Furukawa Hiroshi left his companions behind to continue searching for traces of the demon while he headed alone toward Mount Sagiri.
Mount Sagiri wasn't particularly tall, but some areas were quite steep. Combined with the year-round mist surrounding the mountain, it wasn't easy for ordinary people to climb. However, for Furukawa Hiroshi, it wasn't too difficult.
After some traveling, he soon reached a relatively gentle slope halfway up the mountain. A few simple houses came into view.
Without hesitation, Furukawa Hiroshi walked forward. However, the doors were tightly shut, and there was no sign of Sakonji Urokodaki, which left him somewhat disappointed.
"May I ask what this gentleman is looking for?"
A light, ethereal, pleasant voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Furukawa Hiroshi was slightly startled. He quickly turned around and realized that, at some point, a girl had appeared behind him.
The girl had medium-length black hair and wore a short kimono patterned with plum blossoms. She also wore a smiling fox mask decorated with blue flowers. Although her face was hidden by the mask, her voice alone made it easy to imagine how beautiful the girl beneath it might be.
"I came to see Urokodaki-sama."
Furukawa Hiroshi's expression became serious.
"Oh, you're looking for sensei!"
The girl nodded. Behind the fox mask, her beautiful eyes showed a trace of curiosity as she looked at Furukawa Hiroshi.
"Might I ask what business you have with him?"
Furukawa Hiroshi hesitated for a moment. Since she was Urokodaki's disciple, he finally replied:
"There are some matters we need to ask Urokodaki-sama to help with… matters related to demons."
The girl looked at him carefully, especially glancing at the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps he wore. Then she nodded lightly.
"Please wait a moment. I will go and ask sensei."
"Alright."
Furukawa Hiroshi smiled in relief and was about to thank her when he suddenly realized she had already disappeared, leaving only a faint breeze behind.
So fast.
Furukawa Hiroshi was shocked.
Wasn't it said that Urokodaki-sama wasn't particularly good at training disciples? That none of his students had passed the selection on Mount Fujikasane?
Then why did this disciple seem so powerful?
He felt that even as an official swordsman, his speed wasn't as fast as hers.
Could she be a Wind Breathing user? No, that doesn't make sense. Urokodaki-sama teaches Water Breathing. How could he train a Wind user?
...
The girl wearing the smiling fox mask moved lightly through the forest like a graceful bird leaping between branches. Soon, she arrived at the summit of Mount Sagiri.
At that moment, an old man wearing a tengu mask sat alone on a green stone at the mountaintop. His back looked lonely—like an old tree on the verge of withering.
The girl landed silently.
Looking at her teacher's back, the girl under the mask bit her lip slightly.
A few days ago, after her teacher received a letter delivered by a crow, he had been sitting at this mountaintop ever since.
Did even my junior fail?
The girl's eyes darkened. She didn't want to believe it.
Her junior disciple Sabito had been almost better than her in every way except speed. No matter what, she couldn't believe that he would die at Mount Fujikasane.
But seeing her teacher's current state—and the fact that Sabito still hadn't returned to Mount Sagiri—she had no choice but to face reality.
Lowering her head, she clenched her teeth.
The teacher she regarded as a father had spent years training new recruits for the Demon Slayer Corps. Every year he watched his students set off toward Mount Fujikasane full of confidence.
Every year, he personally crafted a fox mask for each of them—meant to ward off misfortune.
Every year, they departed with hope.
And yet... every year, all that returned were brief letters carried by crows, bearing familiar names... and the realization that his beloved students would never come home again.
At that moment, Makomo felt her chest tighten painfully.
"Makomo, why have you come here?"
A slightly hoarse voice sounded beside her.
At some point, the tengu-masked Sakonji Urokodaki had appeared in front of the girl.
"A swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps has come to pay you a visit, Sensei."
Makomo lowered her head and spoke in a very soft voice:
"And sensei, you haven't eaten for two days since receiving that letter. If this continues, your health will suffer."
Sakonji Urokodaki fell silent for a moment. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Makomo about the outcome of Sabito's trip to Mount Fujikasane…
But in the end, he didn't have the courage to say it.
"I see," He spoke quietly and began walking down the mountain. At the same time, he asked with some confusion:
"Why would a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps personally come to visit an old man like me?"
Makomo replied: "It seems to be about a demon."
"Another demon…" Urokodaki sighed softly.
In order to eradicate demons, countless swordsmen lost their lives to demons every year. Yet the number of demons never seemed to decrease.
He had spent his entire life hunting demons. Only after growing old had he finally stopped and retired to live in seclusion on Mount Sagiri.
He originally thought that by becoming a trainer, he could continue contributing to the Demon Slayer Corps by cultivating new talent.
But unexpectedly, it seemed he truly had no talent as a trainer. One by one, he had personally sent his disciples down a road of no return. Not even one of them could pass the most basic selection at Mount Fujikasane.
My disciples were so talented. Why? Why does this keep happening?
...
Soon, Urokodaki and Makomo arrived at the halfway point of the mountain.
When Furukawa Hiroshi saw the old man wearing the tengu mask, he immediately stepped forward respectfully.
"Greetings, Urokodaki-sama."
"Mm."
Urokodaki nodded slightly. His attitude was gentle, though his voice was somewhat hoarse after experiencing grief.
"What is the matter?"
Without hesitation, Furukawa Hiroshi immediately explained everything.
After listening, Urokodaki sighed thoughtfully.
"That's quite a peculiar demon."
However, he didn't seem overly concerned.
Because demons were once humans with different life experiences, they often developed various personalities. Things that might seem strange to younger swordsmen weren't particularly unusual to veterans like him.
"But since it appeared near Mount Sagiri, I can deal with it along the way…"
Urokodaki smiled as he was about to agree. His sense of smell was extremely sharp when it came to detecting demons; finding one wouldn't be troublesome.
Hearing this, Furukawa Hiroshi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
As long as Urokodaki-sama helped, that demon wouldn't be able to escape.
However, before Urokodaki could finish speaking, a crow flapped its wings and flew toward them from afar.
Urokodaki caught the crow and removed the letter it carried.
After reading it, his expression immediately became serious. Instinctively, his hand moved to grip the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Makomo, who had been standing behind him, tilted her head in confusion.
It had been a long time since she had seen her teacher look as if he were facing a great enemy.
Furukawa Hiroshi also looked at Urokodaki in confusion, not understanding what had happened to make him so serious.
Urokodaki shook his head at him.
"I'm afraid I cannot help you this time. You'll have to rely on yourselves."
"I–It's alright. Your matter is clearly more important, sir."
Furukawa Hiroshi hurriedly replied.
Although he felt somewhat disappointed, he knew Urokodaki must have something far more urgent to deal with. He could only give up.
After Furukawa Hiroshi left, the girl wearing the fox mask tilted her head and asked her teacher:
"What happened that made you react so strongly, Sensei?"
Urokodaki glanced at Makomo, then looked up at the sky. His hand remained unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword. A chilling killing intent radiated from his aging body.
"That… demon… has appeared."
...
Author's Note (PS):
There is a lot of debate about the order in which Makomo and Sabito died. Personally, I believe Sabito died before Makomo. My main reason is that during the scene where Makomo is dismembered by the Hand Demon, there is a flash of the demon killing people, and Sabito appears among them. Of course, that could also have been another disciple, and there are other interpretations as well.
But since this novel is written by me, the author, I'll follow this timeline. So please read according to the timeline set in this story.