The Sound Hashira: Prelude to the Entertainment District Arc

After Tanjiro and his two companions returned, the Butterfly Mansion regained its usual lively, slightly noisy atmosphere. Moyu still spent most of his days training, occasionally instructing Tanjiro and the others in their use of Breathing Styles and Haki, or exchanging insights on Breathing Styles and toxicology with Shinobu Kocho. His days were peaceful and fulfilling.

One afternoon, Moyu was meditating in a corner of the courtyard, refining his delicate control over the Reverse Cursed Technique, when an extraordinarily flamboyant, powerful aura swept into the Butterfly Mansion like a whirlwind, carrying the mingled scents of gunpowder and spices.

"Ha! So this is the Butterfly Mansion? How flashy... no, what a place, filled with the scent of medicine!"

A booming, distinctive voice rang out, carrying a peculiar rhythm.

Moyu opened his eyes, and the newcomer's figure was reflected in his azure pupils. An exceptionally tall, muscular man with bronze skin strode toward him. He wore a sleeveless Demon Slayer Corps uniform that exposed his heavily muscled arms. Several exquisite golden bracelets adorned his arms and wrists, clinking lightly as he moved. Most striking of all was his headwear: enormous diamonds were set into his white head wrap, glittering in the sunlight, while pale blue-green beaded chains hanging from either side swayed gently in the breeze. Red makeup extended across his face to the bridge of his nose, giving him a flamboyant yet somewhat wild appearance.

The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.

"Oh, isn't this the Eye Hashira?" Tengen Uzui spotted Moyu as well and greeted him with a flamboyant wave. "What a coincidence!"

"Mr. Uzui." Moyu nodded slightly in return. He noticed Tengen Uzui's gaze sweeping quickly over the Butterfly Mansion, as though he were looking for something.

"Mm, good, you're here." Tengen Uzui rubbed his chin, his gaze quickly settling on Aoi Kanzaki as she emerged from the pharmacy carrying a medicine tray, and Naho Takada, who was following behind and helping her. The two girls froze when they saw the extravagantly dressed Hashira.

"You two will do!" Tengen Uzui's eyes lit up. Before either could react, he strode forward and snatched them up like a hawk grabbing chicks, hoisting Aoi and Naho Takada onto his shoulders, one on each side!

"Ahh!"

"M-Master Uzui! What are you doing?!"

Aoi and Naho Takada cried out in fright, and the medicine trays in their hands clattered to the ground.

"Hahaha! Don't be scared! Come on a mission with me! I need two beauties to help!" Carrying the struggling pair, Tengen Uzui turned to leave in one smooth motion, as though he had merely picked up two pieces of luggage.

Moyu watched, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. Of course he knew what Tengen Uzui wanted: the Entertainment District arc had begun. He wanted female Corps members to infiltrate the Entertainment District and investigate. But carrying off the Butterfly Mansion's nurses? That was far too crude and heavy-handed.

Just as Tengen Uzui was about to step through the Butterfly Mansion's gate, Moyu appeared silently in front of him, blocking his path.

"Mr. Uzui," Moyu said, raising a hand to point at the two girls still flailing on his shoulders. His tone was flat, with a trace of helplessness. "Look at them. Do they look like Corps members who can fight? They're nurses."

Tengen Uzui stopped and tilted his head to look at Aoi and Naho, whose faces had gone pale with fright. His thick brows knitted. "Tsk, you're right. They look so frail, they really don't seem like they can fight. That's a problem. This mission does need female Corps members to help with the investigation..." His face wore a flamboyant expression of distress that said, "What a miscalculation."

Moyu couldn't help rolling his eyes inwardly at his exaggerated manner. "Still, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke could help you," he said mildly.

"Them?" Tengen Uzui raised an eyebrow. "What use are three little brats? I need girls! Only girls can get into a place like that!"

"Just dress them as girls." Moyu's tone remained unruffled, as though he were suggesting the most ordinary thing in the world.

Tengen Uzui: "...?!"

