113: Investigating Domo

Three days later, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

Kochou Kanae—under the alias "Kaori"—held a stack of freshly ironed tablecloths and followed quietly behind the butler. The polished corridor reflected her demure figure; ever since Prime Minister Takaichi and that "Madam Bodyguard" had moved in, the turnover rate of the residence's service staff had been unusually high, creating a rare opportunity for the Demon Slayer Corps to infiltrate.

"Kaori, you're in charge of the guest area on the second floor of the east wing," the butler instructed without looking back, his tone rigid. "Unless summoned, you are not to enter the West Wing; that is the private Domain of Your Excellency the Prime Minister and her distinguished guest."

"Yes," Kanae replied with a slight bow, her voice soft and submissive, while her eyes scanned the entire environment like a precision instrument. The interior of the residence was the height of luxury, yet it held a faint, discordant chill, and the air was permeated with a subtle, sickly sweet scent of rust that made her instinctively uneasy.

Her mission was to use her identity as a butler's assistant to gather intelligence on the white-haired youth and map out the residence's layout, particularly the forbidden West Wing.

The work was tedious and busy, and she behaved no differently from the other servants—diligent, quiet, and with just the right amount of timidity. But in corners where no one was watching, her keen senses were heightened to their limit.

While changing the floral arrangements in the main study, she noticed an inconspicuous dark red stain on the edge of the carpet, emitting a very faint scent of blood. While transporting laundry, she sensed a heart-palpitating coldness coming from behind a closed door at the end of the west corridor.

What concerned her most was the white-haired youth she occasionally glimpsed from afar. He was always by Prime Minister Takaichi's side, his face handsome yet entirely devoid of Life Qi, with a lazy, playful smile hanging on his lips. However, whenever his gaze swept over the surroundings, Kanae could feel a scrutiny that pierced to the bone, like a serpent's cold tongue licking over every potential prey.

In the evening, she was instructed to deliver decanted red wine to the small banquet hall. While passing through the corridor connecting the east and West Wings, she had an unexpected encounter with her target.

The white-haired youth leaned alone by the window, watching the setting sun. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on Kanae. In an instant, she felt locked on by an invisible force, and the air around her seemed to freeze.

"New here?" His voice was low and pleasant, yet it carried an inhuman emptiness.

Kanae immediately stopped her pace and bowed deeply. "Yes, my lord. I am the new assistant, Kaori."

The white-haired youth walked a few steps closer, eyeing her with interest, his gaze finally resting on the metal butterfly ornament in her hair. "A very exquisite hair accessory." He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to touch it.

Alarm bells rang in Kanae's heart, and the techniques of her Flower Breathing almost began to circulate on their own. She forced down her instincts and maintained a respectful posture, slightly turning her body to skillfully avoid his hand while holding up the silver wine tray. "Would you like a glass of wine, my lord?"

The white-haired youth's hand stopped in mid-air, and he withdrew it with a light chuckle. "No need." His gaze remained on her, filled with inquiry. "The scent on you... is very special. Like the smell of wisteria flowers."

Kanae's heart tightened. Had the special effect of wisteria flowers on demons raised his suspicion?

"Perhaps... it's the incense used by the laundry room," she said, keeping her voice steady. "If my lord has no other instructions, I shall take my leave. The wine needs to be delivered on time."

The white-haired youth did not block her further, merely looking at her meaningfully. "Go on then. We... will meet again."

Kanae bowed again and continued forward with a steady pace, holding the wine tray. It wasn't until she turned the corner of the corridor and confirmed she was out of sight that a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. From that brief contact just now, she was almost certain—the other party was definitely not human. The pressure and evil aura he emitted were even more eerie than the Upper Rank demons she had encountered before.

And that phrase "we will meet again" felt more like an ominous prophecy.

Night fell, and the lights of the residence began to glow. In her small room, Kanae looked through the window toward the forbidden West Wing. It was brightly lit, yet she could not feel the slightest warmth; instead, it was like a giant beast crouching in the darkness, emitting an unsettling silence.

Over the next few days, Kochou Kanae, with staggering efficiency and an inconspicuous presence, traversed almost all the permitted areas of the residence. She carefully observed the flow of people, the guard rotation patterns, and memorized the layout of every corridor. However, all clues ultimately pointed to the strictly sealed West Wing.

Just as she was agonizing over how to sneak in without alerting the guards, she hadn't realized she had already changed from an observer into the observed target.

During several seemingly accidental "encounters," the white-haired youth named Doma would always appear with a fixed, interested smile on his face. Relying on her first-rate adaptability and disguise, Kanae always managed to unobtrusively avoid his seemingly casual touches and invitations for further conversation, maintaining the respectful yet distant posture of a servant.

However, her repeated skillful evasions, rather than making him lose interest, instead made him take notice as if she were an elusive mist, his desire to investigate growing stronger.

This evening, Kanae had just finished her work and was preparing to return to the servants' quarters, her mind still deducing several plans for sneaking into the West Wing. As she crossed the corridor connecting the main building and the annex, a smiling voice called out to her from behind.

"Kaori."

