Chapter 22: "Seize the Opportunity".
Tanjiro Kamado once again smelled that disgusting odor that was deeply ingrained in his blood and marrow, the very odor that had caused all his suffering.
——Oni, Mai, Tsuji, Mu, Miserable!
He appeared briefly on the red-light district and then quickly disappeared. No one knows what he did there or where he went.
A sharp pain started in his heart and spread throughout his body. Tanjiro Kamado forced himself to calm down and think calmly about what to do next.
The appearance of Muzan Kibutsuji has escalated the situation to an unprecedented level of severity, making it a problem that a low-ranking member like him cannot handle alone.
I have to tell everyone about this!
He immediately contacted everyone and informed Mr. Uzui, Zenitsu, and Inosuke about the matter. Mr. Uzui then told him with a serious expression to stay put and wait for orders, while he would send Kasugai to request reinforcements.
Because Muzan Kibutsuji's aura was so strong, his appearance filled the entire red-light district with his scent, even masking the scent of another demon.
By the time Tanjiro Kamado realized what was happening, an extremely unpleasant aura had already filled the entire Tokitoya.
The atmosphere is so intense that it's impossible to tell which place is most likely to harbor ghosts... or perhaps ghosts are everywhere.
There's no time left to regret my carelessness.
Tanjiro Kamado followed his heart and first knocked on Ori's door to make sure she was safe.
Although there are many mysteries at present, and we don't know what the ghost's conspiracy is, protecting the lives of ordinary people is the top priority.
Tanjiro Kamado knocked on the door and waited anxiously at the entrance, his brows furrowed with worry: "Ori-san, are you alright?"
She should be resting in her room at this time.
The familiar, concerned voice outside the door almost brought tears to Azhi's eyes again for a moment, but she tried her best to hold them back.
The silk ribbon binding her mouth was finally pulled off. As soon as she was freed, A-Zhi coughed a few times. The skin that had been wrapped by the ribbon was sore. If nothing unexpected happened, those areas would soon turn red and purple.
Fortunately, most of them were hidden under the kimono and concealed, so that no one could tell that something was wrong.
Due to the numbness caused by poor blood circulation, the girl was unsteady when her feet first touched the ground. She knelt on the ground for a while to recover, and staggered a couple of times before regaining her balance.
The ribbon ghost hovered overhead, giving a disdainful snort, her entire body exuding murderous intent and coercion: "If you don't behave, I'll just cut the people outside into pieces."
This ghost is definitely not joking with her, and she is absolutely capable of keeping her word.
Azhi clearly and profoundly realized this terrifying fact.
She nodded and responded softly, her legs still feeling weak and her cheeks stinging. She slowly moved toward the door.
000: [A-Zhi, seize the opportunity.]
Seize the opportunity to ask for help from the outside. Even if you can't eliminate the evil spirit immediately, as long as you can buy time and divert Daki's attention, Aori will have a chance to escape from the cage.
The reason why Muzan Kibutsuji only ordered his subordinates to guard Oori and did not take any other action can be roughly guessed: it was the last thing he wanted to see.
It was rare for A-Zhi to understand 000's hint so quickly.
With a malevolent spirit lurking nearby, Azhi couldn't possibly make any obvious words or actions. She could only rely on the fact that the spirit didn't know about their relationship and use words to hint at it.
Azhi breathed very softly, afraid that the boy would say something "that cannot be told to outsiders" first, which would provoke this bad-tempered ghost to kill on the spot, so she decided to speak first.
The sound of footsteps, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, gradually approached. The girl forced a smile and slowly opened the door.
My feelings were completely different from when we parted last time.
Where no one could see, countless ribbons surged above the girl's head, their edges gleaming with a sharp, cold light, leaving no doubt that they possessed the power to slice people to pieces.
If Azhi behaves in the slightest way that displeases her, the boy at the door will be dragged into the room on the spot and cut into bloody pieces.
The boy wore simple makeup and had a cute little braid on his head. His hands were empty, but his expression clearly showed his concern.
"Tanjiro-chan, you don't need to clean today." Aori tried her best to sound natural, struggling to steady the tremor in her voice, and patted Tanjiro Kamado's forehead as usual. "You can go somewhere else first."
After a moment, she added awkwardly, "Take care of your health. If you're too busy, you can ask your seniors for advice."
With her pale pink fingertips resting on the door frame, not as if to invite someone in, she abruptly and unilaterally ended the conversation, closing the door without even giving Tanjiro Kamado a chance to react.
"What an ugly monster!"
The ribbon ghost was utterly disgusted. She felt that looking at that ugly girl had been an eyesore, and her true nature was immediately revealed after the door was closed.
As Azhi closed the door, she almost collapsed onto the floor, her heart pounding wildly.
Ignoring her inner fear, she was amazed by her own actions just now, and Azhi felt that she had the potential to be an undercover agent.
She found humor in her predicament and gave herself a thumbs up: "I'm still pretty amazing, aren't I?"
000: Is it possible that this ghost was just stupid and didn't realize it?
Aori didn't dare openly refute what the demon had just said, so she could only give the ribbon demon a subtle glare, thinking, "Damn it, Tanjiro is so cute!!"
Azhi sniffed and obediently curled herself into a ball, as if this would make her less noticeable and cause the ribbon ghost to ignore her.
Hopefully, reinforcements will arrive soon, otherwise, if she is eaten at the Tokitoya, it will leave a huge shadow on Tanjiro!
It's so pitiful to think about.
Tanjiro Kamado stood dazed in front of the door, his right hand still in the gesture of greeting.
Everything seemed to be in the clear, except that the room wasn't cleaned. Some of the more ill-tempered prostitutes wouldn't even open the door and would tell the boys to get out.
There was nothing suspicious about it; A-Zhi's words were perfectly kept within the bounds of what the ghost wouldn't notice, but...
--wrong!
Miss Azhi would likely be very enthusiastic in pulling him into the room, then unpacking a box of delicious snacks; she definitely wouldn't just say a few words to send him away.
—And the way you address someone is wrong too!
Miss Aori knew his identity. There were no other people around just now, so she should have called him "Tanjiro" gently, instead of calling him "Tanko".
Moreover, she seemed to have been crying; her thin eyelids were somewhat red and swollen, her cheeks appeared flushed, and her expression was not as lively as before, instead conveying an inexplicable stiffness—as if she had some concerns.
It has to be said that after just one meeting, Tanjiro Kamado had already figured out Ori's personality traits; she really is a very easy person to understand.
An idea that was becoming increasingly clear emerged in my mind.
Tanjiro Kamado stood stiffly, his entire body enveloped in shadow, his chest filled with heavy gas. He turned around slowly like a puppet, not daring to linger at the doorway for even a moment longer.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the ghost inside, nor was he afraid of losing his life, but rather that he was worried that because of him, the ghost holding Miss Aori hostage in the house would become enraged and harm the hostage.
Yes, Tanjiro Kamado understood the message that Ori had secretly passed on to him—besides Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon hidden in Yoshiwara was now in Ori's room.
He couldn't act impulsively. Miss Aori had already hinted that he couldn't be alone. If he acted rashly, they might both end up in a more dangerous situation.
Tanjiro Kamado took a deep breath.
A note from the author:
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I know you're all in a hurry, but please don't rush. _(:з」∠)_
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