A month had passed since Kamado Tanjuro's death.
During that time, Tanjiro had gradually overcome the grief of losing his father and fully accepted the responsibilities of being the eldest son of the Kamado family.
Strangely enough, however, life at home had not become as difficult as he expected.
Whenever Tanjiro asked his mother about it, Kamado Kie would simply smile gently and explain that someone who had once received Tanjuro's kindness was now secretly helping their family in return.
Tanjiro accepted the explanation without much suspicion.
Normally, he would have easily noticed the faint scent of dishonesty in her words
but by pure coincidence, he happened to be suffering from a cold that day, and his sense of smell was dulled.
What unfortunate timing.
Nezuko had also gradually emerged from the sorrow of losing her father.
She understood better than anyone how much Tanjuro had suffered from illness over the years. In some ways, death had freed him from endless pain.
As the eldest daughter, she now worked tirelessly to support her mother and older brother while helping care for the younger children.
Watching her children slowly recover brought Kie some comfort.
Now, she only wished to spend this final year peacefully and happily with them.
"Big Brother, you're back!"
As Tanjiro returned from selling charcoal in the nearby town, his younger siblings immediately rushed out to greet him despite the cold.
"You'll catch a cold standing outside like this," Tanjiro scolded gently while hurrying them back indoors.
"It's okay, we're not cold!" Hanako said proudly as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.
Nezuko, who was helping Kie prepare dinner, smiled warmly.
"Welcome home, Brother."
Beside her, little Rokuta clung tightly to her sleeve while peeking shyly at Tanjiro.
Tonight's dinner was not the extravagant white rice porridge they had eaten before, but it was still far richer than their usual meals. Combined with the mysterious financial support and Tanjiro's charcoal sales, the Kamado family was living far more comfortably than before.
Seeing his younger siblings finally smiling again eased the burden on Tanjiro's heart.
Still, one thing continued troubling him deeply.
Before his death, Tanjuro had repeatedly spoken about the Hinokami Kagura and something called the Transparent World.
At first, Tanjiro believed it was merely a ceremonial dance passed down through the family.
But the more he remembered his father's words and movements, the more mysterious it all seemed.
"Tanjiro, what's wrong?"
Kie noticed him staring blankly into his rice bowl.
Even though she knew Tanjiro and Nezuko would survive the tragedy awaiting their family, her love for her children had not changed in the slightest.
In fact, she understood better than anyone that the ones who would truly suffer in the future were those two children.
Compared to the lifelong pain awaiting them, her own death would only last a moment.
Tanjiro hesitated before finally speaking.
"Mother… who exactly is the person helping us?"
"Even if they owed Father a debt of gratitude, this is far too much."
Tanjiro hated burdening others.
He clearly understood that the family's current lifestyle could never be supported by charcoal sales alone.
At the mention of that person, Kie fell silent.
She had promised Kokushibo that she would never reveal his identity, nor speak of the future.
But now, facing her son's sincere gaze, she found herself unable to respond immediately.
"This…" she began softly. "You don't need to worry about it. That person isn't evil. Your father once helped them greatly, so now they're repaying that kindness."
Tanjiro quietly lowered his head.
Fortunately, he did not continue pressing the matter.
His younger siblings were still growing, and nutritious meals were essential for them.
If someone truly wished to help their family, then Tanjiro could only repay that kindness someday with his own hands.
Meanwhile, far away from the mountains where the Kamado family lived
inside the Eternal Paradise Faith headquarters
Akaza made a rare appearance.
Ordinarily, Upper Rank Three despised visiting Doma's territory. Simply hearing Doma speak was enough to irritate him.
But today, there was something he absolutely needed answers to.
Without bothering to knock, Akaza shoved open the sliding door to Doma's chambers.
The scene inside instantly made him pause.
Doma sat lazily beside Kotoha, lifting her chin with an exaggeratedly elegant smile, his expression carrying mockery, amusement, and utter shamelessness all at once.
Kotoha herself looked embarrassed by his antics.
The moment Akaza entered, she hurriedly pushed Doma away in panic.
Doma, however, merely smiled brightly.
"Well, well! If it isn't Akaza-dono. What a rare honor. To what do I owe this delightful visit?"
Akaza ignored the awkward atmosphere entirely.
"I came to ask you something."
Since drinking the diluted blood from Kokushibo previously, strange fragments had begun appearing in Akaza's mind.
A frail girl.
A weak body.
A gentle voice.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could never clearly see her face.
The only thing he could remember was a name.
"Koyuki…"
Akaza had absolutely no memory of such a person.
In his world, only the strong deserved recognition. The weak were forgotten and discarded.
So why did this girl keep appearing in his mind?
"When we drank that diluted blood before," Akaza asked coldly, "did I say the name Koyuki?"
The question immediately stunned both Doma and Kotoha.
Kotoha frowned while trying to remember, but nothing came to mind.
Doma, however, suddenly jammed a finger into his temple dramatically.
"Ahhh! I remember now!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement, as though he had just uncovered some incredible secret.
Akaza's patience instantly snapped.
"What are you grinning about?"
In an instant, he appeared before Doma with his fist raised high.
"No!"
Kotoha instinctively stepped between them without thinking.
She had completely forgotten that Doma possessed monstrous regenerative abilities.
Akaza was startled as well.
He never expected a human woman to stand in front of his attack.
Unfortunately, his punch could no longer stop in time.
BOOM!
A heavy impact shook the room.
Doma casually blocked Akaza's fist with one fan while wrapping his other arm protectively around Kotoha.
"Akaza-dono," Doma sighed dramatically, "you really are impatient. Attacking me so suddenly hurts my feelings."
Naturally, he looked completely unharmed.
Akaza ignored the nonsense entirely.
"What did you remember?"
Doma's grin widened mischievously.
"When you drank the blood that day, you mentioned Koyuki several times."
"And…" Doma leaned closer with visible excitement, "you said she once took you home."
Akaza froze.
Despite the certainty in those words, he still could not remember anything clearly.
At that moment, Kotoha carefully spoke up.
"Could she… have been someone important to you before you became a demon?"
Living beside Doma for years had taught Kotoha many things about demons and their fragmented memories.
Akaza frowned deeply.
"Before I became a demon…?"
Fragments stirred faintly in his mind.
Snow.
Medicine.
A weak girl smiling gently.
Yet every time he tried to remember further, the memories vanished like smoke.
Doma suddenly clapped his hands together excitedly.
"Oh! Maybe she was your fiancée!"
"Or perhaps your wife?"
The veins on Akaza's forehead bulged instantly.
At that moment, he truly wanted to smash Doma's skull apart.
Unfortunately, he still needed information.
After a long silence, Akaza finally lowered his fist and turned toward the door.
As he prepared to leave, his gaze briefly landed on Kotoha.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Your woman is brave."
"She stood in front of an Upper Rank."
Doma immediately beamed with pride.
"Of course! Kotoha is wonderful. She tells me all kinds of amusing stories every single day."
Akaza said nothing further.
Without another word, Upper Rank Three disappeared alone into the darkness.