Unforgiving World (Tanjiro x OC)

Chapter 21

-

Plenty of time had passed until the five demon slayers had officially made it to their destination, the Entertainment District. They had been walking- or rather running- the entire day, and on top of that, Uzui had hired them a cart to ride along. It was a different mode of transportation Amaya was used to for sure, and this was also quite a lot different from the trains she'd seen a few months prior. In fact, almost everything in this city was different from what Amaya had ever seen. Zenitsu, Inosuke and Tanjiro seemed to agree with her, gawking in all directions to take in this beautiful yet odd place.

A large, elegant gate welcomed them into the district, bright and warm lights swarmed the streets while people scurried around them. It was just as busy as Tokyo was, the mission where Amaya had met Tanjiro for the first time, though here, it wasn't hard to miss the tons of nicely dressed women staring down at everyone else from the eccentric balconies that lined the buildings quite nicely. It was obvious these houses were meant for one purpose only, hiring women for one's own benefit. On a certain level, Amaya felt like she didn't belong, like this place wasn't a good one. Something just felt off, she didn't like it one bit.

Like she had expected, Tanjiro noticed her discomfort, so just to be a bit sneaky, he slithered his hand into hers, holding it ever so gently to ensure her of his comforting presence. He made sure nobody saw the gesture since he knew Amaya wouldn't appreciate the attention, and the girl deeply enjoyed his attentiveness. "Listen up, you four. Don't do anything that'll make you stand out. Remember that we're only here to case the joint. Whatever you do, don't get out of the carriage", ordered Uzui, who sat in the front rather than the back where the four others were perched.

Unlike what the hashira had told them to do, Zenitsu didn't seem to be listening, immediately jumping out of the carriage to scout out the area. Amaya kind of understood. All these beautiful women lined up for anyone who wished for them, Zenitsu liked these kinds of things. But even if he liked to look at these women, Amaya was confident when she'd say that Zenitsu would remain respectful, which is why she didn't make a move to stop him. Plus, why not irritate Uzui a bit more, right? "Hey! Don't do that, Zenitsu!" complained Tanjiro, but his pleas only made Inosuke jump out next.

Tanjiro called out to Inosuke right after before sighing in defeat, moving himself so he could jump out as well. When Tanjiro's warm hand left Amaya's, the girl made the effort to look up, only to realise she was the only person left in the cart. Feeling uncomfortable so alone, she didn't hesitate to make the choice to jump off the cart as well, landing on the ground with sturdy feet. As the carriage drove away and out of sight, Amaya took the time to try and see where Tanjiro or her other companions had gone. Though with no luck. It was way too busy here, the crowds were compromising her senses and it was making her anxious.

Amaya never liked crowds. Hell, she didn't even like people. So it didn't take her long to squeeze her way through the large groups of them. She looked everywhere she could, but it seemed she had really gotten stranded on her own. Damn her, why'd she have to jump after Tanjiro like that?! Her senses were overwhelmed, even when she tried to search for Tanjiro's usual vibration pattern. It was no use, she could never find them like this. Maybe she could get to a higher point? Tanjiro's hair was unique and so was Zenitsu's. Plus, who in the hell would wear a boar-mask in public? So she was sure she'd be able to see Inosuke as well.

Just as she was trying to move to the building side, she felt someone harshly grabbing onto her wrist, making her stumble before turning around with a glare. As she expected, a tall, middle-aged man who had clearly drank too much for his own damn good, stood over her with a disgusting smile, looking Amaya up and down as if she was a prey he could pound on. "Well, look what we have here? Are you a girl from one of these houses? You sure do look expensive. Trying to run away, I see. I'm lucky I found you, so I've got you for free", slurred the man, his breath reeking of booze.