After finishing his training duties, Tanjiro rested under the bright sunlight, resuming the half-finished book he had been reading the previous night. Hanako and Rokuta sat on either side of him, joining in the fun but focusing only on the colorful pictures.
Some distance away, Kanao and Mitsuri practiced and conversed on their own, giggling and enjoying their free time. Mitsuri led the conversation cheerfully, given the huge difference in their personalities.
The time was past noon.
Yet Shinobu and the others were still busy treating the new patients.
Even though the year was about to end tonight, the fight against demons remained unchanged.
Unless the progenitor Kibutsuji Muzan was killed, the terror of demons would never vanish.
Hundreds of Demon Slayers were out there, even now, searching for demons and fulfilling their duties to protect human lives.
'I should finish Douma and Gyutaro as quickly as possible… The more I procrastinate, the more bodies will pile up… hmm?'
Thinking while reading, he suddenly looked up and located his crow Shiori far away, speeding toward their direction.
'Don't tell me… Heh, whatever. I was bored anyway.'
Shortly after, Shiori arrived. She landed next to his feet and spoke as loudly as she could. "Caw, Mission! Hurry! The demon has locked itself in the mansion! Southeast, hurry!"
Closing the book, Tanjiro nodded. "Wait a minute."
Hanako and Rokuta tried to touch Shiori, but she flew away immediately, causing them to pout.
Patting their heads, he said. "Onii-chan will be going now… But I'll be back as soon as I can for tonight, okay?"
"Mmh!" They nodded playfully, not worried at all.
Mitsuri and Kanao had also heard the crow's voice, so they came to his side.
"Ah, can I come too? No, please take me too!" Mitsuri requested with hopeful eyes.
However, he denied her instantly. "No, not so soon. Let's see… You have to endure a month's worth of training first, and then I'll take you with me willingly."
Although there would be no danger if she remained by his side, she was ultimately an amateur. Once she had trained enough, he would bring her along every time to train her mind.
She nodded reluctantly.
Kanao looked at him a bit hesitantly before finally speaking the words. "Pl-Please be… safe…"
At her kind words, he smiled warmly. "Thanks, Kanao."
Done with the pleasantries, he began to leave. Kanae, who had been hanging out on the roof, followed him silently.
Next, he informed Nezuko and the others about the situation. As they trusted him and his strength completely, nobody was actually worried.
When he told Shinobu, she handed him a device to extract blood from other demons, especially Twelve Kizuki if he encountered one. Since she was too busy, they didn't get to talk much. However, the strong emotions she exuded were captured by his nose in the end, making him chuckle inwardly.
Once he had prepared his sword and other things, he departed immediately like a powerful gust of wind. Shiori flew above his head in the sky, leading him to the demon.
Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho, who were near the entrance, could only marvel at his sudden disappearance. They didn't even see him leave! That's just how fast he was.
"Tanjiro-san is so amazing," Naho praised.
Kiyo and Sumi hummed with a nod. "Mm."
....
Tanjiro didn't care if the crow was left behind because of his outrageous speed. He simply ran with all his power, hurrying southeast.
The Ubuyashiki Manor was well concealed between the hills and wisteria garden, surrounded by an outer area of dense forest. It was carefully and masterfully separated from human settlements, its location covert and known only to a handful of people.
That aside, the nearest village lay more than twenty kilometers from the manor.
Southeast held only a mid-sized town nearly thirty kilometers away.
Tanjiro knew about it. He had been informed by Amane during the carriage ride.
Furthermore, he had been briefed on the geography of nearby areas by Shinobu. Since he had never left the mountains when he was young, she understood he had no knowledge of cities and towns. That was why she had helped him with it yesterday.
While he ran, he noticed Shiori using the wind's help to chase after him. Her speed was much faster that way.
Seeing such a scene, he smiled wryly.
'Wings are handy… I want a pair too, if possible. Heh.'
The ghost of Kanae followed him silently, never falling behind. She seemed to enjoy the flight, smiling from ear to ear. Due to her limitations, she couldn't stray far from his side, which made her especially thrilled at the moment.
