The Chase

Held captive, Makio schemes for a way out, but the obi demon detects Inosuke prowling the corridor and bolts. Sensing the shift in the air, Inosuke storms into the wrecked room and feels the demon hiding in the ceiling. He gives chase down the hall and, hoping to flush his quarry out, punches through a wall, only to send an oblivious customer crashing through instead. The demon slips away, leaving Inosuke fuming and blaming the bystander.

In the Kyogoku House, Zenitsu settles after his tearful music and tries to track down Hinatsuru, though the staff's mourning for their late manager leaves little to go on. Using his keen hearing, he picks up a girl quietly weeping and hurries toward the sound.

Zenitsu finds the room torn apart with a disheveled girl in the middle and kneels to comfort her. A chill runs through him as he senses someone behind him: the house's oiran, Warabihime, who coldly demands to know why he is in her room. Without even turning, Zenitsu recognizes the sound she gives off as inhuman and realizes she is the demon the Slayers have hunted.

When Zenitsu fails to answer, Warabihime snaps the question again, and the others explain he is new. He tries to apologize, but she sneers that he is ugly and creepy. Spotting the messy room, she yanks the crying girl by the ear and keeps tormenting her until Zenitsu grabs her arm and orders her to let go.

This chapter confirms Warabihime, also known as Daki, as the demon behind the disappearances and sets up the first direct confrontation. The obi demon succeeds in carrying off Makio. The events align with anime Episode 36, and the chapter is collected in Volume 9.