"Wow, that was awesome!"
Koharu's eyes went wide as she took in everything Shuya had just done. She stared at him like he'd hung the moon.
"Guest big brother, are you some kind of god?"
"Not even close."
Shuya shook his head and gave her a small smile. "I'm just a regular guy."
"Liar!"
Koharu's voice shot up, full of disbelief. "I saw it! That black lightning in your hand, and how you threw that creep who was messing with Sister Kohong straight into the sky—"
"Koharu!"
Kohong grabbed the younger girl's arm fast, cutting her off.
Being a little older, she knew better. Everyone had secrets. Some things you didn't poke at, even with people you trusted.
She and Shuya were just a guest and a service girl. That was it.
Same way she hadn't questioned the crow sitting on his head when he first walked in.
"S-Sorry… I got too excited."
Koharu realized her mistake and bowed her head, apologizing quickly.
Shuya's voice stayed gentle. "It's fine."
He never had a problem with innocent kids. Only the spoiled ones who went out of their way to cause trouble.
Besides, if Kanao Tsuyuri hadn't been saved by the Butterfly sisters back then, she probably would've ended up in a place like this too.
Lucky ones might end up like the top courtesans who found someone willing to buy their freedom. Unlucky ones just became another girl at everyone's beck and call.
Shuya opened his mouth to say something, but a bright voice cut through the room.
"What the hell happened here?!"
He closed his mouth and looked over.
The madam of Kyogoku House, Mitsu, had finally shown up—right after he'd already finished dealing with Kaigaku.
"That guest from earlier? And… Daki?"
The madam took one look at the wrecked lobby and felt a headache coming on.
How much was this going to cost to fix? More importantly, could they even open tonight with the place looking like this?
After quickly calculating the damage in her head, she turned to Shuya.
Then she froze.
Daki was clinging to his back like a docile little cat.
That obedient, almost sweet expression…
Was this really the same sharp-tempered Daki who usually lashed out at people over nothing?
A weird guest and a weird courtesan. They actually matched.
"Guest, are you alright?"
The thought flashed through her mind and disappeared. She put on her warmest professional smile and walked over.
She had to take care of a customer this generous.
"Guest, why don't you head back to the private room? The food will be ready soon."
She reassured Shuya first, then pulled Kohong aside and lowered her voice. "Kohong, what exactly happened? And did you get the food I sent you for?"
Shuya had paid a fortune to eat here. Sending someone out to buy food instead wouldn't look good if he found out.
(He already knew.)
"Um…"
Kohong lowered her head, not daring to meet the madam's eyes.
The food she'd bought had been scattered all over the ground by Kaigaku.
One look at her face and the madam knew something had gone wrong.
She waved a hand. "Forget it. Go get it again."
"This…"
Kohong's head dropped even lower.
The madam frowned. "What now?"
"The money…"
Kohong fidgeted, her fingers tapping together nervously.
She was still just an apprentice who hadn't started taking clients yet. She didn't earn anything here.
She had no money of her own. Even when she got a little, she spent it on cheap trinkets for the younger girls like Koharu.
The only reason she'd offered to pay Kaigaku earlier was because she'd been backed into a corner.
And the money the madam had given her for food? Already gone. The food itself ruined.
The madam, not knowing the full story, assumed Kohong had lost it.
She was about to scold her when Shuya stepped in.
Shuya raised a hand. "It's fine, madam. Don't give her a hard time. I'm not that hungry right now anyway."
"Really?"
The madam looked a little embarrassed and scratched her forehead.
She'd tried to hide it, but he'd already figured it out.
At least he wasn't angry.
Not hungry?
She glanced at Daki on his back and smirked to herself.
Yeah. With a beauty like that in his arms, what man would still want dinner?
He probably had other plans.
She gave him a knowing look. "I understand. Do you need anything prepared? Hot water, maybe?"
The awkwardness jumped straight onto Shuya's face.
"Stop!"
He cut her off and changed the subject. "Madam, if I wanted to buy Daki's freedom, how much would it cost?"
"Daki?"
The madam blinked, then glanced at the girl again. Maybe that was her real name.
"Is this enough?"
Shuya pulled out a handful of golden leaves.
The madam waved her hands. "No, that's not—"
"Not enough? How about this?"
He pulled out another handful.
Most customers paid in Japanese bills or foreign currency. Nobody just dumped gold like this.
For a second the madam was dazzled.
By the time she snapped out of it, Shuya had already pressed the gold into her hands.
"Guest, you've got it wrong. This… Daki doesn't actually belong to Kyogoku House. We're just working together."
The gold felt hot in her palms. She hurried to explain. "So if she wants to leave, she can leave anytime."
In the red-light district there were two kinds of courtesans.
One kind was sold to the house, trained, and worked to make money for it.
The other kind—like Daki—already had top-tier looks and skills. They partnered with the district instead of being owned by it.
Like the difference between an employee and a business partner.
"That's right," Daki said lightly.
Shuya felt another wave of awkwardness and gave her butt a firm pinch through the fabric. "Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
"Mm~"
Daki didn't answer. She just leaned into his scent, humming softly like a content cat.
Even though Shuya didn't call himself a demon, in her eyes anyone who could do what he did had to be even more perfect than Muzan.
She'd already dropped every guard and fully accepted him as her master.