His eyes widened, and he looked Moyu up and down. Then he suddenly clapped his hands, his diamond headpiece sparkling. "Oh! Flashy! That's so flashy! Eye Hashira, you're a genius! How did I not think of that? Dress the three boys as girls! And they can defend themselves, too! Hahahaha! Good! That's what we'll do!"

He immediately put the still-dazed Aoi and Naho down and waved a large hand. "Where are those three boys? Bring them here! I'll give them a flashy makeover!"

Before long, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke arrived after hearing the news. They stared in confusion at the excited Tengen Uzui and the pile of bottles and jars he had brought out.

"D-dress as girls?!" Zenitsu's face turned green the moment he heard the plan. "No! No way! I'd rather die than wear a skirt!"

"Huh? What's dressing as a girl? Can you eat it?" Inosuke looked utterly bewildered.

Tanjiro was more practical. "Mr. Uzui, if the mission calls for it, I don't mind! As long as we can destroy Demons!"

"Excellent! Young Kamado has the right attitude! Now then, the flashy makeover show begins!" Without taking no for an answer, Tengen Uzui pressed the three of them down to sit beneath the veranda and began displaying his so-called "divine makeup skills."

Moyu leaned against a pillar nearby with his arms folded, quietly watching the farce. Of course he knew there was no need to put makeup on them now; they could easily do it when they got there. But he didn't remind them... mm, mainly because he wanted to see what Tanjiro and the others would look like after being "ravaged" by Tengen Uzui's unique sense of aesthetics, and just how funny Zenitsu's devastated face could be.

The process was a disaster. Tengen Uzui's makeup skills... calling it makeup was less fitting than calling it painting a wall. He applied foundation like paint, blush as red as a monkey's butt, lipstick that made their mouths look like bloody gashes, and eyebrows thick and black... Then he dressed the three in brightly colored, outrageously styled women's kimonos he had dug up from who knew where...

When the makeup was "finished," even Moyu's usually expressionless face couldn't help twisting. He quickly looked away, his shoulders trembling slightly.

This wasn't cross-dressing anymore... it was a scene from a horror movie.

Tanjiro's face was deathly pale with a bluish tint and two bright red patches on his cheeks. Combined with his bewildered expression, he looked like a paper effigy that had lost its way. Zenitsu looked as though he had given up on life, and with that disastrous makeup, it was as if a female ghost had just drained his life force. Inosuke was the most extraordinary of all: his delicate features had been ruined beyond recognition, and his wild temperament, combined with the women's clothes and heavy makeup, was indescribably bizarre and... funny.

"Pfft..." Even Shinobu Kocho, who had come out to investigate the noise, couldn't help covering her mouth with her sleeve at the sight of the three faces. Her shoulders shook gently, and her purple eyes were full of barely suppressed laughter. Aoi and the girls with dot eyes went straight behind Shinobu, laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight.

"I-it's over... I'll never find a wife in my life..." Zenitsu let out a despairing wail as he looked at his reflection in a basin of water.

"Gonpachiro! Zenitsu! We look so strong! Like monsters from the mountains!" Inosuke, on the other hand, was excited and bared his teeth at the basin.

Tanjiro: "..." He tried to keep smiling, but his eyes were already dead.

Moyu felt that if he kept watching, he might lose his composure. Only then did he clear his throat and say to Tengen Uzui as calmly as he could, "Actually... there's no need to put makeup on them now. You could wait until you're near the mission site." Looking like this, they might scare ordinary people to death along the way.

Tengen Uzui was still admiring his own "masterpiece." He paused at those words and rubbed his chin. "You're right! If I put it on now, I'll have to touch it up on the way. What a hassle! Wash it off, wash it off! Once we get there, I'll show you my godlike makeup skills again!"

As though granted a pardon, Tanjiro and the other two rushed to the water jar and scrubbed their faces frantically, wishing they could rub off a layer of skin.

After all that commotion, the three finally recovered their original appearances and changed into ordinary clothes that were easy to move in, ready to set out.

"Mr. Uzui, where is our mission taking us this time?" Tanjiro asked earnestly.

