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Yae bolted upright, the echoes of a nightmare still ringing in her ears. As her eyes snapped open, a face was already inches from hers—a gentle, focused woman leaning in. Startled, Yae scrambled back against the headboard, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Are you awake?"
Shinobu Kocho straightened up, brushing a stray lock of hair from her own forehead. She had only been checking to see if the fever had broken; the back of a hand or a forehead-to-forehead check was the most reliable sensor in this era. She hadn't expected the girl to wake up so violently.
The tension spiked when Yae fumbled for the shotgun leaning against the nightstand, her knuckles white as she leveled it at Shinobu. Panic and grief are a volatile cocktail, and Yae was currently intoxicated by both.
"Calm down," Kael said, stepping into the line of fire and effortlessly pressing the muzzle of the gun toward the floor. "No one here is looking to collect a bounty on your head."
At this range, a shotgun blast would be messy even for a Hashira. Kael shot a glance at Tomioka Giyuu, who was currently standing in the corner. Giyuu was a genius in combat but a "gonk" in social situations; he hadn't even thought to secure the weapon before the girl woke up.
"Who are you?" Yae demanded, though her breathing began to steady.
"These two are with the Demon Slayer Corps—think of them as specialized pest control for man-eating demons," Kael explained, his voice smooth and resonant. Backed by the Power of Seven, his charisma had reached a level of "Bio-rhythm Sync" that could calm a panicked animal or a traumatized girl. "As for me, I'm the technical consultant."
"This is my mission; I should be the one to narrate the briefing, Mr. Kael," Giyuu interjected. He wasn't trying to be difficult; he was just stating a fact. However, the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that Tarō, the Akita, was currently biting his head.
Giyuu looked unbothered, seemingly under the impression the dog was merely "interacting" with him.
"That's enough, Mr. Tomioka. Please go be a statue elsewhere," Shinobu sighed.
Yae insisted that a bear had killed her father, her voice defensive and shrill. Shinobu and Giyuu didn't argue. They knew the pattern: the brain often refuses to process a "malfunction" as horrific as a loved one turning into a demon. It's easier to believe in a beast than a monster wearing your father's face.
"Regardless of the species, we have to investigate," Kael said, his gaze pinning Yae's. "Whether it's a bear or a demon, it's a variable that needs to be zeroed. Don't you agree?"
Yae went silent, looking at the floor. Finally, she whispered, "The Demon Slayer Corps... do you just kill every demon you see? Without exception?"
"We aren't executioners," Shinobu said, her tone taking on a solemn, idealistic weight. "We kill those who prey on humanity. If there were ever a demon who chose to starve rather than hurt another soul, I would protect them until their final breath."
Kael knew those weren't Shinobu's words—they were a ghost's. Her sister's wish lived on in her, even if Shinobu's own heart was filled with wisteria-flavored venom.
Giyuu, still "playing" with the dog, was moved. He thought of the siblings he had recently spared—the sister who had protected her brother despite her hunger. He had kept that secret locked down, knowing the other Hashira would likely see it as a "system error" to be purged. Hearing Shinobu say those words gave him a rare moment of connection. So, you aren't just a collection of sharp smiles, Shinobu.
"Giyuu," Kael interrupted.
"What is it, Mr. Kael?"
"Stop letting the dog chew on you. If you catch rabies, the medical bill will be a nightmare."
Giyuu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly extracted his hand from the Akita's jaws.
Yae stood up, grabbing her gear. "I'm a hunter. I'll take my own revenge."
"It's better not to go out at night," Giyuu said, blocking the door with his usual lack of tact.
"There are no demons here! What's wrong with a hunter doing her job?"
"If it's just a bear, why go alone? What are you hiding?" Giyuu's blunt logic pierced her armor. "I have never seen a demon turn back into a human, Yae. You're chasing a ghost."
The truth hit like a physical blow. Yae lowered her head and pushed past him, disappearing into the snow with Tarō.
"Kael," Shinobu whispered, looking at him. She had unconsciously started treating him as the "Prime Processor" of the group. Giyuu also turned his silent gaze toward him, feeling a bit guilty for making the girl angry.
"Let's move," Kael said. "Time to catch a demon."
The snow was thick, a white-noise filter over the world. As they tracked Yae, Kael turned to Giyuu. "Giyuu, I heard about that charcoal-selling family on the opposite peak. Was that a demon hit?"
"...Yes," Giyuu replied, his expression faltering. He wasn't a good liar. If Kael asked about the siblings he'd spared, his "poker face" would likely crash.
"Demons are created by the King," Kael mused, laying the groundwork. "If these hits are happening so close together, it means Muzan was likely here. What was he looking for?"
Shinobu and Giyuu froze. The thought that the Demon King had been within reach made their blood run cold. They didn't know that Muzan's obsession—the Blue Spider Lily—was actually growing on the very mountain they were standing on, but only during the day.
"We'll check that mountain peak tomorrow," Kael decided. "But first, we have a father to save."
WOOF! WOOF!
Tarō's bark cut through the wind. Kael leaped over a snow slope, his Calculating Survivor vision cutting through the blizzard. He saw a beastly figure lunging for the dog.
SHINK.
Kael's Nichirin Blade flew through the air, pinning the demon—Yae's father, Matazo—to the frozen earth.
"AAAHHHH!!" The demon wailed, the sunlight-steel burning its flesh. It was still in its early "viral" stage, hunger and human memory clashing in a messy, beast-like frenzy.
Yae caught up, collapsing in the snow at the sight of her father's transformation. Shinobu stepped forward, delivering a small dose of wisteria toxin to sedate the creature.
"What are you doing to him?!" Yae screamed.
"I'm taking him back to the Corps," Kael said, his voice a masterpiece of sincerity. "There might still be a way to reverse the process."
In a few years, anyway, Kael thought. For now, he's going to be excellent 'flower fertilizer' for the wisteria experiments.
"Really? But he said..." Yae looked at Giyuu.
"He's just a swordsman," Kael dismissed. "I'm the professional. I'll have a cure ready in no more than three years."
"Three years...?" Yae's hope flickered back to life. Giyuu looked at Kael with a head full of question marks. Since when did we have a R&D department for that? But seeing Kael's confidence, even Giyuu started to wonder if he'd missed a memo.
"Giyuu, you and Yae take the 'specimen' back to the headquarters. Shinobu and I are going to investigate the opposite peak."
Giyuu pointed at himself. "Me? Are you serious, Mr. Kael?"
"Did you forget the Master's orders? You're the escort. Move."
Giyuu lowered his head. He hoisted the sedated demon onto his back, while Yae followed him with her shotgun leveled at his spine, ready to fire if he so much as twitched toward his sword.
Kael watched them leave. "Alright, Shinobu. Let's see what the Demon King was so interested in."
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