At midnight, faint candlelight flickered inside a dilapidated temple deep in the mountains.
With a helpless look, Tanjiro Kamado straightened the tilted statue of a god. Looking at the innocent-faced Nezuko, he said, "Nezuko, you can't go touching this statue. If the god gets angry with us, we'll be in trouble!"
"Mmph, mmph~"
Curious about the fierce, imposing statue, Nezuko had been unable to resist poking it. She had not expected to use so much force that she nearly toppled the stone figure. Knowing she had almost done something bad, she could only whimper pitifully and curl into a ball.
Seeing Nezuko's dejected expression, Tanjiro Kamado sighed, then stroked her head and said gently, "All right, all right. I know you didn't mean to. But you need to remember that you're stronger than you used to be, so you have to hold back a little whenever you do something."
"Mmph, mmph, mmph~" Quietly enjoying her brother's affectionate head pats, Nezuko narrowed her eyes and murmured in agreement, unable to speak with the bamboo tube between her teeth.
"Pardon the intrusion. I'm a traveler wandering from place to place. It's late, and I haven't been able to find lodging. Would you allow me to come in and spend the night?"
A gentle, refined voice came from outside the temple. Tanjiro Kamado turned and saw a brown-haired man in a white haori standing at the entrance. He had a warm, elegant bearing and was looking at him calmly.
The stranger's smiling gaze immediately flustered the easily embarrassed Tanjiro Kamado. He hurriedly said, "Um... please come in. This temple has been abandoned for a long time. We couldn't find anywhere to stay either, and we only just arrived."
Seeing Tanjiro Kamado's flustered reaction, Aizen's smile deepened a little. He stepped into the dilapidated