To The Stars | Tokito Muichiro x OC

37 • Old Habits

Tengen liked to enter her estate from the sky, flamboyantly, as he claimed his fall to be. That was why Inori was hardly fazed when he landed with a rumbling thump on the grass, simply continuing to prune her garden.

"Welcome, Rengoku-san, Uzui-san."

"Hey, kid." Tengen grinned unsettlingly, leaning over to see what she was pruning. He had been at the receiving end of her anger enough times to know that her garden was not somewhere he should mess around in.

"You came at a good time, which is unusual of you, Uzui-san." Cutting the last flower, Inori offered it to the Sound Pillar. "I have flowers for your wives, as well as for you and Senjuro-kun."

"That's rare," replied the Sound Pillar, taking the purple coneflower. He raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You don't usually like picking flowers."

"That's because flowers are most beautiful when they're in full bloom in nature." She handed Tengen the four clumsily tied bouquets in her basket, and she gave Kyojuro two. "But these flowers are starting to wither."

Even if she poured a lot of love and care into her garden, the flowers there wouldn't last forever. They would bloom, they would wither, and they would bloom again into new buds. Inori thought of that repeating process as something beautiful, and that was why she poured a lot of love into her garden.

"But Uzui-san likes to pick whatever flower he likes, and whenever he wants. So, you can't blame me for being angry."

Kyojuro laughed as Tengen grimaced. "Well, the flowers in your garden are the most beautiful there are!" He exclaimed, holding the two bouquets with care. "I'm grateful for the flowers, but we actually came because we need your help."

"Yeah, that's right." Holding the bouquets in one hand, Tengen pointed his finger at her. "Kid, you're a dancer, right?"

"And what demon should I be the bait of this time?" It wasn't exactly rare for the pillars to ask her to be bait, as much as the idea displeased them, to draw demons out. After all, all sorts of demons would gladly come out of their hiding spots the second they caught sight of her 'silver-rainbow hair and mismatched eyes' as they liked to call it.

"Your favorite kind." Tengen grinned, leaning closer until they were at the same eye level. "You love hunting demon moons, right?" At that, Inori grinned. "We got information about Lower Moon Four and Six, who are miraculously working together, by the way, targeting flamboyant girls. They're especially interested in girls who can dance and sing. You, a dancer, will surely catch their eyes."

"Why are two lower moons working together?"

"We don't need to know the reason why demons do things, kid." Tengen flicked her forehead, stepping back when Inori swung her leg. "We just need you to draw the demon out, easy."

"You don't need me to dance to get their attention. Just make me stand somewhere within their sight and they will go 'silver-rainbow hair and mismatched eyes, I will bring you to Muzan' or something along the lines."

"Sure, but the thing is, these demons aren't even trying to hide." Tengen scowled. "The second they spot a girl of their liking, they'll immediately eat her in the middle of the damn road and kill anyone who tries to interfere." Well, that did sound like a pain. "They're both lower moons, so the slayers sent were also killed. They're also reported to run away quickly whenever they feel threatened. That's why it's better if we go in plain, as much as I hate it, and have you lure the demon somewhere the carefree people won't reach."

"But since the demons like to hunt in public places, the more pillars there are the better," Kyojuro continued, still beaming. "We need someone who can lure the demon out and fight it to protect the civilians, all while someone else makes sure the demons won't escape."