Shuya didn't know what to do with her.
He responded to softness, not attitude.
If someone came at him hard, he had no problem pushing back.
But when someone was this sweet and obedient, he didn't have the heart to be strict.
Shuya looked at the gold in the madam's hands. He'd already given it. He wasn't taking it back.
He thought for a moment.
It had been almost a month since he awakened Greed Island and crossed into this world.
He'd noticed one downside.
You could manifest almost anything inside it—even the internet.
But it was missing one thing.
People.
Such a huge place, and most of the time it was just him and his contractors.
Fewer than ten people total.
It felt way too quiet.
Shuya glanced at Koharu and Kohong standing together, then pointed at them.
"What about them? They're not partners too, right?"
"Huh?"
Kohong blinked and pointed at herself in surprise. "Me?"
"This is great! I knew it—Guest big brother is a god! He must've heard my prayers and came to save me!"
Koharu looked thrilled, eyes sparkling as she stared at Shuya.
She looked ready to jump on him like Daki had.
But Daki was already there, and even though she seemed calm now, Koharu's long-standing fear of her hadn't disappeared.
Plus, seeing how dependent Daki suddenly was on him, she worried getting too close might set something off.
"Koharu!"
Kohong called out to stop her.
She knew Koharu was excited about being redeemed.
But the madam was still standing right there.
Acting this happy would just make things awkward.
"Ahem. Those two are fine, but you've given way too much."
The madam cleared her throat. Her expression was a little sour, exactly like Kohong had feared.
But she wasn't about to turn down money.
Koharu and Kohong weren't irreplaceable.
Even if Kohong was close to her debut, she still didn't compare to Daki, the real money-maker.
Besides, Daki was only a partner. The madam couldn't stop her from leaving.
If anything, Daki leaving was a relief.
That temper of hers…
"The extra is compensation for trashing the place."
Shuya waved it off, then looked back at the two girls. "So? Do you want to come with me?"
Koharu didn't hesitate. "Koharu wants to! Koharu wants to!"
"Thank you, sir. I… I'd like that too."
Kohong clutched her collar, breathing a little fast.
If you had a choice, who would want to sell their body here?
Even as a high-class courtesan.
"Alright, it's settled."
Shuya nodded, then added, "Oh, right. Do you have any friends here? If they want to come too, they can—"
At least in Greed Island they'd have food and a roof.
Anything was better than staying here.
He didn't push it.
There might be girls like Daki who actually enjoyed the attention.
Just like in the modern world—plenty of young women still fought to get into the entertainment industry even knowing how messy it was.
Koharu raised her hand excitedly. "I know some! I'll go tell them~"
Before anyone could stop her, she bounced off like a little rabbit.
She didn't notice the look on the madam's face.
That little brat! Have I really been that bad to you?
The madam shot a sharp glare at Koharu's retreating back.
Then she gave Shuya a strange look.
So this guy came here to… stock up?
She didn't stop him.
This world had plenty of families who couldn't survive and sold their daughters here.
It happened every day.
Mitsu might be the madam, but she wasn't cruel.
In the original story, once she suspected Daki's identity, she even grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to take her out.
As a woman, she felt some sympathy for the girls sold here.
She was happy to see them find something better.
As long as it didn't hurt the house.
"Um…"
Kohong glanced nervously at Daki on Shuya's back, then tugged lightly on his sleeve.
Shuya turned to her. "Just call me Shuya. That's my name."
"Shuya sir, actually…"
Kohong hesitated. "Kohong is just my stage name. If it's okay… you can call me by my real name. Koharu."
"Got it, Koh—"
Shuya was about to agree when he suddenly froze.
His eyes widened as he stared at the girl in front of him.
"Wait. What did you just say your name was?"
"K-Koharu. Is it a bad name? You can keep calling me Kohong if you want."
Koharu quickly tried to backtrack.
Shuya shook his head. "No, Koharu's a nice name. It's just…"
Just that Koharu was the name of another courtesan from the original story—the one who was supposed to be in a different house.
Shuya looked at her more carefully.
She wore light makeup. Her looks weren't as stunning as Daki's, but she was still very pretty.
What stood out more was the gentle, slightly fragile aura she gave off—reminding him of Kanae Kocho.
But in the original timeline…
Koharu was supposed to be a top courtesan in another house, right?
If he remembered correctly, during the Entertainment District arc the three little ones had split up and infiltrated different houses.
Zenitsu went to Daki's place.
Tanjiro went to the house where Koharu worked.
How was she here?
What kind of butterfly effect was this?
Shuya scratched his head.
In the original story, two years later she became the top courtesan in another house, met someone willing to buy her freedom, got attacked by Daki, was saved by Tanjiro's group, and went on to live one of the few genuinely happy endings in the whole series.
Had his presence already messed up her original future?
But looking at the happy expression on her face right now…
It was probably too late to take the offer back.
Daki. Gyutaro. Koharu.
A small place like Kyogoku House was full of hidden pieces.
Hopefully that kid Koharu didn't have some crazy secret identity too.
Shuya let out a slow breath.
Whatever. It is what it is.
Even though he'd felt a little conflicted when he first realized who she was supposed to be, now that fate had brought her to him and he was about to buy her freedom…
He wasn't about to hand her off to someone else.