The Demon Slayer Corps Initiative

Upon Arrival

After around 24 minutes and 43 seconds of driving, which Nezuko counted down to the last second as a part of fulfilling one of her subconscious habits, they finally arrived at the front of Ubayashiki Tower.

And holy hell, it was HUGE.

Merely the technical term of referring to it as a high-rise skyscraper complex couldn't even begin to describe just how much of an architectural wonder it was- they could see why most people nicknamed it the Tower of Babylon. Just the base of the tower must be enough to house a mansion within. The architects must have seemingly flexed their prowess when they decided to make this skyscraper into sort of an hourglass shape- narrowing and twisting slightly towards the center, before gracefully spreading out back on top. Tanjiro tries to gague how high up it is but only ends up making himself dizzy. "Gods, my head is spinning... just how massive is this thing?" he mumbled, too gobsmacked to say anything else. Murata gave a smug grin, somewhat cheeky in nature.

"Just wait till you see the inside."

The two couldn't even fathom what the insides looked like- just the landscaping here was already beyond their wildest dreams, with the marble and gold statues reminiscent of distinctively ancient greek sculptures. Even the shrubbery, from the purest of white roses to the colossal sakura blossom and wisteria trees encircling the small zen fountains decorated with other miscellaneous, gorgeously placed plants- suddenly, knots began to form in their stomach.

"We literally have no business being in a place as magnificent as this," Nezuko breathed, not even realizing that they were walking forward of their own accord until the glass doors swept open before them to reveal a palatial reception area, expansive in practically all directions- although it was spacious mostly horizontally, it had quite an impressive amount of vertical room to boot as well.

Stepping out of the crowded streets into the silent and spacious chamber makes the two feel like their center of gravity shifted to their feet. They squinted up at the blindingly bright golden lights, the warm rays filtering through the glass windows illuminating their tingling skin and at least doing a bit to relieve their goosebumps. The freshly polished marble tiles beneath them was still spotless, and a complimentary blend of both modern and traditional Japanese furniture was decorating the area. Silk brocades of beautiful patterns lined with expensive gold, genuine, glimmering gold- was what made up the lavish sofas and lounges. Neat bookshelves and potted plants dotted some corners and areas, sitting on top of and near the tables. There was even a mini pool constructed entirely of bricks with small fountains and LEDs that changed color every couple of seconds- Nezuko barely held in a scream of pure euphoria when she learned that small koi fish could be seen swimming in the water.

There seemed to be swathes of people milling about the reception room, dressed in the same uniform of the black gakuran jacket and the hakama pants with the complimentary tabi socks, zori sandals and the sword neatly sheathed at their side to boot- Urokodaki, Makomo and Sabito all shared the same white tabi socks that their pants were neatly tucked into. Some chatter among the agents could be heard, as formal and as brisk as their movements, the clack of their shoes echoing throughout the vast area with every step they took.

"Imperative Class 5 mission... not of urgency, overall nature seems to be location and recovery..."

"We need the intercepted encrypted messages containing the malware and Black Propaganda translated ASAP, I need all deadlines posted to the teams by tomorrow... be sure to run security diagnostics on the central middle floors while you're at it..."

"Three slayers have gone dark, last known location found in the geolocated coordinates of Beijing, China: longitude 39.9042 degrees North... latitude 116.4074 degrees East... I need proper equipment and tracking beacons stationed in this area..."

It was like hearing another language entirely different from the common tongue they spoke- Tanjiro and Nezuko could barely place a finger on the contextualization of their scattered conversations and miscellaneous musings. The sliding glass doors almost never seemed to close- agents were going in and out, walking out onto the pathway outside, or stepping foot inside. "Nezuko, what are they saying...?" Tanjiro whispered to himself almost unconsciously, surprised to hear an equally breathy and confused response from her.

"You think just because I'm smart that I know everything? Of course I don't."

Murata then casually guides the two awestruck teens to an elevator, placing his thumb on a small screen that seemed to resemble a ridiculously futuristic scanning interface. The thin white line blooming on the electronic shade of blue seemed to emanate a strange trilling noise before beeping twice in approval, the pristine and smooth steel doors opening to reveal the inside. Even the elevator was anything but ordinary- the sleek and futuristic appearance is a nice change of pace from the clunky and malfunctioning deathtraps that most elevators in their area of Osaka were, specifically in the apartments of the poorer provinces. Even the air conditioning was divine- serving perfectly to combat the sweltering heat of the afternoon.

Tanjiro chooses, against the more polite side of his personality, to cull a bit of information out of Murata.

"So, why do you think the Kagaya Ubayashiki requested to meet with us?"

Murata gives a freespirited shrug. "I'm afraid the details of such a matter have not been disclosed to someone of my clearance. Our whole infrastructure is based on the hierarchy and compartamentalization of intelligence- this matter isn't even elaborated on for even Kinoe rank slayers with Clearance Level 10."

"Ah... I see." Suddenly the fabric draping Tanjiro's skin becomes a bit itchier than usual, and he sucks in a sharp breath before releasing another shaky exhale. Murata seemed to take notice of the eyebrows on Tanjiro's forehead creasing together and sighed. "No need to be nervous, Mister Kamado- we're almost to the designated meeting point."

Then, Tanjiro, like an idiot, smiles and lies through his teeth to cover up how much his stomach was twisting into knots: "I'm fine," he reassures, though the words are empty and he knows it. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have pried."

The moment they reach the top floor sooner than expected, they're once again stunned into silence by the sheer majesty and formality of the room bustling with the people- the "slayers" that presumably worked here. The marble floor had a strange symbol carved into it, solidified further to the human eye with black paint that possessed no trace of being chipped or scratched at even once. Gorgeous potted plants were scattered about the room along the walls in an effort to make the room seem less imposing than it already was. Several white desks with monitors displaying fancy interfaces galore could be seen along with the uniformed officers crowding around them, typing away at the keyboards. The moment one noirette with a slightly tousled ponytail darted her eyes to them, the entire room followed suit and fell silent.

"Are those the two kids the Director wanted to personally meet with...?"

"I think so, Ozaki. They look so young and confused... are we sure that Master made the right decision?"

"The girl looks quite intelligent... and the boy looks strong. I still have my doubts, but Master must have high hopes for them. They both have potential."

The chatter did nothing to settle the questions that the siblings had, if it didn't already pique their curiosity further.

...Director!? Okay, just what the hell is going on here!?

Murata motioned to a spacious open balcony, draped in shade courtesy of a luxurious pavilion, the clear glass and metal-rimmed fencing ending only where the chest began. Multiple bushels housing a colorful variety of flowers seemed to decorate the fencing. "This way, if you'd please."

"Okay," Tanjiro said, Nezuko following behind him but both of them turning their heads back around, checking over their shoulder to notice a particularly odd detail.

Why wasn't Murata following them anymore?

"Uh... aren't you coming?" Nezuko asked.

"I'm afraid this is where we part ways temporarily. Have a nice stay, Mister and Miss Kamado," Murata stated, bowing before fleeing the scene before either of them can even remotely open their mouths, let alone protest or ask for an explanation.

Why.