Tomioka Giyuu drank the tea in one gulp and said softly,
"I know, Master. I came back for a mission and dropped by to see you as well.
Because… I may not be able to come back for a very long time. I just have that feeling."
Urokodaki Sakonji was silent for a long time. The eyes beneath his tengu mask revealed quiet satisfaction.
"You've grown up. You've become strong. You've even succeeded me as the Water Hashira."
"You've done well, Giyuu. You've lived up to everyone's expectations."
Tomioka Giyuu smiled genuinely from the heart. His master's words filled him with warmth.
"I understand, Master. Thank you for your kind words."
After a short pause, Tomioka Giyuu shared his recent encounter with Kamado Tanjiro and Nezuko.
"I think that demon named Nezuko is different."
"At least for now, I've never seen a demon who can suppress their bloodlust like that."
"Coincidentally, Tanjiro has a sense of smell as sharp as yours, and his combat instincts are pretty good too.
Maybe… he has the potential to become a Hashira one day."
After that, master and disciple chatted for a short while.
It was already close to three in the afternoon when Giyuu left Mount Sagiri and hurried toward his next mission.
As expected, he arrived at his destination after night had fully fallen.
It was a bustling area. Even though it was late, the streets were still brightly lit and filled with people.
Tomioka Giyuu looked around silently.
"So it really is the Yoshiwara Red-Light District where those siblings are…"
That's right — this mission brought Tomioka Giyuu to the lair of the Upper Rank Six demons.
When he first heard the location was the "flower district," he had thought it might be a different place with the same name.
He hadn't expected it to be that flower district.
"What should I do… Should I just launch an attack right away?"
Standing at the district's entrance, Giyuu weighed his options.
In the end, he rejected that idea.
With his current strength, he could handle many threats — but not Gyutaro's poison.
Unless he came out of a battle completely unscathed — which was nearly impossible — he would lose.
If it were just Daki, he would be able to emerge unharmed.
But with Gyutaro in the mix, the two siblings fighting as one made it a death trap.
"…Forget it. I'll just conduct a symbolic investigation and leave the real battle to the Sound Hashira and Tanjiro."
With his decision made, Tomioka Giyuu stepped into the heart of the red-light district.
As he walked through the main street, women in elegant kimonos called out to him invitingly.
Giyuu kept a blank expression, ignoring them all.
He wasn't interested — and more importantly, Kanzaburou the kasugai crow was perched on his shoulder, watching everything.
He soon found a simple inn, took a short rest, and began his minimal reconnaissance.
The mission was straightforward. According to reports from members of the Demon Slayer Corps,
many courtesans had vanished mysteriously from this area.
Some said they went back to their hometowns.
Some said they found someone to marry.
Some said they'd eloped with a guest.
But in the end, they had all disappeared — as if swallowed by the earth.
As for how the Corps members knew this?
They claimed to have noticed something odd while "investigating," though Giyuu had his doubts.
He was fairly sure they had come to play, and only realized something was wrong when their favorite "little sister" companion didn't show up anymore.
Then they compared notes and realized other girls had vanished in the same way.
So began his "investigation" — but in truth, Giyuu simply wandered the streets each night.
He walked around until the late hours.
Even then, the streets quieted down but he still hadn't located Daki's dwelling.
But he wasn't in a rush.
He was just trying to familiarize himself with the area first.
He planned to support Tengen Uzui (the Sound Hashira), Tanjiro, and the others when the time came.
This time, he wouldn't allow Tengen to lose an arm and an eye.
He would preserve every ounce of the Demon Slayer Corps' strength for the final battle in the Infinity Castle.
Three days passed in this way. Giyuu slept during the day and wandered by night.
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of an oiran who resembled Daki.
But he couldn't confirm it.
If he got too close and was discovered by Gyutaro, it would be disastrous.
Another day passed. Giyuu was still walking around at 3 a.m., about to call it a night—
when something happened.
He stood near the entrance to the district.
High above, bathed in moonlight, a shadow appeared on a rooftop — wrapped in silky sashes.
It was Daki.
She propped her chin on her hand and looked down at him.
"My brother said someone's been following me. I didn't believe him at first…"
In the blink of an eye, she vanished.
Giyuu immediately drew his blade and responded with flawless technique:
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
Bang bang bang —
Several of Daki's pink-patterned belts were shredded.
In the same instant, Giyuu dropped his center of gravity, used the rotational force of the whirlpool, and stabbed straight behind him with both hands on his blade.
Daki, behind him, reacted just in time — her sash blocked the strike.
Bang!
A moment later, they exchanged several more blows, then stepped back from each other in tacit understanding.
"My, this is getting interesting. You… are you a Hashira?"
Daki looked him over like she was admiring a fine dessert.
But Giyuu's face was unreadable. He didn't care about her words.
He was only thinking about what to do next.
Attacking recklessly would be the worst choice.
He wanted to flee — but Kanzaburou was watching from a nearby rooftop.
If he ran from a demon as a Hashira, he'd never live it down.
Not with the other Hashira. Not even with himself.
Nothing scared him more than social death.
Having Kanzaburou report to headquarters and use that as a pretext to escape? Even worse.
No guarantee the others would arrive before dawn — and Kanzaburou leaving would reveal his intention to retreat.
And even if someone did come, the other Hashira weren't fools.
They'd know just from the battlefield whether a real fight had happened.
Too many variables.
Too risky.
Running was off the table.
So, there was only one option:
"Stall until dawn."
Tomioka Giyuu attacked again, thinking,
"I just need to make sure I don't push her too far. If she cries and Gyutaro shows up, that'll be a problem."
Against Daki alone, Giyuu felt almost no pressure.
Water Breathing was a defensive style — and he had mastered it to its limit.
Against an enemy like Daki with just one Blood Demon Art, Giyuu fought as calmly as if it were routine.