Kaigaku

Mount Peach Town.

Hiruma was leisurely wandering around the town. It would take over half a month to make his Nichirin Blade and uniform, so he had some rare time off.

He knew he'd get yelled at by the old man if he didn't practice while staying on the mountain, so he came to town to relax.

As he walked, a child suddenly ran past crying. The moment he saw Hiruma, the little boy froze before immediately grabbing Hiruma's leg and sobbing tearfully.

"Waaah waaah waaah!"

"Boss, you're finally back! Someone from outside town stole our pocket money. You have to get revenge for us!"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Hiruma pushed the child's head away with a look of disgust. "Get too close, and don't get snot on me!"

After the little boy calmed down, Hiruma patted his head and said:

"Shota, who stole from you? You should have fought them!"

"A man sheds blood, not tears!"

"What's with all the crying? Acting like a girl!"

"Boss, we can't beat him!" Shota sniffled loudly, looking helpless.

"What about the skills I taught you? Hit them below the belt first, don't you know about the 'monkey steals the peaches' move?"

"Forget it, lead the way. I want to see which bastard dares to mess with my people!" Hiruma said with an exasperated wave of his hand.

Hearing this, Shota's posture immediately straightened.

Hiruma had been the king of Mount Peach Town since he was little. It was his duty to stand up for his subordinates. After all, adults usually dismissed the trivial matters of children and rarely intervened.

A moment later, the two arrived in front of a rarely frequented alley. The light inside was dim, and a figure could vaguely be seen.

The person was sitting in a damp corner, like a rat from a sewer. He was counting money, cursing as he did.

"Damn it, you bunch of little brats. This is all the money? It's not even as much as I steal."

"I heard there's an old man living on Mount Peach. Once I become his disciple and join the Demon Slayer Corps, I'll definitely have money."

Mount Peach, the old man... at this time, could it be Kaigaku?

Listening to the young man's curses, Hiruma guessed.

"Hey!"

"Why did you steal my brother's money? Give it back!" Hiruma yelled fiercely at the person in the shadows, believing it to be Kaigaku.

"Get lost!"

"Don't make me beat you again, are you sick?" The person in the shadows spoke with a cold, knife-like tone. He pocketed the stolen money and slowly emerged from the shadows.

Hiruma finally got a clear look at the guy's face: black hair, blue eyes, thick eyebrows, and dressed in ragged coarse cloth.

Tch! (＊｀д′)

It really was that bastard Kaigaku!

He didn't hide his disgust; his expression was like stepping in shit, ruining his good mood for the entire day.

Kaigaku, like Muzan, was a beast. One betrayed his master, the other massacred innocents.

These two individuals, one human and one demon, shared a strikingly similar trait: selfishness.

Kaigaku also sized up Hiruma, his eyes flashing with anger and disdain. He gritted his teeth so hard they made a creaking sound, as if he were trying to shatter them.

His fists were clenched, veins popping, wishing he could rush forward and beat Hiruma to a pulp right then and there.

Have we met before?

Why is he looking at me with such disgust and loathing?

Bastard, he's asking for death!

He muttered to himself.

"Give back the money!" Hiruma reached out, already calculating how to sabotage this guy's apprenticeship. He absolutely could not let this beast ruin the old man's reputation in his later years.

"Get lost, I don't want to hit anyone!" Kaigaku pushed Hiruma's hand away and charged at him recklessly.

But the moment he collided with Hiruma, the ferocity on his face froze.

It felt like he had run into a wall. Was this guy even human?

Hiruma shrugged, flicking Kaigaku away, and said with a smile, "Give the money back to Shota. I'm saying this one last time!"

"Scram!"

"Do you want to die?"

As soon as Kaigaku finished speaking, Hiruma punched him squarely in the stomach. The intense pain spread rapidly, leaving his mind blank.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Kaigaku coughed uncontrollably, clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground. However, he still glared fiercely at Hiruma. "You bastard!"

Veins bulged on his forehead as he roared at Hiruma, vowing that once he learned the Demon Slayer's Breathing Style, he would definitely tie this bastard up somewhere secluded and kill him.

"Shota, get your money back!"

"Yes, boss!"

Soon, Shota searched Kaigaku and found a lot of money. He took what belonged to his friends and himself, then disdainfully threw the rest of the money back.

"Thieves, so annoying!"

"Don't let my boss see you again, or I'll beat you up every time I see you!" With Hiruma around, the brat immediately dropped a harsh threat, feeling incredibly pleased.

"Boss!" Shota looked at Hiruma, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll treat you to something delicious. By the way, what have you been up to lately?"

Hiruma tapped Shota on the head and said, "Didn't I tell you since you were little? Your boss here is destined to save the world!"

"Wow, amazing! Just as expected from my boss!" Shota's eyes lit up, instantly turning into a devoted fan.

"Long live the boss, the boss is awesome!"

Kaigaku clenched his fists, frantically pounding the ground, staring intently at Hiruma's retreating back.

Damn it, damn it, damn it...

I'm going to kill you, I'll kill you sooner or later!

I'll remember you, you bastard.

As the sun dipped west, Kaigaku used the stolen money to buy himself a clean set of clothes and hurried towards Mount Peach Town.

He knew about demons, and even more so, he knew the old man living there was a trainer for the Demon Slayer Corps. Most importantly, the Demon Slayer Corps paid very well.

As long as he could join the Demon Slayer Corps, he wouldn't have to worry about making a living for the rest of his life, even if he became the lowest-ranked Mizunoto member.

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

Kaigaku walked halfway up the mountain. He looked down at the town in the distance, his face filled with disdainful arrogance.

Those idiots probably haven't even heard of demons!

Heh!

Stupid ordinary people, I curse you all to be eaten by demons sooner or later.

Realizing his difference from those ordinary people, Kaigaku's sense of superiority surged.

"Kid, you're a new face?"

"What are you doing in Mount Peach?"

Just as Kaigaku was basking in his self-satisfaction, a stern yet kind voice rang out.

He followed the sound and saw an old man leaning on a cane.

Uh...

Could someone like this be a Demon Slayer trainer?

Is the Demon Slayer Corps that desperate for people?

The disappointment in Kaigaku's eyes flashed, but the person before him was pretty much as he had inquired.

He immediately composed himself, knelt before Jigoro Kuwajima with a thud, put on a faux sorrowful expression, and spoke with unwavering resolve.

"Senior, I know you are a trainer for the Demon Slayer Corps. Please take me as your disciple!"

"I've traveled a great distance to be here, solely to become your disciple and get revenge. My family was all killed by demons!"

Kaigaku cried and kowtowed, his attitude extremely sincere. Especially his tragic experience of his entire family being killed by demons, which truly touched the old man's heart.

As he was crying, Hiruma walked past behind him and teased, "That's quite tragic for you, young man!"