Greed Island.
Aoi watched the Crossing Gate slowly close behind her, Kanae's figure disappearing on the other side. She finally let out a long breath of relief.
She slipped her shoes back on and tugged at the front of her soaked uniform. The wet fabric clung uncomfortably to her skin.
She glanced at the two Snowball Beasts curled up on the ground. They barely reacted to her arrival, only flicking an ear before going back to sleep.
Aoi sighed. "What the hell even is my life right now…"
She had only gone to Kanae's room to ask a few personal questions. Instead, she ended up drenched, nearly got caught by Shinobu, and had to flee through the gate like a criminal.
If this was what happened just from sleeping next to Kanae… what would it be like once she actually slept with Shuya?
The thought sent a small shiver down her spine.
She shook her head, pushing the dangerous thoughts away. Right now she had bigger problems.
It was already morning. As the head caretaker of the Butterfly Mansion, she still had work to do.
"Breakfast!"
Aoi muttered to herself, already moving. "Damn it, I need to get back and start cooking before everyone wakes up."
She headed straight for the hot spring area, planning to clean up and change clothes first. This wasn't her first time ending up in this state because of Shuya's world, so she knew exactly where to go.
"Oh my~ Isn't this little Aoi?"
A teasing, elegant voice called out from behind her.
Aoi turned around and saw Yuriko Takagi standing there, purple eyes sparkling with clear amusement as she looked her up and down.
"Yuriko-nee? What are you doing here?"
Yuriko smiled, tilting her head. "I just woke up and was heading to the hot springs to freshen up. You, on the other hand…"
She gave Aoi's soaked clothes another pointed look.
"This is the second time, isn't it?"
Aoi's face burned. She knew exactly what Yuriko was implying.
Last time she had shown up like this, it really had been because of Shuya. This time it was completely different — she'd just gotten caught in Kanae's mess. But explaining that would only make things worse.
Especially since Kanae would eventually come here too.
Aoi gave up and mumbled, "If you say so, Yuriko-nee…"
Yuriko's smile grew wider, clearly enjoying herself. But when Aoi didn't give her the flustered reaction she wanted, she quickly lost interest in teasing.
She placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder without any hesitation. "Come on. Let's go wash up together. We can chat about girl things while we're at it."
Aoi didn't argue. She had been planning to go to the hot springs anyway.
As they walked, Aoi finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Yuriko-nee… after you did it with Shuya… did your body become really sensitive too?"
Yuriko paused mid-step and turned to look at her with clear surprise.
Then her eyes lit up with wicked delight.
"Oh? So you've already done it with Shuya-kun? How was it? Tell big sister everything~"
"I didn't! I haven't!" Aoi immediately denied, face red.
Yuriko ignored the denial completely and leaned in closer, voice dropping into a playful purr.
"Don't be shy. We're both women here. Come on, let big sister check just how sensitive you've become~"
"Stop—!"
Aoi's embarrassed voice echoed through the hot spring area as Yuriko continued her teasing assault.
---
Meanwhile, Shuya finally spotted the city in the distance.
He squeezed the brakes hard, the motorcycle drifting to a clean stop and leaving two sharp tire marks on the road.
"This should be the place, right?"
He was about to turn and ask the crow when he felt a sudden impact against his back.
Thud.
The crow had flown straight into him because of his sudden stop. She bounced off the seat and nearly fell to the ground before Shuya caught her mid-air.
"Hey, you okay?"
He poked her soft belly with his finger.
The crow lay limp in his hands, looking half-dead.
Shuya started shaking her gently. "En, don't die on me. If you die, I'm screwed when we get back."
After a while, the crow's eyes snapped open. She immediately struggled out of his hands, flew up in front of his face, and started angrily cawing at him nonstop.
Shuya couldn't understand bird language, but he could tell she was cursing him out thoroughly.
Once she finally calmed down, she landed directly on top of his head, treating his hair like a nest, and closed her eyes to rest.
Shuya didn't mind. He had pushed her pretty hard earlier — the trip that should have taken over seven hours had only taken him less than two. He hadn't even let her rest on the bike.
He decided to let her recover for a bit. Besides, he was hungry anyway.
As he walked into the city, he quickly realized just how lively and prosperous it was. Carriages moved through the streets, and he even spotted a few foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes mixed into the crowd.
Then he stopped in front of a large building with red lanterns hanging on both sides of the entrance.
Written on the lanterns in bold calligraphy were three characters:
Kyogoku House.
Shuya stared at it for a second, then reached up and poked the crow on his head.
"Hey, En. Tell me about the mission again."
The crow, still annoyed, flicked his finger away with her wing but still answered dutifully.
"This city is Yoshiwara, the most prosperous red-light district in the center of Edo. According to the hidden information, there have been recent reports of—"
Shuya's eyes widened.
"Wait. Say the name of this place again."
"Yoshiwara. The red-light district."
Shuya's expression changed.
Yoshiwara.
Entertainment District.
This was the setting of the Entertainment District arc.
Which meant the target this time…
Was Upper Rank Six.
Daki.