After leaving the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, the group of five set off on the journey to the Yoshiwara Red-Light District in Tokyo Prefecture.
On the dirt road leading to the town, Yamada walked at the very front with his hands in his pockets. He deliberately kept a full ten-meter distance from the four guys behind him and sternly warned them not to approach him. He couldn't help it, the scene unfolding behind him was simply too painful to look at.
Tengen walked in the middle, enthusiastically explaining the essentials of infiltration to his three "newly recruited Kunoichi."
Following behind him, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were currently taking extremely awkward, tiny steps, desperately tugging at the hems of their low-quality, gaudy kimonos.
The mark on Tanjiro's face was covered by a thick layer of white powder, with two exaggerated circles of rouge making him look like a New Year's doll brought to life.
Even though Inosuke wore lipstick, his thick neck and domineering gait couldn't hide the muscles that were nearly bursting through the kimono.
As for Zenitsu, he was sporting a crooked hair bun, his face dark, muttering under his breath the entire way.
"Listen up, you useless trash!"
Tengen suddenly spun around, pointing down at the three of them. "In the Yoshiwara Red-Light District, I am God. You are just the dregs under my command. Even if I tell you to be dogs, you'd better bark flamboyantly for me, understand?"
"Understand my foot!"
Zenitsu finally couldn't help but explode. He snatched the hairpin from his head, threw it to the ground, and pointed at Tengen's nose, cursing, "You muscle-bound freak with terrible taste! Dressing us up in this monstrous way and saying you're going to sell us to a brothel! We are swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, why should we listen to such unreasonable demands?!"
"Why?" Tengen snorted, crossing his arms. "Because that place is the largest entertainment district in all of Japan. Men who enter only become customers seeking pleasure, they can't investigate the secrets of the backyards at all. Only women can infiltrate the inner circles of those Oiran and madams."
Tanjiro quickly held back the rampaging Zenitsu and asked seriously, "Uzui-san, what exactly are we investigating in Yoshiwara? You mentioned before that your excellent subordinates lost contact there—were they responsible for gathering information on the Upper Ranks?"
"Exactly."
At the mention of official business, Tengen dropped his nonchalant attitude, his expression becoming uncharacteristically serious.
"In a place like the Yoshiwara Red-Light District, countless courtesans and customers disappear every night, dismissed as 'elopements' or 'runaways.' It's the perfect feeding ground for demons. I've long suspected that one of the Twelve Kizuki is hiding there, so I sent three extremely talented young Kunoichi to infiltrate in advance."
"They infiltrated Ogimotoya, Kyogoku House, and Tokitouya respectively. But a few days ago, their regular communications all suddenly stopped. Even the Kasugai Crows can't find them."
Hearing this, Tanjiro's expression turned grave. "I see, so Uzui-san's subordinates are in danger. We will definitely do our best to rescue them. May I ask the names of those three Kunoichi?"
"Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru." Tengen tilted his chin up, his tone carrying an unabashed sense of pride.
"I've memorized the names." Tanjiro nodded vigorously.
Tengen held up three fingers, a smug grin spreading across his face as the ornaments on his headpiece sparkled in the sunlight. "By the way, they aren't just my subordinates. They are also my three lawfully wedded wives."
A light breeze blew across the dirt road, swirling a few fallen leaves.
The scene suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
Yamada, walking at the front, stopped and glanced back. He knew someone's nerves were about to snap.
Tanjiro blinked, his brain seemingly processing the logic of this information, failing to react for a long time.
Inosuke, on the other hand, didn't care at all, snorting a puff of white air from his nostrils. "Who cares about wives or husbands?! I'm going to tear all the demons there to pieces!"
And Zenitsu...
He was frozen in place, his eyes wide as saucers and his mouth open wide enough to fit an apple. He stared fixedly at the three fingers Tengen held up, his entire body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
"W-Wives?"
Zenitsu's voice sounded like it was being squeezed from the depths of his throat, sharp and cracking. "You're saying you have wives? And... th-th-three of them?!"
"Of course. I am a flamboyant man, isn't it normal to have three wives?" Tengen nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!"
Zenitsu suddenly let out a shrill, agonizing scream, tears spurting out like fountains.
He lunged at Tengen, grabbing the man's neck with both hands and shaking him frantically. "You damn normie! Give me back my touched feelings! Give me back my respect! You bastard! Scumbag!"
"Why does a guy wearing a weird headwrap get to have three wives?! I'm treated like a creep just for wanting to hold a girl's hand, and you've hogged three all to yourself! What do you think of all the single guys in the world?! Die! Commit seppuku to atone for your sins! Aaaaah!"
The fires of jealousy had completely incinerated Zenitsu's reason. As a veteran single dog, what he hated most in life were guys who were handsome and popular with women. And a normie like Tengen, who openly had three wives, was practically his greatest enemy in this life.
Thwack!
Tengen slammed a fist onto Zenitsu's head, instantly raising a large bump.
"Stop having a fit! I'm tall, handsome, can fight, and I know how to be romantic. Isn't it only natural that girls like me?" Tengen brushed the dust off his clothes, his face full of disdain.
"I don't believe it! I protest! This is a massacre of single guys!" Zenitsu rolled on the ground clutching his head.