"I don't want Mom and Dad to argue because of me anymore."
To be honest, Yuko felt a little reluctant.
Because she couldn't do it.
As the saying went, it was difficult for an upright official to judge family affairs. Was she supposed to go in there and beat the man up?
What then?
After she left, wouldn't the man assume she was an ally sent by his wife and abuse her even more?
Kill him?
What a joke.
Putting aside the fact that he didn't deserve death, in this era, men were the pillars of their households. No matter how much a man beat and berated his wife, the wife still depended on him.
If this man died, would the woman still be able to survive?
Especially living in a slum like this.
Yuko said apologetically, "This... Big Sister might not be able to do that."
"How could this happen..." The light in the girl's eyes visibly dimmed.
Suddenly, the arguing inside stopped, and a series of footsteps approached.
The front door was yanked open.
Yuko stood up.
"Who are you?!" A man in patched clothing stood in the doorway, glaring hostilely at Yuko. "What the hell are you doing outside my house in the middle of the night?"
"Trying to steal something?"
The girl desperately stepped in front of Yuko and waved at her father as she explained, "No, it's not like that."
"This big sister..."
"Get lost! Stop hanging around outside my house."
The woman inside followed behind the man, also watching Yuko warily.
Yuko suddenly thought of a way.
Though she didn't know whether it would work...
Without warning, she drew the blade at her waist. The loud sound of the sword being drawn exploded beside the man's ears.
He hadn't noticed it before.
"You—you want to do what?!" Terror appeared on the man's face as he retreated, instinctively raising a hand to shield his wife.
They weren't beyond saving after all...
That cult was harming people.
Yuko sighed inwardly and swiftly drew the blade across her fingertip.
She flicked her finger, sending several drops of blood into the man's eyes.
With his eyes attacked, the man frantically rubbed them while shouting, "What is this?"
It was so cold that his eyes hurt.
Seeing this, the woman shakily stepped forward.
"What exactly do you want?"
"We don't have anything valuable."
Yuko treated both of them equally and flicked blood into the woman's eyes as well.
The girl saw that Yuko had even drawn her sword. Although she had been speaking amicably with Yuko moments earlier, seeing her draw her blade still frightened her.
"Big Sister, please don't kill my mom and dad."
Yuko sheathed her long blade and patiently explained, "My blood might let them see you."
The girl froze.
On the other side, the coldness in the couple's eyes finally faded.
They opened their eyes and looked at Yuko. Then their frightened gazes suddenly caught sight of the girl beside her.
The man murmured, "Kyoko..."
Having regained what they had lost, the woman happily opened her arms. "Kyoko, come here."
Kyoko was also moved and threw herself at them. Her parents could finally see her.
The man came to his senses and shouted angrily, "You little brat! How dare you run back by yourself..."
Before he could finish, he saw Kyoko pass through his wife's body.
He and his wife froze in place at the same time.
Yuko's indifferent voice rang out. "The cult you sent her to is led by a man-eating demon who doesn't even spit out the bones."
The couple's bodies stiffened violently.
There was no need for Yuko to say anything more.
The three of them embraced. Though they couldn't feel one another's warmth, tears still filled their eyes.
Yuko turned around and pulled the door shut from outside. That was enough for today.
This family of three didn't seem capable of communicating for now. She would come back tomorrow.
On the way home, Yuko pondered in silence.
The Eternal Paradise Cult... She might still need to make a trip there.
Just now, she had found the meaning of her existence.
Even if she couldn't kill Doma, she at least had to figure out his Blood Demon Art.
The reason Yuko feared changing the plot so much was that she only had a vague understanding of it.
If she knew little, she could change the plot without any burden.
If she knew a lot, she could change the plot effectively.
Only knowing the plot halfway left her struggling to move forward, unable to take a step.
Since that was the case, she would investigate all the ranked demons and gather all their intelligence.
Especially the Upper Ranks.
The Upper Rank she knew most clearly was Kokushibo.
There was also that white-haired female demon who appeared frequently in short videos, the one who contributed to Yoriichi's most famous scene. But she knew nothing about the more detailed information.
And Upper Rank Three, the one people said "Big Brother didn't lose," a martial artist who appeared to kill people through his fighting techniques.
Other than that, she knew nothing at all.
If she could investigate everything clearly, then when the Taisho era arrived, she might be able to help the Demon Slayer Corps more effectively.
At the very least, she could arrange their plans more efficiently instead of being reduced to hoping that the other side would make a mistake through a plot-kill.
But a new problem came with that.
How exactly could she obtain their intelligence effectively?
She wasn't worried about the location. The man who had personally sent Kyoko away would definitely know.
But was she supposed to infiltrate the place?
With this face of hers?
Although she could slightly alter her build and height, she couldn't change her appearance.
If she went in with this face, and Doma really was an Upper Rank, he would probably have an extreme reaction on the spot.
Disguise herself and sneak in, then find him and start fighting?
That seemed more reasonable.
Yuko was walking through the streets of the slum when voices suddenly came from ahead.
She approached without revealing anything.
"Excuse me, I heard that a demon has been abducting girls around here. Do you know where it is?"
What came into view was a swordsman wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
Had he been lured here by false information?
The vagrant he questioned shuddered violently, looking utterly terrified.
The swordsman's eyes lit up. There was something here!
"Just now!" the vagrant said tremblingly. "A female demon!"
"What?!"
"Right over there! I saw with my own eyes that the woman's eyes were glowing red, and she even cut off a man's..."
He pointed into the distance, his gaze turning vacant.
The swordsman anxiously shook his shoulder. "Cut off what?!"
Could it be his head?!
"Demon..."
"?"
"A demon!!!" The vagrant's expression instantly collapsed, and he turned and fled.
A chill shot up the swordsman's back from his spine to the crown of his head. He could clearly sense it.
Something was watching him, its blood-red eyes hideously vicious.
So strong! It was probably the most powerful demon he had ever encountered!
Could it be...
Kibutsuji Muzan!
The other party's powerful aura even stabbed at his nerves. Was he going to die just after setting out into the world?
The swordsman swallowed and discreetly placed his hand on the sword at his waist.
He gritted his teeth.
"Wind Breathing: Fourth Form..."
Yuko lightly struck his neck with a hand chop. The man's face was frozen in terror, and his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites as he collapsed limply to the ground.
What was this guy even doing?
Yuko grabbed him by the back of his collar and looked down at herself.
She hadn't deliberately concealed or released her aura just now, had she?
How had she scared him this badly?
Before you continue