Yoshizuru Asato continued, "Moreover, there's another point that concerns me."
He added, "The missing persons in this town all seem to be... unsavory individuals."
"Really? Are you certain?" Takeo asked, surprised.
Yoshizuru nodded. "Aside from Hanako's older brother, Taniguchi Eita, the others had questionable reputations."
Since the first disappearance, Taniguchi Eita, several months ago, a total of eight people had gone missing in the town. Except for Eita and Akita Tōichirō, the rest were known local delinquents.
These individuals were notorious for their misconduct—some living off inherited wealth without contributing to society, others relying on family support, and some engaging in theft or robbery. Though few in number, their actions had made them infamous in the town.
Due to their reputations, their disappearances didn't garner much concern from the townspeople. In fact, some even felt relieved.
Consequently, even the disappearances of relatively innocent individuals like Taniguchi Eita and Akita Tōichirō were met with indifference, as rumors suggested they might have been involved in dubious activities.
This was what Yoshizuru Asato had managed to uncover over the past two days.
"You're telling me this demon is deliberately targeting bad people? That's got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard."
Takeo couldn't help but laugh.
After all, once someone becomes a demon, they lose all sense of reason and memory from their human life. They're entirely driven by instinct.
No matter how kind a person might have been before, once they turn into a demon, they become humanity's enemy.
Devouring humans is a demon's basic instinct—they don't care whether the person is good or bad. At most, they differentiate based on physical traits like age or gender, picking and choosing their "meals" based on taste or texture.
A demon that only eats bad people?
That simply didn't exist.
Takeo was convinced there was something else going on here.
Yoshizuru nodded.
"I think something's off, too. If the demon really only preyed on bad people, then what about Taniguchi Eita and Akita Tōichirō?"
"Did you check the places where they disappeared?"
"No. Both of them went missing around sunset, and in quiet alleyways where hardly anyone passes through. No one saw them vanish. All we can do is investigate the last place someone remembers seeing them."
"So in the end, you didn't find anything at all… is that right?"
Takeo frowned as he asked.
Yoshizuru Asato gave a slight nod, his expression serious.
Finding nothing at all—that was the worst-case scenario.
Normally, if a demon had been active, it would leave behind traces or a lingering scent.
But the troubling thing now was that even with Takeo's sharp sense of smell, he couldn't detect any trace of a demon in the town.
It was as if the demon didn't exist at all.
Demons that could conceal themselves that well were always the most troublesome kind.
At a conservative estimate, this one might be close to the level of a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
And if that were truly the case, then even with both him and Yoshizuru present, it would be difficult to take the demon down—even if they found it.
After a brief pause, Takeo asked again, "Has any Demon Slayer gone missing here before?"
"No."
Yoshizuru replied immediately. "I'm the first Demon Slayer to be sent here for investigation. No other squad members have been here before me."
After all, these disappearances had only started occurring a few months ago, and the number of missing people wasn't high. Most of those who had vanished had a history of misconduct, so aside from their families, no one really cared.
If the Demon Slayer Corps hadn't been constantly monitoring cases of mysterious disappearances where no trace of the victims could be found, these incidents in this town would've been buried and forgotten before long.
After learning everything Yoshizuru Asato had gathered through his investigation, Takeo picked up his Nichirin sword and stood up.
Yoshizuru noticed and asked, "Heading out to patrol? Forget it—I already walked through the entire town last night. Didn't even catch a glimpse of a demon."
"I have to at least do something," Takeo replied.
Demons usually appeared at night. If one hoped to find them, the evening was the best time to search.
The problem was that this demon was incredibly skilled at hiding itself, so even patrolling at night wasn't likely to yield any results.
Still, even knowing that, Takeo felt he had to at least try.He couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
"Then I won't tag along. Be careful out there," Yoshizuru warned.
Takeo gave a slight nod.
With his current strength, Takeo shouldn't have any problems as long as he doesn't run into a member of the Twelve Kizuki—but there was no need to tell Asato that, in case it hurt a certain unit-of-measurement's pride.
Thinking this to himself, Takeo left the room and began his night patrol.
...
Hmm...
But just as Yoshizuru Asato had said, the town was peaceful at night. The demon that should be active after dark didn't even leave a shadow behind.
Takeo searched the entire town throughout the night but still couldn't find any trace of demonic presence.
For a brief moment, Takeo even doubted whether there was a demon in this town at all, wondering if the disappearances had some other cause.
However… if the missing persons weren't victims of a demon, and were taken by, say, human traffickers—why would they target those rowdy delinquents and thugs instead of easier targets like women or children?
It's not like there's really someone out there delivering vigilante justice at night, right?
"I just don't get it…"
Takeo continued investigating all the way until the next morning.
With nothing to show for it, he casually bought some breakfast on the street and returned to Hanako's house to rest.
Miss Hanako was truly gentle and kind—she was a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko sort of woman. Even as Takeo and Asato imposed on her during their stay, she never voiced a single complaint. She even prepared meals and hot water for bathing.
Even though she had no idea what Takeo had been doing last night, she didn't question him at all—just thoughtfully had breakfast ready for him.
Being treated so thoughtfully, Takeo couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
In contrast, he actually admired Yoshizuru Asato's thick skin. How could this guy stay at Hanako's house with such peace of mind?
Could it be that he had taken a liking to Hanako and was planning to use his "hero saving the damsel" moment as leverage to make her feel indebted?
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
Perhaps Takeo's gaze was too blatant—Yoshizuru Asato glanced at him and frowned, asking.
Takeo, still eating his rice ball, replied, "Tsk, I was just thinking, someone sure doesn't seem shy at all… how long do you plan to stay here?"
As soon as he heard that, Asato understood what that earlier look in Takeo's eyes had meant. He immediately answered:
"At most two more days. If I can't find any trace of the demon, I'll leave. Then the Corps will send someone else who specializes in investigation."
The Demon Slayer Corps actually had a variety of specialists—those skilled in combat, those good at tracking, and those adept at investigations. Almost every type existed.
If Yoshizuru Asato really couldn't find the demon, the Corps would naturally send someone better suited to the task.
Takeo nodded and said nothing more.
If he couldn't find the demon within the next two days either, he would also leave. The first reason was that he couldn't stay indefinitely in the home of an unmarried girl.
The second reason was that he couldn't afford to waste time.
He hadn't forgotten his vow to avenge the Kamado family, nor his goal of finding Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Speaking of which—those two didn't even participate in this year's Final Selection…
Where on earth had they gone?
Setting aside the whereabouts of the missing Tanjiro and Nezuko for now, Takeo, after finishing breakfast, took a short nap at Hanako's house to rest for half a day.
When he woke up in the afternoon, he went out again to search for any clues about the demon, while also gathering information on the other missing persons.
But instead of finding any trace of a demon, during the search, Takeo picked up a familiar scent.
That was…
The smell of rice crackers.
Or to be precise—the scent of Sakoma Iori.
______
Aaah! She's back—OK—Before any of you say anything—I've learned from my past mistakes, and I've made her a little more likable.🫡😭🫡
o(*￣▽￣*)ブ12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI