[center][h1]TENKO MARIA THOMPSON[/h1][/center]
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Tenko smiled and nodded as Miyuki started talking. Though outwardly, she was giving the impression she was listening carefully, in truth, her mind was elsewhere.

She arrived too late when the whole debacle with the demon outside the onsen went down. She had cautioned them to be wary before entering the onsen, but ultimately relented, and as a result, Jae-eun and the rest had to take on the demon themselves.

Maybe she should have pushed more to not take their guard down earlier?

Jae-eun and the rest were her superiors as Hashira, but, well...

She held back a sigh. There was no use pondering what-ifs right now. She still felt the presence of demons. And it would seem...they were heading in their direction...?

Tenko opened her mouth, about to warn her companions, when a familiar face called out to them.

A classmate at Wasedai University...and...

Tenko's eyes widen, for a split second, before she composed herself, her hands immediately reaching for her ribbon.

...and the source of the demonic presence she was feeling.

Just how many demons were in this area? And since when was Mamushi...? She had been taking a leave of absence from classes for some time now. To think that this was the reason why...

Tenko shifted her ribbon, entering her 'demon slayer state', if she hadn't, her face would give away that something was wrong immediately.

She was not particularly close to Mamushi, but because they had taken some of the same classes, Mamushi was far from a stranger to her either.

This would be her first time facing a demon that she knew personally.

Certainly, she had mourned the death of every demon she had killed. She had gone out of her way to try finding out their names and remember each and every one of them in her prayers.

But there was a difference between mourning the death of strangers she had not known who had tragically lost their humanity to demonic forces, and now having been confronted with the possibility of having to fight and kill someone she had known personally.

Tenko's ribbon shifted.

Indeed, had she not turned into Tenko the Demon Slayer, her sadness would have shown in her face and given away the fact that something was wrong. Thus, on the off chance that Mamushi was not aware of their status of being demon slayers yet, it would throw away the element of surprise. Hence, the logical step here was to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"I'm glad you're all right! I haven't seen you in a while. You're going back to classes soon? I'll lend you my notes if you want," Tenko said with a smile, as if nothing was wrong. Though her mind was on overdrive, analysing every minute expression on Mamushi's face, looking for any signs of hostility or an awareness of their status as a demon slayer.

As Mamushi grimaced, saying something about blades and asking them to follow her, Tenko knew that she, at the very least, suspected something was wrong.

"Blades? Not sure what you are talking about...but if you say it's not safe here, then...sure, let's go somewhere else."

Demon Slayer affairs were to be kept secret; thus, it was to her benefit that Mamushi seemed to be taking them to a more secluded place. 

It would also be imperative for her to keep up the facade of not noticing anything is amiss. At worst, nothing would change except maybe annoying Mamushi; at best, it would make her let down her guard.

Tenko followed Mamushi, her hands gripping her gun and sword, ready for a fight at any moment.

As soon as they reached a secluded place, she acted.

"Catharsis Breathing...First Form..!" She uttered as she breathed deeply, her body already moving.

"Ignis Purgans!"

She fired the gun with her left hand, before closing the distance and striking with the sword on her right. Finally, using the new technique she had learned from the Soryu Karate, she launched her left foot in a kick.

None of her attacks were aimed at the neck, and instead were aimed at her limbs, meant to incapacitate, so she could question Mamushi; even her kick, which was meant to emulate a red Nichirin sword, was aimed at Mamushi's legs, meant to sweep her into the ground. 

Demons could regenerate anyway.

Therefore, Mamushi should survive even if all her attacks connected.

Mamushi might not have attacked them, but demons such as Kenzo, Yanagi, and the rest that had allied with the corps were the exception, not the rule. Hence, statistics suggested that Mamushi was more likely to be hostile than not, and as such, the logical and 'safe' course of action was to incapacitate her and determine her innocence later.

It would be safer for everyone that way. Better than risking dangerous demons escaping and claiming potential victims.

Of course, this was the first time Mamushi would have seen Tenko outside of class, thus such a ruthless utilitarian calculus would run contrary to the Tenko she had known.

But this was not Tenko Thompson, classmate of Mamushi.

Currently, this was Tenko Thompson, the Demon Slayer. Someone who would follow such a ruthless utilitarian calculus, with her not aiming for the head being the only concession she had allowed for herself and Mamushi.