Tengen Uzui folded his arms and struck a pose he considered incomparably flashy. The diamonds and chains on his headpiece jingled as he declared, "Listen up! We're going to the most dazzlingly flashy place, where more of Japan's 'passion' and 'desire' gather than anywhere else: the Entertainment District!"

"The Entertainment District?" Tanjiro and Inosuke said in unison, looking utterly bewildered.

"The E-Entertainment District?!" Zenitsu Agatsuma's face instantly turned bright red, and steam seemed ready to rise from his head. "Y-you mean... that kind of... paradise with lots of pretty older ladies and things like that?! Y-you really don't know? Huh?!" Looking at his two companions' innocent and somewhat stupid expressions, he felt as though he was about to suffocate.

Tengen Uzui looked at them, especially at the clear yet stupid expressions in Tanjiro and Inosuke's eyes, and nodded in satisfaction. He suddenly leaned close to the three, an unquestionable light flashing in his golden eyes, and spoke in an extremely serious yet melodramatic tone:

"Listen up! On this mission, I am a god! You three are trash!"

Tanjiro: (⊙_⊙) ?!

Zenitsu: (;￣д￣) ! Is this guy sick in the head?!

Inosuke: (⊙_⊙) ??

Tengen Uzui completely ignored their reactions and continued his declaration, striking various poses that made no apparent sense but that he thought looked cool. "You must not only keep that firmly in your heads, you must carve it into your hearts! If I tell you to bark like dogs, you have to go 'woof, woof'! If I tell you to be monkeys, you have to scratch your heads and cheeks! Stay humble and respectful at all times, take your cues from me, and devote yourselves wholeheartedly to pleasing me! To make sure you remember, I'll say it again—"

He took a deep breath and announced in a flamboyant, aria-like voice:

"I am a god!"

Tanjiro: "Yes, Mr. Uzui! But what are you the god of, Mr. Uzui?"

Zenitsu: ('shi') ... Help! Tanjiro, wake up! And there's definitely something wrong with this Sound Hashira's head!

Inosuke: (╬◣д◢) ! "Who are you calling trash?! I'm the strongest! Fight me if you've got the guts!"

Tengen Uzui paid Inosuke's provocation no mind. Instead, he looked at Tanjiro with appreciation. "Hmm! Young Kamado, that's a good question. You've got a bright future!"

Tengen Uzui struck a melodramatic pose. "I am the god who presides over flashiness, known as the Festival God!!"

Inosuke: "I am the king of the mountains. Good to meet you, Festival God!"

Tengen Uzui looked disgusted. "That's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that. You're way too gross!"

Zenitsu: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ You've got some nerve saying that about someone else!!

Inosuke: (╬◣д◢) ! "I'll cut you to death!! Let go of me, Jōhachiro!"

Tengen Uzui: "All right, it's time to go. We're in a hurry, so keep up with me!"

Moyu and Shinobu Kocho stood at the Butterfly Mansion's entrance, watching them leave.

"The Entertainment District... it really is a complicated place," Shinobu said with a soft sigh, a trace of worry flashing through her purple eyes. "I hope everything goes smoothly for them."

"With Tengen there, it shouldn't be much of a problem." Moyu's tone was calm. Of course he knew how dangerous the Entertainment District arc was; Daki and Gyutaro, the pair who held the position of Upper Rank Six, were not to be underestimated. But he had confidence in Tanjiro and the others' growth, and Tengen Uzui was much stronger than he had been originally.

"Besides, I'll be going to the Entertainment District later too!"

"Oh my, are you going to meet some young oiran, Moyu?" Shinobu Kocho asked with a faint smile.

"You could say that, and she's quite special too!" Moyu teased, looking into Shinobu's purple eyes.

"Oh? Is it such a mystery?" Shinobu Kocho gently covered the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, though her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes. She's an Upper Rank, after all, so it's only natural she'd be a little mysterious. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Upper Rank Six. She's much weaker than Akaza." Moyu came clean. After all, he had already used the explanation that his eyes could see some information about the future several times, so there was no harm in revealing a little more.