Special Anti-Demon Operations Division, Director's Office.
Ubuyashiki Amane anxiously waited for the phone to ring.
Suddenly.
The phone rang, and Amane immediately picked it up.
"Hello, is this Mr. Sora...?"
"Mitsuri has been saved," came Kaito's calm voice from the other end of the line.
"As a bonus, I also killed Hantengu."
"Thank you so much for your generosity."
Amane could hear Mitsuri's faint panting in the background, mingling with the sound of heavy rain.
Had they just finished kissing?
Hearing that sound, Amane couldn't help but recall the voice of Kocho Kanae she had heard earlier, and her mind conjured up the corresponding images.
Her body grew slightly warm.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
"W-wait, please!"
Amane hurriedly spoke.
"Hmm?"
Amane hesitated.
Should she really ask Kaito to kill Muzan Kibutsuji?
"Director Ubuyashiki!"
The office door was thrown open.
A staff member rushed in, panicked. "Muzan Kibutsuji is rapidly moving toward the outskirts of the city!"
Amane immediately snapped back to attention.
Her gaze fell on the photo of her and her late husband on the desk.
If Muzan left the city this time.
To avoid retaliation from the authorities, he would surely go into hiding again.
By then.
She might never get another chance to see him die in her lifetime.
She had to consider.
Whether this might be her only opportunity for revenge.
So.
Amane took a deep breath.
"I want to ask you to kill Muzan Kibutsuji!"
"Hmm?"
Kaito's voice on the other end sounded puzzled.
After a moment of silence, Kaito asked, "From what I've heard from Kanae."
"Your Demon Slayer Corps only has two beauties, Kanae and Mitsuri, right?"
Kaito made no effort to hide his... ahem... "appreciation" for the fairer sex.
On the contrary.
After the incident with Amane, Kaito actually wanted more people to know about his fondness for women.
That way.
When others came to him for help, they would know what to offer.
No need for money, cars, or other mundane things—as if he lacked those.
Amane couldn't help but tighten her grip on the phone.
But she also felt a sense of relief.
If Kaito was saying this, it meant that as long as he was given a beauty who satisfied him, he would help eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji!
Amane gestured for the staff member to leave.
Then.
Her voice trembling slightly, she said, "Me."
"Hmm?" Kaito's voice sounded even more confused.
Amane didn't have time to figure out whether Kaito genuinely didn't understand what she was saying, wanted her to confirm, or was simply teasing her.
None of that mattered anymore.
After saying "me," Amane felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, as though the pressure she had been carrying for years had lessened.
"What I mean is..."
"If you kill Muzan Kibutsuji, I will become your woman."
Kaito was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Are you sure?"
Amane took a deep breath and whispered, "Do I... not meet your standards?"
"No, I'm just surprised. I didn't expect Lady Amane to go this far for her 'late husband.'"
Hearing Kaito's deliberate emphasis on the words "late husband."
Amane bit her lower lip in shame.
Of course.
She knew this man wasn't exactly... virtuous.
Though she had never experienced intimacy herself, she had heard and seen enough, and over the years, she had learned a thing or two to relieve her loneliness.
Amane was well aware that men loved the "widow" trope.
Moreover.
They loved to bring up the widow's late husband in front of her.
To see her shame and guilt.
But as Amane thought of her husband's face and voice.
She realized that, apart from the wedding photo on her desk, she could no longer clearly remember what her husband looked like.
"It's been so many years..."
Time had passed too quickly.
So quickly that she had unknowingly forgotten the man who had once been her husband.
Because of this.
When Kaito teased her like this.
Amane only felt a momentary flash of embarrassment.
But not anger.
In fact, if she were to be honest, she even felt a little excited and... expectant.
"So, does this mean you agree?"
"Wait for it."
Kaito chuckled and hung up the phone.
The pouring rain soaked his clothes.
Standing on the deserted street.
With Mitsuri, still dazed from the kiss, in his arms.
And Kanae standing guard beside him.
Thinking about the widow Amane, who would soon be his as well, Kaito couldn't help but smile.
Indeed.
Having power felt so good.
Just then.
Kaito sensed something and turned his gaze toward the rain.
He pulled the dazed Mitsuri toward Kanae and tossed her over.
Then.
With a wave of his hands.
The Wind Sword and the Yasakani Sword appeared in his grasp.
The moment he finished this.
A tall figure shot out from the rain at a speed almost impossible to see with the naked eye, a uniquely shaped spear slashing down toward Kaito's head.
Clang!
In an instant, they exchanged over a dozen blows.
So fast that if you didn't listen carefully, you might mistake the sound of metal clashing for a single strike.
The shockwaves from their clash.
Left long gashes in the ground.
Then.
The spearman's attack ceased.
She leaped back, using the recoil from Kaito's sword to put a dozen meters between them.
It was an incredibly beautiful woman.
With long, flowing light green hair.
Dressed in armor reminiscent of a Valkyrie, her figure was curvaceous, and her iron boots accentuated her slender, beautiful legs.
Her face was stunning, and her amethyst eyes seemed to carry an unshakable sorrow.
"Brynhildr."
Hearing Kaito identify her so easily just from their brief exchange and her appearance.
Brynhildr's sorrowful eyes flickered with surprise.
"Do we... know each other?"
Kaito smiled but didn't answer.
The density of his muscles secretly increased, reaching eight times their normal state in an instant.
"You're lucky."
"I'm in a hurry, so..."
Kaito stomped the ground, the sheer force creating a crater.
In an instant.
He closed the dozen-meter gap and appeared in front of her.
Brynhildr's eyes remained calm.
His speed was impressive.
But not so fast that she couldn't react.
Brynhildr raised her spear, blocking Kaito's downward slash.
But the moment their weapons clashed, Brynhildr's expression changed.
How.
Had his strength suddenly increased so much?
Just moments ago, she had the advantage in strength.
Brynhildr didn't have time to think.
The terrifying force transmitted through her spear sent her flying backward, crashing through several buildings.
After landing the blow, Kaito retreated to where Kanae and Mitsuri were.
With one arm around each.
He activated his imaginary number ability.
And the three of them vanished from the spot.