Youngsters Should Exercise Restraint!

Early that morning, in a small town nestled beneath Mount Kumotori in the Okutama Mountains.

After a journey spanning more than ten days, Kujo Tachibana had finally arrived.

Kujo Tachibana was in no rush to head up the mountain, choosing instead to stroll leisurely through the town.

From time to time, he would stop at a vendor's stall to pick out a few gifts suitable for a formal visit.

Holding a few hair ornaments meant for young girls, Kujo Tachibana looked at the stall owner and asked, "Old grandmother, I'd like to ask you something."

"Is there a family named Kamado that sells charcoal up on Mount Kumotori?"

The white-haired old woman looked at Kujo Tachibana's attire and decided he didn't seem like a bad person.

Fortunately, Kujo Tachibana had the foresight to wrap his Nichirin Sword in cloth before entering the town; it was currently slung across his back.

"What business do you have with the Kamado family?"

Kujo Tachibana scratched his head; this old lady was certainly cautious!

With no other choice, he had to make up a lie on the spot:

"My family is in the charcoal business."

"I heard the charcoal the Kamado family burns is excellent, so I wanted to take advantage of the summer to pay them a visit."

"I want to ask them to burn a bit more this year so I can come collect it when winter arrives."

The old woman nodded and said:

"Oh, is that so!"

"Then wait here for a moment. I'll have my son take you up the mountain to find them."

"Thank you very much!" Kujo Tachibana replied with sincere gratitude.

Before long, a middle-aged man appeared, following the old woman to where he stood.

Half a day later, by noon, Kujo Tachibana had arrived with the man at the Kamado family's home on Mount Kumotori.

The man raised his voice and called out toward the solitary wooden house in the mountains:

"Tanjuro, are you home?"

They didn't have to wait long before a man with long, deep-red hair, a sallow complexion, and a faint scar on his left forehead walked out of the doorway, coughing as he moved.

Tanjuro looked at Watanabe Yuta at the door, accompanied by a strangely dressed youth carrying a gift box.

Though a bit puzzled, he still said warmly:

"Ah, big brother Yuta! And this young man, please, come inside first."

Kujo Tachibana followed the two men into the Kamado family's wooden house. He didn't let his eyes wander, instead politely handing the gift box he was holding to the mistress of the house, Kamado Kie.

"You shouldn't have gone to such trouble," Kamado Kie said softly as she accepted the box.

At this moment, the middle-aged man, Watanabe Yuta, began to introduce Kujo Tachibana:

"This young man wanted to come to your place to buy charcoal, so I brought him over."

The Kamado family realized what was happening; this wasn't the first time such a thing had occurred, though in the past, it had always been acquaintances from the town below.

"Tanjuro, I still have work to do at home and a busy afternoon ahead, so I'll be heading back now!"

"Young man, once you're done talking, will you be alright heading down the mountain alone?" Watanabe Yuta asked, turning to look at Kujo Tachibana.

Kujo Tachibana nodded with a smile and said, "It's no problem at all. Thank you so much for your trouble today, Uncle Watanabe!"

Seeing Watanabe Yuta turn to leave, Tanjuro hurriedly tried to stop him:

"Yuta, stay for a meal before you go!"

Watanabe Yuta didn't even look back, simply waving his hand as he walked toward the outdoors.

The Kamado family had far too many children, brother Tanjuro's health was poor, and burning charcoal wasn't exactly a lucrative business.

Especially now in the middle of summer, one could easily imagine the state of their household.

He didn't have much to do that morning, so bringing Kujo Tachibana over was fine, but they were old friends—how could he possibly sponge a meal off them?

Hadn't he seen that brother Tanjuro looked malnourished and gaunt?

He couldn't bring himself to stay for dinner!

Tanjuro watched Watanabe Yuta's retreating figure with a helpless expression; he naturally understood what was in the heart of big brother Yuta.

Kujo Tachibana watched the departing figure of Uncle Watanabe, lost in thought.

That uncle is actually a pretty good guy, he thought to himself.

Inside the house, Kujo Tachibana and Tanjuro sat opposite each other while Kamado Kie went to prepare lunch.

Young Tanjiro and Nezuko were in the side room, having taken the initiative to look after their younger siblings so as not to disturb the conversation between the two adults in the main room.

Kujo Tachibana looked at Tanjuro, whose gentle temperament bore a slight resemblance to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and said with great sincerity:

"Mr. Tanjuro, I am very sorry, but the truth is, I did not come here to buy charcoal."

Tanjuro nodded, his expression remarkably calm, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.

However, this piqued a sliver of curiosity in Kujo Tachibana, who couldn't help but ask:

"It seems you had already guessed it, Mr. Tanjuro?"

Tanjuro smiled and explained:

"I have seen the uniform you are wearing before, and that cloth-wrapped bundle on your back—that is a blade capable of slaying man-eating demons, isn't it?"

Kujo Tachibana had a sudden realization.

"So, you have met members of our Demon Slayer Corps before!"

Tanjuro shook his head and replied:

"So you come from a place called the Demon Slayer Corps!"

"Three years ago, a man-eating demon once came to this mountain."

"When I sensed its presence, I went to track it down."

"However, by the time I arrived nearby, I saw someone wearing your uniform cut off that man-eating demon's head with a single strike."

"He didn't know at the time that I was in the woods right beside him."

Kujo Tachibana frowned and asked:

"Do man-eating demons come to Mount Kumotori often?"

Tanjuro recalled for a moment before saying:

"Not really. When I was a boy, my mother once told me about man-eating demons."

"Over all these years, only four have come here in total!"

Kujo Tachibana nodded. He didn't ask where those demons had gone, nor did he need to; it was obvious that Tanjuro had dealt with them.

Although Tanjuro did not yet know that the Hinokami Kagura was actually the thirteenth form of Sun Breathing, his mastery of the Transparent World meant that, aside from demons at the level of the Twelve Kizuki, no other man-eating demons posed a threat to him.

As for the scar on his forehead, based on Kujo Tachibana's observations, it did not appear to be the mark of a natural Demon Slayer Mark.

It was likely just a birthmark after all!

As for why Tanjuro had passed away so early in the original story, leaving behind a house full of orphans and a widow, Kujo Tachibana felt he had roughly figured it out.

The reason left him both amused and exasperated; one could only say that young people really ought to exercise some restraint...

If the family conditions aren't wealthy, it's best not to have so many children.

Using breathing techniques consumes a massive amount of physical strength, and when combined with long-term malnutrition—where the body's energy is constantly spent without being replenished—how could it not collapse?

If Tanjuro hadn't had so many children with his wife, and if they had both worked to ensure Tanjuro could eat his fill, he likely wouldn't have died young as he did in the original story.