After discussing the movements of the Twelve Kizuki, the atmosphere within the Demon Slayer Corps remained far less cheerful.
This time, all nine Hashira were present a rare occurrence. Alongside them were Tanjiro and his companions, as well as Tamayo and Yushiro.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki had already taken the medicine Tamayo prepared for him.
To his surprise, he genuinely felt some improvement.
Only a slight improvement.
But even that was enough to give hope.
Not wishing to dampen Tamayo's efforts, Kagaya forced himself to sit upright despite the pain coursing through his body.
"Thank you for the medicine, Lady Tamayo."
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"I feel much better."
Tanjiro could immediately tell that his Master was exaggerating.
The scent of pain still lingered around Kagaya.
However, he also understood that Kagaya was trying to reassure Tamayo and encourage her research, so he wisely chose to remain silent.
Tamayo herself seemed to notice the truth but simply lowered her head respectfully.
Seeing everyone gathered before him, Kagaya gestured for them to stand.
"Although the number of casualties among the Demon Slayer Corps has decreased recently, the number of those insect creatures has increased once again."
His expression gradually became serious.
"According to reports from returning swordsmen, the creatures have begun displaying signs of intelligence."
"They no longer attack blindly."
"They coordinate."
"They cooperate."
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
Everyone present understood the implications.
Mindless monsters were dangerous.
Intelligent monsters were terrifying.
Kagaya continued.
"Please continue protecting the people."
"And more importantly…"
His eyes swept across the room.
"Protect yourselves as well."
"YES!"
The unified response shook the building.
The determination of the Demon Slayer Corps had not weakened.
Not even slightly.
The last time Kagaya held a gathering, Inosuke had somehow managed to convince everyone to hold a banquet afterward.
The memory nearly gave Tanjiro and Zenitsu a headache.
Even worse, Kyojuro had enthusiastically supported the idea.
Mitsuri had nearly emptied the entire kitchen.
This time, Inosuke immediately tried the same strategy again.
Unfortunately, Tanjiro reacted faster.
Before Inosuke could raise his hand, Tanjiro grabbed him by the shoulders.
"No."
Inosuke struggled.
"Why not?!"
"No."
"But "
"No."
Kagaya couldn't help but chuckle.
"Inosuke."
The boar-headed boy immediately straightened.
"If we defeat Kibutsuji Muzan and eliminate the threat of these creatures completely…"
Kagaya smiled warmly.
"I'll allow you to hold banquets every day."
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Then Inosuke exploded with excitement.
"REALLY?!"
He pointed dramatically at Kagaya.
"That's what a leader should say!"
Then he turned toward Tanjiro.
"Did you hear that?!"
"Our Master promised me a banquet!"
Tanjiro covered his face.
Sanemi immediately punched Inosuke into the floor.
"Idiot! Don't point at Master!"
After the meeting ended, everyone gradually returned to their quarters.
That evening, while Nezuko slept peacefully and the girls from the Butterfly Mansion were occupied elsewhere, Zenitsu mysteriously produced a small booklet.
His expression was incredibly suspicious.
"Come here."
He waved Tanjiro and Inosuke over.
"I got something amazing."
Tanjiro looked concerned.
Inosuke looked hungry.
Zenitsu proudly revealed the book.
The title read:
The Love of Two Butterflies
Published by Tachibana Publishing.
Tanjiro immediately turned red.
The cover depicted two beautiful women embracing one another beneath blooming wisteria flowers.
Inosuke stared blankly.
Then he pointed.
"Can we eat it?"
Zenitsu nearly fainted.
"Of course not!"
"It's a novel!"
"A very popular one!"
He carefully flipped through the pages.
"I borrowed it from another swordsman."
"They say the author became famous overnight."
Tanjiro blinked.
"Really?"
"What's the author's name?"
Zenitsu lowered his voice mysteriously.
"Hibiki."
"He became famous because of a previous story."
Tanjiro tilted his head.
"What kind of story?"
Zenitsu coughed awkwardly.
"It involved two men."
