Winter days are short, and the sun quickly sets; before long, darkness falls.

  At five in the afternoon, Shinobu Kocho, having slept soundly and feeling refreshed, rose from bed. She planned to return to the mountain to hunt demons—if the vicious fiends remained, she couldn’t rest easy. However, she intended first to check on Kawagishi at Mr. Chang’s house, hoping to convince him to follow her so that later that evening they could search for demons together and let him become more familiar with these creatures.

  But then, Shinobu heard startling news.

  “What? You say Kawagishi was eaten by a demon?”

  At Mr. Chang’s words, Shinobu’s eyes widened.

  “Could it be that while I was investigating the mountain, that demon secretly entered the town?”

  “Ah, what a pity—a young man with great potential. Little Tiger Fang is so cute, and his build is excellent…”

  Shinobu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt. She thought that Kawagishi had already suffered so tragically; here he was, determined to avenge his loved ones by hunting demons, yet he might have perished before even getting started—and perhaps it was partly because I failed to dispatch that evil demon efficiently.

  Mr. Chang sighed, “Yes, Lady Shinobu.”

  “Master Kawagishi said last night that he’d take a stroll around Shiqiao Town to learn more about our community.”

  “I warned him that demons might be roaming at night—unsafe, indeed.”

  “But Master Kawagishi wouldn’t heed my counsel; he claimed he was your friend and possessed the ability to fight demons.”

  “Yet, alas, a fine young man has been lost…”

  Shinobu asked, “Did you see with your own eyes that Kawagishi was killed by a demon?”

  Mr. Chang shook his head, “No, I did not.”

  “However, he mentioned he’d only wander for a little while, yet it’s been so long without a sign of him. I’ve searched the town and asked many people—unfortunately, no one has seen him.”

  “Tell me, if he wasn’t seized and devoured by a demon, then what could have happened?”

  “It’s all my fault—I failed to stop him. The young man was too arrogant.”

  Shinobu murmured softly, “Perhaps…”

  After speaking with Mr. Chang for a few more moments, Shinobu declared that she would head into the mountain to slay demons. With Mr. Chang’s parting advice, she left his house.

  As she walked slowly away, Shinobu pondered his words with a troubled heart.

  “Kawagishi, were you really devoured by a demon? Or are you simply avoiding me? But why would you do that?”

  Being one of the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinobu Kocho’s insight was razor-sharp. From Kawagishi’s performance in the water, she knew he had the ability to fight demons. She believed that although he lacked a Nichirin Blade and couldn’t slay demons on his own, he shouldn’t be so easily killed by them.

  Moreover, after questioning others, no one had reported any sounds of battle. So the question remained: why did he choose to leave so quietly?

  Was it that he didn’t want to join the Demon Slayer Corps and preferred to act freely?

  Or did he have other reasons?

  Shinobu didn’t dwell on it too long. Though she found Kawagishi rather interesting, she wasn’t overly concerned yet.

  As the sky darkened further, Shinobu ascended Blue Ridge Mountain again, attempting to locate the deceased Black Wolf Fang. This wasn’t entirely her fault—when a demon dies, it usually leaves behind traces of ash on the ground, whether slain by a Nichirin Blade or burned by sunlight. But since Kawagishi had completely absorbed the black-red ash that Black Wolf Fang became, Shinobu instinctively assumed that Black Wolf Fang was still alive.

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  “I hope I can find him tonight; I can’t linger here too long—there are other tasks awaiting me,” she resolved.

  “If I don’t find him this time, I’ll search another day. And if I still can’t locate him, I’ll leave the matter to other swordsmen.”

  Amid the darkening branches, the fleeting shadow of a butterfly was seen fluttering by.

  ……

  Time passed another day, and as usual, Shinobu Kocho went to Blue Ridge Mountain—but this was her last day here. Regardless of whether she found any demons, she planned to leave tomorrow.

  Meanwhile, Kawagishi had slept long enough in the wine cellar.

  “Kawagishi, wake up.”

  “Kawagishi, wake up.”

  “…………”

  “These townsfolk need your help. Wake up quickly.”

  “Remember, you must help them. Don’t let the suffering we endured be repeated…”

  Kawagishi frowned; his sleep had been restless. In his dreams, he kept hearing Aoi’s voice.

  “Mm…”

  After sleeping for two days, his eyes slowly opened. He rubbed his aching head and stood up.

  “Ugh, how long did I sleep?”

  He couldn’t quite tell—he only felt as though he had slumbered in endless darkness, where the sun and moon were but distant memories. Could it be that a very long time had passed?

  At that moment, he glanced at the empty liquor jars by his side and sighed, “Drinking really does bring trouble…”

  “I had planned to set out for home in a day, but now I have no idea how long it’s been—it must be more than a day.”

  Kawagishi felt pressed for time; he longed to see Tanjiro immediately—Tanjiro was his only remaining family. Still, he did not know that Nezuko had revived as a demon.

  “Hmm? What’s this?”

  Almost inadvertently, Kawagishi noticed something odd along the wall.

  The wine cellar at Black Wolf Fang’s house had rough but generally flat walls. Yet, by chance, he saw a small brick protruding—a brick that had previously been hidden by a liquor jar, which had been removed for his drink.

  The protrusion was so slight that only someone with eyes as keen as his could notice.

  Kawagishi stepped forward and tapped the wall.

  “Dong dong dong”

  The sound didn’t match that of a solid wall.

  Recalling the protruding brick, he immediately knew what to do. He placed his palm on that part of the wall and applied gentle pressure. Sure enough, as his force increased, the brick began to crack—its surface emitting a series of crisp “crackle” sounds as it slowly sank inward.

  Under his curious gaze, the wall trembled slightly. In just a few breaths, its vibrations grew stronger until, gradually, a gap appeared, connecting the top of the wall to the floor.

  Vast clouds of dust swirled up, momentarily obscuring his vision, but he remained patient, waiting for the answer to reveal itself.

  “What lies within here?”

  “Black Wolf Fang’s family… it seems there’s something extraordinary about your home.”

  Following the gap, the wall split from the center outward, revealing a small compartment. Kawagishi blew a deep breath to clear away the dust.

  Peering inside, he found the compartment was very small—just large enough to hold a single object, not a passage leading elsewhere as he had imagined.

  At its center lay the one item stored inside: a slender, elongated object simply covered by a white cloth. He couldn’t immediately discern what it was.

  Slowly, he approached and lifted the cloth.

  “Whoosh!”

  The cloth fluttered away, revealing the object it had protected—a Nichirin Blade still attached to its scabbard. The exposed hilt bore elegant, ancient carvings and looked exceptionally fine.

  In that moment, Kawagishi imagined that this was a blade that had fought countless battles with its master; after its master’s passing, the blade had been treasured by the descendants as a memorial, never again to be stained with demon blood.

  It lay there, solitary and silent in its scabbard, patiently waiting for the day it would be unsheathed once more.