Searching for Hakuji

Decades passed, and the Demon Slayer Corps, which had briefly flourished thanks to Yoriichi, fell into decline once more.

When the last Demon Slayer with a Demon Slayer Mark died, the Corps' strength hit another low.

More absurdly, although Muzan Kibutsuji had been living in sunlight for decades, the Demon Slayer Corps still believed demons could only appear at night.

On top of that, for some unknown reason, the authorities introduced several measures to suppress civilian armed organizations, leaving the Demon Slayer Corps with less and less room to operate.

But thanks to the Ubuyashiki Family's ability to foresee the future, their business operations remained unaffected, and their financial support for the Demon Slayer Corps never changed.

The Demon Slayer Corps never realized that the enemies they now fought with all their strength were no longer Muzan and the demons under him, but Half-Demons of low intelligence that resembled demons in many ways.

A cool breeze swept through the scorching summer heat.

The blazing sun hung directly overhead, and the heat left the streets nearly deserted.

Six Demon Slayers, none wearing the Corps' uniform, carried Nichirin Blades at their waists, hidden beneath loose haori.

A somewhat pale passerby hurried toward them beneath a parasol.

One of the Demon Slayers called out to him:

"Hello, could you tell us where Hidden God Forest is?"

The passerby stopped, glanced at them, and pointed at a distant mountain. "Over there."

With that, he hurried away.

"Thank you."

The Demon Slayer thanked his retreating back, then headed in the direction he had indicated with the others.

The passerby suddenly stopped, glanced back at their figures, shook his head, and continued on his way.

The passerby was Muzan. Although sunlight no longer frightened him, the midsummer sun was vicious enough to leave his head swimming without a parasol.

Naturally, Muzan also knew what the Demon Slayer Corps was after.

Hidden God Forest was simply a small grove where a Half-Demon had appeared. He had already taken care of it while passing through earlier.

The Demon Slayers were destined to make the trip for nothing.

Come to think of it, every Demon Slayer he had seen lately seemed weaker than the last.

He had set out after hearing that Hakuji was looking for him. Having stayed home for decades, he figured he might as well get some fresh air and see what had changed.

And look for Hakuji while he was at it.

He wondered where that boy was now.

He ought to be in his forties by now. Hopefully, he would still be alive when Muzan found him.

Remembering Hakuji's exceptionally strong constitution, Muzan figured that probably would not be a problem.

Toward evening, Muzan arrived at the Soryu Dojo.

The place remained, but the people had changed.

Muzan knocked and waited outside for a few seconds before a child ran over to open the door.

"How can I help you?"

"Is Hakuji here?"

The child froze for a moment, then hurriedly shouted into the dojo, "Father! Someone's here to see Grandpa!"

Muzan was invited inside, where a cup of tea was set before him. The tea leaves slowly sank to the bottom, with only a few still floating on the surface.

"Are you the doctor's son?"

The man sitting across from Muzan asked eagerly.

"Ah..." Being mistaken for his own son had caught Muzan off guard, but he went along with it:

"Yes. Where is Mr. Hakuji?"

"My father left home a year ago to look for your father. He told me that if anyone came looking for him, they could head toward the setting sun to find him."

"Thank you."

Muzan stood to take his leave.

The man instinctively wanted to ask him to stay a little longer, but seeing that Muzan had no intention of lingering, he said nothing more.

Muzan picked up the paper parasol he had left by the door, opened it, and raised it overhead, his figure receding into the distance.

Several days later, Muzan was still heading west.

Upon reaching a bustling town, he booked a room at an inn.

Unexpectedly, he encountered members of the Demon Slayer Corps by the roadside again.

But Muzan knew there were no demons nearby, nor had he detected any Half-Demons.

Surely he had not been exposed?

The three Demon Slayers were sitting in a roadside ramen shop, each having ordered a bowl and now waiting for their food.

Curious, Muzan went over, ordered some ramen himself, and approached the Demon Slayers.

"Hello?"

The Demon Slayers were a girl and two boys. Hearing Muzan apparently addressing them, the taller boy looked over. "Hello."

Muzan asked curiously, "Are you with the Demon Slayer Corps?"

The Demon Slayer nodded, his expression wary. "What is it?"

If he tries to report us, we'll knock him out!

The authorities had poured large sums into suppressing civilian armed organizations-anyone who reported someone carrying a sword without authorization could receive three hundred bales of rice, in an economy based on rice.

That was equivalent to half a year's income for a samurai.

As a result, the Demon Slayer Corps had grown fearful of being reported lately.

Seeing their wary expressions, Muzan understood what was going on and hurriedly said:

"I won't report you! I just wanted to ask whether a demon has appeared nearby."

The Demon Slayer relaxed. "We received reports of people dying under mysterious circumstances around here. We suspect a demon might be responsible, but it could also be a human."

"I see..."

As they spoke, the ramen was ready. The Demon Slayers accepted their bowls from the owner, and Muzan's was served along with theirs.

It was actually pretty good.

After saying goodbye to the Demon Slayers, Muzan continued searching for Hakuji, wandering around along the way.

Night fell, and amid the crowded, bustling streets, Muzan suddenly felt something pressing against his back.

He had known someone was beside him, but with people filling the streets, he had paid it no mind.

Now, however, he realized someone was holding a knife against his back.

The man grabbed Muzan's wrist and threatened him in a low voice. "Don't shout. Move!"

Muzan cooperated, following the man holding him. Their surroundings grew increasingly deserted as they left the town center and arrived at a dilapidated, abandoned house.

Hearing their footsteps, several more people emerged from the ruined house.

Through the gaps in the door and the broken windows, Muzan saw bodies dumped inside.

"Hand over your money!"

Muzan was an outsider who had been spending freely all day. Besides, he carried no weapon and did not look capable of resisting, so it was only natural that he had drawn attention.

So they planned to rob him, then dispose of his body...

He no longer needed to eat humans, but when they delivered themselves straight to his mouth...

Moments later,

"Help! Somebody help!!!"

"Don't kill me!!!"

"A demon-!"

The last robber, his face twisted with terror as he crawled trembling over the ground, sobbing and scrambling to escape, was swallowed in a single bite.

Muzan's arm returned to its original shape. He glanced at the three Demon Slayers hiding behind a wall, unable to stop trembling, then walked away as though he had not seen them.

Having tasted that familiar flavor for the first time in ages, Muzan was in a fairly good mood. Still, he needed to remind Maruoka Masahito and Maruoka Yoshiko to improve public order and develop the economy. Having people rob travelers along the way was hardly ideal.

Muzan had a feeling he would find Hakuji soon.