Unbeknownst to them,
Tanjiro had already traversed the suburban streets and, following the Kasugai Crow's directions, stepped into Asakusa Ward, Tokyo's most bustling and Asakusa district!
Then,
This is Tanjiro Kamado bumpkin" who has lived in the deep mountains and forests since childhood, burning and selling charcoal, and later spent a year fighting Mount Sagiri.
I was completely stunned by what I saw!
"Waaaaah... Waaaaah--?!"
Even though night had fallen, the entire Asakusa shopping street was as bright as day, dazzling like the Milky Way falling directly to earth!
The colorful neon signs flashed with dazzling light;
The towering twelve-story Western-style Ryounkaku in the distance pierced the clouds;
On the wide street, gentlemen in sharp black suits and top hats jostle shoulder to shoulder with modern women in gorgeous dresses or elegant kimonos!
"Clang! Clang! Boom--!"
Just then,
A large green metal box, crackling with blue sparks, roared past Tanjiro on the track, less than two meters in front of him!
"Waaaaah! There's a monster!!"
Tanjiro, who remained unfazed even when facing a near- Upper Rank demon at Mount Fujikasane, was so startled by the train that he leaned back defensively, clutching his chest with both hands, and cried out in alarm:
"What kind of terrifying monster was that just now?!"
"There were clearly no horses or oxen pulling it, yet that huge iron house somehow flew past it, skimming close to the ground!"
"And there are blue sparks flying from above! Could this be some kind of powerful Blood Demon Art?!"
But deep within Tanjiro's Sea of Consciousness.
The usually arrogant and domineering persona, who constantly talks about how ordinary people are nothing but ants, is actually staring intently out of the French windows, his eyes practically popping out of his head!
There was no way around it; his knowledge base was entirely shared with Tanjiro, that country bumpkin!
However, in order to maintain his aloof and evil god persona, how could his demonic personality possibly admit to Tanjiro that he had never even seen a train before?!
Then, the demonic personality forcibly withdrew the drool that was about to drip down and coughed twice:
[Cough! What a fuss! You're such a country bumpkin! You don't even recognize this? Don't go around saying you know me, it's embarrassing!]
Tanjiro quickly and humbly asked, "Do you know what that is? Tell me quickly!"
[Hmph! Listen up! In the city, that thing is called... called the Iron Box Ground-Flat Running Technique!]
The demonic personality remained completely unfazed.
Didn't you see the long wire attached to the top of that metal box?
[Even a fool could tell that there's a specially trained animal locked under that metal box, frantically pedaling its wheels to make it run!]
[Pshaw, that's just a petty human trick. I saw through its core principle at a glance!]
Tanjiro listened with utmost respect, then clapped his hands in sudden realization:
No wonder it ran so smoothly!
"Humans in big cities are so clever! They can train wild animals to be so obedient!"
With less than fifty pieces of urban common sense combined, the human and the ghost happily completed their misinterpretation of Meiji-era industrial civilization.
However,
The novelty lasted for less than five minutes.
As Tanjiro was pushed and shoved by the surging crowd into the depths of the shopping street for several hundred meters, the boy, who possessed a sense of smell a hundred times greater than that of ordinary people, quickly changed from shock to a pained ashen face!
It's too strong!
The flavors were too mixed and too strong!
In this bustling night market with its dense population, the pungent perfume of women, the smell of engine oil left by trams, the aroma of fried tempura from street stalls, the sweaty smell of rickshaw pullers, and the cheap sake smell of drunkards... thousands of smells mixed together, which was nothing short of a biohazard for Tanjiro's overly sensitive nose!
"Ugh... I can't take it anymore, my head is so dizzy..."
Tanjiro covered his nose with one hand and held his forehead with the other, swaying from side to side like a blade of grass as he was jostled by the crowd.
"The air quality in big cities is terrible!!"
To save his nearly ruined nose, Tanjiro quickly squeezed out of the surging crowd on the main road and plunged into a relatively quiet back alley.