Tanjiro froze.
Before further questions could be asked, Zenitsu hurriedly resumed reading.
"The older sister gently embraced the younger woman…"
"'He doesn't understand your feelings.'"
"'Why can't you see how much I care about you?'"
Tanjiro's face became increasingly red.
Even he couldn't deny that the writing was surprisingly engaging.
Meanwhile, Inosuke alternated between looking at the cover and looking at his own reflection in a nearby mirror.
"I don't get it."
"Why do people stare at faces so much?"
Unfortunately, none of them noticed two people standing directly behind them.
Kanae.
And Shinobu.
Both smiling.
Very gently.
Very kindly.
Very dangerously.
Inosuke noticed first.
His instincts immediately screamed at him.
Upon seeing Kanae's smile, he silently stepped aside.
Kanae nodded approvingly.
Tanjiro sensed something was wrong.
He also began retreating.
Zenitsu remained completely oblivious.
"Don't pull me away!"
"This is the important part!"
Tanjiro tugged his sleeve.
Zenitsu continued reading.
"Don't interrupt me!"
"It's getting good!"
Tanjiro tugged again.
Zenitsu ignored him.
"This is the best scene!"
Tanjiro tried one last time.
Zenitsu finally turned around.
And froze.
The world stopped.
Time itself seemed to halt.
Kanae smiled.
Shinobu smiled.
Zenitsu immediately saw his entire life flash before his eyes.
Including his funeral.
The two sisters exchanged glances.
Then Kanae gently reached forward and confiscated the book.
"This isn't suitable for children."
Zenitsu didn't dare resist.
Not even a little.
After the sisters left, Zenitsu stared accusingly at Tanjiro.
"Why didn't you save me?!"
Tanjiro was speechless.
Inosuke was even more speechless.
"Save you?"
"We tried four times!"
"If you were a landmine, you'd have exploded already!"
While they continued arguing, a far more serious incident unfolded elsewhere.
Late that night, news arrived concerning the Mugen Train.
Another disappearance.
The train had now experienced its tenth unexplained incident.
Passengers vanished without a trace.
No signs of struggle.
No damaged compartments.
No bodies.
Only disappearances.
Upon hearing the reports, Kagaya immediately suspected demonic involvement.
And not an ordinary demon.
A member of the Twelve Kizuki seemed increasingly likely.
Poor Enmu.
After spending several peaceful days reading novels inside the Infinity Castle, he returned to his territory only to discover that someone had already blamed him for everything.
In fairness, Enmu did consume humans.
But recently?
Not this time.
With the information available, Kagaya refrained from drawing conclusions.
Instead, he assigned investigators.
Thus, fate quietly began moving once more.
Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku received the mission.
Accompanying him would be Tanjiro Kamado.
Zenitsu Agatsuma.
Inosuke Hashibira.
And Nezuko.
Their destination:
The Mugen Train.
What none of them realized was that the incident was merely one piece of a far larger scheme.
A revenge plot directed not only at the Demon Slayer Corps
But also at the Twelve Kizuki.
Meanwhile, in a small rural village, another tragedy unfolded.
A local bully named Ishidajima was discovered dead near the village entrance.
His corpse was horrifying.
His entire body had been mangled.
His expression remained twisted in terror.
It was obvious he had suffered immensely before dying.
The villagers gathered around the scene.
Rumors immediately spread.
Then someone noticed the wounds.
"These marks…"
"They look like insect bites."
Instantly, panic erupted.
The fear surrounding the monstrous insect creatures resurfaced throughout the region.
Hera quietly watched the crowd.
Beside her stood Yoshio.
After a moment, she asked softly,
"If that creature killed someone evil…"
"Why is everyone still afraid of it?"
Yoshio struggled to answer.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Because no matter who it kills…"
"It's still a man-eating monster."
He lowered his head.
"We should be careful, Hera-neechan."
Hera blinked.
For some reason, hearing him call her that made her pause.
"Hera…"
"…Neechan?"
For the first time, a strange feeling stirred within her heart.
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