Hatsune woke up Fukada, and the two of them left the pond together. They went to the changing room, got dressed, and waited for Nae to come out before the three of them left the hot spring hall together.
Hatsune wondered why the two demons didn't kill them. What was their purpose in the hot spring hall? If the missing people had been killed by these two demons, then what made the three of them different from the victims? Hatsune couldn't figure it out.
He didn't tell Fukada and Nae about the encounter with the two demons in the bath. Moreover, when passing through the hot spring hall's lobby, he noticed that the two demons were still hiding inside. Probably because the pond was open-air and couldn't block the sunlight, they had moved into the hall.
As the three of them left the hot spring hall, a young couple emerged from a dark corner. The woman, dressed in a kimono adorned with a few flowers, had an elegant and noble demeanor. The man, handsome and with light blue hair, wore a white haori. He looked seriously and slightly angrily at the backs of the departing trio.
"What sharp eyes and strong willpower," the woman praised.
The man, not pleased with the woman's admiration for the boy, retorted, "Hmph, it was only because he was immobilized by Lady Tamayo's spell."
But then, he immediately smiled obsequiously at the woman, "Lady Tamayo is the most amazing."
The woman smiled faintly, "Even in our hidden state, he could easily detect us. That boy's perception is very special. It seems the Demon Slayer Corps has gained a capable new member."
"Who cares about that? Under Lady Tamayo's Bewitching Blood Spell, anyone would be powerless."
"Yushiro, do not underestimate that boy."
"Yes," the man replied reluctantly, lowering his head.
The woman turned and walked calmly into the darkness, with the man quickly following.
"Lady Tamayo, our whereabouts have been exposed. Do we still stay here?"
"We haven't collected the blood yet. How can we leave?"
"But if it never appears, do we just stay here indefinitely?"
"It will appear."
Since the morning when they left the hot spring hall, Nae noticed that Hatsune seemed to be preoccupied. She wanted to ask him about it several times, but each time the words stuck in her throat.
She knew Hatsune's personality well. If he wanted to tell you something, he would; if he didn't want you to know, no amount of effort would get it out of him.
Although she didn't know what had happened, considering Hatsune's reaction when they first arrived at the hot spring hall the previous night, Nae suspected that he had sensed something, which was why he had been frowning and distracted all day.
She had never seen Hatsune look like this before, and the only explanation was that they were dealing with something very troublesome this time.
Nae's guess was correct. Hatsune indeed felt uncertain, but he had come up with a plan. He knew the demons had two abilities: one was invisibility, and the other was a special scent that made people feel dizzy and weak.
Invisibility was easy to deal with. As long as there was a temperature difference with the surrounding environment, he could precisely locate them. The remaining problem was the special scent. Hatsune decided to use cold air to block his sense of smell. Moreover, he was unsure if the demons had other abilities, so he planned to block his sight and hearing as well, relying solely on temperature sensing for the fight.
This would be his first time fighting purely by sensing temperature.
Night quickly fell.
After dinner, Nae and Fukada thought they would go to the hot spring hall as usual. Although soaking in hot springs sounded fancy, after just four days, they had developed a strange aversion to it.
However, tonight they received good news: they didn't have to go to the hot spring hall, as Hatsune would go alone.
At first, Nae was happy, thinking she could finally have a good night's sleep at home. But when she heard that Hatsune was going alone, she felt something was wrong. It seemed to confirm her daytime suspicions. Hatsune must have discovered something and was worried about their safety, so he decided to go alone.
Without thinking, Nae firmly refused, insisting on going with him and suggesting that she could act as bait since the missing persons were all female. Seeing Nae, a girl, not afraid, Fukada, an older man, felt he had no reason not to go and reluctantly agreed to join.
After careful consideration, Hatsune decided that he and Nae would go, leaving Fukada, who wasn't a Demon Slayer, behind as he might only hinder them.
Realizing the seriousness, Fukada did not insist.
The streets were quiet at night. Hatsune and Nae walked side by side, their shadows elongated by the moonlight. The hot spring hall, perched high on the village's elevated entrance, was brightly lit, looking like a palace on a mountain.
A stray cat suddenly darted out of a dark corner, startling Nae, who grabbed Hatsune's arm in fright. After the cat disappeared, she blushed and reluctantly let go.
"With such a small courage, you still dared to come?" Hatsune said lightly.
Nae looked down shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Last night, two demons intruded into the hot spring hall."
"Two demons?"
Nae was momentarily stunned, thinking Hatsune was joking to scare her. "You're kidding, right? There were no demons. I was only drowsy for a moment last night. I didn't see any demons. Hatsune, you're trying to scare me, aren't you?"
Hatsune gave Nae a cold look as if saying, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
"There were two demons, one in each pond. They were already inside when we entered the hot spring hall."
Already inside? How did I not see them?
Last night, due to Hatsune's unusual behavior, Nae had paid extra attention to their surroundings before getting into the water but had noticed nothing unusual. She had been in the pond the entire time and had seen no demons.
But Hatsune's expression and tone didn't seem like he was lying, and he wasn't the type to make such jokes. Could there really have been demons in the pond last night?
"From the moment we stepped into the backyard, I sensed their presence, which triggered my instinctive reaction," Hatsune explained.
Nae recalled last night's scene but remembered that when she asked Hatsune if he had noticed anything, he had said it was nothing.
If he had already sensed the demons' presence, why hide it?