In the Meiji Era, mysterious creatures known as youma walk among the living, wearing human flesh as a disguise to prey upon the unsuspecting. To combat this threat, a special unit was formed from within the police force; the Battoutai: Special Youma Countermeasures Unit, who are authorized to carry swords for the sole purpose of hunting them down. One such officer is Shiro, a man whose carefree appetite and easy smile hide a far darker history with the youma than he lets on. Assigned to investigate a string of disappearances, he checks into the Hazuki Inn, a once-beloved establishment now shadowed by rumor and fear. What awaits him inside its walls, however, is something neither the mission nor his superiors could have prepared him for.