"Miss Shinobu, what's wrong?"
Tanjiro, still drowsy, was awakened by Shinobu's coughing.
He rubbed his eyes and asked with concern, "Miss Shinobu, could it be that you are sick?"
The sudden voice startled Shinobu. She stopped coughing and held back her shame and annoyance as she said, "I… I'm fine."
"Pack up, we're getting ready to set off."
Seeing that Tanjiro and Nezuko were both awake, Jotaro didn't want to stay here for too long.
Tanjiro felt the atmosphere in the car was a bit strange, but didn't think much about it. Obediently, he folded up the bedding used for resting in the back.
Nezuko blinked her large, wandering eyes and stared unblinkingly at Shinobu's chest. Tilting her head, she looked thoughtful.
That unusual gaze, Shinobu immediately noticed it. She glanced at Nezuko, then followed her gaze and looked down at her own half-open chest.
The Demon Slayer Corps uniform was slightly open, and through the gap one could see the alluring spring scenery inside.
In an instant, Shinobu's delicate and slender jade neck turned red like crimson agate. Turning her head aside, closing her eyes, she angrily buttoned up her top.
Fortunately, Nezuko currently didn't have high intelligence, so she probably wouldn't think anything weird. Otherwise, Shinobu really wouldn't know how to deal with it.
'It's all Jotaro-san's fault! Star Platinum is so powerful, why didn't he tell me earlier!'
Though she thought this way, she didn't actually blame Jotaro.
After Jotaro expelled the air from her lungs, she directly experienced the mysterious feeling of Ripple Breathing.
As long as she remembered that feeling and practiced diligently later, she would definitely be able to quickly master the Ripple technique.
Once everyone was seated and buckled up, Jotaro directly started the engine and drove the off-road vehicle toward Tokyo.
———
"Ken Takakura? He did work here as a forensic doctor, but he left a long time ago."
"Do you know where he lives now?"
"I don't know. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you." The police officer shook his head. "Alright, young man, if there's nothing else, move along. Don't interfere with my work."
Getting no results from asking, Jotaro had no choice but to back off. That the officer didn't want to tell him Ken Takakura's whereabouts was completely understandable to him.
Staff in departments like these often deal with criminals, and it's not impossible that some arrested criminals hold grudges against them.
Asking for their information is very sensitive, and it's easy to be seen as a suspicious person seeking revenge.
Because Jotaro understood this clearly, he didn't plan to keep asking. Since the officer wouldn't say, he would just have to investigate on his own.
"Star Platinum!"
"Time stop!"
Five seconds may seem short, but it was more than enough for Jotaro to avoid others' attention and sneak into the hidden areas of the police headquarters.
"Huh?"
Time resumed. The officer touched his head, wondering how the tall guy, who he'd thought was a foreigner, suddenly vanished before his eyes in just a moment of distraction?
"Weird," he mumbled softly, but didn't think too much of it and continued organizing the documents beside him.
With a few time stops, Jotaro dodged everyone's sight and slipped into the police archive room.
Files were piled up like mountains. Without spending half a day, it would be difficult to find the specific document he was looking for.
However…
"Star Platinum!"
Star Platinum rapidly searched through the files, pages flashing before his eyes. His fingers moved quickly across the papers, not leaving even a single mark. Even at such high speed, the documents remained completely intact.
"Got it!"
In just a short time, Star Platinum found Ken Takakura's file.
"He retired several years ago…" Jotaro quickly read through it, memorizing the important information.
Creak!
The sound of a doorknob turning. The door was quickly pushed open, and a female officer walked in, puzzled, "I remember locking the door…"
The archive room was completely empty. The documents were neatly arranged, just like usual.
"Did I remember wrong?" the female officer pouted, then nodded, "That must be it."
She reached into her Mariana Trench-like cleavage, fumbled for a moment, and took out a brass key.
"The key is kept here. Who would think to look for it here? I'm such a genius."
She looked a bit proud, then put the key back in.
In a place she couldn't see, the imprint of the key was clearly marked on the police uniform over her chest—extremely obvious.
———
With his hands in his pockets, Jotaro swaggered out of the police headquarters.
"Jotaro-san, did you find it?"
As soon as she saw him, Shinobu immediately came up to him.
Jotaro nodded, "Yeah. He's currently working as a professor at Tokyo University."
He glanced at the sunset in the sky, a trace of concern flashing in his eyes.
"We have to hurry, we must find him as soon as possible!"
At present, Tokyo was already extremely bustling. Under the night sky, neon lights sparkled like flowing water. The streets looked as bright as daytime.
Tanjiro never imagined that Tokyo could be this lively even at night. If not for Jotaro walking ahead of him, he would've gotten lost long ago.
Jotaro remained calm and composed, as if he had long been used to this. This naturally made Shinobu curious.
"Jotaro-san, you're also a Tokyo native, right?"
"Sort of." Jotaro replied flatly.
"Sort of? What do you mean?" Shinobu frowned slightly, feeling Jotaro was brushing her off.
Although she didn't know the exact place, Shinobu believed Jotaro was definitely born near Tokyo.
She herself was born in Takinogawa Village, Kita-Toshima District, Tokyo Prefecture. Jotaro's accent was exactly the same as hers.
Thinking of her birthplace, bad memories surged into her mind. Shinobu's gaze dimmed.
Glancing at her, Jotaro said, "It's nearby. But this Tokyo is not that Tokyo."
"Huh?" This vague answer left Shinobu unsure of what he meant.
After walking for a while more, the familiar buildings of Tokyo University appeared before Jotaro.
Although they were in two different worlds, the universities both adopted similar Western architectural styles. There were some slight differences, but not much.
At the gate of Tokyo University, students in uniforms came and went, most of their faces full of happy smiles. The air was filled with youthful energy, and Shinobu couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
'How nice such a peaceful life must be.'
If her family hadn't suffered that misfortune, maybe she and her sister could have studied here too. Like those girls, wearing pretty dresses, chatting and laughing with friends.
Maybe she could have even met a boy she liked and eventually entered the hall of marriage.
Thinking this, Shinobu's face flushed slightly, and her gaze subconsciously drifted toward Jotaro.
Who knew, right at that moment, her eyes met Jotaro's gaze.
Frowning, Jotaro urged her. "Hey! What are you doing? Hurry up and come in!"
Shinobu guiltily looked away, softly stepped forward, and followed Jotaro into the campus.
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