Searching for Haganezuka

Several decades had passed. The Demon Slayer Corps, which had briefly flourished after Yoriichi's appearance, had once again fallen into silence.

When the last Demon Slayer bearing Scarlet Traces died, the Demon Slayer Corps' strength once more sank to its lowest point.

More absurdly, even though Muzan Kibutsuji had already lived under the sun for decades, the Demon Slayer Corps still believed that demons could only appear at night.

On top of that, for reasons unknown, the authorities had introduced several measures to suppress civilian armed groups, endlessly squeezing the Demon Slayer Corps' room to survive.

Yet thanks to the Ubuyashiki Family's power of foresight, their financial ventures remained unaffected, and the Demon Slayer Corps' funding had not changed.

The Demon Slayer Corps had never realized that what they were now fighting with all their might was no longer Muzan and his demons, but Half-Demons—dim-witted creatures that were largely similar to demons.

In the sweltering summer heat, a cool breeze drifted past.

The blazing sun hung high overhead, and the scorching heat left few pedestrians on the streets.

Six Demon Slayers wore no Demon Slayer Corps uniforms. Nichirin blades hung at their waists, concealed beneath their loose haori.

A passerby carrying a parasol, his skin somewhat pale, hurried toward them.

One of the Demon Slayers called out to him:

"Excuse me, could you tell us where Inokami Forest is?"

The passerby stopped, glanced at them, and pointed toward the distant mountain. "That's it."

With that, the passerby hurried away.

"Thank you."

The Demon Slayers thanked his retreating figure and headed in the direction he had pointed.

The passerby suddenly stopped and looked back at them. He shook his head, then continued on his way.

That passerby was Muzan. Though he no longer feared sunlight, the sun during the hottest days of summer was vicious. Without a parasol, it left his head spinning.

As for the Demon Slayer Corps' objective, Muzan naturally knew about it.

A Half-Demon had appeared in Inokami Forest, a small grove. He had dealt with it while passing through earlier.

The Demon Slayer Corps members were destined to make a wasted trip.

Come to think of it, the Demon Slayers he had seen lately had truly been getting weaker and weaker.

He had heard that Haganezuka was looking for him, so he had decided to come out for some fresh air. He had stayed cooped up for decades; it was good to see what had changed.

And to look for Haganezuka while he was at it.

He wondered where that child was now.

He should have been over forty by now. Muzan hoped Haganezuka would still be alive when he found him.

Thinking of Haganezuka's exceptionally strong constitution, Muzan felt there should not be any problem.

As evening approached, Muzan arrived at the Soryu Dojo.

Things had changed, and people had changed with them.

After knocking on the door, Muzan waited outside for several seconds before a child ran over to open it.

"What can I do for you?"

"Is Haganezuka here?"

The child froze for a moment, then hurriedly shouted into the dojo, "Father! Someone's here looking for Grandpa!"

Muzan was invited inside. A cup of tea was reluctantly set before him, the tea leaves slowly settling at the bottom, with only a few still floating on the surface.

"Are you the doctor's child?"

The man sitting opposite Muzan asked eagerly.

"Ah..." Muzan had not expected to be mistaken for his own son, but he went along with it.

"Yes. Where is Mr. Haganezuka?"

"My father left home a year ago to search for your father. He told me that if anyone came looking for him, they could find him by heading toward the sunset."

"Thank you."

Muzan stood and prepared to take his leave.

The man instinctively wanted to ask him to stay, but seeing that Muzan had no intention of lingering, he said nothing more.

Muzan picked up the paper parasol he had left by the door, opened it, and walked away, his figure gradually receding into the distance.

A few days later, Muzan continued west.

When he reached a bustling town, he rented a room at an inn.

To his surprise, he ran into Demon Slayer Corps members by the roadside again.

But Muzan knew there were no demons nearby, nor had he detected any Half-Demons.

Surely he had not been exposed?

At that moment, three Demon Slayers had each ordered a bowl of ramen at a roadside ramen shop and were waiting for their food.

Out of curiosity, Muzan also went over and ordered ramen, taking a seat near the Demon Slayers.

"Hello?"

The Demon Slayers consisted of one girl and two boys. Hearing that Muzan seemed to be speaking to them, the taller boy looked over. "Hello."

Muzan asked curiously, "Are you from the Demon Slayer Corps?"

The Demon Slayers nodded, wary looks on their faces. "Why?"

If he tries to report us, knock him out!

The authorities had invested a great deal of money in suppressing civilian armed groups—reporting someone for carrying a weapon without authorization earned a reward of three hundred bales of rice.

That was equivalent to half a year's income for a samurai.

So lately, Demon Slayer Corps members had become terrified of being reported.

Seeing how guarded they were, Muzan understood the situation and hurriedly said:

"I'm not going to report you! I just wanted to ask, have demons appeared nearby?"

The Demon Slayers relaxed. "We received a report that people nearby have been dying mysteriously. We suspect it may be demons, though it could also be the work of humans."

"I see..."

As they spoke, the ramen was ready. The Demon Slayers each accepted their bowls from the owner, and Muzan's was ready as well.

Not bad. It was actually quite delicious.

After bidding the Demon Slayers farewell, Muzan continued searching for Haganezuka while wandering around.

Night fell. Amid the bustling streets, Muzan suddenly felt something pressed against his back.

He had known someone was beside him, but since the streets were crowded, he had not paid it any attention.

But now he realized someone was holding a blade against his back.

The person grabbed Muzan by the wrist and threatened in a low voice, "Don't shout. Move!"

Muzan cooperated and followed the person holding him. Their surroundings grew increasingly desolate as they left the city and arrived at a dilapidated abandoned house.

Hearing their footsteps, several more people emerged from the ruined house.

Through the cracks in the door and the broken windows, Muzan saw corpses tossed inside.

"Hand over your money!"

Muzan was an outsider, and he had spent lavishly all day. Combined with the fact that he carried no weapon and did not look capable of resisting, it was only natural that he had drawn attention.

So they were planning to rob him, then dispose of the body...

Though he no longer needed to eat people, something delivered right to his mouth...

A moment later,

"Help! Help me!!!"

"Don't kill me!!!"

"A demon—!"

The last robber, his face twisted with terror, trembling as he crawled across the ground and fled in tears, was swallowed in a single bite.

Muzan's arm returned to normal. He glanced at the three Demon Slayers hiding behind a wall, trembling uncontrollably, then pretended not to see them and left.

Having tasted that familiar flavor again after so long, Muzan was in a fairly good mood. Still, he needed to remind Maruoka Masahito and Maruoka Kinuko to improve public order and develop the economy. Getting robbed halfway down the road was not a good thing.

Muzan had a feeling that he would find Haganezuka very soon.