Joy and Despair

Chapter 16 - Red Light District

"Hey! Who are you? What do you want from Aoi-chan?" Yumiko asked. There stood a fine-suited man, the rest had gone away. "She hasn't paid her debts for more than a month!" the man said. "Huh, how much did she owe?" Yumiko asked again. "¥500 000 to ¥750 000." The man said. "Wow, that's expensive." Yumiko thought. "

Now give the money back to me before I do something to you, women! Remember, I don't want to hurt women." The man said. "Wait! don't hurt Aoi-chan, I will pay for it." Yumiko said. "How do you pay me? Do you even have the money?" he asked. "Don't misunderstood." Yumiko said. Then Yumiko paid the man. "There! Now go or I will tell the master of this estate!" Yumiko said. Then the man left.

"I'm sorry Yumiko-chan, actually Shinobu-sama and I have more debts than this, since the donation Oyakata-sama gave is too little. But there's a lot of injured slayers each day! We do not have the heart to see people die in a tragic way." Aoi explained. 

"It's okay, Aoi-chan, I understand what you meant." Yumiko said. Then Aoi just hugged Yumiko and cried. "There, there, it's okay Aoi-chan." Yumiko said. The day turned into night, the beautiful moon came out. Yumiko took a deep breath and sighed. "Ara, what's wrong, Yumiko-chan? Shinobu asked.

"I'm just worried if Aoi and Shinobu-sama do not pay the debt." Yumiko said. "H-how did y-you k-know?!" Shinobu asked. "Eh? The debt collector came yesterday!" Yumiko said. "How much does it cost?" Shinobu sighed. "The cost is ¥750 000." Yumiko said. "That's very expensive!" Shinobu said. "Who could pay that much?" Shinobu asked. 

"It's me, Shinobu-sama." Yumiko said. "Ara! Why did you spend such a money?" Shinobu asked. "I still have money from my Otto-san's inheritance, but it's okay, at least I want Aoi-chan and Shinobu-sama to be free from debts. It's also for repaying your kindness!" Yumiko said.

"Ara, Thank you so much, Yumiko-chan, I should repay you for that! I'm sorry you have to pay for it! You actually could buy another thing more precious for you!" Shinobu hugged Yumiko while crying. "No need to repay me." Yumiko smiled. 

Then Yumiko left with Shinobu-sama. "Sayonara, Shinobu-sama!" Yumiko said. Then Yumiko walked to her room and took a shower. "Ahhh! It's good for me to get hot water at night!" Yumiko said. Then Yumiko walked to her bed and slept. The next day, Yumiko and Tanjiro with their friends have a mission with the sound pillar, Uzui Tengen.

"Another pillar?" Yumiko asked. "Yep, The sound pillar, Uzui Tengen, The one and only said 'Flamboyant'." Tanjiro said. "Ohhh, is he as attractive as Rengoku-san?" Yumiko asked. "No, Aniki is more attractive than Uzui-san." Tanjiro said. "Ohhh." Yumiko said. "And he's more annoying than I imagine." A familiar voice said. 

"Rengoku-san-, he's dead, don't expect him to be alive again, Yumiko." Yumiko thought. "Hm, I think we must fight Uppermoon again." Yumiko said. "Not really, we must keep investigating if it's true there is an Uppermoon. "Yeah, I agree with you, Tanjiro." Yumiko said.

One hour later, Yumiko's legs are tired and can't stand again. "I-I can't stand up." Yumiko mumbled. "I'll carry you." Tanjiro said. "Zenitsu, can I keep Nezuko with you?" Tanjiro said while holding the box. "S-sure!" Zenitsu said while grabbing the box. "Now let's go!" Tanjiro said. "Huh? What are you guys doing? We're near the Wisteria Inn!" Tengen said. "Hai!" they said.

*Timeskip*

"Oh, dear me!" the hostess of the Tokito house said. "These are some ugly girls!" Tengen said. "Not at our place, we just bought a new girl a few days ago. I'm sorry" the owner of the house said. ".... Well, one will be okay!" the hostess said. "Then, I'll entrust one to you. Sorry ma'am." Tengen said. "Then, I'll take her!" the hostess pointed at Tanjiro. "I'll work as hard as I can!" Tanjiro said with his made-up voice.