.
"I'm glad to see you and the Flame Hashira getting along," he said.
"That's all thanks to you, Master."
"Enough with the flattery. I called you here for something serious."
He put down his cup and looked directly at Itsuki.
"You've been training in Flame Breathing for a while now. Think you can handle a group of normal people?"
"Regular guys? Yeah, no problem. Why do you ask?"
"It's about the honeycomb briquettes. Some people around here don't like how well our business is doing."
He explained how more people were using briquettes not just for warmth, but for cooking too. The stable flames made them popular, and now even out-of-town merchants were buying them.
Itsuki already had a feeling where this was going.
"So, the woodcutters got jealous?"
"Exactly. They've been hiring thugs to mess with the briquette workshop. Our guards have been stopping them, but that won't work forever."
"What do you need me to do?" Itsuki asked.
He was already down for it. The briquette business paid him monthly dividends—if it went down, so did his funding for medicine and training. And that wasn't an option.
"Simple. Teach them a lesson."
Itsuki raised an eyebrow. If it was just a scare tactic, why call him?
"…Can I kill them?"
"Oh? Now that's a good look." He smirked. "You can do whatever you want with the small fry, but the ringleader? He has to die. I'll handle the fallout. You just focus on using your blade."
"Can I use Flame Breathing?"
"As long as you don't go blowing up buildings, normal people won't know what they're seeing."
"Can I bring Kanao?"
He paused, caught off guard.
"Huh. You're actually taking her along?"
Itsuki was serious.
"Alright, then. If she's going to be a swordsman, she'll need to see blood eventually. Better it happens under your watch. You're a good brother figure to her."
"She doesn't need me to protect her."
"…Is that so?" The master smiled. "We'll see soon enough. And don't worry—there'll be cash bonuses for every job. I treat my people right. I'll give you the details soon."
The two nodded at each other, already on the same page.
With both Itsuki and Kanao trained in Breathing Techniques, safety wasn't a concern. This was a good chance to get real experience.
And for the Master, it was a win-win: handle the thugs, shut up the people jealous of Itsuki's dividends, and keep control of the business.
Honestly, the trouble stirred up by the honeycomb briquettes couldn't have come at a better time.