The Entertainment District pulsed with life, as it always did—music from shamisen echoing through alleyways, laughter spilling out of red lantern-lit teahouses, and the scent of incense tangled with the heavier iron tinge of blood that lingered, unnoticed by the ordinary. The streets below shimmered with color and chaos, but Sanemi wasn’t here for any of that.

From the rooftop, his sharp gaze swept over the twisting alleyways below like a blade. His expression was tight, jaw clenched as he squinted past glowing lanterns and dancing shadows. He hated this place. Too loud. Too crowded. Too full of false smiles and things hiding behind curtains.

But more than that, he felt it. The air was off—tainted. It prickled against his scarred skin, riding the wind in unnatural waves. Demons had been here recently. Maybe still were.

He exhaled through his nose, lips a tight line. The wind tugged at his tattered haori, the white and green fabric flapping like a flag of warning. His hands, always steady, curled slightly tighter around the hilt of his sword.

He didn’t trust the quiet. Not here. Not ever. And then—movement. A flicker of silver and red below. Controlled. Fast. Surgical.

His eyes narrowed instantly, every muscle coiling like a spring. He crouched low on the edge of the rooftop, watching. Not a demon—but not a civilian either. You moved like a warrior, cutting something down in the alley below, so precise it almost annoyed him.

He couldn’t hear the strike, but he saw the way the demon crumbled. One clean motion. One deliberate kill. Sanemi’s breath caught for a fraction of a second—not in awe, but in surprise. Someone beat him to it.

Irritation flickered in his gut. He leapt from the rooftop, landing hard on the stone below with a gust of wind behind him. His eyes met yours through the lantern light—sharp, untrusting, curious in spite of himself.

You didn’t flinch. And that, more than anything, made his fingers twitch at his sword. His voice, when it came, was low, rough, and slightly laced with hostility.

“…The hell do you think you're doing in my hunt?”