Ever since receiving the letter, Aoyama had found himself losing his appetite.
He blamed it entirely on longing.
Longing for Nezuko.
The yearning was so intense that even food had lost its flavor.
On this particular day, Sakonji Urokodaki stood with his hands clasped behind his back. After hesitating for quite some time, he finally took a blade down from the wall and placed it in Aoyama's hands.
"They'll be arriving soon. Go down the mountain and meet them. Make sure they aren't attacked by demons. You can handle that, right?"
Though he asked, he wasn't truly worried.
Joy bloomed across Aoyama's face like spring flowers.
"Of course! Easy job! I'll bring Nezuko back safe and sound!"
"And Kamado Tanjiro," Urokodaki added firmly.
Aoyama's thoughts raced.
When he met Nezuko, what should his first words be?
'Hi, Nezuko, my wife! I'm your husband. Please take care of me!'
No, no—that was way too aggressive. He might scare her.
Better to ease into it.
'Hello, Nezuko. I'm your man.'
…
He couldn't think about this too much. The more he thought, the more excited he became—so excited it was hard to control.
Watching Aoyama grin foolishly while holding the sword, Urokodaki suddenly felt uneasy. He waved a hand in front of the boy's face.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you so happy?"
Snapping out of his imagination, Aoyama waved dismissively and headed for the door.
"You wouldn't understand my happiness. I'm going to bring Nezuko back!"
He fastened the sword at his waist and dashed down the path.
Urokodaki sensed something off and hurried outside, shouting after him:
"And Kamado Tanjiro! Don't forget Tanjiro! And—test him for me! See if he's fit to become a Demon Slayer!"
By the time he finished shouting, Aoyama's figure had already vanished from sight.
Whether he heard it or not was another matter entirely.
Halfway down the mountain, Aoyama suddenly stopped.
He shouldn't rush straight down.
He should head to the abandoned temple instead.
That was where he would encounter Nezuko—and Tanjiro.
The former thrilled him.
The latter… well.
Elsewhere, Tanjiro hurried toward Mount Sagiri. During the day, he carried his sister in a bamboo basket on his back. At night, Nezuko would climb out, and the two would travel side by side.
Darkness had fully fallen.
Holding Nezuko's hand, Tanjiro caught the scent of blood with his keen sense of smell. His expression changed as he began running toward a faint light glowing ahead.
Something had happened at the temple.
"Is anyone there?!"
He pushed open the temple doors.
Inside—
Bodies lay scattered across the floor.
The sound of chewing echoed in the air.
A demon crouched among the corpses, feasting.
A flesh-eating demon.
"What's this? My territory—and it's just a human?"
The demon turned its head. Its mouth had no lips, only rows of jagged teeth. As it spoke, it sprang forward in a sudden dive straight at Tanjiro.
A shadow flickered.
High above, perched on a tree branch, Aoyama watched calmly.
He had arrived.
Seeing the scene unfold, he made no move to help.
Instead, his gaze settled on Nezuko.
She was here.
Finally here.
Soon he could walk over, maybe touch her… maybe hold her hand.
Tanjiro swung his axe swiftly, slicing across the demon's neck. Blood sprayed outward.
The demon touched its wound and sneered.
"An axe? Not bad. But a wound like this heals in no time."
As it spoke, the bleeding stopped.
The flesh regenerated.
On the tree, Aoyama stifled a yawn.
This was getting a little boring.
If not for Urokodaki's request to test Tanjiro, he would've already gone down, cut off the demon's head, and happily held Nezuko's hand while heading back up the mountain.
Tanjiro hesitated.
In that instant, the demon pinned him to the ground.
Aoyama shook his head.
Nezuko suddenly spun, her body moving with explosive speed. Her kick connected cleanly—
The demon's head flew off.
"My wife! Amazing!"
The words slipped out before Aoyama could stop himself.
His cover blown, he had no choice but to leap down from the tree, landing in front of Tanjiro with a serious expression.
"Why did you hesitate?" he demanded. "When facing a demon, if you hesitate, you die."
"I—I—I…"
Before Tanjiro could explain himself, the demon's severed body lunged toward Nezuko from behind.
Trying to ambush her.
Aoyama reacted instantly, kicking the body away.
At the same time, two arms sprouted from either side of the demon's flying head.
Aoyama clicked his tongue.
Persistent, aren't you?
He drew the blade at his waist.
As the head lunged toward him—
One clean thrust pierced straight through it.
"Ni—Nichirin… blade…"
The demon's head began to crumble into ash.
The body that had been kicked away disintegrated as well.
Aoyama sheathed his sword and let out a slow breath.
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
Ding! Host has slain a flesh-eating demon. Reward: +5 Strength.
No bonus drop this time.
Aoyama didn't mind.
After all—
The Nezuko he'd been dreaming of stood right in front of him.
And holding her hand—
That was the real priority.