Airi sat in her bedroom, playing the violin casually. The melodies danced across the room and throughout the house like a ballet performance. The elegance in the music was overwhelming, even for the mice living in the walls.
The girl was so involved in her music playing that she had not heard a sudden slamming at her door. Someone knocked on her front door a few times before busting open the door themselves.
"Airi, I swear to God if you are IGNORING MY KNOCKS—" A large man walked into her bedroom, noticing that she was extremely focused on her violin playing.
"Oh, shit." Uzui Tengen commented before startling the girl. She leapt backwards, nearly falling clumsily back onto the floor.
"Tengen, what the hell are you doing in my bedroom?! I told you, I'm not going to be your fourth wife!" Airi yelled, feeling very skittish.
"Airi...that is NOT WHY I'M HERE, although my offer still stands," Tengen rambled in the same angry tone as Airi, "I need your help on a mission. I tried to get those Butterfly girls to help me by stealing them and then that brat Tanjiro and his PALS came and 'saved' them. It's a tough life we live in."
"What? You were going to steal young girls? What a perv–" Airi furrowed her brows and gave him a disgusted look.
"I NEED A PRETTY FACE, OKAY?" Tengen interrupted, slamming his wrist on her door frame.
"OKAY. Don't break my house, will you? Explain to me why you want a 'pretty face', and then we'll talk about me joining you." Airi emphasized "pretty face" using her fingers as quotation marks.
"My wives have been infiltrating the Red Light District. You know, the district where tons of things happen after the sun goes down." Tengen crossed his arms, leaning on her ivory bedroom wall.
"Yes, yes. I'm aware. What happened to your wives, then?" Airi questioned, putting her instrument away.
"I lost contact with them entirely. They've noticed some demon action going on at night, obviously. We would exchange letters but it looks like they need me, too. Of course, my wives are my first priority." Tengen explained, sighing.
"And what's in it for me, if I help you?" Airi asked, crossing her arms.
"Uh, the fact that you're doing this with me is enough to satisfy." Tengen smirked toward the girl.
"You are the worst." Airi responded, shooting him a blank look.
The Sound Hashira pouted, "Please, Hanata-san?"
She had succumbed to the man's puppy eyes. Sighing, she gestured him to walk with her outside her house.
"Where to, then?" Airi questioned, slightly irritated.
"My prodigies are outside. I forced them to keep quiet and sit outside like dogs. It was funny as hell, Hanata." Tengen chucked to himself before he held the front door for her. She bowed her head in response before meeting up with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke.
"H-Hanata-san is actually coming with us?!" Tanjiro stuttered, slightly flushed in the face. Airi smiled kindly.
"Damn right I am. I've got nothing else to do." She placed her hands on her hips, giving the men a challenging stare.
The five walked away from Airi's estate on the outskirts of Headquarters. Tengen and Airi walked side by side, with the three youth walking silently behind them. Airi enjoyed the silence, for once.
"So? Where're we going, Geezer and Old Lady?" The boar masked Inosuke questioned bluntly. Airi swore she felt a vein pop out of her forehead.
"To the most flamboyant place in all of Japan, filled with lust and greed," Tengen turned around, giving the three a menacing glance, "The Red Light District where the demon lives."
Zenitsu broke out in a sweat, feeling greatly unprepared for the mission.
"Don't worry about it, guys. Tengen is just trying to scare you with his face." Airi snickered herself, looking at the Sound Hashira. This ticked the older man off, so he cocked a brow.
"I already regret bringing you along, Hanata." Tengen stated blankly. Airi still noticed his angry demeanor, even though he tried to keep his cool.
Airi knew he wanted to make those boys admire him greatly. So, she decided to go along with it, just for her own entertainment.
The five conversed together as they walked, until one comment pissed Tengen off.
"I AM GOD! YOU ARE TRASH! First off, get that right into your skulls. SCREW IT IN THERE." Tengen scolded, stopping the group in their tracks. Airi just let the whole scenario happen.
"If I tell you to become a dog, BECOME A DOG. If I tell you to become a monkey, BECOME A MONKEY!! YOU WILL ALWAYS HUMOR ME WHILE STOOPING DOWN AND IMPLORING ME FOR FAVORS. AND DO YOUR BEST TO FLATTER ME!" Tengen ranted.
Airi held her hand against one side of her mouth, blocking what she was about to whisper so the grand Sound Hashira couldn't decipher what she said.
"Do it." Airi lipped to the three as Zenitsu and Tanjiro rapidly shifted their eyes towards her lips. She was successful in conveying her message to them. She wasn't sure if Inosuke got the memo, though.
"I'LL SAY THIS ONE MORE TIME. I AM GOD!!" He said loudly before posing dramatically. Airi just stood there in shock, wondering how stupid Uzui could get.
'How do you have three wives? Is it because you're hot? Is that it?' Airi thought, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the man, thinking.
She quickly shot her head to the direction of the hand of Tanjiro shooting up in the air, indicating he had a question.
