The first mission

The Kasugai crow's piercing call rang in Chiba Yo's ears. He picked up his Nichirin Blade and rose from the steps.

Was my first mission finally here? Demons, just you wait. I'll wipe out every last one of you!

Chiba Yo followed the Kasugai crow's directions and ran southwest. To his surprise, as he passed a courtyard, he spotted Sanemi Shinazugawa again. Sanemi was sitting on the steps, feeding a piece of Hagi Mochi to a puppy in front of him, a gentle smile on his scar-covered face.

But his smile soon faded, replaced by a look of worry. By then, the puppy had finished the Hagi Mochi in his hand. It barked twice and wagged its tail at him. Sanemi patted its head, then turned and went inside.

You were right, Genya. Mr. Sanemi really is a very gentle person.

Having witnessed all of this, Chiba Yo felt even more certain of his suspicions. But he had a mission to carry out, so he did not linger and continued running southwest.

Night fell, with stars glittering beneath the hazy moonlight.

Following the Kasugai crow's directions, Chiba Yo reached the place it had indicated. He was now in a forest outside a small town.

If I want to find traces of a demon, I should probably ask the locals.

The Kasugai crow could only give a demon's approximate location. Members of the Demon Slayer Corps had to investigate its exact whereabouts themselves, so Chiba Yo planned to ask around in town.

"Xiao Ying... Xiao Ying..."

Just as he was about to leave, a voice calling for someone drifted toward him, drawing steadily closer.

The voice was audibly hoarse, yet its calls never stopped.

Curious, and sensing that this might have something to do with a demon, Chiba Yo headed toward the voice.

"Xiao Ying-Xiao Ying-"

The closer he drew, the more clearly he could hear the exhaustion in the voice, mingled with anxiety and worry.

Chiba Yo soon found its source: a boy of about sixteen, wearing somewhat shabby clothes. His face was haggard and his eyes bloodshot, as though he had not rested in a long time.

As soon as the boy saw Chiba Yo, he ran over.

"Have you seen my little sister? She's ten years old, with a cherry blossom hair ornament, about this tall." The boy gestured to show Chiba Yo her height, his voice frantic and his gaze hopeful.

"No." Chiba Yo shook his head, then asked, "May I ask what happened?"

The light in the boy's eyes quickly faded at Chiba Yo's answer. In a hoarse voice, he replied, "My little sister went missing. Three evenings ago, she came here with her friends to play tag, but she never came home. I came looking for her that night, but she and all her friends had disappeared.

"The townspeople whose children were missing went to the police. The police searched here during the day for two days, but all they found were some bloodstains. They decided the children had been eaten by some wild animal and stopped investigating..."

As he spoke, the boy's voice choked up and his body began to tremble. He continued, "But I've lived here for over ten years, and I've never seen any wild animals. Xiao Ying must still be alive. I'm going to find her..."

With that, the boy set off again, staggering forward. His legs had begun to shake, probably from walking without rest for so long.

This was probably a demon's doing...

Chiba Yo watched the boy with sympathy. After three days without finding her, his little sister had very likely already met a tragic end.

Suddenly, the boy stumbled, lost his balance, and pitched toward the ground.

Smack.

Chiba Yo immediately stepped forward and caught him. The boy was already terribly weak. There was no telling how long he had been searching like this.

"Are you all right?" Chiba Yo asked with concern.

"I'm fine..." the boy answered, then immediately tried to keep walking.

"Let me help you," Chiba Yo told him.

Although he felt the boy's little sister had little chance of surviving, Chiba Yo still wanted to help. Besides, what the boy had described was very likely a demon's doing, and following him might improve his chances of finding it.

The boy turned, saw the sincerity in Chiba Yo's eyes, and nodded in agreement.

Chiba Yo supported the boy as they searched the forest together. Although it was nighttime, the moonlight gave them enough light to see the path.

"This is where the police found the bloodstains. There was nothing else. Even if there really was a wild animal, it should have left something else behind, shouldn't it...?"

The boy pointed to the bloodstains on the ground as he spoke to Chiba Yo.

After searching the forest for a while without finding anything, Chiba Yo had suggested they visit the place where the police had found the bloodstains to see whether they could uncover any clues.

Chiba Yo surveyed the area and found that it was just as the boy had said: there was nothing but bloodstains. However, they were scattered, with a patch every ten or twenty meters and some on the trees as well.

"Xiao Ying is so timid. She only dared to come out that day because she was with her friends. I was busy repairing a customer's shoes, so I didn't pay much attention and just said she could go. If only I'd stopped her..."

The boy muttered to himself in self-reproach, tears spilling from his eyes. Deep down, he knew his little sister might already have met a tragic end. The bloodstains here could not have appeared out of nowhere. He simply refused to believe it. As long as he had not seen his sister's body with his own eyes, he felt there was still hope.

"Life was finally starting to get better. Why did this have to happen...?"

The boy's words pained Chiba Yo, and he could relate to them. He had once been the same: blaming himself, hurting, and lost. Fortunately, he had met Kyojuro, joined the Demon Slayer Corps, and found a purpose.

Should I tell this boy about demons? Perhaps he would join the Demon Slayer Corps too.

Chiba Yo considered it.

But he still could not be certain that a demon was responsible. Even if he told the boy about his suspicions and the existence of demons, the boy probably would not believe him.

Chiba Yo also knew this was not the time to discuss such things, so he remained silent and continued examining the bloodstains, hoping to find a clue.

Hiss-

A sound like a branding iron searing skin rang out. Chiba Yo whipped his head toward its source. For some reason, a hole had been eaten into the trunk of a large tree, and it was still growing.

The boy noticed it too. With no idea what was happening, he stood there in a daze.