As soon as you enter the alley, the surrounding noise subsides by more than half.
Tanjiro leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths of fresh air, finally feeling like he had come back to life.
"Gurgle--!"
Just then, a cry of hunger suddenly came from Tanjiro's stomach.
Tanjiro rubbed his belly and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
In the past two days, while tracking down the Swamp Demon and traveling all the way from the suburbs, he hadn't had a proper hot meal for almost a whole day.
Just as he looked up and around, a rich and delicious aroma of broth precisely entered his nostrils!
Tanjiro's eyes lit up.
At the end of the alley, under an old willow tree, stood a small cart.
The sign above the wooden cart reads "Abundant Sweet Potato Udon Noodles" in large characters. A middle-aged man with a white towel tied around his head and a kind face is stirring the steaming soup pot with a large wooden ladle.
"Gulp."
Tanjiro swallowed hard and reached into his pocket to touch the bulging money pouch that Urokodaki Sakonji Urokodaki had given him before he left.
Since we're already here!
Now that we've already reached the noodle stall, we can't exactly go on patrol and investigate on an empty stomach, can we?
Mr. Giyu often taught him during his special training:
[Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; only by filling your stomach can you have the strength to draw your sword and slay demons!]
With that thought in mind, Tanjiro didn't hesitate any longer. He strode over to the noodle stall, plopped down on the small wooden stool, and energetically raised his hand, shouting:
"Boss! Good evening! Could you please give me a large bowl of sweet potato udon noodles? With double the amount of mashed sweet potato and lots of chopped green onions!"
Behind the noodle stall, Uncle Fengsheng saw such an energetic young man and immediately beamed with joy. He quickly grabbed a large handful of snow-white udon noodles and threw them into the boiling water.
"Alright! One large bowl of sweet potato udon noodles!"
"Young man, judging from your accent, you've just arrived in Tokyo from out of town, right? And look at that long sword you're carrying—are you a swordsman here to train at a kendo Tokyo?"
"Just a moment, our udon noodles are the Asakusa in Asakusa! The broth is simmered for a full three hours, I guarantee you'll want a second bowl after your first!"
"Yes! I am indeed practicing swordsmanship. Thank you so much! It smells amazing!"
Tanjiro placed his hands on his knees, smiled politely in response, and stared intently at the noodles bubbling in the pot.
In less than three minutes.
"Here it comes! A super-sized bowl of udon noodles with double the sweet potato puree, enjoy!"
The chewy udon noodles are soaked in a golden, clear broth, topped with a layer of sweet potato paste, and sprinkled with chopped green onions. The steam rises straight to Tanjiro's face!
"Wow! This looks amazing! I won't be polite then, I'm digging in!!"
Tanjiro's eyes narrowed into slits with happiness. He clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, then picked up the bamboo chopsticks, blew on them to cool them, and opened his mouth, preparing to put them in his mouth—
However!
"Call--"
The wind blew, causing the Sun Wheel Hanafuda Earrings to flutter.
The next second!
His enormous nose twitched suddenly!
A subtle scent, yet enough to instantly make Tanjiro bristle, silently crept into his nostrils!
This smell...
Tanjiro will never forget this, even if it kills him!
That was a year ago, when the evil spirit that broke into their home and forcibly infused him with the Demon King's Blood, almost making him devour his own family members, carried that very scent!
"Clatter!"
Tanjiro's bamboo chopsticks slipped from his fingers!
The sturdy porcelain bowl even developed several cracks from being pinched!
"Hey bro...? What's wrong? Is the noodles too hot?"
The noodle stall owner was startled and quickly asked.
Tanjiro couldn't hear the boss's voice at all!
It's around here!
That man... Muzan Kibutsuji, is right there on that street!!
"Bang!"
Tanjiro casually pulled out 1,000 yen from his pocket and slapped it on the corner of the table!
"Boss! Keep the change! I'll pay for the bowl when I get back!!"
With those words, Tanjiro plunged headlong into the surging crowd!