Edo Period, Missing Girl

In a dilapidated, secluded medical clinic in a certain city.

"Physician Tamayo, Miss Yuko, thank you both so much," an old woman said sincerely, clasping Tamayo's hand. "If it weren't for your help, Akane wouldn't have survived."

With that, she gently stroked the girl beside her.

Tamayo smiled slightly, "It was just a fever. Once the blood is drained, her body temperature will slowly return to normal. We didn't do anything special."

Yuko put away the bowl containing a little less than half a bowl of blood.

The principle behind bloodletting for fever, as Tamayo explained, was to lower the temperature by expelling internal heat toxins.

However…

Normal treatment would certainly not require this much blood; usually, just a prick with acupuncture needles would suffice.

Tamayo instructed, "Just make sure she gets plenty of nutrition during this time."

After all, so much blood had been drawn.

"I know you don't charge for your services, but please, you must accept this," the old woman said, tremblingly opening the basket she was carrying.

Inside were a few fish, still somewhat fresh, though clearly nearing their end.

The fishy smell was strong, noticeable even to ordinary people.

Their clinic was exceptionally famous in the area for not charging any fees, so many people came to see them. Sometimes, they would encounter people who offered goods in return, like today.

This time, Tamayo didn't refuse. Instead, she glanced at Yuko, signaling her to accept.

"Please wait a moment," Yuko said, taking the basket. She turned and went into the back room, placing the fish in a water tank before returning to hand back the basket and see the two women off.

She walked the old woman to the door.

"Please take care."

The old woman turned back, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Recently, there have been terrifying incidents of girls disappearing in the city. Rumor has it that a man-eating demon has entered the city."

"Please make sure to lock your doors and windows tonight and be safe."

Yuko blinked in surprise and asked, "Whereabouts?"

"From the west of the city, towards the south."

The old woman offered a few more words of caution before leaving with her granddaughter.

Tamayo sat in the shadows of the room, watching Yuko, who stood in the sunlight, bid the old woman farewell. Tamayo couldn't help but drift into thought.

Indeed, no matter how many times she witnessed it, it still felt incredible.

What Muzan desperately sought was achieved so easily.

Yuko watched the old woman leave and returned to the room.

A man who had been waiting for an unknown amount of time in one corner of the room spoke up, "Um, Doctor Tamayo, could you please prescribe some medicine for external wounds for me?"

Tamayo stepped forward to examine him and found a severe abrasion on his elbow.

The man explained, "I fell while gathering herbs on the mountain."

Tamayo smiled and took a plaster from the medicine cabinet. "Apply this to the wound, and it should be healed in about three to five days."

The man gratefully accepted the medicine and, after offering the fruit he had brought to the two women, left.

Although there was no explicit request, it seemed to have become an unwritten rule for patients to offer something in return when they came for treatment.

Many subsequent patients followed this custom, and even if they didn't know at first, they would make amends later.

It's just that… no one could eat this fruit.

Yuko regretfully put the fruit away.

Tamayo tidied the medicine cabinet and chuckled, "Thanks to Yuko's help, many people now consider us renowned physicians for treating external wounds."

Yuko gave a helpless smile.

The plaster Tamayo had just used actually contained Yuko's blood.

Even though it was diluted, it could still heal external wounds in a very short time.

"It's getting dark soon. I'll go make dinner," Yuko said, looking outside. "We're in for a treat today."

Tamayo smiled slightly, "Then I'll trouble you, Yuko."

What Yuko meant by making dinner was, of course, not actual cooking.

Demons cannot eat human food, but they can consume animals, or rather… blood.

Yuko went to the back of the house, retrieved the fish from the water tank, expertly removed the scales and bones with her skilled knife work, washed off the blood, and plated it.

In other words, sashimi.

She brought the sashimi to the table. Tamayo divided the little girl's blood from earlier into two portions, handing one to Yuko as if it were a drink.

This was a method Yuko had developed; she found it exceptionally effective.

While it certainly couldn't compare to eating humans for restoring stamina, it was better than drinking blood alone.

Most importantly, it wasn't as monstrous.

Sashimi, well, that was acceptable.

The two ate their dinner with refinement. If one ignored the strange blood in their cups, it looked like ordinary people dining.

Many years had passed since they first met, and it was now the Edo period.

Tamayo had also been working hard to overcome her desire to eat over the years. Compared to when they first met, Tamayo hadn't consumed human corpses for a long time.

It was like quitting drugs; overcoming the desire to eat was difficult, but with Yuko as a clear example, Tamayo could persevere.

While eating, Tamayo asked, "Regarding the missing girls, does Yuko want to go take a look?"

Yuko nodded slightly. "Mm, since we ran into it, we should go take a look."

She didn't actively seek out traces of demons, but if she stumbled upon one nearby, Yuko would still find a way to deal with it.

As for the Demon Slayer Corps, they seemed to be recovering their strength, but most members' abilities were lacking, and they might not be able to cover everything.

Yuko suddenly asked, "By the way, when are we leaving here?"

Tamayo pondered for a moment. "In a little while longer."

"Mm." Yuko nodded slightly.

To prevent their immortality from being known by ordinary people, they moved every few years.

This was already who-knows-how-many times they had moved.

After dinner, the sky outside was gradually darkening.

Yuko put on her straw hat, wrapped the lower half of her face with a white cloth, and wore two swords at her waist.

"Then I'm going out."

Tamayo cautioned, "If you encounter anyone from the Demon Slayer Corps, please be careful."

"I know."

Even in the future, there would be talk of "those of different races having different intentions."

Let alone in this era.

Especially for members of the Demon Slayer Corps, who deeply detested demons, it was impossible for them to have peaceful interactions with people of their current status.

Yuko concealed her presence and headed towards the west of the city.

If she remembered correctly, there should be a slum there.

The more dilapidated the place, the weaker the security measures.

The probability of demons appearing was indeed not small.

Yuko arrived at the slum under the moonlight. Beggar-like vagrants could be seen everywhere along the street, and there were suspicious excrements on the ground.

A drunkard dressed as a vagrant was standing with his back to the wall, unbuckling his belt.

This place was no longer suspicious.

This place was an absolute no-man's-land.

As long as there wasn't a riot, no one would manage it.

It was truly difficult for a demon to sense another demon's presence in such an environment.

Yuko couldn't help but frown.

Suddenly, a pair of footsteps approached from behind and then stopped.

Yuko turned around.