Unlike most people in the Demon Slayer Corps, although Kaigaku was also an orphan, his family tragedy had nothing to do with demons either.
His reason for joining the Demon Slayer Corps wasn't particularly complicated either. While wandering as a child, he was taken in by the former Thunder Hashira, Kuwajima Jigorō, and became his disciple.
To stand out, to not be looked down upon by others—thus he began training hard in Breathing techniques. This was also the reason Kaigaku remained so diligent even after becoming an official Demon Slayer.
He didn't kill demons because he truly wanted to kill demons. He bore no hatred toward these creatures.
He simply wanted to become stronger, to climb higher, to not be looked down upon by others—nothing more.
And now, the Demon Slayer Corps was about to be destroyed.
This place would soon be finished. He didn't want, nor did he have any reason, to feel that he should stay here and die with these people.
But even if he wanted to leave, where should he go?
After leaving the Demon Slayer Corps, where could he even go?
"Hey! Kaigaku! What are you doing back there all by yourself? Hurry up and catch up!"
Just as Kaigaku fell into deep thought, the others in his squad suddenly turned back and shouted at him.
"Don't mind him. You know how he's always been—constantly frowning all day long, as if someone owes him money...
Let's go. We'll find a place to eat first. He can come if he wants to..."
Facing his companions' deliberate mockery, Kaigaku showed no reaction.
Or rather, at least there was no reaction on his face.
This had always been Kaigaku's principle for survival.
The weak should obey the strong.
Although his strength surpassed that of his teammates, it hadn't reached a level of overwhelming dominance.
At the same time, he wasn't a Hashira.
In the internal swordsman rankings of the Demon Slayer Corps, they all belonged to the same grade.
Since neither strength nor status could create a clear gap, when facing their mockery and ridicule, he could only choose to endure.
Keep enduring, until he was qualified to decide the life and death of these people.
[Hmm?]
Clenching his fist slightly, just as Kaigaku was about to quicken his pace to catch up with the others, at this train station, he suddenly noticed something strange.
Among the coming and going crowd of people, he saw someone rather peculiar.
It was a woman wearing a trench coat, sitting on a bench in the shaded corner of the train station.
She appeared very young—at most in her twenties. Her clothing was neat and efficient, making her look very much like a cultural worker such as a journalist.
Among the flowing crowd, this woman paid no particular attention to her surroundings. She simply kept her head down, reading the newspaper in her hands, seemingly waiting for a train.
If an ordinary person looked, they would certainly not detect anything unusual about this woman.
But Kaigaku noticed—this woman's body... had no fighting spirit!
Not a single trace!
This was impossible. As long as one was human, even a baby would possess some faint fighting spirit!
It was absolutely impossible for a human to have no fighting spirit!
There was only one answer—unless this woman had already entered that legendary supreme realm!
In today's Demon Slayer Corps, the existence of the supreme realm—the Transparent World—was no longer a secret.
Basically every Demon Slayer knew of its existence, and Ubuyashiki encouraged everyone to attempt to enter this realm.
Unfortunately, apart from those few Hashira who had indeed briefly entered this realm before, no other Demon Slayer had successfully awakened it to this day.
And now you're telling me that some random passerby on the street can enter this realm?!
No! This was absolutely impossible!
Suddenly, Kaigaku realized a possibility that even he himself couldn't believe—
Young appearance, female, Transparent World...
Could this woman be the legendary Upper Rank One—Tsugikuni Mitsuba?!
The moment he realized this possibility, Kaigaku felt his hands trembling.
He himself couldn't say whether this trembling was born from fear or excitement.
Right now, Upper Rank One was actually here—she was right before his eyes?!
What was she doing here?
It was broad daylight right now. How dare she come out?
No, calm down. There was nothing surprising about this...
Because this was precisely the confidence that a strong person should possess.
As the strongest demon in this world apart from the Demon King, she should do things that those weaker demons wouldn't dare to do!
Walking in daylight, treating Demon Slayers as nothing—this was the proof of her overwhelming, terrifying strength as a powerful being!
Subconsciously, Kaigaku paid no mind to his teammates who were about to disappear into the crowd. Instead, he turned and walked straight toward where Mitsuba was sitting.
"Sigh..."
Almost at the exact same moment Kaigaku moved, Mitsuba, who had been sitting in the corner reading her newspaper, suddenly sighed and folded up the paper.
In reality, the moment Kaigaku noticed her just now, she had similarly sensed the sudden change in his aura.
Not only that, she had also incidentally sensed Kaigaku's other teammates.
Mitsuba, who truly hadn't expected to run into Demon Slayers at a train station, had originally planned to pretend she didn't know and wait for Kaigaku and his companions to leave together.
But she never imagined this child would walk straight toward her...
[I'm really done for. I just wanted to transfer trains in Tokyo to go find Hakuji. How could I run into so many Demon Slayers along the way...]
[I should have just had Nakime teleport me directly through the Infinity Castle if I knew there'd be so much trouble...]
Silently complaining in her heart, Mitsuba actively looked up at Kaigaku approaching her, putting on a professional smile.
"Little one, instead of going to find your companions, what do you want to do coming over here?"
"I..."
Asked this by Mitsuba, Kaigaku suddenly froze.
Right, what was he doing running over here?
He seemed to have never considered this question. He had just subconsciously walked over after realizing Mitsuba's identity.
"Don't tell me, you also want to have a heart-to-heart conversation with me?"
Looking at his troubled expression, Mitsuba immediately raised her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose.
If she remembered correctly, her profession should be newspaper editor and part-time band manager—not some kind of psychologist, right?
Speaking of which, were the psychological problems of you Demon Slayer Corps members all this severe?
"Forget it. Anyway, my train won't arrive for a while yet. If you don't mind, I can chat with you for a bit—just to pass the time."
Sighing, Mitsuba raised her hand and lightly patted the empty seat beside her.