Gyokko

Yuko asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

The brothers looked at each other, a little embarrassed. "Not exactly, but it's all over town. It should be true, right?"

Yuko: "..."

"I just heard you say three people died. Do you mean the three people who died at the Shindo Style dojo?"

The two quickly waved their hands. "No, no, it was five or six people who died!"

"?"

"The headmaster died, along with three people! And about two apprentices."

It was clear they were just repeating rumors.

However, the general direction seemed correct.

Asking questions was a way to gather information. Information that might be useless to others could be very useful to someone else.

Three headmasters...

Yuko's heart sank slightly. "You mean other dojo headmasters were also victims?"

"Yeah! And it's only been a few days? Three martial arts dojo headmasters in the city have all died."

Another person added, "Four days."

Basically, one died each day.

"Did all the deaths occur at night?"

As soon as Yuko asked this, the two looked at her as if she were an idiot.

But since she was their patron, they didn't dare say it out loud.

"All at night, and all of them were killed in the dojo's training grounds."

"Everyone says that demon was a battle maniac when he was alive."

That fits... her impression of Gyokko.

Her impression of Gyokko came entirely from the Flame Hashira's edited footage: pink buzz cut, blue-black tattoos, bare hands and feet, exuding the aura of a practical martial artist.

It was only after living here for several hundred years that she understood the tattoos were actually symbols of sinners, indicating he must have committed some crime in his life.

"Were there any witnesses?"

The brothers exchanged a blank look.

Fine, she'd just assume she asked for nothing.

Just as Yuko was about to get up and leave, one of them hesitantly asked his companion.

"Wait, wasn't the Shindo Style dojo headmaster's daughter still alive?"

"Right, right! The headmaster's daughter is still alive!"

"And that girl was stunningly beautiful~"

Yuko raised her hand to interrupt, speechless. "Which way is the Shindo Style dojo?"

"That way." The two pointed to the side in unison.

Yuko took a deep breath. "Thank you."

It felt like a loss.

Even if she didn't need the money, she still felt like she'd lost out.

Following the direction the two had pointed, Yuko asked for directions and successfully arrived at the entrance of the Shindo Style dojo.

The passersby she questioned seemed reluctant and didn't want to talk to her much, though the slightly better ones would casually point the way.

The entrance to the Shindo Style dojo was wide open, empty, and deserted.

There was a faint smell of blood in the air. Yuko followed the scent to the dojo's training grounds.

Before she got close, she could hear faint sounds coming from the training grounds.

After a moment's hesitation, Yuko stepped inside.

On the spacious grounds, a small figure was crouching on the floor, wiping something.

Yuko scanned the area. The deep red blood had only recently congealed. Large patches were splattered everywhere, resembling a slaughterhouse. The floor was cracked in several places, with deep pits.

It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place here yesterday.

Unless someone had intentionally dismembered the body, such a large amount of blood would not have been possible.

But this kind of destruction... it didn't look like a one-sided massacre.

It was a fight.

Only a battle between two parties could have caused such a commotion.

Noticing the movement behind her, the small figure turned around.

It was a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, looking at Yuko with a blank expression, her eyes filled with sadness.

Yuko stepped into the dojo. "Hello."

As soon as she greeted the girl, the girl silently turned her head and continued wiping the floor.

Yuko slowly walked up to her.

"This might be a bit much to ask..."

"But did you see the demon's face?"

Under Yuko's gaze, the girl's lungs took a deep breath, but the next moment, she exhaled heavily through her nose, continuing to look down and wipe the floor.

This meant she was very angry, but she suppressed her rage and chose not to unleash her malice on Yuko.

The girl's voice, devoid of emotion, rang out, "So what if I saw it?"

"So what if I didn't?"

"Can you avenge me?"

Yuko's wine-red dual pupils stared at the girl's body. "Pink buzz cut, sinner's tattoo."

The girl's heart skipped a beat.

Yuko's eyes narrowed. She actually knew.

This girl wasn't strong. While it was clear she had likely learned some self-defense techniques, there was no doubt she couldn't possibly defeat a man of normal build, let alone evade a demon's attack.

"You know him?!" The girl's head shot up, her hands gripping Yuko's collar, tears streaming from her eyes, her face a mask of uncontrollable rage.

"Where?! Where is that monster?!"

The girl's gaze fell upon Yuko's wine-red dual pupils, and she froze for a moment.

Yuko slowly pushed her hands down, replying with the girl's own words: "So what if I know?"

"Can you kill him?"

The girl's tense body slowly relaxed.

Yeah, so what if I know?

Her heart, which had just been beating with fervent heat, suddenly grew quiet again.

The girl said abruptly, "You're not with the Demon Slayer Corps, are you."

"Did they come looking for you?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Aren't you going to ask what they asked?"

"They weren't a match for that demon. Even if they found him, they couldn't stop him."

"What about you?"

"I can."

The girl looked at Yuko with hopeful eyes, her lips moving twice as she steadied her emotions and began to speak.

"When the other two dojo owners were killed, I already wanted my father to leave."

"But he didn't listen to me."

Yuko's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, yesterday, he was waiting here for them on purpose?"

The girl sobbed quietly. "Yes, he thought someone was just playing tricks."

"Were you there too?"

"My father was supposed to send me to stay with my aunt's family, but I got worried in the middle of the night and ran back."

"What did you see?"

"Father was... fighting... that demon..." The girl's face turned pale. "The arm my father injured regenerated instantly."

To be able to injure an Upper Rank Three demon, even if the other party wasn't serious, this dojo owner had some skill.

"That demon saw you," Yuko said without hesitation.

Since this girl could spot the demon, there was no reason the demon wouldn't sense her.

Unlike a 'mage' like Doma, Gyokko should be a bloodthirsty combatant who craved battle; there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.

"Yes, he saw me."

"But you didn't die."

The girl's tears washed away the bloodstains on the floor. She choked out, "I was so scared I knelt at the door. I couldn't stand up until he left. I could only watch him eat my father."