6:00 A.M.
A heavy fog lingers between the trees, swallowing the first light of dawn. The forest is eerily silent—no birdsong, no wind, only the faint crunch of leaves beneath Ren's steps.
He walks alone, his haori tattered, stained with blood—none of it his own.
On his back, he carries Kasumi, his head resting limply against Ren's shoulder. His face is bruised, smeared with dried blood. A thin trail still drips from his temple.
Up ahead, the faint flicker of a campfire breaks through the mist. Its orange glow casts long, dancing shadows against the trees.
Seated beside it is a pale girl—barely 14—with long white hair falling like snow around her shoulders. One of her silver eyes is clouded, the other hidden beneath a strip of black cloth.
Her expression is calm, almost detached, but something warm stirs behind her exhaustion.
Leaning against the tree beside her is a long spear, its shaft wrapped in frayed red and blue cloth. It hums faintly with dormant danger.
She glances up, her gaze softening as she sees Ren approach.
"…You're back," she murmurs, voice like a whisper on cold glass. "I made some mushrooms. They're probably a little burned."
Ren says nothing at first. He kneels beside the fire, carefully lowering Kasumi to the ground.
Her silver eye widens slightly. "What happened to him…?"
"Ugh… Can't you see?" Kasumi groans weakly.
A small, sad chuckle escapes her lips. "You must've fought that thing, didn't you?"
She rises without a word, reaching for a clean cloth. Gently, she begins to wipe the blood from Kasumi's brow, her movements practiced and gentle. Her fingers tremble slightly as she wraps his head in a bandage.
Then she turns to Ren, her voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.
"Hajime-Sama, are you alright? Well, it's obvious but still…"
"I'm fine, Miyuki. Thanks for your concern."
An Hour Later
The fire's gone out. Ashes whisper in the wind.
Kasumi sleeps beneath layers of cloth, wounds wrapped, breath steady. Miyuki lies curled on the leaves, Ren's haori covering her small frame.
She stirs. Her silver eye opens halfway. Ren sits alone by the dead fire, unmoving.
"…Hajime-sama," she whispers. "Won't you sleep?"
He glances back, a faint smile on his lips. "No. I'm fine."
He is lost in his own thoughts.
Miyuki sits up slightly, watching him with quiet concern. The shadows under his eyes are deeper now—his maroon gaze dulled, rimmed with fatigue. His expression, though peaceful, feels too still. Too empty.
His Hanafuda earrings sway gently with the cold breeze, the only thing that moves.
"You haven't slept in seven days," she murmurs. "No one normal could survive that…"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine... I just don't feel like sleeping."
"I can't argue with you," she says, and lies back down. "But… just be careful, Hajime-sama."
Her voice fades with sleep, and within moments, only the sounds of breathing remain.
8:00 A.M.
Kasumi twitches in his sleep.
In his nightmare, darkness stretches endlessly. Jigen stands before him—still, towering, those glowing crimson eyes burning through the void. When the blade comes down—
He jolts awake, gasping.
"…Tch… it hurts…"
His body aches. The wounds throb beneath the bandages. Still, he forces himself upright.
Ren hasn't moved. He's still beside the cold fire, staring into nothing. Miyuki sits close, worry etched in her tired eyes.
"Hajime-sama," she says softly. "You still haven't slept?"
"I'm alright," Ren replies, voice flat but gentle.
Kasumi rubs his eyes, watching him. "He doesn't even look tired. How is he… like this? So calm, so strong… so different?"
Miyuki suddenly tries to push Ren back, her small hands against his shoulder.
"Enough," she says. "You have to rest. I won't listen anymore."
He doesn't budge.
Then, without argument, he rises.
"Thank you for your concern," he says, the same calm tone as always. "Alright. I'll rest now."
He walks to his spot beneath the tree, lies down beside them—and finally closes his eyes.
She lightly sighs, "Finally…"
Kasumi slowly rises, careful not to wake Ren. His body protests every movement, the bandages barely holding his wounds together.
Miyuki approaches him, "Matsunaga-kun," she says, voice low, "tell me everything. What really happened back there? And who—what—was that enemy?"
Kasumi exhales, stretching stiff limbs. "Nothing much," he says dryly. "Just Hajime-san, the invincible warrior, fighting another invincible monster."
She raises an eyebrow. "I don't know what you are saying. Can you stop being poetic for a moment?"
Kasumi explains everything to her— from defeating the Upper Moon 5 to the temporary defeat of Jigen.
Her silver eye widened. "He… actually fought Jigen? And defeated him?"
Kasumi nods. "Hajime-san… he's not just the strongest. He's something beyond that. I knew he was the strongest, but he's even way stronger than I thought."
Miyuki places a finger to her chin, thinking. "Despite all that strength, he's still so… quiet. Humble. Like none of it weighs on him."
She turns back to Kasumi. "And you—you defeated an Upper Moon on your own, while other Hashiras couldn't. You've grown really strong."
