A tired yet hyped Shiori flew across the Wisteria Garden and finally arrived at the Ubuyashiki Manor.
"Caw!" Noticing that everyone was staying inside, she could only caw loudly several times outside the door, hoping to wake someone.
Shortly after, the door slid open.
Creak.
Before her stood Amane, the white-haired woman.
At the center of the room sat Ubuyashiki Kagaya, now seated on the futon.
Since they could hear her now, Shiori spoke immediately. "Caw, Miracle! Miracle! Tanjiro and Shinobu defeated Upper Rank Four! Caw! Both are fine! No life-threatening injuries! Caw! Tanjiro did the most damage! He literally destroyed the wretched thing by himself, Caw!"
"..."
The moment her loud words left her beak, a pin-drop silence fell over the room.
W-What!?
Amane's pupils narrowed sharply. A dumbfounded, unbelievable look appeared on her once serious, indifferent face.
"They defeated Upper Rank Four?"
Murmuring, she turned to Kagaya and found him smiling widely for the first time.
Ehh...
"Haha!" Unexpectedly, Kagaya began to laugh at his own pace, feeling too happy to be alive.
Amane's heart thumped loudly as she finally realized what had just happened. What Tanjiro and Shinobu had done… They killed an Upper Rank!
Not just any. It was the fifth strongest demon after Muzan and his other subordinates.
And Tanjiro had destroyed it almost entirely by himself, according to Shiori.
Shinobu had also contributed, though they knew she lacked the physical strength of other Demon Slayers. Her wisteria poison was effective, but against an Upper Rank? The chances were extremely slim.
Even so, they had defeated a high-ranking demon together!
The experience they gained would ultimately help others figure out how to deal with Upper Moons.
Understanding this, a joyful and exhilarated look spread across Amane's face. Though she quickly calmed herself.
Afterward, she waited for her husband to speak first, who was naturally too happy to contain himself.
As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the backbone of the organization, Kagaya had shouldered many responsibilities since he was just a little kid.
He had seen his treasured children die day after day, the growing number of graves on the back hill.
It was truly devastating.
After so much quiet suffering, this was the first time in over a century that an Upper Rank had been defeated. Kagaya's pent-up emotions burst forth.
He even shed a few tears unknowingly.
A few seconds later…
The cursed black-haired man exhaled slowly.
Showing a happy smile, he began to speak. "What a joyous and rare event. Tanjiro and Shinobu have done something truly amazing. We know that defeating an Upper Rank demon is an incredibly difficult task, one that has not succeeded in over a century. Now those two have broken the once unshakable shackles… I am really proud of them."
Nodding in appreciation, he then looked at Shiori with a kind smile and asked, "Can you tell us everything in detail, Shiori? How the battle transpired, and just how powerful the demon was. I'd like to know everything."
Amane sat down too, interested in listening.
The Kasugai crow, Shiori, nodded her beak and entered the room to sit on Kagaya's lap. "Caw, Okay!"
Shortly after~
"..."
Both Kagaya and Amane wore strange looks as they pondered silently.
'Tanjiro… I did expect him to be strong, but to be so strong that he can one-sidedly finish such a powerful demon? This is just too shocking. What a monstrous talent…' Amane thought, marveling.
On the other side, Kagaya patted Shiori's head softly.
After learning about the battle, he had actually become too excited, praising Tanjiro many times.
To think he ended the fight within a minute… What a prodigy, yet awe-invoking child.
Even getting a clue on Upper Rank Two before finishing his job masterfully.
Though in the end, Kagaya was also left with many questions.
Why did Tanjiro inquire about Upper Rank Two specifically?
Was he thinking of getting revenge for the Kocho sisters?
Then he must have been informed about that past incident.
That tragic incident that took place a few years ago.
The death of Kocho Kanae, the Flower Hashira of that time, who was also the older biological sister of the current Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu.
It was Shiori herself, the Flower Hashira's Kasugai crow, that spread the intel of Upper Rank Two killing Kanae to the headquarters.
So perhaps Shiori told Tanjiro?
Or did Tanjiro learn it from Shinobu herself?
'…No, it doesn't really matter. What we must do now is search for that place. The faster, the better. Since we have the leverage, we must eliminate another powerful subordinate of Muzan to save hundreds of lives before it's too late.'
Kagaya touched his chin in planning. "Please spread this information to all Kasugai Crows and Kakushi members operating outside. This Eternal Paradise Faith must be located and reported back as soon as possible… Before it's too late and that demon might go into hiding."
He had a hunch, and there were suspicions from previous Oyakata too.
That demons could exchange information through certain means.
That they had a supernatural hideout.
His family's premonition ability confirmed it too.
If it was true, which was likely, then this information that Tanjiro had managed to acquire was like a double-edged sword.
They might be risking lives by trying to ambush Upper Rank Two.
However, since they now knew the location of an Upper Rank, Kagaya had a responsibility to act.
He couldn't just ignore it.
Even if it was dangerous, didn't Demon Slayers always risk their own lives fighting physically overwhelming demons with Blood Demon Arts?
So how was it any different?
Taking a deep breath, Kagaya let go of Shiori and she flew off to spread the info to other Kasugai Crows. The rest of the work would be done by them.
The next moment, Kagaya suddenly let out a slight groan, feeling pain from the affected side of his head where the skin was rotting.
Amane immediately rushed to his side and checked on him. "Please have some rest. I'll apply the medicine."
Coughing once, Kagaya then nodded. "Tanjiro is like a charm to this organization. I feel like we'll be able to defeat Muzan with him by our side."
Amane listened silently while arranging the medicine.
"But Kibutsuji Muzan is a coward. He thrives on hiding and massacring innocent lives. He has done the same thing for centuries. Knowing this, he might never show himself and expose his hideout…"
A brief silence followed as Amane applied the medicine to Kagaya's forehead.
"…Tanjiro has awakened the Mark too. As he's thirteen now, he has only twelve or so years left to live…"
Amane's eyes softened too. 'To lose such a kind and talented child so soon, what tragedy, haah…' She sighed inwardly.
Afterward, a pondering Kagaya looked at Amane, who was seated beside him, and spoke calmly in his persuasive voice. "Amane, I have something important to discuss regarding our daughter's future. Will you hear me out?"
'Daughters…'
An understanding clearly flashed in Amane's plum purple eyes.
"Does Oyakata-sama want to…" She asked, and Kagaya nodded honestly.
Seeing she guessed correctly, a small smile bloomed across her face.
She had also thought of the same thing when she first met Tanjiro, and for days, she had wanted to discuss it with Kagaya.
Surprisingly, her husband was also thinking the same thing.
And so, both husband and wife had a good talk about their daughter's future that night.
...
Back to Tanjiro.
"Oh, come on, will you stop staring already? It's been over ten minutes." Tanjiro said to Shinobu, whose fascinated purple eyes were glued to his wrist guard like a crazy person.
In her defense, Kanae replied blankly, "Can you really blame my sister? Even a ghost like me is just as shocked… But, Tanjiro, you have some abnormal luck, huh… Getting so many ridiculous treasures from your home mountain. Now I feel like being a treasure hunter wouldn't have been so bad. I'd have stormed all the mountains completely. Ha…"
Hearing her voice, he raised an eyebrow at her.
'Should I tell her she was one of those treasures too, heh…' he joked mentally.
After some time, Shinobu's malfunctioning mind finally repaired itself.
She then heard his calm yet serious voice. "I got a clue on Upper Rank Two's location, my lady. Would you like to hear it?"
'...'
"E-Excuse me?!"
~~<>~~
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