Sakoma Iori… Why is she here?
Because he'd spent quite a lot of time around Sakoma Iori, Takeo could easily recognize her scent.
That faint fragrance of rice crackers had practically become her trademark.
And whether it was due to Iori using some special ingredients in her rice crackers or not, the scent of hers was slightly different from ordinary ones—distinct enough for Takeo to be certain it was her.
Puzzled by why Iori would be in this town, Takeo followed the scent in the direction it came from.
Not long after walking, he spotted Sakoma Iori on the side of the street, now dressed in a Demon Slayer uniform with a box strapped to her back.
After observing for a moment, Takeo noticed that what Iori carried on her back was her Nichirin sword.
Because of the "Sword Prohibition Edict," Demon Slayer Corps members weren't allowed to openly carry blades in public.
Yoshizuru Asato had arrived in town around dusk, when few people saw him. Takeo, on the other hand, had Kyojuro's gifted haori—its wide fabric easily concealed his sword underneath.
Now Sakoma Iori had opted for a different method: she had constructed a box to house her blade.
A clever approach...?
Well, you can say that..
After all, demons didn't appear during the day, and once it was nighttime and time to fight, there would be no need to keep the sword in the box.
That said, Iori's uniform was quite conservative.
But why is her uniform not like the standard uniform similar to Kanroji-san?
Takeo recalled Kanroji Mitsuri's outfit and then glanced back at Iori's uniform. Compared to Mitsuri's, Iori's attire seemed modest—almost too modest.
Scanning Sakoma Iori up and down, Takeo soon came to the conclusion that it was probably because certain parts of Iori were a bit… lacking.
Yes! That must be why she was wearing the male version of the uniform.
After a moment spent observing Iori's current appearance, Takeo turned his attention to what she was doing.
This girl… was holding a map and asking passersby for directions…
Was she lost?
Takeo speculated silently, having no intention of approaching her.
At first, he had assumed Sakoma Iori was another Demon Slayer Corps member sent here for backup, so he came over just to see what she was up to.
But from the looks of things, her mission must be different from his. She had likely just passed through the area by coincidence.
Since that was the case, there was no need to delay her any further.
Yeah.. Let's! NOT! Meet her!
At least, that's what Takeo thought—until he had just turned around and heard her voice call out behind him:
"Ah!! Ta-ke-oooooo!!"
"..."
Now that Iori had spotted him, Takeo had no choice but to stop and turn around. He looked at her with an expression of exasperation and said, "…I was standing so far away, and you still managed to spot me?"
"Well, your red hair is way too conspicuous. I recognized you in an instant!"
Sakoma Iori pointed to her eyes proudly and added, "My eyes are just like your nose. It's my special trait!"
"But didn't you still get lost?"
Takeo gave her a meaningful look. Iori's body immediately stiffened, her eyes darted around guiltily, and she mumbled softly, "Not being familiar with the roads… doesn't count as getting lost… Besides, it's my first time here… Not knowing the way is totally normal…"
Seeing that Iori was about to launch into full-on literary justification like Kong Yiji, Takeo cut her off and asked:
"Where's your Kasugai crow?"
For members of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Kasugai crows didn't just deliver messages—they also guided the slayers to their destinations.
Normally, there was no reason for Iori to be wandering around asking for directions herself.
As it turned out, Takeo really shouldn't have asked—because as soon as he did, Iori visibly deflated. With a sigh, she answered: "…It got lost."
"???"
"Yuzu can remember the location of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, and she can track me down by scent... but when it comes to places she hasn't been to before, she gets lost very easily. And the place we're headed to now… she's never been there before…"
Iori muttered her explanation, her voice getting quieter and her face growing redder the longer she spoke.
Her Kasugai crow was named Yuzu—a female with a bright and energetic personality, not much different from her own, which made them a great match.
Normally, as long as Yuzu had been to a place before, she could find it blindfolded, flying in circles and still land at the exact spot.
But when it came to unfamiliar locations...
Well, let's just say if she didn't get lost, that would be considered a miracle.
