"Where exactly are you taking it?" Tanjiro called as Akira guided the placid demon toward dense undergrowth.
"Somewhere safe." Her voice echoed from deeper in the forest. "Away from human settlements."
Tanjiro followed. He lost sight of both figures in the thick vegetation. Branches seemed to close behind them like curtains. Green shadows revealed nothing.
Minutes passed. Longer than made sense for a simple relocation.
When Akira returned alone, she showed no signs of long travel or exertion. No elevated breathing. No dirt on her uniform. No indication she'd traveled any significant distance.
"That was quick," he observed.
"I know these mountains well. There's a cave system about half a mile north—perfect for relocation."
"Half a mile? That's a ten-minute walk at minimum."
"I move quickly when necessary." Akira brushed a few leaves from her uniform with casual efficiency. "The demon was cooperative. No struggle."
"What happens when the effect wears off?"
"Who says it will?"
They resumed patrol along mountain trails. The normalcy felt forced. Tanjiro's scar maintained a persistent tingle. Nothing to do with immediate danger. Everything to do with wrongness he couldn't identify.
"How many demons have you relocated?" he asked.
"Dozens. Maybe more—I don't keep exact count."
"And none of them have ever reverted?"
"Not that I've observed." Akira stepped over a fallen log with fluid grace. It reminded him uncomfortably of how Muzan had moved. Too smooth. Too perfect for human limitations. "Though I admit I don't follow up extensively."
"Shouldn't we? To make sure the technique really works?"
"Do you follow up on every demon you've killed? To make sure they stay dead?"
"That's different. Dead is permanent."
"So is pacification, apparently." Akira paused beside a mountain stream. Water chattered over smooth stones. "Unless you have reason to doubt what you witnessed?"
"I don't know what I witnessed. That's the problem."
She studied him with those shifting amber eyes. For a moment he caught something predatory in her expression. There and gone so quickly he might have imagined it.
The mountain stream gurgled between them, and Tanjiro found himself wondering if what he'd witnessed was salvation or something far more sinister. The answer would come sooner than he expected.