Zenitsu suddenly let out a shrill, agonized scream, tears bursting out like a broken dam. He lunged at Tengen Uzui, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him frantically.
"You damn show-off! Give me back my feelings! Give me back my respect! You bastard! Scumbag! Why does a guy wearing a ridiculous headband get to have three wives?! I get called a creep just for wanting to hold a girl's hand, and you've got three all to yourself! What about the rest of us single guys?! Die! Commit seppuku and atone for your sins, aaaaah!"
The flames of jealousy had completely burned away Zenitsu's reason.
As a lifelong bachelor and the ultimate hopeless romantic, what he hated most were men who were good-looking and popular with women. And someone like Tengen Uzui, who openly had three wives, was practically his mortal enemy.
THWACK!
Tengen Uzui slammed his fist down on Zenitsu's head without hesitation, instantly raising a large bump.
"Stop making a scene! I'm tall, handsome, strong, and charming. Of course women like me," Tengen Uzui said, brushing the dust off his clothes with a look of disdain.
"I don't believe it! I protest! This is a massacre of single guys!"
Zenitsu rolled on the ground, clutching his head. Then, as if grasping at a final lifeline, he scrambled on all fours to Rin and grabbed his pant leg.
"Boss Rin! Say something! You also think a guy with three wives is too much, right? Hurry, use your invincible lightning to blast this scumbag into charcoal! Do it for justice, Boss!" Zenitsu wailed, snot and tears streaming down his face as he tried to find solidarity with Rin.
Rin frowned in disgust and shook his leg, kicking Zenitsu straight back into Tanjiro's arms like a soccer ball.
"Stay away from my pants. They're covered in your powder."
Rin looked down at the flailing Zenitsu, suppressing his smile, settling for a passable, exaggerated cold sneer.
"What? Is it strange to have three wives?"
He rested his chin on one hand, speaking in a flat tone as if stating an obvious truth. "In a world where human life is as cheap as grass, it's only natural for the strong to possess more resources and companions. The weak can't even protect their own lives, yet they still want to chase romance? That's just asking to die."
At this point, Rin paused, as if recalling something—a kiss before they set out, tinged with a hint of youth and sweetness—and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"Besides, three isn't that many. If you want some entertainment in this dull life of hunting demons, a little domestic drama is actually quite interesting."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Rin's casual words struck like a barrage of arrows, piercing straight through Zenitsu's heart.
Zenitsu stared blankly at Rin, recalling how the usually aloof and sharp-tongued Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, had acted like a shy girl in front of him back at the Butterfly Mansion…
"Aaaaaah! So you're a scumbag too! This world is hopeless! Let a meteor fall and crush all you people like this!" Zenitsu completely broke down, squatting by the roadside and drawing circles in the dirt, surrounded by a thick aura of despair.
Tanjiro scratched his head awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, asking Tengen Uzui in all seriousness, "Um, Mr. Uzui… since you have three wives, does that mean you have to prepare three birthday gifts? And if they argue, who do you side with? Is this how ninja families live?"
This peculiar line of thought made even Tengen Uzui pause for a moment.
"Brat, my private affairs are none of your business! The three of them get along perfectly well. They're not petty or jealous like ordinary women!" Tengen Uzui barked, waving his hand to cover his embarrassment. "Enough chatter! It's getting dark. Pick up the pace. We need to reach the Entertainment District before nightfall!"
With Rin's merciless remarks and Tengen Uzui's urging, the farce finally came to an end.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the burning clouds of dusk were gradually swallowed by the deep blue curtain of night.
When the five of them crested the final mountain, a vast cluster of brightly lit buildings suddenly came into view in the basin below, gleaming like a radiant jewel in the darkness.
This was the city of desire that had endured since the Edo period, the largest and most prosperous entertainment district in all of Japan—the Yoshiwara Entertainment District.
Rows of crimson lanterns hung high, forming a sea of fire, while grand wooden buildings stretched endlessly into the distance. Even from the hilltop, they could faintly hear the twang of shamisen strings carried on the wind, mixed with the flirtatious laughter of women and the rowdy clamor of customers.
Within this domain cloaked in night, the morality and order of the daytime world were cast aside, leaving behind only desire, money, and beauty entwined.
"What a noisy place."
Rin stood atop the hill, the night wind stirring his black haori.
He slowly closed his eyes, circulating the chakra within his body. Beneath his eyelids, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan silently activated.
When he opened his eyes again, crimson patterns spun slowly within his pupils. A powerful ocular force spread outward, his gaze piercing through the dazzling façade of the night-bound city.
To an ordinary person, it was a sleepless city of luxury and indulgence. But through Rin's eyes, it was saturated with a thick, nauseating dark-purple miasma.
That was the resentment of countless humans driven to despair, mixed with the dense demonic aura that had accumulated over many years.
The intensity of that presence far surpassed that of Lower Rank Five on Natagumo Mountain.
"It seems the one hiding here has already devoured quite a few people."
The Sharingan in Rin's eyes faded, returning to deep black pupils, while the corners of his lips curled into the cold smile of a hunter who had spotted his prey.
Tengen Uzui also shed his usual carefree demeanor, his expression turning solemn as he looked toward the Entertainment District ahead.
"According to the plan, Tanjiro will go to Tokito House, Zenitsu to Kyogoku House, and Inosuke to Ogimoto House. I'll use my connections with the proprietors to get you in as attendants. Remember, your mission is to locate my three wives. If you discover any trace of a demon, you are absolutely forbidden from acting recklessly. Find a way to notify me immediately."
After giving instructions to the three cross-dressers, Tengen Uzui turned to Rin, his tone noticeably more respectful. "Rin-dono, how do you intend to proceed? With your status, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to disguise yourself as an attendant."
"Disguise? I don't need that."
Rin pulled out a thick stack of banknotes from his pocket—funds provided by the Ubuyashiki family before departure—and tapped them lightly against his palm with a crisp sound.
"Don't those monsters who feast on humans prefer wealthy, high-profile targets? I'll just book the most expensive establishment and call for the most renowned oiran."
With one hand in his pocket, Rin walked straight toward the brilliantly lit entrance of the Entertainment District.
"Since we're here to kill a demon, let's make it interesting. I'll drag that rat hiding in the shadows out into the open myself."
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12 Advance chapters:Patreon/slept01