Kawanishi didn't follow the path he came from. Instead, he took a small trail recalled from Black Fang's memories.
This path also led out of Ishibashi Town, and after walking for a while, Kawanishi stopped—because he had arrived at a house that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
This was once Black Fang's home. After becoming a demon, driven by subconscious instinct, he had returned here.
Unfortunately, Black Fang's parents had been home. When his father—who had been searching for him for days—saw him, he immediately slapped him hard across the face, knocking his head to the side.
Then the man knelt and hugged him tightly, choking out, "You little brat, where did you run off to? Do you know how worried we were?"
"Don't go into the mountains alone again. If you want to play, I'll go with you."
Black Fang rested his head on his father's shoulder. He felt an overwhelming familiarity and comfort in this man's embrace.
But even more compelling was the scent of blood and flesh coming from him.
He opened his mouth, ready to bite—but something vague and lingering held him back, made him hesitate.
Then, in that moment of hesitation, blood splashed across Black Fang's face.
He slowly turned his head.
His father's headless body still clung to him in a hug.
Kibutsuji Muzan stood before him, holding the heads of both his parents in his hands.
"Black Fang, turning into a demon must've left you starving. Here, food I've prepared just for you—go ahead and eat."
Black Fang's eyes flickered with inner conflict—but twenty seconds later, what little humanity he had left vanished. He lunged at his father's corpse and tore into it with his fangs.
Muzan watched with a soft chuckle. "Black Fang, I look forward to your growth."
Then he vanished again, waiting for the right moment to summon Black Fang to serve him.
...
Kawanishi looked at the decayed, ruined house and pushed open the rotting wooden door, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"Beneath Black Fang's yard, there should be a fairly large wine cellar."
"This entire property has been abandoned for a long time. No one's been here. If I hide out here, Shinobu probably won't find me."
Truthfully, Kawanishi would've preferred staying in the bear cave on Mount Aokari, but since Shinobu had gone there to investigate, returning was not an option.
And now dawn was fast approaching—he had no intention of being burned alive by the sun. So he decided to hide temporarily in Black Fang's wine cellar.
He stepped over broken furniture and made his way into the courtyard.
After a short search, he found a small, inconspicuous iron hatch near the wall.
Kawanishi gave it a tug—nothing. It didn't budge. There was a keyhole, but after all this time, where would he find the key…
Taking a deep breath, Kawanishi gripped the edge of the iron cover and summoned all his strength.
Bang!
The old hatch flew open under his force, revealing a stairwell beneath it.
He looked down at his hands—veins bulging.
He didn't need a mirror to know—his face must look monstrous now. Pure demon.
"Whenever I use full strength… I can't help but revert to my demon form…"
He took a moment to compose himself, reshaping his body back into its human appearance.
Still holding the iron hatch, he stepped into the cellar and, once inside, pulled the cover shut behind him.
...
Like a purple butterfly dancing in the moonlight, Shinobu moved swiftly among the branches of Mount Aokari.
Her feet barely touched the treetops before she leapt another ten meters ahead.
At that speed, her eyes scanned the forest floor, searching for anything unusual.
Soon, Shinobu found Black Fang's cave.
She landed lightly and placed her right hand on the hilt of her Nichirin Blade as she slowly stepped into the cave.
Five minutes later, she emerged.
"The signs here are recent. Looks like two demons fought over territory."
"Could it be… new demons have arrived on Mount Aokari?"
"The people of Ishibashi really have no peace. I'll need to find and eliminate both of these demons."
She was about to leave when something caught her eye—a small mound of dirt.
Pushing aside the grass, Shinobu found evidence that the earth had been freshly disturbed.
"What's this…?"
Inside the cave, she had already smelled lingering blood—it was unmistakable. Someone had definitely been killed, maybe even eaten.
But now, right beside a demon's lair, there was a newly made, crude grave.
Shinobu was stunned. She returned to the cave and carefully reexamined every trace, then circled around outside, missing nothing.
Piecing everything together, a startling possibility began to take shape.
It seemed a new demon had arrived, drawn by the scent of blood, and had defeated the original demon of Mount Aokari.
But for some unknown reason, that new demon had not devoured the remaining human corpse. On the contrary, he had buried it.
Why?
Could such a demon really exist?
Or… was she wrong? Perhaps the Master had dispatched another Demon Slayer to this mountain?
Still—if there was even the slightest chance that a demon had given up eating humans, and had even buried one with compassion…
Then she had to find him.
Shinobu whistled and waited quietly.
Before long, a raspy caw echoed through the trees.
Caw, caw, caw!
The Demon Slayer Corps messenger crow arrived, landing on her shoulder, head tilted.
Shinobu took out a slip of paper and wrote:"Master, did you send any other Demon Slayers to Mount Aokari?""Or has any passing Corps member slain the demon here?"
She rolled the note and slipped it into the crow's leg pouch.
"Go now—bring me the Master's reply."
To other Demon Slayers, this might not have seemed important.
But to Shinobu—it was something she could not ignore.
That gentle smile never left her face, even with no one around to see it.
Because before she died, her sister had said her favorite thing was seeing Shinobu smile with kindness.
"Sister… maybe your dream really can come true."
Shinobu longed to hear her sister's voice again. But in the dark forest, only the wind, trees, and occasional rustling of birds and beasts answered her.
"If the Master only sent me here… and no one else has passed through…"
"Then my theory might be right."
"Sister, I'll investigate every lead. And if—if such a demon truly exists…"
"If I can confirm he's not guilty of any evil… then I'll do everything I can to become his friend."
"To be able to befriend a demon… to coexist in peace… Sister, I think you would be very happy."
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
"Every battle written here is powered by your love. Power Stones sharpen the sword, Golden Tickets strengthen the shield, and your reviews echo like war cries in the arena. If you're with me… prove it. Let's rise together." ;)