Deep in the mountains somewhere near Kyoto.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki was enjoying a rare moment of leisure, feeding the small animals in the mountain woods behind his home.
His wife, Amane, supported him as they chatted about amusing little everyday matters.
The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps...
Always had a peculiar affinity with swordsmen and small animals alike.
Whenever he visited the mountain behind his home, deer or birds would gather around him.
This time, however, Ubuyashiki looked slightly puzzled as he smiled kindly and soothed the animals.
"Kitagawa, why haven't I seen A-Tun during my last few visits?"
He directed the question at the Kakushi member beside him.
Kitagawa, who was usually quite quick-witted, inexplicably fell silent for a moment.
"Perhaps... he went off to another mountain."
"As you know, Master, these animals may be intelligent, but they won't stay in one place forever."
That was a lie.
The wild boar the Master called "A-Tun"...
Had long since become a meat feast for the Dawn Hashira and the others.
Ubuyashiki nodded. "I see... what a shame."
Just as the Kakushi member was worrying that Oyakata-sama might have seen through his lie...
A Kasugai Crow flew down from the sky.
It landed gently on the Kakushi member's head.
Amane went over, removed the bamboo tube from its leg, and drew out the letter.
After scanning a few lines, her gaze stopped.
"Amane," Ubuyashiki asked, "has Xia Xi... come up with another new plan?"
His wife, however, wore a somewhat helpless smile.
"My husband, these are the results of this Final Selection."
Now Ubuyashiki was genuinely taken aback.
He knew the schedules of all five Final Selection Grounds.
By all rights, the selection at Mount Fujikasane should not have ended yet.
Why had a Kasugai Crow already come to report the