While Yuto was cooking, Suika moved over and sat beside the three girls.
Her sudden approach immediately put Shinobu on guard.
Kanae noticed the change in her sister's posture and gently rested a hand over Shinobu's, quietly calming her before turning toward Suika.
"Is there something you wanted to ask us?"
Kanae's smile remained gentle, and everything about her carried a refined, thoughtful warmth that contrasted sharply with Suika's rough-and-ready personality.
Suika grinned.
"I want to know more about demons."
The expressions of Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao all changed at once.
Anger immediately surfaced on Shinobu's face, while even Kanae's brows drew together slightly.
Their reactions alone made it obvious that the "demons" of their world were anything but pleasant creatures.
"I heard Kanao mention them last time," Suika continued. "I wanted to ask then, but she had to leave in a hurry, so I never got the chance. I was hoping you could tell me more about the demons in your world."
She scratched the side of her head with an awkward grin, though the expectation in her eyes remained obvious.
Unlike most humans, Suika had little interest in circling around a subject or carefully testing the waters first.
She was an oni—straightforward, impulsive, and quick-tempered by nature.
If there was something she wanted to know, she simply asked.
Seeing the hope in her expression, Kanae found herself conflicted.
The mention of demons brought countless unpleasant thoughts to mind.
"Hey, you—"
Shinobu's anger flared again, but Kanae immediately placed a hand over hers and gave her a mildly reproachful look.
Shinobu reluctantly forced herself to calm down.
"May I ask why you want to know about demons?" Kanae asked. "After all, we... aren't even from the same world."
The idea of entirely separate worlds was still somewhat difficult for Kanae to fully grasp, but she understood the basic concept well enough.
"Well... because I'm an oni myself."
The three girls stiffened again.
Suika, apparently unaware of just how alarming that statement sounded to them, continued naturally.
"The other oni in my world all disappeared somewhere. I've searched for them for a long time and never found them, so when I heard your world had 'oni' too, I thought there might be some kind of connection."
Her voice gradually softened toward the end.
Even Suika knew the chances were slim.
They came from completely different worlds.
There was no reason to assume the creatures called oni in this world had anything to do with her own kind.
Probably not.
But she did not want to give up without checking.
What if there really was some connection?
The moment Suika called herself an oni, both Shinobu and Kanao instinctively moved their hands toward their swords.
It was practically a reflex.
Fortunately, neither of them was reckless enough to draw.
Kanae studied Suika carefully for a moment before speaking in a firmer tone.
"If that's the case, I'm afraid you'll probably be disappointed. The demons in our world are cruel, corrupted creatures that prey on humans. Whatever they are, they clearly aren't the same kind of being as you."
The Suika sitting in front of her felt completely different from every demon Kanae had ever encountered.
There was simply no way they were the same race.
"I think the names are probably just a coincidence."
"Oh..."
Suika visibly deflated.
She expressed her disappointment in the most Suika-like way possible by lifting her cup and taking a huge drink.
Kanae and Shinobu both stared at her.
Watching such a small, childlike girl casually guzzle alcohol was undeniably startling.
A moment later, however, they remembered the two horns growing from her head.
She clearly was not human.
Applying ordinary human common sense to her was probably pointless.
"Mmm... I still want to see one of your world's demons with my own eyes."
Suika looked hopefully toward Kanae again.
"Hey, could you take me to your world so I can see one?"
Kanae hesitated.
"Is that a no...?"
Suika's voice immediately became pitiful.
Kanae let out a helpless sigh.
"If you want to visit our world, I suppose that's possible. But I'd like you to agree to a few things first."
In the end, she still gave in.
Kanae had always been softhearted, and faced with Suika looking at her like that, she simply could not bring herself to refuse outright.
"Oh! No problem! As long as it isn't anything too unreasonable!"
Suika immediately brightened.
Her expression changed faster than summer weather, yet every bit of it was genuine.
She did not enjoy pretending or hiding how she felt. Living openly and freely was simply how oni were supposed to live.
"Of course."
Kanae smiled.
At that moment, Yuto returned carrying their food.
The moment the dishes were placed in front of them, the attention of Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao shifted almost completely.
In their era, even meals considered ordinary here could be difficult to come by.
After thanking Yuto, the three began eating.
Kanao's reaction remained relatively restrained since she had already eaten Yuto's cooking once before, but Kanae and Shinobu were both visibly delighted after their first bites.
While they ate, Suika turned toward the rest of the Gensokyo group.
"You guys can head back without me later. I'm going to visit their world."
There was no reason to make everyone wait around for her.
"Try not to get yourself killed in another world. Nobody's going to go over there just to collect your corpse!"
As one of Suika's usual partners in verbal abuse, Reimu did not bother softening her words.
Maybe Suika had already drunk enough to damage her brain, because instead of firing back like usual, she merely laughed stupidly.
"Come back soon," Yukari added.
"Don't worry!"
After a little more discussion, Suika settled everything with the rest of the Gensokyo group.
...
Meanwhile, through his conversation with Kanae and Shinobu, Yuto also gained a much clearer understanding of their world.
Demons.
The Demon Slayer Corps.
Bit by bit, he pieced everything together until he had a rough image of the place they came from.
It was not a particularly peaceful world.
Once the three girls finished eating, Suika prepared to leave with them.
After saying goodbye to everyone, she followed Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao through the restaurant's passage and disappeared into their world.
"I just hope that idiot Suika doesn't cause trouble."
Reimu spread her hands helplessly.
"She should be fine. I doubt there's anything in that world capable of seriously threatening her."
Yukari smiled calmly.
Her title as the Sage of Yōkai was not merely for show. Just from observing Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao, she could roughly estimate the general level of power in their world.
That was precisely why she had been comfortable letting Suika leave.
If Yukari believed there was any real danger, she never would have agreed so easily.
...
"So this is the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Suika looked around curiously.
It seemed... fine.
Honestly, the place was not even as lively as the Human Village back in Gensokyo.
"Yes."
Kanae nodded.
"Then where should I go if I want to find a demon?"
"There's a mountain to the southwest. A Lower Rank demon is currently there. According to our original plans, the Corps should be sending people to eliminate it in a few days."
"I see."
Suika rubbed her chin.
"So if I find that demon, can it lead me to Kibutsuji Muzan?"
Kanae had already explained Muzan to her on the way.
He was the origin of the demons in this world.
Which made him Suika's real target.
"Unfortunately, no," Kanae answered. "Muzan has some kind of connection to the demons he creates. They're unable to reveal information about him, and if they try, he can sense it and kill them remotely."
"So he can sense them..."
Suika rubbed her chin thoughtfully for another moment before grinning.
"That's fine. I'll find this Lower Rank first and figure things out from there!"
"Then we'll go with you—"
"Nah, no need. I'll be faster on my own."
Suika cut Kanae off before she could finish.
Kanae paused in surprise.
"Oh, right." Suika suddenly remembered something. "You said there were a few things you wanted me to promise before I came here. What were they?"
"I'd like you not to reveal the location of the Demon Slayer Corps, and please don't disturb the lives of ordinary people."
"Sure! No problem at all. I always keep my word!"
Suika grinned.
"Anything else?"
Kanae shook her head.
"Then I'm off."
"Going alone might be too dan—"
Kanae did not even get the chance to finish saying dangerous.
Suika was already gone.
She had simply disappeared from directly in front of them.
Kanae froze.
Then looked at the empty space where Suika had been standing only a moment earlier.
There was nobody there.