"Asuka, this is the place."
Asano Mori led Asuka weaving through the streets of Sendai, finally stopping in front of an unremarkable storefront.
He pointed to the weather-beaten wooden sign hanging above the door, carved with three bold, forceful characters.
Three Characters.
Asuka glanced at the relatively desolate street, a trace of confusion stirring inside him.
Whether in Rukongai or Hayama, Asuka had never read a single book. He was, by any definition, completely illiterate.
In his imagination, a bookstore was a place frequented either by wealthy men in proper long robes or refined young masters and ladies. At the very least, it was not somewhere a stray dog like him should be able to enter.
The door to the bookshop was half open. From inside drifted the mingled smells of cheap tobacco, low-grade tea, and ink on paper.
Asano Mori went in first, lifting the cloth curtain. Asuka carefully drew in the outline of his Nichirin Blade and followed him inside.
The interior was dimly lit. Towering bookshelves stretched nearly to the ceiling, covering most of the walls and packed tightly with books.
Every space that could fit furniture held rough, narrow wooden tables and long benches, all of them crowded with people.
A flicker of bewilderment passed through Asuka's eyes, because the so-called readers before him were nothing like what he had imagined.
They were either laborers in indigo or coarse brown work clothes, students in patched uniforms with unhealthy complexions, or ordinary townsfolk who looked more like they were here to join the excitement.
Some even held their books upside down, no one knew what they were reading.
Some gulped tea from coarse porcelain bowls, others gnawed on cold, hardened rice balls, and more gathered in heated groups, faces flushed as they argued passionately, saliva flying everywhere.
This is a bookstore? To Asuka, it felt more like a roadside drinking stall.
Noticing Asuka's confusion, Asano Mori hurriedly explained in a low voice.
"It's very different, right, Asuka? Three Characters isn't a place for those big shots to read for leisure. It's a very different kind of gathering spot. The owner is a very different kind of rich man!"
He gestured toward the large character for "Three" inside the shop and said solemnly, "I've heard he's opened shops in many places like Tokyo and Osaka, all named Three Characters. He takes in and helps people like us who don't agree with the mainstream voices. People who can't study, have nowhere to go, and no one willing to listen to them."
Though older than Asuka, Asano Mori was always restless and easily stirred up.
Excited, he pointed at the faces locked in fierce or focused discussion. "Everyone likes gathering here to vent, to think of solutions. Over time, more and more people came. Harada's writings were printed into booklets right here and handed out!"
Asuka listened in silence, his gaze sweeping over the shop without any change in expression.
It didn't matter.
He didn't care about these people's ideals or visions. He was here to find Harada Chuichi, and his ultimate goal was to eliminate the demons plaguing Sendai.
Everything else was secondary.
"Let's get to business," he said.
Led by Asano Mori, he squeezed past several tables packed so tightly there was barely any space between them, his eyes constantly scanning the readers nearby.
A bespectacled student with a scholarly air was softly reciting,
"...I opened the history books and found that this history had no dates. Every crooked page was filled with the words 'benevolence and morality.' I couldn't sleep no matter how I lay there. After staring all night, I finally saw the truth between the lines. The entire book was filled with just two words: 'eat people.'"
"These words have power. That's from overseas, right?"
"Yes, it's a work by Master Zhou. He studied abroad here in our Sendai before and has some history with the big boss... Tsk, it's truly well-written..."
Asuka remained completely uninterested and continued following Asano Mori toward the back of the shop.
At the very rear, in a relatively quiet corner, stood a small table that looked like a counter. Behind it sat a young girl.
She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a clean dark-blue checkered kimono with a plain apron over it. Her hair was neatly tied back, revealing a smooth forehead and gentle, graceful features.
"Miss Yuka, sorry to bother you."
Asano Mori clearly knew her. He stepped forward and bowed politely.
The girl called Yuka looked up, and when she saw Asano Mori, a warm smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, Mr. Asano. How is your brother's illness?"
"My brother... he's already passed away..."
"What? I'm so sorry... please accept my condolences."
Flustered, she bowed apologetically to Asano Mori, then noticed the black-clad young man in uniform standing behind him.
Asano Mori rubbed his head with a troubled expression, suppressing his grief as he introduced him.
"This is Mr. Asuka. He's... from the Demon Slayer Corps. We're here to find Harada Chuichi."
"The Demon Slayer Corps? Demons?" The surprise in Yuka's eyes deepened as she carefully examined Asuka.
Well-read and knowledgeable, she already knew how vast the world was and wasn't particularly taken by legends of demons and spirits. However, good upbringing kept her from questioning Asano Mori's words. She simply nodded slightly toward Asuka in greeting.
Understanding their purpose, she set aside the booklet in her hands and placed them neatly on her lap.
"Mr. Harada will be coming later tonight. If you wait a bit, you should be able to meet him," Yuka said gently to Asano Mori.
"You know how it is. Rice prices have skyrocketed lately, and everyone's struggling. I've heard there's even been unrest and rice looting in cities to the south. Times are truly unsettled..."
"Mr. Harada plans to discuss countermeasures with everyone, whether to pressure the rice merchants further or put some pressure on the city hall so life can be a bit easier for everyone."
She glanced at the clock on the wall and added, "It should be about an hour or so."
"Thank you so much, Miss Yuka!" Asano Mori let out a long sigh of relief and thanked her repeatedly. Asuka also nodded in acknowledgment, accepting the arrangement.
The two sat down on the bench Yuka indicated. Asuka instinctively chose the seat against the wall, where his view covered the entire shop. His hand rested on the sword guard as his calm gaze swept across the room.
Time slowly passed amid the bookshop's unique clamor.
The workers' discussions rose and fell, all about topics Asuka couldn't understand.
"I heard it's even worse in Osaka. The military police have been deployed!"
"This life is unbearable! Harada is right. If we workers don't stick together, we'll just be treated like livestock by those bloodsucking bosses!"
"The owner of Three Characters is truly a good man, letting us speak freely here..."
"Of course! I heard the owner's son, Mr. Nosaka, is even more active in Tokyo! The owner renamed all his bookshops to Three Characters to support his son's cause."
"So that's how it is! No wonder! Mr. Nosaka is truly remarkable... Times are hard. I hope Mr. Harada brings some good news tonight..."
These social issues were far removed from someone like Asuka, who only knew how to wield a blade. Still, from their fragmented conversations, he further confirmed his judgment.
This Harada Chuichi was likely indeed a thorn in the side of certain people behind the scenes.
While waiting, Asuka idly flipped through ancient texts he couldn't understand. Miss Yuka kindly explained the meanings of some verses to him and brought over two cups of coarse tea, placing them on the low table before him.
"Please, have some. It's just simple tea and food, nothing special," she said gently. Her gaze paused briefly on the concealed blade at Asuka's waist before moving away.
Asano Mori quickly thanked her. Asuka merely glanced at the steaming tea and did not touch it.
He closed his eyes and focused more intently, drawing on his spiritual pressure perception. His awareness spread outward from himself like an invisible web.
For now, there was no obvious demonic aura or malicious spiritual pressure.
Those gathered here all carried the spiritual fluctuations of ordinary humans, some vigorous, some weary.
As for the girl named Yuka, her spiritual pressure was gentle and pure, carrying a calming serenity.
However, just as his senses brushed past a corner near the shop's back door, he caught a trace of something extremely faint, almost imperceptibly cold.
The presence vanished in an instant, leaving only a slight ripple before disappearing entirely.
So it's here?
Asuka opened his eyes and tightened his grip on the sword hilt.