Honestly, coming face-to-face without warning with Tanjiro sporting two blobs of blush and little tufts of tied-up hair was pretty horrifying.
Shinobu got quite a fright when she first came up the stairs and saw him.
"He managed to sell even this? Did Tengen Uzui threaten someone?" Shinobu frowned slightly, looking baffled.
Haruto flicked the upright tuft on his apprentice's forehead with a fingertip. "Well? Found anything?"
Tanjiro shook his head. "Not yet."
The Swordsman patted his head and closed the door.
Once inside, Shinobu seemed intensely curious, wandering around and peering at everything. Perhaps she had never seen an oiran's room before.
The moment Haruto saw Koinatsu, he recognized her as the imposing oiran he had seen during the Oiran Procession.
"I'm Shibamoto Masaya," Haruto introduced himself without batting an eye. "This is my ser-servant."
"Koinatsu." The oiran inclined her head gently, every glance and smile brimming with charm.
"Our unannounced visit seems to have put you in a difficult position."
With Shinobu present, Haruto could no longer pull off that rakish, flirtatious act. He could only nod politely. "Shinobu?"
"All done."
After flitting around, Shinobu Kocho had thoroughly checked the room. "Nothing wrong here."
Although Koinatsu found their behavior rather puzzling, she did not interrupt.
Looking back at the two sitting stiffly upright, Shinobu Kocho chuckled. "What's wrong? Having trouble talking with me here?"
"What trouble...?" Haruto closed his eyes and wove a fine mesh around the room with his sensory power.
Even if it could not effectively prevent a demon from entering, it would at least ensure their conversation did not leak out.
He had learned this little trick for using his sensory power from Yushiro back in Asakusa.
Once their safety was assured, Shinobu Kocho stepped well inside Koinatsu's personal space, bringing her face almost against