The call was light, yet it carried an indisputable authority. Kanae's body stiffened imperceptibly, and then she collected herself to turn around respectfully. Doma stood in the shadows of the corridor at some point, his fingertips twirling a double-petaled red flower of an eerie color.

"Lord Doma," she bowed her head in greeting.

"Follow me." Doma toyed with the flower nonchalantly, his tone as gentle as if he were discussing the weather, but his rainbow eyes were locked onto her. "Now."

This was not an invitation; it was an order.

Kanae's fingertips tightened slightly. The surroundings were silent and deserted; even the patrolling guards in the distance deliberately avoided this area. She quickly weighed her options—resisting now would only make her disguise completely futile.

"Yes," she replied softly, following the white figure.

——————

The scene inside the West Wing was beyond Kanae's expectations.

Unlike the extravagant and ostentatious luxury of the other areas in the residence, it was exceptionally clean and tidy, almost to the point of being spotless. The smooth marble floor reflected their shadows as they walked one after the other. The doors to the rooms on both sides of the corridor were tightly shut, except for the carved wooden door at the end, which was slightly ajar, revealing a warm light.

Doma pushed the door open and stepped aside to let Kanae enter first.

The room was spacious but not decorated as formally as the other parts of the residence. It was more like a... private collection room. In glass display cases against the walls, various women's accessories were neatly arranged—exquisite hairpins, dazzling necklaces, and finely crafted dresses. Each item was placed meticulously, shimmering with expensive luster under the soft light.

Kanae's gaze swept over these collection items, and her heart slowly sank. These accessories were of various styles and from different eras, yet all were extremely well-maintained, as if their owners had just taken them off.

Doma thoughtfully closed the door, the soft click of the metal latch exceptionally clear in the silence. He walked to Kanae's side and looked at the collection along with her, the corners of his lips curving into a pleasant arc.

"Very beautiful, isn't it?" his voice was gentle. "Each piece represents a wonderful memory."

Kanae did not answer. Her muscles had quietly tensed, her breathing rhythm was imperceptibly adjusting, and the cadence of Flower Breathing began to flow through her Bloodline.

Doma didn't seem to expect a response, instead turning to look at her, an eerie luster swirling in his rainbow eyes. "There will soon be another piece in this collection, Kaori."

He took a step forward, his fingertips almost touching the butterfly hair ornament in her hair.

"For example, this."

Before he could finish his sentence, Kanae had already drifted back like a flower petal, her hands forming a defensive posture in front of her chest. The cadence of Flower Breathing flowed through her Bloodline, yet it could not compensate for the fatal flaw of not having a nichirin blade.

"As I thought, you're no ordinary person." Doma's smile remained unchanged, even appearing more pleasant. "That scent of wisteria flowers, though very faint, is truly unforgettable."

He unbuttoned the top button of his suit unhurriedly, the pale skin of his neck almost transparent under the light. "A swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps actually dares to sneak in here alone. Truly brave... or should I say, foolish?"

The sweet, metallic scent of rust in the air suddenly grew intense, and a powerful pressure radiated from him as the center—cold, viscous, and filled with suffocating malice.

Kanae's pupils constricted. This aura... far surpassed any demon she had encountered before.

"Upper Rank..." she whispered her judgment, her mind racing to find a way to escape.

Doma laughed pleasantly, his rainbow eyes narrowing slightly. "Correct. As a reward—"

His figure suddenly blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared in front of Kanae, his pale fingers reaching directly for her throat.

"—please become part of my collection!"

Kanae retreated rapidly, her hands parrying like a butterfly weaving through flowers. An unarmed variation of Flower Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirling Peach traced a brilliant path in the air, barely managing to block this fatal strike.

But the sheer difference in strength left her palms numb, and she was sent sliding backward by the force.

"Truly impressive," Doma praised, though his eyes held no warmth. "To be able to do this much without a nichirin blade. But..."

He waved his hand lightly, and several ice crystal lotuses condensed out of thin air, blocking all possible paths of retreat.

"How long can you hold out?"

Kanae breathed sharply, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. Without a nichirin blade, she could not cause any fatal damage to the demon at all, and the other party's Blood Demon Art had clearly not been truly unleashed yet.

She had to find a Breakthrough... Her gaze swept across the room, suddenly fixing on the glass display cases. If she could destroy them and create chaos... but just as the thought emerged, Doma seemed to see right through her.

"Ah, thinking of destroying my collection?" He tilted his head, showing a sad expression. "That won't do."

He snapped his fingers lightly, and more ice crystals rose from the floor, forming a circular barrier that trapped Kanae in the center. The extreme cold made her movements sluggish, and her breath condensed into white mist.

"It seems the game is ending early."

Doma walked closer slowly, an eerie light swirling in his rainbow eyes. Kanae desperately pushed her Flower Breathing, but without a weapon, all her Moves seemed so powerless.

His cold fingers lightly brushed the back of her neck.

"Goodnight, my new collection."

Extreme cold instantly invaded her limbs and bones, and her consciousness sank like a stone into a bottomless ice lake, quickly swallowed by darkness. Kanae completely lost her ability to resist and collapsed onto the cold floor, like a butterfly with broken wings, left at his mercy.