The moment the ground vanished beneath his feet, Haruto inwardly cursed.
He had no idea what sort of hollow lay below them. His tough body could survive a hard fall, but Kagaya would be in trouble.
The illustrious ninety-seventh head of the Demon Slayer Corps, dying not in a heroic sacrifice to the cause of slaying demons, but because his subordinate couldn't keep his hands to himself...
Haruto had already begun silently reciting the "Memorial on Sending Out the Troops." Something about, "The late emperor passed away before his great undertaking was halfway complete..."
The instant they fell, the narrow lotus-shaped crack above their heads snapped shut like lightning. The cavern beneath the study wasn't dark at all; it glimmered with light.
Just as Haruto reached for Kagaya's collar to soften the impact of their fall, both of them landed in the embrace of a soft cushion.
...He had a pretty good idea what this meant now.
Kagaya got to his feet and glanced up at the ceiling far overhead.
Seeing how familiar Kagaya was with the place only strengthened Haruto's suspicions.
He remembered the "building contractor" he'd seen outside the Ubuyashiki Estate last time and couldn't help laughing.
"Termites?"
"The termites at your place sure chew some neat holes, huh?"
"Rebuilding the foundations?"
"A building contractor?"
Haruto sprang to his feet. The underground chamber was already fully fitted out, complete with lighting and shock absorption. Kagaya had clearly put a lot of care into it.
His voice was full of teasing, without any anger at being deceived or kept in the dark.
Honestly, building an underground shelter like an air-raid bunker was beyond what Haruto had expected of Kagaya.
Despite how gentle and understanding he seemed toward everyone, this Ubuyashiki fellow harbored boundless hatred for Muzan Kibutsuji.
A few