"Was it really all right to send those three in? Especially Zenitsu. I can't help feeling he'll cause some kind of trouble."
Rokuya did not answer immediately. He slowly closed his eyes, focusing his mental energy to its limit. He tried to draw on the Arcana Power within him to sense any presences that might be in the area.
However, after only a few seconds, he opened his eyes helplessly.
"It's too chaotic." Rokuya rubbed his brow, a trace of irritation in his voice. "There are far too many people here. The breathing, heartbeats, and desires of thousands upon thousands of people, along with all the mingled smells of cosmetics and alcohol, have jumbled every presence together into a mess. I can only vaguely sense that there really is an extremely well-concealed malice here, and it's very powerful, but I can't pinpoint its location at all."
Shinobu tilted her head up slightly, looking at Rokuya's faintly furrowed brow, and said softly, "In that case, let's follow the plan and go in as visitors to see what we can find. Perhaps we'll discover clues you can't sense."
Rokuya nodded. The two suppressed their presences and walked side by side into the Yoshiwara Entertainment District.
The streets of the Entertainment District were even more crowded than they had imagined. Hawkers' cries and sounds of laughter rang out endlessly. Men and older women stood outside the upscale courtesan houses on either side, soliciting customers.
Although Rokuya had changed into a relatively plain, dark kimono, his tall, straight figure and stern features stood out among the fat, bloated pleasure seekers. Before he had gone far, women soliciting customers for several brothels had set their sights on him.
"Oh my, what a handsome young gentleman." A woman with heavily painted red lips sashayed over, holding