Takeo and the others were young, their bodies quick to mend—and the Demon Slayer Corps had never been sparing with its medicine. It wasn't long before their injuries healed completely.
The moment they were cleared for duty, a new mission came down: proceed to Natagumo Mountain and eliminate the demons lurking within.
But as soon as they arrived and saw the vast sweep of forest rising endlessly before them, Zenitsu collapsed into panic. He lunged forward, seized the Kasugai Crow that had delivered the order, and shook it frantically.
"You've got to be kidding me! How are just four of us supposed to clear an entire mountain crawling with demons?! No way! Absolutely not! That's suicide!"
"Caw! Insolent fool! Release me at once, caw!" The Kasugai Crow tore itself free and flapped up, landing squarely atop Takeo's head. "The mission stands as given! You are merely the vanguard. Reinforcements will arrive to support you later!"
"This is practically a suicide mission!" Zenitsu's panic only intensified. "Reinforcements? More like they'll show up to collect what's left of us!"
"There's no need to assume the worst…" Takeo said, trying to steady him. "During Final Selection, we fought demons in the mountains too, didn't we?"
"How can you even compare that to this?!" Zenitsu cried. "The demons from Final Selection are nothing like whatever's hiding here!"
"You're just scared, aren't you?!" Inosuke barked with laughter beneath his boar mask. "Step aside! No matter how many demons there are, they're no match for me—the mighty King of the Mountains! Hahaha!"
"Shut up, you brainless boar-head! Use your head for once!" Zenitsu shot back. "A mountain this big isn't going to have just one demon—it could be crawling with them! And we don't get another assignment until this one's finished! If they really decide to hole up in a place this huge, we could be stuck here forever!
"We'll let our guard down while resting and get ripped apart! Or worse—we'll never find them and just wither away here! I'm still young! I haven't even gotten married yet! I refuse to waste my life on this mountain!"
"Huh? What are you even babbling about, Monitsu? I don't get it, but you're disgusting."
"Who's Monitsu?! At least learn people's names before you insult them!"
Nezuko couldn't help but laugh at their endless bickering. Turning to the Kasugai Crow, she offered it a gentle smile.
"Thank you for guiding us here," Nezuko said softly. "Is there anything else we should know?"
"The Wisteria House has already evacuated the nearby civilians. You may fight without concern," the Kasugai Crow replied with a curt nod. "Because of the recent large-scale mobilization, the closest swordsmen will not arrive before midnight. Exercise extreme caution, caw."
"Midnight?!" Zenitsu nearly wailed. "The moon's barely up! No, no, no—let's just wait at the base of the mountain until everyone else gets here and go in together!"
"That wouldn't be right, Zenitsu." Nezuko's smile stayed warm. "If no one steps forward, the ones who come after might hesitate too. And you're stronger than you think. Trust yourself a little more. I'll be right there with you."
Zenitsu froze. His eyes widened, and color rushed to his face.
"R-really? You'll stay with me, Nezuko-chan?"
"Mhm. Let's do our best together." She beamed. "Actually… thanks to you, I'm not nervous anymore. So thank you."
"H-haha… i-is that so?" Zenitsu turned away, trying—and failing—to hide his flustered grin. He awkwardly held out his hand. "T-then… let's do our best… together…"
When someone took his hand, Zenitsu felt like he might ascend straight into the heavens.
[Ahh… Nezuko-chan's hand… it's so small… so soft… Wait. Huh? Something feels off…]
He slowly turned—
—and found himself staring into Takeo's stiff, faintly twitching smile.
With a shriek sharp enough to split the air, Zenitsu yanked his hand back.
"Why is it you?! Where's Nezuko-chan?! I need her encouragement before going into that mountain! She said she'd be with me! You're the one ruining everything!"
"Be with you?" Takeo's smile didn't falter—but the vein at his temple pulsed ominously. "What exactly are you fantasizing about? We may be comrades, but I have no intention of letting some street-proposing creep cling to my sister. Kindly keep your distance."
He turned calmly.
"Come on, Sis. Let's head in first. It wouldn't do to let that strange guy hover around you any longer."
Nezuko offered Zenitsu an apologetic smile and a small wave before following Takeo into the trees.
"Damn it…" Zenitsu muttered, biting the edge of his sleeve. "I was one step away. One step from holding Nezuko-chan's hand…"
"Monitsu, you're revolting…"
"Shut up! I'm fragile! I could die at any time! If I die without ever getting married, that's a tragedy!" Zenitsu snapped, glaring at Inosuke before scrambling after the siblings. "And it's Zenitsu! Learn people's names, you idiot!"
Inosuke stood frozen for a beat.
Then—
"You dare insult the King of the Mountains?! Boar Rush!"
"Ahhh—!! You stupid boar-head! I told you not to attack your teammates! Stop chasing me!"
Screaming at full volume, Zenitsu tore past Takeo and Nezuko, Inosuke barreling after him. The two vanished into the forest in a matter of seconds.
Takeo stared after them, disbelief and exasperation mixing on his face.
"They're yelling that loudly—they're absolutely going to draw attention. And after all that talk about how dangerous this place is, they split up anyway… What are those two even thinking?"