"Are you even an adult, going there?"
Hirakawa looked at Xijing with contempt.
"All right, stop wasting time. I didn't bring you here to take part in the fighting, because you're still very weak.
"See these bustling crowds? I don't care how you do it, but in the second half of the night, you need to find a way to evacuate them.
"Do your best to clear out an area where I can fight freely."
There would be far fewer people in the second half of the night, but there was a downside: many more people would be asleep.
And sometimes, people slept more soundly than pigs, while others wouldn't want to move even after waking up.
It was like an earthquake.
No need to run from a small quake, no escaping a big one. Things had come to this, so might as well sleep. Who knew? Maybe you'd have been rescued by the time you woke up.
"Got it!" the three answered in unison.
Lu You watched the three disappear furtively into the crowd and smiled helplessly.
He wandered around the city for a while, observing its conditions and taking in all its splendor.
Eventually, Lu You turned toward the renowned Kyogoku House. This was where the sense of danger was strongest.
He lifted the entrance curtain. Inside, geisha moved to and fro, swaying their hips and dancing or playing shamisen to display their talents, while girls carrying trays of wine and food hurried toward private rooms.
He had no intention of drawing attention to himself. He simply sat in a corner and quietly watched the geisha perform.
Waiting for his chance.
Lu You's nose wasn't as keen as Tanjiro's, but as half a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he could still sense the ceaseless resentment rising from deep beneath this place.
Who knew how many people had died here?
"It really is a place full of trouble."
Now it all depended on how those three would deal with the crowds in the second half of the night.
Otherwise, even if he killed the Upper Rank, the Itadori template probably wouldn't acknowledge it if far too many people died.
After all, Shibuya was an eternal wound in Heavenly Emperor Itadori's heart.
Or I could lure it somewhere else.
He pondered inwardly, his expression unchanged, looking like an ordinary spectator enjoying the graceful dancing.
"Sir, do you see anyone you like? You can spend the night here."
The girl attending him flushed.
She asked timidly.
Her job was to attend to those who wanted to spend a night of passion here, then thoroughly drain those lechers... of their money.
The real Entertainment District wasn't nearly as pure and innocent as the anime made it look.
After all, it had to pass content review, so the author deliberately glossed over these details.
To put it plainly, this was actually a legal red-light district.
"Sure. Prepare a room for me."
"Y-yes! Then would you like..."
"No need. I'm mainly here to rest."
Lu You smiled and spoke gently to the girl.
"U-understood!"
Utterly confused, the girl went to prepare Lu You's room. Since he was spending the night here anyway, why pretend to be so chaste?
Could his target be...
The Oiran?
The Oiran was the most beautiful and talented woman in each Okiya. As one of the Entertainment District's top three Okiya, Kyogoku House's Oiran was naturally no easy woman to meet.
As the night deepened and the full moon gradually climbed overhead, the many visitors began to tire. Those who ought to leave left, and those who ought to indulge indulged.
The crowds on the brightly lit streets gradually thinned.
Inside Kyogoku House, the geisha performing in the main hall also stepped down from the stage as the guests dispersed.
"Sir, let me take you to your room."
The girl popped her head out again, emerging from the stairway nearby with a professional smile.
"What's the name of your Oiran?"
"Huh?"
Sure enough, this man with such a fine bearing had come for the Oiran...
The girl secretly congratulated herself. She felt she was rather clever; her judgment had been entirely correct.
"Our Oiran is Lady Wara..."
"Xiaoli, let me."
A voice suddenly rang out, and a shrewd-looking woman approached. Dressed in a dark purple kimono, she looked elegant and opulent, clearly a woman of wealth and influence.
"Sir, my name is Mitsu, and I'm the proprietress here. If you wish to spend a lovely night with the Oiran, you must pass her test in addition to paying."
Mitsu extended a hand, inviting Lu You upstairs.
But Lu You had only taken two steps when Mitsu gestured. "Sir, blades aren't permitted upstairs. Would you like me to have yours placed in the storage room? It's right next door."
Lu You narrowed his eyes. After considering it for two seconds, he handed his Nichirin Blade, disguised as a katana, to the girl beside Mitsu.
"I'm growing more and more curious about what sort of person your Oiran is, with all these rules."
Lu You gave a faint smile.
He followed the proprietress Mitsu upstairs to a lavish room filled with fine food, delicately prepared fruit, and musical instruments.
"You'll need to pay a sum before the test can begin. Whether you pass or not, Kyogoku House won't refund it. Would that be..."
Mitsu spoke very politely, smiling.
Lu You wasn't short of money.
On his journey here, he had occasionally played at robbing the rich to help the poor. Such disregard for minor conventions gave him little mental burden.
He casually placed several pieces of gold on the table.
Mitsu immediately broke into a brilliant smile.
"In that case, I wish you good luck, sir."
She took the gold from the table, turned, and left the room, slowly sliding the door shut. Click. It closed snugly.
Although Oiran still lacked control over their own lives, their status was vastly different from that of ordinary geisha. They had begun to possess the right to choose.
The guests chose them, but they could also choose their guests. The Okiya owners wouldn't interfere with this mutual selection, because this was precisely what made an Oiran's favor so rare.
Rarity made it desirable.
And allowed them to earn more money.
But Kyogoku House was different. In other Okiya, the owners and proprietresses always held the greatest power and status, but here...
The mysterious Oiran Warabihime was the one in charge.
Warabihime's test was also simple. It wasn't anything refined like haiku or proficiency in music. She only ever cared about one thing: looks!
Good looks were justice.
If someone's looks passed muster, she wouldn't begrudge him her services as an Oiran and was willing to chat and laugh with him. And if his looks pleased her beyond measure and piqued her interest...
Then she would leave a mark on him and strike after he left Kyogoku House.
Feasting on him.
She didn't eat ugly people, only the strong and the beautiful.
"Good looks."
Daki had actually been in the adjoining room all along. She wore a magnificent, voluminous kimono, her glossy black hair carefully arranged in an elaborate classical bun.
Numerous exquisite floral hairpins and ornaments adorned her hairstyle, fully displaying an Oiran's elegance and splendor.
Her golden eyes were proud and sharp, her pale skin covered with foundation. Her features were delicate; she was indeed a beauty.
She had actually seen Lu You through the decorative opening as soon as he entered the room.
He had a slender figure, ink-black, waist-length hair tied in a ponytail, swordlike brows, and bright eyes. His white haori was plain but possessed a distinctive elegance. He was young, too, constantly radiating abundant vitality.
Since he passed muster, she put on a professional smile, rose, and slid the side door all the way open.
Lu You, who had been sitting upright, had sensed someone watching him all along, but he simply remained alert, neither impatient nor agitated.
His Nichirin Blade had been placed next door. If fighting broke out instantly and Gyutaro struck decisively, he would be at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, he wasn't merely a Breathing Style swordsman. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have dared venture so casually deep into enemy territory.
Haste made waste.
"I am Warabihime."
Warabihime, wearing a gorgeous smile, and Lu You, inwardly unmoved, began their long date through the second half of the night...
Or did they?
A date, ✘.
Mutual murderous intent, ✔.
Before you continue