Kasumi lowers his gaze. "And yet… I couldn't lay a finger on Jigen. Three years of training—and I was nothing. My goal is to wipe demons off the face of this world. To kill Muzan. But now… it feels impossible."
She laughs softly. "You're just twelve. You've still got six years left."
He stares at the sky, eyes dulled. "I hate to admit it but… I can never surpass Jigen even if I train for my entire life, let alone these 6 years. And because of him, I can never defeat Muzan too."
Miyuki shrugs, a faint smile on her lips. "You've come far already. That's what matters. Don't waste time fearing the future—you'll miss what you can change."
He looks at her, then nods. "You're right."
He picks up his sword and grins. "Miyuki-san… how about this—"
In a blink, he vanishes.
His tattered clothes flutter in the air, falling where he once stood.
Miyuki drops low, gripping her spear in one hand.
Behind her—Kasumi reappears, cyan eyes sharp and bright.
She whirls, her spear colliding with his blade mid-swing—metal shrieks on metal.
"Not bad," she mutters.
She spins, sidestepping and aiming her spear toward his neck in one fluid motion.
His eyes widen—he bends back just in time, but the blade nicks his cheek.
A thin line of blood.
She smirks. "Tired already? You need rest too."
Kasumi steadies his breath, a grin forming. "You're quicker than I thought. Guess you've been improving too."
Two Hours Later
Ren opens his eyes.
The forest is quiet, save for birdsong and the gentle rustle of wind through leaves. He sits up slowly—no trace of exhaustion, no dark circles under his eyes. His presence feels renewed.
"Shall we go?" he asks softly, rising to his feet.
Kasumi and Miyuki stare at him, stunned.
"He didn't sleep for a week. Didn't eat. Fought a monster. And now he looks completely fine after two hours?". Kasumi narrows his eyes. That's not just willpower. That's… inhuman.
Still, they nod.
The three walk together beneath the dappled sunlight. The forest welcomes them with birdsong and the hush of morning wind.
Kasumi walks slightly behind, eyes lingering on Ren's back.
"He is the strongest… yet he decided to live in poverty."
His gaze shifts to Miyuki. "She is also a formidable warrior. Three years ago, she was nothing but a kid who became a victim of this dark world."
He remembers three years ago when they found Miyuki as a kid, fallen on the ground, living in complete poverty, begging for life. Her one eye was destroyed, and on the brink of death. But then Ren came as a saviour and saved her.
He clenches his fists.
"That day, Hajime-san picked her up without hesitation… like he knew she was meant to be part of us."
Kasumi exhales. "It's not so different from me. We were both pulled from the darkness."
His eyes flick between the two of them, his steps steady.
"The three of us might live the rest of our lives in poverty, pain, and struggle… but somehow, with them—especially Hajime-san—even that feels bearable. No… it feels right.
I don't have much left. But I have him. And that's more than family to me.
Maybe this is the kind of life Hajime-san always longed for. Not easy. Not perfect. But peaceful… in its own way.
I might only have six years left. But as long as I live… I'll spend the rest of my life with them."
At night.
After a day's journey through thick woods and steep paths, the trio stands atop a quiet mountain ridge, cloaked in mist and moonlight.
The wind shifts.
From the treeline, shadows stir.
Grotesque figures slither from the dark—demons, snarling and hungry.
But the moment their eyes meet Ren Hajime—
—they stop.
Silence. Fear.
They recognise him.
Not one dares to approach.
Miyuki grips her spear and charges. Kasumi draws his blade without hesitation.
In moments, the forest is lit by streaks of steel and blood.
Miyuki twirls through demons, her spear dancing like silver lightning.
Kasumi slashes with precision, his footwork fluid, his resolve unshaken.
"It feels like I've grown a lot stronger," thinks Kasumi.
He turns to strike the last demon—
But his blade clashes with something else.
Clink!
A curved, steel blade meets his. A Kusarigama.
Standing beside the dead demon is a tall, lean figure cloaked in old-style robes. A straw hat casts shadow over his face. His kusarigama gleams under moonlight—both blades long, deadly, and swaying on chains.
Kasumi stares. "Is this guy a demon too? Or a demon slayer?
Whoever he is, I can sense a strong aura from him."
Kasumi spins in the air, delivers a powerful kick to his head.
But the man stops with his scythe.
Kasumi stumbles back, stunned. How did he block that with a scythe?!
The chain hisses through the air. One side of the weapon wraps around Kasumi's sword.
Kasumi flies forward—and is slammed into the ground with brutal force.
Miyuki gasps, stepping forward, eyes wide. "W-Who is this guy…?"
Dust settles.
The man lowers his weapon and lifts his hat slightly. A short beard, unkempt moustache, and sharp, middle-aged eyes come into view. He looks around 40.
His voice is deep, rough— Like someone who's seen too many battles.
"Another kid who joined the demon slayer corps huh? You should be more careful."