'Well, as long as she's not sulking…' he chuckled inwardly.
Like that, he dashed through the lush region—forest, grassland, across a wooden bridge—and after only an hour of straight running, he caught a glimpse of the town far in the distance.
From there, he had finally left the rural and forested area, arriving at the first town where the developing side of the country became noticeable.
The current era was the Taisho period, the last day of 1914. Japan had already begun to urbanize at an alarming rate.
Developed roads, electric poles, buildings, fashionable clothes, new deadly weapons… Such sights were now common in urban cities. Though modernization was underway, the process was still gradual and slow.
Therefore, the town before him was not developed enough to shock him completely.
"Where is it?" he asked, finding no signs of a demon in his surroundings despite his monstrous senses.
He stood atop a tree branch, hidden behind dense leaves so no one could see him.
Shiori caught up, rested on his shoulder, and pointed toward the far east. "Abandoned mansion over there, Caw! Demon's there!"
He nodded and rushed in that direction, jumping from roof to roof without causing any disturbance.
Not a single person noticed him.
And since there were no CCTV cameras, he could move freely without anyone seeing his face, let alone catching him.
"Hehe, you're like a ninja…!" Kanae's excited voice sounded next to his ear, causing him to smile.
Shortly after, he caught the smell of a demon.
'Tch, another weakling…'
Clicking his tongue, he quickly arrived at an old, creepy mansion. Its size was three times that of the Butterfly Mansion. Not to mention, it stood close to a massive graveyard.
'Perfect place for a demon to settle…'
He rushed inside.
With his powerful senses, he located its hiding spot instantly and confronted it without fear.
The thing was a sickly snake-type demon—too disgusting to even look at.
Tanjiro butchered it the moment he saw it.
Seeing him overpower the demon so easily firsthand, Kanae was fascinated. "You're too strong. That demon didn't even get time to react…!"
He gave her an obvious smile and shrugged slightly.
Next, he stepped outside and waited for the Kakushi members to arrive. There were branches of Kakushi in most towns and cities, so he probably wouldn't have to wait long.
Shiori perched on the mansion, cawing proudly with her beak aimed high. "Amazing work! Tanjiro!"
Kanae giggled at Shiori's antics.
As for Tanjiro, he leaned against the mansion with closed eyes, feeling extremely bored for some reason.
Ten minutes later, four Kakushi members arrived and bowed to him in full respect.
The news of the new Eighth Sun Hashira had already spread throughout the organization, thanks to the effective communication of Kasugai crows.
So everyone knew about his existence already.
A thirteen-year-old Sun Hashira right after the twelve-year-old Mist Hashira.
What a blessing this was for the Demon Slayer Corps! Every member was in awe.
"Well then, the demon has already been dispatched. The rest I'll leave in your capable hands." He said with a nod. There were a few half-eaten bodies and bones inside. That was why they were needed.
Either way, they had no choice but to come even if their presence wasn't strictly necessary.
"Hai!" They responded with admiration.
The job was done, so he left the scene.
There were no other demons—he had already checked.
Thus, he began his return journey.
….
An hour later~
Tanjiro returned to the Butterfly Mansion on time.
He had memorized the route in his mind, so no issues arose. And with Shiori and Kanae by his side to point out the direction, there was no chance of getting lost.
Observing the beautiful mansion and everyone's life signatures inside, he smiled and entered normally.
"Hey, hey, tomorrow's Hashira meeting, you know… It happens twice every year… Mm, I'm sure everyone will be excited to meet you!" Kanae whispered happily.
He gave a nonchalant nod.
Though inwardly, he couldn't help but grin. 'We'll see…'
"Meeting aside… I'm more worried about Mitsuri. Let's hope she won't explode from overeating tonight, heh." He shook his head with a strange smile.
Kanae covered her mouth, giggling.
In the sky, Shiori tilted her beak in confusion.
Does he have a habit of talking out loud? Weird human…