The front door burst open violently.
Nezuko stepped out into the evening light.
"Nezuko…!"
Tanjiro froze in place, tears instantly welling in his eyes.
"That's wonderful… you finally woke up!"
He had never expected Nezuko to awaken so soon after his Final Selection.
Without hesitation, Tanjiro rushed toward her.
Nezuko ran toward him as well.
The two siblings embraced tightly beneath the fading sunset.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful again.
Then
"Tanjiro, who's that?"
Inosuke's voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"She smells like a demon."
Tanjiro's entire body stiffened.
Only now did he realize the horrifying mistake he had made.
He had brought another Demon Slayer directly to Nezuko.
Panic surged through him instantly.
"It's my fault…"
"I shouldn't have let my guard down…"
Tanjiro quickly stepped in front of Nezuko protectively, spreading his arms to shield her.
"I'm sorry, Inosuke!"
"She's my younger sister, Kamado Nezuko!"
"She's never harmed a human before. She's different from other demons!"
Even while speaking, Tanjiro's hand quietly rested upon the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
If a battle truly broke out
He would buy time for Nezuko to escape.
At that moment, Sakonji Urokodaki quietly stepped outside as well.
He wanted to see what choice Tanjiro would make.
Inosuke tilted his head beneath the boar mask.
"Oh."
"If that's true, then it's fine."
Then he immediately pointed at Urokodaki.
"Hey, long-nosed old man!"
"Hurry up and make food!"
Silence.
Long-nosed… old man?
Even Urokodaki looked momentarily stunned.
For the first time in years, he seriously questioned whether this boy was truly a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The group eventually entered the house together.
As soon as Inosuke removed his boar mask
Tanjiro and Urokodaki nearly dropped their bowls in shock.
Even Tanjiro's face reddened slightly.
Beautiful.
That was the only word that came to mind.
Hashibira Inosuke possessed a face so delicate and refined that he could easily be mistaken for a girl.
Unfortunately
The moment he opened his mouth, the illusion shattered completely.
It was like admiring a flawless painting before someone suddenly smashed it with a rock.
Inosuke ignored chopsticks entirely and grabbed food directly with his hands.
Meanwhile, Nezuko curiously reached toward the boar mask resting nearby.
Inosuke instantly snatched it back defensively.
Nezuko blinked her large eyes innocently.
"You want to try it?"
Inosuke sounded genuinely surprised.
Usually, animals feared the mask, while humans screamed at the sight of it.
Nezuko was the first one who actually seemed interested.
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Nezuko, that's rude," Tanjiro whispered nervously.
But Nezuko completely ignored him.
Her eyes remained locked on the boar mask.
Inosuke crossed his arms proudly.
"Fine!"
"But you have to admit I'm the boss first!"
Nezuko immediately nodded again while chewing on her bamboo muzzle.
Completely satisfied, Inosuke handed over the mask.
A moment later
Nezuko happily ran around the house wearing the oversized boar head.
The atmosphere became unexpectedly lively.
Watching her, Urokodaki sighed softly.
"To think Nezuko recovered her strength simply through sleep…"
"She truly is unlike any demon I have ever seen."
Afterward, Inosuke temporarily stayed at Urokodaki's residence together with Tanjiro.
During the day, the two boys chopped wood and trained.
At night, Inosuke often took Nezuko outside to play in the forest.
Surprisingly
The wild mountain boy and the demon girl got along extremely well.
And thus
Fifteen peaceful days passed quietly.
One morning, as Inosuke opened the front door
Two masked men carrying wooden boxes stood outside.
The moment they saw Inosuke, they froze slightly.
"You truly live exactly as your name suggests, Inosuke-sama…"
One of them stepped forward proudly.
"I am your swordsmith, Kanamori Tetsuido."
Inside the house, Tanjiro hurriedly prepared tea for the visitors.
Meanwhile, his own swordsmith, Haganezuka Hotaru, completely ignored the tea and immediately seized Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade.
Tanjiro could only watch nervously.
Haganezuka slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
Then
The blade turned jet black.
Silence filled the room.
Haganezuka sighed deeply.
"So it became black after all…"
"I truly hoped to witness a bright crimson blade once more."
Kanamori awkwardly patted his shoulder.
"Well… black is still a respectable color…"
A disastrous attempt at comfort.
Meanwhile, Kanamori opened the wooden case he carried.
Inside rested two newly forged Nichirin swords.
"These were made according to Inosuke-sama's requests."
"This is my first time forging dual serrated blades for a Beast Breathing user, so I hope they suit you."
Looking at Inosuke's original swords nearby, Kanamori sighed emotionally.
"To think these blades were worn down this badly…"
"Inosuke-sama must truly fight ferociously."
Inosuke grabbed both new swords immediately.
As the Nichirin steel reacted to him, the blades shifted into a deep indigo-gray color.
"Beautiful…" Kanamori murmured proudly.
At that exact moment
Inosuke grabbed a nearby rock.
Then
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
He began smashing the blades repeatedly.
Kanamori's soul practically left his body.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Inosuke continued hammering enthusiastically.
"The edges are too smooth!"
"They need proper serrations!"
Kanamori nearly collapsed from despair.
"You barbarian!"
"You absolute menace!"
"You'll be cursed for generations!"
Meanwhile, Haganezuka silently drank the tea Tanjiro prepared while observing the disaster.
Compared to Inosuke
Tanjiro suddenly seemed far more reliable.
At least Tanjiro respected swords.
Surely he would never abuse his blade like that.
Absolutely not.
Certainly not someone who would repeatedly destroy swords throughout the coming year.
Tanjiro desperately restrained the enraged Kanamori while bowing continuously.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Inosuke definitely doesn't mean any harm!"
Meanwhile, Inosuke happily continued smashing both swords until the jagged edges matched his old blades perfectly.
Only then did he finally stop.
Kanamori stared at the ruined craftsmanship with hollow eyes.
His spirit had clearly suffered irreversible damage.
Eventually, the two swordsmiths departed.
Kanamori left while cursing Inosuke continuously.
Haganezuka, however, calmly finished his tea and walked away in relative peace.
Watching them disappear down the path, Tanjiro continued apologizing profusely.
Meanwhile, Inosuke stood behind him casually tugging on his haori.
Now that their Nichirin Blades had arrived
Their first official mission could finally begin.
At that moment, both Kasugai Crows flew into the house together.
Tanjiro's crow spoke first.
"Kamado Tanjiro!"
"Several young girls have disappeared recently. Proceed immediately to investigate!"
Then Inosuke's crow added:
"And take this idiot with you!"
Before their departure, Urokodaki prepared a large wooden carrying box for Nezuko so she could safely travel during the daytime.
Thus, Tanjiro and Inosuke set out together.
However
Neither of them knew that because of the growing Monjushiro threat, the Demon Slayer Corps had quietly begun assigning cooperative missions more frequently.
And so
A third participant was already heading toward the same destination.
Meanwhile, elsewhere
The Swamp Demon remained completely unaware of the danger approaching.
Previously, he had relied upon numerical superiority to overwhelm lone Demon Slayers through his Blood Demon Art.
Three bodies against one opponent.
An extremely effective strategy.
Unfortunately for him
This time, the side with superior numbers would not be the demons.
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