"What exactly do you rule over as a god?" Tanjiro asked genuinely. Airi thought the boy had grown stupid from Tengen's antics, too.
"Nice question, I have high hopes for you," Tengen crosses his arms, smiling, "I'm the god who rules over flamboyance. The god of festivities."
"Tengen, you always tell people you're the god of festivities. It's boring." Airi commented, giving the man a fatigued stare.
"Shut the hell up, Airi." Tengen replied, elbowing her side.
If the two Hashira were reborn, they would be siblings. Their relationship was almost sibling-like already, even though Tengen teases Airi to marry him as his fourth wife. When they met, he genuinely liked her romantically, but their relationship grew to be more familial one he noticed the chemistry between Airi and a certain Hashira.
"I am the King of the Mountain," Inosuke placed his hands on his hips and put his chest high pridefully, "Nice to meet you, god of festivities."
Tengen paused and stared at the boar head, his expression blank, "What're you talking about...You're just disgusting. Eww..."
Zenitsu was visibly stunned at the scene. Airi could almost decipher what he was thinking about.
How stupid they all were, no doubt.
"The Wisteria House is on the way to the Flower District. We'll get prepared there. Follow me." Uzui explained, slightly reassuring the boys on what was going to happen next.
The sound pillar disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Airi to roll her eyes and the three boys in shock.
"Huh?! He's gone!" The boys panicked together before noticing a tiny Uzui in the distance, "Woah!! He's so far away that he looks like a sesame seed!!"
"SO THIS IS THE POWER OF THE FESTIVITY GOD." Inosuke commented in awe.
"No, that guy is the pillar Uzui Tengen-san." Tanjiro replied calmly. Airi just sighed.
"He does that for show because of how damn fast he is. Try to keep up." Airi told the younger Demon Slayers, elegantly leaping away as fast as Tengen.
"AFTER THEM, AFTER THEM!!" Zenitsu yelled before sprinting after the pillars.
After the five arrived at the Wisteria Household, Uzui instructed the family who owned the estate accordingly, similar to a dictator. Airi would follow suit with a "Thank you" and an apology for how bossy Tengen can be.
The five sat in a room in the house as the three boys devoured a meal provided by the family. Airi sipped a small cup of herbal tea gently, wondering how Inosuke could eat under the mask without taking it off.
"Once we infiltrate the Red Light District, we first have to look for my wife. I'll be looking around for information on the demon as well." Tengen explained accordingly to the boys.
"THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!" Zenitsu yelled angrily, nearly shaking the liquid in Airi's tea, "PLEASE, JUST STOP JOKING AROUND! DON'T USE YOUR SUBORDINATES TO LOOK FOR PERSONAL BRIDES!!"
Airi broke her lady-like composure and let out a short laugh.
"HUH?! YOU'RE MISUNDERSTANDING SOMETHING." Uzui defended himself, nearly raising his voice as loudly as Zenitsu.
"No. I'm not. I'm just going to say it harshly. WEIRD ASS PEOPLE LIKE YOU WILL NEVER BE POPULAR!! HOWEVER! YOU'RE TELLING US DEMON HUNTERS THAT YOU WANT A BRIDE?!" The boy argued aggressively.
"Here we go again..." Airi mumbled to herself, feeling utterly sorry for the family that hosted the five of them.
"YOU DAMN FOOOOOL!! MY WIFE INFILTRATED THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT IN ORDER TO COLLECT INFORMATION ON THE DEMON! OUR REGULAR CONTACT WAS CUT OFF, SO NOW I'M GOING TOO!" Tengen argued back as loud as Zenitsu.
"That's all in your head there... right?" Zenitsu responded with a strange look, his voice slightly softer than before.
"YOU SHITTY BRAT!!"
Tanjiro tugged on his friend's bright yellow haori, hoping to calm him down.
"HERE ARE THE LETTERS SHE SENT ME VIA CROW." The sound pillar whipped out packaged letters and chucked them at the boy like ninja stars.
"Quiet down, Tengen, Zenitsu. You don't wanna piss the hosts off." Airi commented, utterly disappointed at how embarrassingly loud men can argue.
"...There sure are a lot," Tanjiro commented, filing through the letters, "Has your wife been in there a long time?"
"I have three wives. Although Airi could be the fourth."
"Shut up."
"THREE! WIVES...TH-THREE! YOU, YOU BASTARD!! WHY DO YOU HAVE THREE WIVES!? CUT THAT CRAP OUT!!" Zenitsu yelled again, his face shocked and over-dramatic.
Uzui punched him in the gut. The boy crashed to the ground in front of Airi, who was still kneeling and sipping her tea accordingly.
"Any other complaints?" Tengen growled angrily.
"Uhm... in the letters, you remind them multiple times to do their best not to stand out. But, how exactly are we going to do this?" Tanjiro asked politely, his voice quiet for Airi's sake.
"Well, we're gonna be disguised, of course. And, as much as I hate the idea, be plain. You guys just have to do a certain something, then infiltrate." The man replied, eyeing the boy.
