Young People Need to Know Their Limits!

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

After more than ten days of traveling, Kujo Tachibana had finally found the place.

He didn't hurry up the mountain. Instead, he strolled leisurely around the town.

Now and then, he stopped at a vendor's stall to pick out a few gifts suitable for a visit.

Holding a few hair ornaments for little girls, Kujo Tachibana turned to the stall owner and asked, "Granny, I'd like to ask you something."

"Is there a charcoal-selling family with the surname Kamado up on Mount Kumotori?"

The old woman, her hair gray, looked over Kujo Tachibana's outfit and decided he didn't seem like a bad person.

Fortunately, Kujo Tachibana had thought ahead. Before entering town, he'd wrapped his Nichirin Sword in cloth. It was now strapped to his back.

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

Kujo Tachibana scratched his head. This old woman was quite cautious!

With no other choice, he made up an excuse on the spot:

"My family is in the charcoal business."

"I heard the Kamado family makes good charcoal, so I thought I'd pay them a visit while it's still summer."

"I'll ask them to make a little extra this year, then come back to collect it in winter."

The old woman nodded and said,

"Oh, I see!"

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

"Thank you very much!" Kujo Tachibana said sincerely.

Before long, a man who looked to be in his middle years arrived with the old woman.

It wasn't until noon, half a day later, that Kujo Tachibana and the man reached the Kamado Family's home on Mount Kumotori.

Raising his voice, the man called toward the lonely wooden house nestled in the mountains:

"Tanjuro, are you home?"

The two didn't have to wait long. A man with dark red hair, a sallow complexion, and a faint scar on his left forehead came out of the house, coughing as he walked.

Tanjuro looked at Watanabe Yuta at the door, then at the oddly dressed young man carrying a gift box.

Though puzzled, he still greeted them warmly. "Big Brother Yuta! And this young man, too. Come inside first, and we can talk."

Kujo Tachibana followed them into Tanjuro's wooden home. He didn't look around; instead, he politely handed the gift box to the lady of the house, Kie Kamado.

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

Then Watanabe Yuta introduced Kujo Tachibana.

"This young man wants to buy charcoal from your family, so I brought him over."

The Kamado family understood at once. This sort of thing had happened before, though in the past, the buyers had always been people they knew from the town below.

"Tanjuro, I've still got some work to do at home, and I'll be busy this afternoon, so I'd better get going!"

"You'll be all right making your way down the mountain alone after you're done talking, young man?" Yuta asked, turning to Kujo Tachibana.

Kujo Tachibana smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine. Thanks for going to the trouble, Uncle Yuta!"

When Watanabe Yuta turned to leave, Tanjuro hurried to stop him.

"Yuta, stay and have a meal before you go!"

Without looking back, Watanabe Yuta just waved and headed out.

Tanjuro had so many children, and his health wasn't good. Selling charcoal wasn't a profitable business, either.

It was summer, too. Anyone could imagine how tight things were for the family at the moment.

Luckily, he didn't have much to do that morning. He'd brought Kujo Tachibana over, and that was enough. They'd been friends for years—how could he impose on them for a meal, too?

Couldn't he see that Tanjuro looked malnourished and gaunt?

How could he bring himself to stay for dinner?

Tanjuro watched Watanabe Yuta's retreating back helplessly. He knew exactly what Big Brother Yuta was thinking.

Kujo Tachibana watched Uncle Yuta leave, thoughtful.

That uncle was a really good guy!

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

Little Tanjiro and Nezuko were in a side room of the wooden house, taking it upon themselves to look after their younger brothers and sisters. They didn't disturb the two adults talking in the main room.

Kujo Tachibana looked at Tanjuro, whose gentle bearing reminded him somewhat of Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and spoke with complete sincerity.

"Mr. Tanjuro, I'm very sorry. The truth is, I didn't come here to buy charcoal."

Tanjuro nodded, his expression calm, as if he'd already expected this.

His reaction piqued Kujo Tachibana's curiosity, and he couldn't help asking,

"Looks like you guessed it a long time ago, Mr. Tanjuro?"

Tanjuro smiled and explained,

"I've seen the clothes you're wearing underneath before. And that bundle on your back—it's a sword that can slay man-eating demons, isn't it?"

Kujo Tachibana understood.

"So you've met one of our Demon Slayer Corps members before!"

Tanjuro shook his head. "So you're from a place called the Demon Slayer Corps!"

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

"When I sensed its presence, I went looking for it."

"But by the time I reached the area, I saw someone wearing clothes like yours. He cut off the demon's head with a single slash."

"He didn't know I was in the woods nearby."

Kujo Tachibana furrowed his brow and asked,

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

Tanjuro thought for a moment, then answered,

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

"In all these years, only four have come here."

Kujo Tachibana nodded. He didn't ask where those demons had gone. There was no need—Tanjuro had surely dealt with them himself.

Though Tanjuro didn't know that Hinokami Kagura was actually the thirteen forms of Sun Breathing, the Transparent World he'd mastered alone meant that no ordinary man-eating demon could threaten him. Only demons on the level of the Twelve Kizuki posed a real danger.

As for the scar on his forehead, from what Kujo Tachibana could tell, it didn't look like a birthmark resembling a Demon Slayer Mark.

Maybe it really was just a birthmark!

As for why Tanjuro had died so young in the original story, leaving his wife and children behind, Kujo Tachibana felt he'd more or less figured it out.

The reason left him both amused and speechless. All he could say was, young people really needed to know their limits...

If the family couldn't afford it, they shouldn't have so many children.

Using a Breathing Style consumed a great deal of energy. Add long-term malnutrition to the mix, and his body was burning through energy without getting enough to replenish it. How could he not collapse?

If Tanjuro and his wife hadn't had so many children, then with both of them working, and with Tanjuro eating his fill and taking care of his health,

he probably wouldn't have died young like he did in the original story.