"Rustle, rustle."
After closing his eyes, Yōsen's hearing became exceptionally sensitive. Every rustle of wind and blade of grass entered his ears. He clearly felt the poison rapidly spreading throughout his body, soon to reach every part. Blood oozed from the corners of Yōsen's mouth, but despite it being poison, he felt no pain at all.
Lying there quietly, the wind blew his golden fringe. His hands were clasped over his abdomen, making him appear exceptionally peaceful. If not for the blood seeping from his chest, one might have thought he was asleep.
After an unknown amount of time… Yōsen opened his eyes and found himself still in the dilapidated house. He sat up and tore open his gray kimono; the wound on his chest had healed, and even the poison had disappeared.
"?"
The pain of the nichirin blade piercing his heart was subtly accompanied by a sensation like a sun's burn, different from the pain of being cut by an ordinary sharp stone. If Shinobu specialized in killing demons, then her nichirin blade must also be special. Perhaps only the sun and a special nichirin blade could kill demons.
Yōsen realized that he seemed to be immortal. His originally calm face now held a hint of confusion. He had resolved to die, but he couldn't. What should he do now? Should he stay here until the sun rose? No! A subconscious voice told Yōsen that he shouldn't die here; he needed to find someone!
But who?
Looking up at the bright moonlight, the night was still long. He decided to leave this place for now, Yōsen thought.
Picking a random path, Yōsen decided to follow it to its end. Walking through the dense forest, perhaps because he was a demon, Yōsen could see the path clearly even in such a dark woods.
After walking for a long time, Yōsen finally left the forest and arrived at an open area. There were many flowers forming a sea of blossoms here, and even at night, many butterflies were active. Yōsen extended his hand and raised a finger, and a beautiful purple butterfly landed on his fingertip.
(So much like that Shinobu,) Yōsen thought. Just as Yōsen was lost in thought, an ear-piercing scream ripped through the night sky, startling the birds in the forest. The purple butterfly on his fingertip also flew away. Yōsen looked in the direction of the sound, thought for a moment, and decided to go investigate.
...Shinobu returned to the Butterfly Mansion. Inside the house, a black-haired girl with twin tails and blue eyes came to greet her.
"Lady Shinobu, welcome back. You must be tired from your mission," Kanzaki Aoi said.
Shinobu nodded.
"You've worked hard too, Aoi."
"It's no trouble, no trouble at all! I just did what I could. This is all I can do," Kanzaki Aoi said, lowering her head slightly. She had joined the Demon Slayer Corps because her parents were killed by demons and had passed the Final Selection, but she remained at the Butterfly Mansion out of fear of death.
"Aoi, don't say such discouraging things. The Butterfly Mansion is well-organized because of your help. You're doing great, Aoi!" Shinobu gently comforted Kanzaki Aoi.
"Lady Shinobu… I will continue to work hard!"
"Oh my~ But don't overdo it. You should relax appropriately too."
"Yes, Lady Shinobu."
Back in her room, Shinobu knelt at the table, recalling the golden-haired, blue-eyed young man who had let himself be killed without resistance. Shinobu sighed.
"Sister, I can't do it. Perhaps Mr. Yōsen was a demon that could be reasoned with, but…"
Shinobu gripped her haori, veins bulging on her face.
"The thought of such despicable creatures as demons makes me unable to calm down. Am I not mature enough, Sister?"
"Hmph~ I need to calm down."
Closing her eyes, Shinobu began to regulate her breathing and quickly calmed down.
A black Kasugai Crow streaked across the night sky and landed on a branch of a tree in front of Shinobu's room. It opened its beak and cried out, "Demons sighted in the eastern mountain forest! Please depart immediately!"
Hearing of a new mission, Shinobu opened her eyes, picked up the nichirin blade by her side, and quickly left the room, heading towards the eastern mountain forest. Her steps were light, and she moved swiftly through the complex woods. Shinobu's Kasugai Crow, "Kira," flew ahead, leading the way for her.
...Yōsen walked towards the source of the scream. A scent grew stronger the closer he got, which made Yōsen curious. Since he gained consciousness, he had never eaten anything. Although he felt hunger, Yōsen had no desire to eat. This scent, however, made Yōsen's mouth water.
Upon closer inspection, he saw two people. No, were those demons? Grayish-white skin, tall stature, and a white horn on his head. He was clutching a woman in his hand. Yōsen had already determined that the scent came from that woman. For some reason, Yōsen felt a little dizzy.
The demon there hadn't noticed Yōsen's presence. All his attention was on the woman. He looked at the wounds on her body and said regretfully, "What a shame, so much blood wasted. But to encounter a rare blood type, how lucky!"
The demon's large mouth split open into a grotesque smile, and the grip in his hand tightened, making the woman's painful wails even louder.
"Eating one rare blood type is equivalent to eating fifty people~ Even just a little bit of blood makes me feel intoxicated." This demon used his sharp claws to cut the woman's arm, and saliva was already dripping from his mouth. He opened his big mouth to bite down, but he bit nothing. Looking at his empty palm, the demon flew into a rage, his small eyes darting around as he roared, "Who is it! How dare you steal my food!"
When he saw Yōsen standing not far away with the woman in his arms, he charged forward with a ferocious expression.
"You little brat, you dare snatch food from me! You must be tired of living!"
Sharp claws immediately lunged towards Yōsen's face. Yōsen leaped backward, dodging the attack. Looking at the woman in his arms, he stared at her injured arm and swallowed, his heart constantly screaming, "Eat her! Eat her!" Yōsen unconsciously raised the woman's hand and slowly opened his mouth.
"How amazing! Our Yōsen is wonderful!"
A gentle female voice suddenly echoed in his mind, making Yōsen stop his actions.
"Don't you think I did something wrong?"
"How could you! Yōsen did nothing wrong; in fact, you did exactly right. You protected someone, didn't you? You are a hero!"
"What is a hero?"
A woman whose face was unclear smiled at Yōsen, reaching out to gently stroke the top of his head.
"Someone who can selflessly protect others—I hope Yōsen can become such a person! But you must still cherish your own body, otherwise I will be sad."
Was this his memory? Who was she? He didn't know why, but after hearing her voice, Yōsen sobered up. Looking at the unconscious woman, he almost became the evil demon Shinobu spoke of.
Could he become a hero? But at least he couldn't become such an ugly demon. Yōsen gently laid the woman on the grass.
He looked at the demon charging towards him from not far away, who was still muttering, "That's my prey! You stinking brat!"
Yōsen casually picked up a thick wooden stick. He didn't know if he could defeat