"That's why I'm here." Airi winked.
The Sound Hashira explained to the boys about his wives and the three houses that they have narrowed down the demon's whereabouts to. His wives go under the names "Suma" in the "Tokito House", "Makio" in the "Ogimoto House", and "Hinatsuru" in the "Kyougoku House".
"The Yoshiwara Red Light District, where lust and charms of men and women swirl in a storm of love and hate. The prostitutes that live there are either living in poverty or sold out due to loans – they bear a lot of hardships." Airi explained, "But, in exchange, they are guaranteed the necessities of life. If they can make their way up as prostitutes, they could potentially become part of a wealthy household by getting bought out."
"The most prominent among them, The 'Oiran', are completely different all together," Tengen chimed in, his face stoic, "They are special women who have acquired everything: beauty, education, performance. You can't simply meet a high ranking Oiran. To gain an audience with them, men have to frequently visit the district, as if they were competing with each other."
"What does Old Lady here have to do with all this?" Inosuke asked, looking at Airi. Boy, how much she hated to be called that nickname was infinite.
Airi smiled wickedly at the boys, holding a strange object in her hands for her makeup applying, "Ah, well you see. I am infiltrating with you. I'll be the most BEAUTIFUL prostitute you've ever seen!"
"YOU ARE ALREADY BEAUTIFUL, HANATA-SAN!! NOT AS PRETTY AS NEZUKO-CHAN, THOUGH." Zenitsu yelled, fainting at the thought of the maiden's natural beauty.
"U-Um, Airi-chan," Tanjiro commented, "I don't know if you should be this competitive in becoming a prostitute..."
"Well, what's the fun in it, then?" Tengen replied, grinning at the Hashira girl, "I like your spunk, Hanata."
The girl chuckled, crossing her arms.
"Who cares about me, let's get you three boys dolled up!" Airi encouraged, pointing her finger at the boys kneeling before her and letting a slight giggle escape her mouth.
"I'm going to make you three the hottest women in the country!" Airi smiled competitively.
The eyes of each boy glittered in excitement. Airi wondered if they were legitimately looking forward to her butchering their faces with makeup.
"But first, Inosuke, take off your mask, please." Airi asked politely, emphasizing 'please' by forming her lips into a pout.
"No." He replied bluntly.
"I will rip that off your head and burn it in a fire, boy." The woman threatened, letting a small smirk form on her face.
The boy immediately took off the mask, revealing his gorgeous features that Airi had never seen before. Woah.
"Holy..." Airi whispered.
"...Shit." Tengen finished her thought.
"What the hell are you two looking at?!" Inosuke asked defensively, feeling aggressive.
"N-Nothing. I'm BARELY touching your face at all, pretty boy. Just don't wear the mask when we're infiltrating." Airi told him, sighing and putting her fingers to her temples. Boys are a handful.
Tengen excused himself to change out of his flamboyant outfit into a more believable one.
Airi proceeded to apply makeup on both Tanjiro and Zenitsu, and a little pinch on Inosuke, to make them look more feminine. If they were to succeed in this mission, then Airi must make them look as beautiful as she can. In reality, she was a mountain child, so she was just winging it when applying cultural makeup on two boys. No one will know the difference!
Airi finished her job with a final touch, putting their hair up in feminine hairstyles and hair bows.
"Absolutely gorgeous! Magnificent!" Airi clapped her hands, admiring her handiwork.
The boys stared at each other and then back at Airi blankly.
"Well," Zenitsu commented, fluffing his pigtails, "Am I as pretty as Nezuko-chan?"
"You all look beautiful." Airi winked and puckered her lips jokingly.
"At least you think my sister is pretty...unlike Yushiro-kun." Tanjiro muttered under his breath.
Airi excused herself from the room, changing into a beautiful hakama with a white top and a forest green skirt. She pinned her hair back into an unorganized bun, leaving some flyaways, and pinning the messy bun with a beautiful butterfly ornament that the Butterfly Estate girls gave to her on her twentieth birthday. The ornament matched her hakama, with forest green and lime hues aligning the butterfly. Airi knew it was the perfect time to pin the dazzling piece.
"Let's hope Shinobu's medicine for my tears work, only one way to find out." Airi whispered to herself.
She took a syringe from under her haori that was folded neatly next to her, stabbing the needle into her forearm and inserting the medicinal substance into her veins.
Airi returned to the main room where the men were residing, and eating.
Airi faced her friends, who were stunned at her attire. She grew flustered. The woman looked down, believing that she wasn't as pretty as other women.
The four men thought otherwise.
"Well, she was right." Tanjiro whispered under his breath that was taken away by her.
"Alright, let's get this shit done." Tengen commented before standing up, dusting off his clothes and clapping twice, waking everyone up from their thoughts.
The five left the house after thanking their hosts, facing their new mission ahead with pride.
——•——
Author's Note:
Airi is going to be a total badass these next few chapters. GET HYPE WITH MEEEE!!