Koizumi Town, Little Girl

Mount Natagumo was very close to Mount Sagiri. Traveling on foot, Kurozawa reached a town near Mount Natagumo in just two days.

From this town, it took less than two hours to reach the foot of Mount Natagumo. Since he had arrived in the morning, the demons would all be hiding now, making them difficult to find. So Kurozawa decided to stay in town for a while first.

This town was called Koizumi Town.

The memory of personally killing his first demon roughly two months ago was still vivid in Kurozawa's mind. He remembered the demon's sly deception in its final moments, as well as its claim that it had a five-year-old daughter living in Koizumi Town.

"Nita Taku... Koizumi Town... Coming here really was a strange twist of fate."

Kurozawa had never gone to Koizumi Town. Back then, he had no way of knowing whether Nita Taku's words were true, and even if they were, Kurozawa still would have chosen to kill him.

After leaving the Ruined Shrine, Kurozawa had told Sakonji Urokodaki about Koizumi Town and the demon's daughter while they were on the road. Sakonji Urokodaki had also been surprised that Kurozawa had encountered such a moral dilemma the very first time he killed a demon.

Perhaps not wanting Kurozawa to feel conflicted, Sakonji Urokodaki said he would handle everything. He would contact the nearest members of the Hidden Slayer Corps and have them investigate Koizumi Town. If the demon had truly left behind a daughter with no one to care for her, the Hidden Slayer Corps would take her away and raise her.

"I never asked Master how it turned out. Since I'm here, I should go see for myself."

Kurozawa paused beside the small river before the town, then stepped onto the narrow road leading into it.

Lining the roads of Koizumi Town were fairly well-kept homes, and even a few larger residences. The townspeople hurried about, busy with their own affairs, and no one paid any attention to Kurozawa. Travelers from elsewhere were common enough that nobody found them strange anymore.

The town looked rather prosperous overall. Among the mostly impoverished rural towns, Koizumi Town seemed to be doing quite well.

"Ma'am, do you know Nita Taku?"

"Was he from Koizumi Town?"

At the entrance of a small but intact house sat an elderly woman. Her face was lined with the wrinkles of time, her eyes narrowed as she lay comfortably in a bamboo recliner that swayed back and forth.

"Nita Taku? I know him. He disappeared some time ago."

Hearing Kurozawa's question, the old woman opened her eyes and answered with a genial smile. Yet there was a great deal of helplessness in that smile; it was not one of happiness.

Kurozawa stepped closer and asked about Nita Taku. The old woman did not treat him like a stranger and told him everything in detail.

"Two months ago, people in our town started disappearing one after another. Everyone said the wild beasts in the mountains had run out of food and come down to eat people."

"More than a dozen people disappeared, I think. They still haven't been found, so... sigh. Their families are still desperately searching for them. Poor things."

"Nita Taku, the one you asked about, was the last to disappear. He left behind a five-year-old daughter, who's being looked after by her elderly grandfather. Life won't be easy for them from now on."

After listening to the old woman, Kurozawa frowned. "Nita Taku's daughter is still in town?"

"Of course she is. Where else would such a little child go? Come to think of it, what are you to Nita Taku?" The old woman leaned forward, her expression turning wary.

Kurozawa smiled. His smile, irresistible to men, women, young, and old alike, immediately dispelled the old woman's wariness, leaving her momentarily dazed.

"I'm his friend. I heard something happened to him, so I came to see how his daughter is doing."

"Could you tell me where his home is? From what you've said, I'm a little worried. I'd like to see whether I can help them out."

That young man's smile was so pleasant. He probably wasn't a bad person. The old woman lay back down and gently rocked in her chair. "The fourth house after turning left up ahead is his."

After thanking and bidding farewell to the old woman, Kurozawa headed in the direction she had indicated. In only about ten minutes, he saw a crude little house of less than twenty square meters.

Knock, knock, knock. Kurozawa knocked on the door.

"Is anyone home?"

Half a minute later, the door creaked open.

"Uncle, is something the matter?"

A little girl, not even reaching Kurozawa's waist, stood timidly behind the door, looking at him with unease.

"Is your father named Nita Taku?" Kurozawa gave her a gentle smile that melted away her anxiety and tension. At the same time, he crouched down to meet her gaze.

"Y-Yes."

"Are you and the people who came before also Daddy's friends?"

Before Kurozawa could explain who he was, the little girl curiously asked on her own. Once her unease had faded, she was no longer afraid of him.

It seemed the Hidden Slayer Corps had indeed come here, and they had also claimed to be Nita Taku's friends. But in the end, they had not taken the little girl away, perhaps because her grandfather was there, Kurozawa silently thought.

"Mm, you're right. Very smart."

The little girl's joy at being praised shone openly across her face. But soon, after looking to either side, she quietly asked Kurozawa, "Uncle, since you're Daddy's friend, do you know where he went?"

"Grandpa said he went far away and won't come back until I grow up. But he won't tell me where Daddy went. The uncles who came before didn't know either."

"It'll take so long to grow up. I don't want to wait that long. I kind of miss Daddy." By the end, the little girl's eyes had begun to redden, moisture gathering within them.

The sight of her left Kurozawa silent for a moment. Then he smiled again, his warm smile like sunlight at just the right moment, making everyone who saw it feel warmed in both body and heart. The little girl was no exception.

"I'll tell you a secret. You can know it yourself, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else."

"This secret is about your father. It's very important."

Kurozawa placed a finger against his lips in a gesture for silence. His grave, solemn expression made the little girl nod instinctively.

"You've heard ghost stories before, right?"

"I have. They're really scary, but Daddy always liked to scare me with ghost stories."

"Then let me tell you this: some of the ghosts in those stories really exist."

"Huh? Really?" The little girl's eyes widened, and her tiny hands clenched into fists. She looked both shocked and frightened. Though she asked Kurozawa whether it was true, she believed him immediately.

Kurozawa did not answer immediately. He carefully chose his words before continuing, "These demons are vicious and cruel. They love nothing more than feeding on human flesh and blood. To fight them and protect humanity, some people stepped forward. They are called Demon Hunters."

"Demons can be found everywhere, and Demon Hunters follow their trails. No matter how far away it is, as long as they hear of demons causing trouble, they rush there at once. They never have a moment's rest."

As soon as Kurozawa finished speaking, the little girl asked in delight, "Uncle, are you saying my dad is a Demon Hunter? That he went somewhere far away to protect everyone?" Her eyes sparkled, clearly happy about this secret.

"I can't tell you that. I can only tell you that your father is connected to this secret, and that he isn't an ordinary person."

Kurozawa did not want to deceive the little girl, but he could not tell her the truth directly either, so he could only speak in a misleading way.

He would leave the rest to the little girl's imagination. In her fantasies, perhaps her father was a hero, silently protecting humanity. Maybe that would lessen some of the longing and sorrow in her heart.

In the future, when she noticed that something was wrong with Kurozawa's words and learned the truth, she should have gained the ability to distinguish right from wrong. If she chose to seek revenge on Kurozawa then, he would respect her choice.