"nichirin blade, rice balls, money, and you, little guy (Kasugai Crow)... I shouldn't have forgotten anything, right?"
The sun had already set. Kiyokawa Izumi simply packed his things, clearly preparing to head to Mount Sagiri.
"Aren't you going to wait until tomorrow morning to set off?"
Under the eaves, Kochou Shinobu asked softly.
"Earlier or later, it's all the same. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Kiyokawa Izumi waved his hand slightly and said with a smile.
Having been in this world for less than a month, he actually owned very little, so there wasn't much to prepare.
As for saying goodbye.
He knew even fewer people, so it wasn't really necessary.
Kochou Shinobu seemed to have tacitly allowed him to stay at the Butterfly Mansion, or perhaps permitted him to reside there temporarily; he hadn't asked for specifics about her attitude.
Because he knew very well in his heart that he didn't belong here and would eventually have to leave.
This journey didn't really have a specific purpose.
He simply wanted to become stronger.
Not for the sake of becoming strong, but simply hoping that in the future, he wouldn't face a situation of powerlessness, and wouldn't be left helpless in moments of despair.
He was working hard so that he could face everything with composure later on.
It wasn't some grand idea, nor was he becoming stronger to save others.
It even sounded a bit selfish.
"Take care on your journey!"
Hearing it again, an impulse surged in Kiyokawa Izumi's heart. He desperately wanted to turn around regardless of the consequences and tell her that the enemy she would face in the future was so powerful it would drive her to despair.
You will die!
Even if you give it your all, you won't be able to win.
You'll be eaten, and not even your bones will remain.
While this is certainly your scheme, is this truly the outcome your sister would want to see?
Perhaps out of sympathy, pity, or simply not wanting to see someone he knew end up like that, the impulse was hard to suppress.
Kiyokawa Izumi turned around to face a slightly surprised Kochou Shinobu. His right hand unconsciously gripped the nichirin blade at his waist. After a moment of silence, he said nothing.
It was laughable, really; how was he supposed to speak up?
In what capacity, from what standpoint?
Facing her, who had already made up her mind, could Kiyokawa Izumi—a mere outsider—really bring himself to say those words?
Setting aside whether disclosing information about Douma would arouse suspicion, would Kochou Shinobu even believe him?
Why would an ordinary swordsman like him have information on Upper Rank Two?
It just didn't make sense!
Perhaps after leaving the Demon Slayer Corps, Kiyokawa Izumi would leave behind everything he knew, but not right now.
'Sometimes, I really envy Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who is as dazzling as a hero descended from the heavens.'
'If I had that level of strength, would I even need to struggle like this right now?'
Unfortunately, he didn't have Tsugikuni Yoriichi's talent, nor did he think he could become the next Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
The current Kiyokawa Izumi was a lost soul who hadn't even figured out his own path.
'The world is unimaginably vast; what difference does it make whether I'm here or not?'
'Can my existence change the predetermined ending?'
'Probably not.'
'Perhaps everything that is fated is already the best possible outcome for the Demon Slayer Corps.'
Kiyokawa Izumi left quietly, without making a special effort to find The Three Little Ones or Kanzaki Aoi.
His relationship with these people was actually quite average... Since Demons only appeared at night, the schedules of the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were somewhat inverted.
Kiyokawa Izumi had grown accustomed to traveling at night.
He participated in the Final Selection after Kanzaki Aoi but before Tanjirou.
That meant there was a high probability of meeting Tanjirou at Mount Sagiri.
At this point in time, the protagonist should still be training under the Former Water Hashira, while Muichiro and Kyoujurou might have just become Hashira or were about to.
Although the original work had a simple timeline, it didn't specify the exact month and day.
As a low-ranking Team Member, Kiyokawa Izumi didn't have much information regarding the current Hashira.
He only knew that Shinobu-nee was already the Insect Hashira and had taken over the Butterfly Mansion years ago.
Senior Brother Giyuu should have also been the Water Hashira for quite some time.
Truth be told, why didn't Kiyokawa Izumi go look for him?
In terms of strength, Giyuu, who was at his Peak, should be considerably stronger than Urokodaki Sakonji.
While this was just speculation, the Former Water Hashira had never truly gone all out in the original work.
Additionally, he was elderly, and his body was no longer at its Peak.
So, why didn't Kiyokawa Izumi look for someone he considered stronger?
Because he wasn't a social butterfly!
This was a joke, of course. It was simply because Senior Brother Giyuu was the current Water Hashira, and while he was busy, he hadn't heard of him having a Successor.
Not being able to meet him was one thing.
How could an ordinary swordsman easily meet a Hashira?
Even if he could, Kiyokawa Izumi didn't have the confidence to gain his approval.
Weighing his options, he still felt that choosing the Former Water Hashira was more reliable... Inside a ruined temple deep in the mountains,
Kiyokawa Izumi stepped in under the cover of night, with half of his nichirin blade already unsheathed.
"Many hunters have gone missing here, and the swordsmen sent to investigate haven't arrived yet."
"I'm just a passerby poking my nose into other people's business, you shouldn't have any objections, right?"
Kiyokawa Izumi spoke softly, his clear voice echoing in the ruined temple. Something seemed to be crawling in the depths of the shadows.
The blue-tinted blade was fully unsheathed, and he delivered an unremarkable strike.
After finishing this, Kiyokawa Izumi sheathed his blade and left without pausing for a second.
From behind him came the sound of a Demon's head hitting the ground.
Just as he said, he was just passing by and stopped in to take a look, venting some of the gloom in his heart along the way.
______
We're already on the first day of collecting stones for this month... I'm not asking us to be among the top ten, but at least to get a good symbol for this month. Thank you.