Himejima was taken away.
As Ryosuke looked back, the little girl behind him was nowhere to be seen.
He stared at the overturned wisteria incense burner in front of the temple gate, burning with anger.
Kaigaku!
The number one CS (scumbag) in the original work.
The shame of Thunder Breathing!
The shame of the Demon Slayer Corps!
The shame of the Upper Moons!
The only Upper Moon who fought seriously in the final battle, only to get insta-killed!
Truly a fxxking rainbow! So colorful it's off the charts!
A superb specimen whose character was directly linked to his strength!
Last night, it was him who stole money, got caught by the other children, and was kicked out. He ran into a demon and, to save his own life, made a deal with the demon to knock over the wisteria incense burner, causing this tragedy!
He was also the culprit who became a demon before the final arc, forcing Jigoro to commit seppuku!
Right now, this animal should have started his wandering life again, eventually to be saved and taken in as a disciple by Jigoro.
To prevent that little old man Jigoro from getting his heart broken.
Ryosuke secretly swore that he would find Kaigaku early and kill him before everything happened!
However, the urgent priority right now was to save Himejima Gyomei.
Ryosuke pulled out the simple paper and pen he carried with him and wrote a letter.
"To be opened personally by Oyakata-sama:
Urgent report from Mizunoto Rank member Yasui Ryosuke!
The tragedy at the Mount Hinode Temple in Tokyo Prefecture was NOT committed by the monk Himejima Gyomei.
The true culprit was a man-eating demon. Himejima fought hard to protect the children and was wounded.
The only surviving child was frightened and made a false accusation, leading to the official's wrongful arrest.
Gyomei possesses immense strength and a resolute will. He is a precious asset for fighting demons!
I implore Oyakata-sama to quickly use the family's influence to mediate and save his life by any means necessary!
For details, you may inquire with the local Kakushi.
Urgent! Urgent! Urgent!
Submitted in haste by Yasui Ryosuke."
He rolled up the note and stuffed it into the hummingbird's claws.
"Go! Deliver this to the Master's hands at top speed!"
The hummingbird flapped its wings, piercing through the morning light and speeding towards the main Ubuyashiki estate.
Ryosuke breathed a sigh of relief but did not return to Momoyama.
He searched Mount Hinode inside and out.
As the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed.
Ryosuke didn't accept going out on a trip and coming back with nothing.
He was very angry right now!
If he didn't kill a few demons and make them lower their heads, he couldn't vent his anger at all!
Incidentally, he would also try his luck to see if he could find Kaigaku.
...
Tokyo Prefecture Grand Prison.
Kagaya and his wife Amane, led by a jailer, passed through the long corridor and stopped in front of an iron door.
The cell wasn't large. The stone walls seeped water, making it exceptionally damp.
In the corner, a burly figure almost filled the narrow space.
Hearing someone arrive, Himejima's body shook slightly, but he didn't look up.
The jailer tactfully retreated.
The cell fell into a strange silence, broken only by the crackling of the burning torch.
Kagaya inhaled lightly and spoke first.
"Master Himejima."
Himejima looked up.
Kagaya's voice continued to flow, warm and peaceful: "I know. You are not a murderer."
"You are a protector, a warrior who fought to guard the innocent."
"The blood debt in the temple should not be borne by you."
"..."
For some reason, Himejima suddenly smiled. A hoarse voice squeezed out from deep in his throat.
"This Lord... before I was brought here... on that hellish morning..."
Himejima paused, then continued: "There was also a person... a young boy who shouted the exact same words to me as you just did."
The cell fell into a weird silence.
Kagaya was dumbfounded.
Huh?
"The exact same words?"
"Yes."
Himejima nodded. "He told me to lift my head up, said I wasn't a murderer, that I was protecting humans and fighting for humanity."
The corner of Kagaya's mouth twitched.
Wait.
He said all my lines!
Is... is that allowed?!
Without thinking, Kagaya knew who the boy Himejima mentioned was.
"Ryosuke..."
Himejima smiled. "So his name is Ryosuke..."
"That voice, the owner of that voice that crashed like thunder into the boundless injustice and darkness... his name is Ryosuke."
Kagaya nodded, while also feeling a bit helpless.
"Mr. Himejima, since you know to use the scent of wisteria flowers to drive away demons, you must also know of the existence of the Demon Slayer Corps, correct?"
"Naturally."
Himejima Gyomei nodded.
Since his lines were stolen, Kagaya didn't beat around the bush and spoke plainly.
"I am Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the current Master of the Demon Slayer Corps. Mr. Himejima, are you willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"..."
Himejima took a deep breath, raised his shackled hands, and slowly pressed his palms together.
He bowed his body towards the direction of Kagaya's voice, lowering his head.
"Oyakata-sama, I, Himejima Gyomei, am willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps! I am willing to wield this broken body against the demons to protect the innocent! Until this body burns to ash!"
The heavy oath echoed in the stone chamber.
"Good. The Ubuyashiki family will wash away your wrongful conviction."
Kagaya stepped forward to help Himejima up.
With the dust settled, the jailer unlocked the shackles, and the three of them left the prison together.
Kagaya frowned slightly, that person's name constantly circling in his mind.
"Ryosuke... Mr. Yasui truly is an interesting person."
"Kagaya."
At this moment, Amane, who had been by Ubuyashiki Kagaya's side the whole time, leaned in slightly and spoke softly.
"According to the news sent back by the Kakushi, Yasui Ryosuke did not return to Momoyama."
"Oh?"
Kagaya looked sideways.
Amane's voice carried confusion: "He has been lingering near Mount Hinode. His movements are erratic, but the Kakushi observed him venturing deep into dangerous parts of the forest several times. His intent... seems to be actively searching for traces of demons to hunt them down."
Actively hunting?
Kagaya was stunned.
Young people... very conscientious!
The smile on Kagaya's face deepened.
Newly promoted Mizunoto swordsmen, upon receiving their first few missions, would nine times out of ten be apprehensive, or even timid.
In severe cases, they might even need psychological counseling before embarking on a journey again.
But Ryosuke was the complete opposite!
Mission accomplished, but instead of returning, he actively went looking for demons to kill?
This heart for slaying demons was hot to the point of paranoia, as if something was chasing his life.
"It seems my intuition was correct."
Kagaya smiled, carrying heavy expectations. "Mr. Yasui is destined to become a Hashira in the future. Mr. Jigoro has a worthy successor."
Amane frowned and narrowed her eyes.
"You think so highly of him?"
"My intuition has never been wrong."
...
"Achoo! Who was badmouthing me?"
Ryosuke, who was scouting for demon traces, sneezed.
This was the dense forest near Mount Hinode. Although it was noon, the light was blocked, making it very suitable for demons to hide.
Just not far ahead, several blurry footprints came into view.
The shape of the footprints was twisted—definitely not human!
Found it!
Ryosuke was excited, gripping the long sword at his waist.
He slowly straightened up, not pursuing immediately.
His gaze followed the trail of twisted footprints, casting towards the impenetrable dark cave deep in the forest.
Heh heh heh~
Gotcha. Come out and get some sun, baby!