And clearly, this time, the miracle hadn't happened.
"Mm… how should I put this?" After listening to Iori recount the whole tragic tale of her crow's navigation failure, Takeo paused for a moment, then said:
"This crow really is a perfect match for you."
"Waah! Takeo, are you making fun of me?!"
Iori instantly picked up on the jab and gave Takeo a sharp glare full of suspicion.
Takeo didn't deny or explain. Instead, he smoothly changed the subject and asked, "So, where are you heading now?"
"I'm heading to a place called Dust Mountain. I think it's a small peak. A few Demon Slayer members have already gone ahead."
Iori was quickly diverted by Takeo's question and responded accordingly.
Hearing that, Takeo raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is it a group mission?"
"Yeah. An Intermediate-ranked Slayer is leading the team, with at least four other Slayers of different ranks providing support. But… I'm probably already late," Iori said helplessly.
The final deadline for the rendezvous was today. But judging from how lost Iori had gotten, and her not-so-impressive speed, it was unlikely she'd make it in time.
Showing up late on her very first mission—there was no telling if that would negatively affect her standing with her superiors.
Takeo wasn't too surprised that Iori had been assigned a group mission.
The Demon Slayer Corps assigned missions based on one's performance during the Final Selection and current capabilities.
Those with higher strength were typically given solo missions—like Takeo.
Those with more average or developing skill sets were often placed in team missions.
The reasons were twofold: to let veteran Slayers lead and guide, and to give newer members experience in real combat and demon-hunting procedures.
Iori belonged to the latter group.
"…You really are hopeless." Takeo sighed at the sight of Iori's flustered expression. Lifting his head, he called out, "Kotaro!"
Kotaro, Takeo's kasugai crow, was nearby. Upon hearing Takeo's voice, the bird quickly swooped down and landed on his shoulder.
"Y-Yes?"
Takeo instructed, "Help locate the Demon Slayer team headed to Dust Mountain. If you find them, have one of their kasugai crows come here to guide her."
"O-okay…" Kotaro responded weakly before flapping his wings and soaring into the sky.
Realizing she wouldn't have to keep wandering around lost, Iori beamed and threw herself at Takeo.
"My little Takeo, I knew you cared about me after all!"
"If you keep jumping on me like that, I swear I'll punch you."
Takeo's face went flat and deadpan as Iori clung to him, nuzzling enthusiastically.
Instead of letting go, Iori hugged him even tighter and said playfully, "Don't be so mean! I'll give you some rice crackers!"
"…Don't think a few rice crackers are enough to bribe me!!"
"Then I'll give you all the rice crackers."
"..."
…That's not a bad deal?
Shamefully, Takeo was successfully bribed by Iori.
Can't be helped—after days of eating nothing but regular rice balls, sushi, and udon, Takeo was truly sick of it all. And with his own lack of cooking skills, his taste buds were practically going numb.
Iori's specially made rice crackers, high in salt and flavor, had somehow become a rare delicacy to him.
After going without them for a while, he found himself actually craving them.
"Oh right, I haven't asked yet—why are you even here?" After clinging to him for a while longer, Iori finally remembered to ask the obvious question.
Takeo pushed her away with an exasperated look. "Surprising that your pea brain actually remembered to ask that. Then go ahead and try using that not-so-smart head of yours to guess—why do you think I'm here?"
"…There's a demon?"
"Correct. But no reward!"
After Takeo responded, he noticed Iori suddenly fall into thought. She turned and looked him up and down, noting the absence of any dust or signs of travel on his clothing. She couldn't help but ask:
"You got here yesterday, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"But the fact that you're still here… means you haven't killed the demon yet, right? You didn't find it?"
Iori wasn't stupid—she just usually didn't like using her brain too much... ehm..
But when she got serious, she could pick up on subtle details pretty well.
Like now, for example.
Takeo nodded slightly and was about to explain his mission, but then, remembering Iori's sharp observation skills, he looked up and said:
"Come to think of it, your timing's perfect. Help me figure out where this demon is hiding."
o(*￣▽￣*)ブ12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI