Early morning.
The first ray of light just touched the snow-white peak of Mount Kumotori.
The small town at the foot of the mountain has awakened.
This was just an ordinary morning.
However, the appearance of a figure added a touch of menace to the tranquility.
Giyu Tomioka has arrived.
He stood silently at the entrance to the town.
The cold wind blowing from the mountaintop stirred his asymmetrical haori.
His handsome face was expressionless, and his deep blue eyes were as calm as a frozen lake, without a ripple.
He came here for only one purpose.
Take down Upper Rank Seven, Yaoshi.
For that companion lying on Mount Sagiri, forced to sever ties with his past.
And also for the justice that has been long overdue.
This isn't the first time they've hunted down Yaoshi.
In the past few months, Giyu Tomioka has traveled to almost half of Japan.
Each time, he was able to pinpoint the location of the Yaoshi's crime based on intelligence.
But every time he arrived, that cunning fellow had already run away, leaving behind only a mess and those unfortunate souls ravaged by the virus.
The Yaoshi's disguise was the most skillful and disgusting he had ever seen.
Unlike other ghosts, he doesn't hide himself through bloodshed and violence.
He used a different, more sophisticated, and more deceptive weapon – goodwill.
He could always easily disguise himself as a perfect, respectable person and blend into the crowd.
Then, when everyone lowered their guard against him, he revealed his deadly fangs.
Even the Transparent World, capable of seeing through people's hearts, couldn't pinpoint his filthy soul, shrouded in layers of disguise.
This time, Giyu Tomioka told himself that he absolutely could not let him get away again.
He walked into the town and went straight to the only inn in town, which looked passable.
"Shopkeeper."
The innkeeper, who was calculating with an abacus behind the counter, was startled by the sudden sound. He looked up and almost dropped the abacus.
Although the young man in front of me was handsome, the aura he exuded that kept strangers at bay was so chilling it was almost unbearable.
"Sir... sir, are you... looking for a room or... a meal?" the innkeeper stammered.
"Inquiring about someone."
Giyu Tomioka, too lazy to waste words, simply pulled out a portrait of a Yaoshi from his pocket.
"Did a man wearing a white coat and these kinds of glasses come here a few days ago?"
When the boss saw the portrait, he was taken aback at first, then his face showed an expression of sudden understanding.
His tense nerves relaxed instantly.
Their attitude also became incredibly enthusiastic.
"Oh dear! Sir, you're here to see that divine healer too, aren't you?!"
"Let me tell you, you're a step too late!"
"The legendary healer did indeed come to our town three days ago. His medical skills... wow, he was practically a reincarnation of Hua Tuo or Bian Que!"
"He gave me two acupuncture treatments, and now I can go hunting in the mountains without any problems!"
"A miracle doctor?"
Giyu Tomioka's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Sure enough, it's the same old routine again.
Where is he now?
"Sigh, it's a pity to talk about that."
The boss slapped his thigh, his face full of regret.
"The divine physician said he came here to collect a very important medicinal ingredient from the mountain, which he intends to use to make a highly effective medicine that can save many lives."
"The night before last, as soon as the free clinic ended, he went up the mountain alone overnight!!"
"Up the mountain?"
Giyu Tomioka's gaze fell upon the towering, snow-capped mountain outside the window, shrouded in morning mist.
Do you know which direction he went?
"Well..."
The boss scratched his head.
"We don't know exactly where he went. The divine physician left in a hurry and didn't tell us."
However~
He seemed to remember something, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously.
"If we're talking about the only person in this town who might know the Divine Doctor's exact location, it's probably that kid from the Kamado family."
"The Kamado?"
"Yes! It's that charcoal seller who lives on the mountaintop, Tanjiro Kamado!"
The boss got interested and started rambling on.
"Those who were there that day said that the rare Blue Spider Lily the divine physician was looking for seemed to grow right next to their family's ancestral graves!"
"Tanjiro was so enthusiastic back then, offering to show the way to the divine healer!"
"The divine physician is kind-hearted and didn't want to delay our treatment, so he didn't bring it."
"But Tanjiro goes down the mountain to sell charcoal before dawn every day, so judging by the time, he should be arriving in town soon."
"If you're looking for the legendary healer, ask him, you can't go wrong!"
Having obtained all the information he wanted, Giyu Tomioka lingered.
He nodded slightly to the boss as a way of thanking him.
Then, he turned around and walked out of the inn.
He stood on the street in the early morning, his gaze fixed on the difficult mountain path leading to the top of the mountain.
He's waiting.
He was waiting for that boy who could point him in the right direction regarding his "prey."
Not long after.
A boy carrying a charcoal basket wider than himself, with a very noticeable scar on his forehead, appeared at the end of the path, humming an off-key song and walking briskly.
It was Tanjiro Kamado.
The weather was nice today, and he was thinking of selling the charcoal as soon as possible so he could go to town and buy some of the newly made rice candy for his younger siblings.
He sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the town.
A... cold smell enveloped the street corner.
The scent was pure, like the clearest spring water in winter.
He looked in the direction of the smell.
Then he saw the man standing in the shadow of the eaves.
He just stood there quietly, as if there was an insurmountable wall separating him from the whole world.
Loneliness, strength, and an unyielding, profound sorrow.
Just as Tanjiro was in a daze, the man also saw him.
The two locked eyes.
The next second, the man's figure vanished from the spot.
Tanjiro only felt a blur before his eyes, and then an even stronger scent rushed towards him!
The man had appeared before him, looking like a ghost.
"You are Tanjiro Kamado?"
Giyu Tomioka spoke, his voice was utterly devoid of warmth.
"Yes... yes!"
Tanjiro was startled by this sudden turn of events, but instinctively, he responded politely.
"May I ask who you are?"
Instead of answering his question, Giyu Tomioka got straight to the point.
"You saw a doctor in a white coat the day before yesterday?"
"Ah! You mean the divine physician?"
Tanjiro's eyes lit up immediately.
"Yes! I've met him! The divine physician is such a kind person! He..."
He's not a doctor.
Giyu Tomioka coldly interrupted him.
"He is a ghost."
"..."
The whole world seemed to have been muted at that moment.
Tanjiro's smile froze.
He stared at the intimidatingly serious-looking man in front of him, his mind a little blank.
"Ghost...?"
He subconsciously repeated the word, his voice filled with utter disbelief and a sense of utter absurdity.
"No... it's impossible!!"
He shook his head violently, his wine-red eyes filled with confusion and resistance.
This was the first time since he was old enough to understand that he had doubts about his nose.
"My nose is very sensitive!!"
He pointed to his own nose, eager to explain himself.
"I can smell many things that others can't! I can smell who's lying and who's hiding something!"
"The scent I smelled on that divine physician was clean, like freshly washed clothes!"
"Not even a trace of... that nauseating smell you described!"
"How... how could he be a ghost?!"
"He's a good man! He's still in the mountains, all alone, waiting to collect herbs in order to develop a special medicine!"
Tanjiro's voice grew softer and softer.
Because he smelled a contradictory scent emanating from the man before him, a scent he had never encountered before.
The man's scent was as clean as the snow that never melts on a mountaintop.
There was no smell of lies.
There was no malicious intent in it.
Yes, there was a deep, bottomless sorrow, and a sense of responsibility that nearly crushed him.
Tanjiro was completely flustered.
One was a "miracle doctor" praised by everyone, with not a trace of evil about him.
One was a mysterious swordsman who exuded sadness, yet whose demeanor betrayed not a trace of falsehood.
His very survival depended on his sense of smell, which distinguished good from evil. For the first time, it gave him two completely opposite answers.
Whom should he believe?