Chapter Summaries

Su Mu bathed and cared for Kanao Tsuyuri, whose battered body revealed the abuse she had endured. He then led her away from the house, leaving her dead father behind.

• Su Mu helped Kanao Tsuyuri remove her filthy clothes, though she was reluctant to part with her only set.
• Su Mu saw Kanao's numerous wounds and gently washed her, taking care around her fresh injuries.
• After bathing, Kanao wore clean, warm clothes and felt unfamiliar happiness at Su Mu's kindness.
• Su Mu praised Kanao's appearance, held her, and told her they would leave the place.
• Su Mu led Kanao away from the house, and she did not look back at the woodshed where her father lay dead.

Su Mu carried Kanao Tsuyuri toward town but heard the Demon Slayer Corps fighting the demon who had sheltered with him and chose to flee. The wounded demon hoped Su Mu would help, but was forced to escape alone as Hiroshi Furukawa and the other swordsmen pressed their attack.

• Su Mu carried Kanao Tsuyuri on his back because she could not keep pace with his run.
• Near Taro Town, Su Mu heard the demon from the underground cavern fighting the Demon Slayer Corps and turned away rather than help him.
• Hiroshi Furukawa and his companions attacked the demon with Nichirin Blades, killing two swordsmen as they fought.
• Hiroshi Furukawa struck the demon's head, but the demon survived and suffered further injuries from the coordinated attacks.
• The demon sensed Su Mu approaching and hoped they could defeat the swordsmen together, but Su Mu moved away.
• The demon cursed Su Mu and fled as Hiroshi Furukawa and the other swordsmen attacked again.

Hiroshi Furukawa and the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen killed the fleeing demon, whose human memories returned as he died. Hiroshi then found a footprint and warned that the mission was not over yet.

• A Demon Slayer Corps swordsman threw his Nichirin Blade into the fleeing demon's thigh, and Hiroshi Furukawa decapitated him with Flame Breathing, second form: Rising Scorching Sun.
• The swordsmen mourned their fallen companions as the demon's body disintegrated and he remembered his wife and child.
• Hiroshi Furukawa agreed to bring his companions along to meet Kyojuro Rengoku after the mission.
• Hiroshi Furukawa examined a footprint, drew his companions' attention, and said the demon-hunting mission was not over.

After defeating one demon, Hiroshi Furukawa and his exhausted swordsmen found fresh footprints belonging to another demon and decided to rest before pursuing it. Hiroshi ordered the Hidden Ones to trace the tracks after sunrise, determined to kill the demon soon so he could still treat Lord Kyojuro to a meal.

• Hiroshi Furukawa examined fresh, deep footprints and recognized them as belonging to another demon.
• The swordsmen wondered why a second demon was nearby and urged Hiroshi to pursue it immediately.
• Hiroshi refused to chase the demon while the group was exhausted, explaining that demons could outlast them.
• Hiroshi ordered the Hidden Ones to follow the footprints after sunrise and report the demon's hiding place.
• Hiroshi vowed to find and kill the demon, then looked forward to treating Lord Kyojuro to a meal.

After fleeing the Demon Slayer Corps, Su Mu brought Kanao Tsuyuri into a bustling city and gave her a butterfly hairpin. They reached the Hiko Dojo, where Su Mu sensed an intense danger from a man training with a sword.

• Su Mu ran from the Demon Slayer Corps and chose to hide in a nearby city, where he could also practice Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu at the Hiko Dojo.
• Su Mu checked on Kanao Tsuyuri after his sprint, then led her into the lively city while staying alert for pursuers.
• Su Mu bought Kanao Tsuyuri a blue butterfly hairpin and placed it in her hair, making her happy.
• Su Mu and Kanao Tsuyuri entered the Hiko Dojo, where Su Mu spotted a red-kimono swordsman and felt an intense sense of danger.

Su Mu studied Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu at the Hiko Dojo while caring for Kanao Tsuyuri, where he encountered the powerful swordsman Kenshin Himura. He rented a secluded room at an inn and dug a pit beneath the bed before sunrise forced him to hide.

• Su Mu arrived at the Hiko Dojo with Kanao Tsuyuri and saw Kenshin Himura standing silently on the training ground.
• Arakawa Akihiro identified Kenshin Himura as the dojo’s strongest student and continued teaching Su Mu Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu.
• After two hours of training, Su Mu left the dojo with Kanao Tsuyuri and headed to an inn.
• Su Mu rented the inn’s detached room and instructed the innkeeper to keep others out and have Kanao collect their meals.
• Su Mu used his Nichirin Blade to dig a pit beneath the bed and packed the soil into a storage chest.
• As sunrise approached, Su Mu finished concealing the pit and prepared to hide from the daylight.

Kanao Tsuyuri slept safely at the inn while Su Mu hid beneath the bed, and the Demon Slayer Corps searched for the demon that had vanished into town. After waking, Kanao brought food to Su Mu, but he refused it, leaving her wondering what he could eat.

• Kanao Tsuyuri fell asleep on the inn's soft bed while Su Mu hid in the hole beneath it.
• Hiroshi Furukawa learned the demon's trail had ended at the town and ordered the Hidden Ones to search dark places and monitor reports of missing people.
• Hiroshi Furukawa and his swordsmen decided to stay in town until they could slay the demon.
• Kanao Tsuyuri woke at midday, crawled beside Su Mu, and went to fetch food after he noticed she was hungry.
• Kanao Tsuyuri offered Su Mu food, but he refused, and she again asked what his food was.

Su Mu resisted his demon's hunger while caring for Kanao Tsuyuri, who had spent the day hiding beneath the bed. He began teaching her to make small choices by listening to her own feelings.

• Su Mu could not answer Kanao Tsuyuri when she asked what demons ate, and he told her to eat while he endured his hunger in silence.
• Kanao Tsuyuri ate all the food and stayed curled beneath the bed as children played outside.
• After night fell, Su Mu came out from beneath the bed and helped Kanao Tsuyuri clean the dust from her face.
• Su Mu told Kanao Tsuyuri to listen to the voice in her heart and explained that she could act on her own feelings instead of waiting for his instructions.

Su Mu took Kanao Tsuyuri out to help her learn to listen to her feelings, then trained at the Hiko Dojo and sparred with Arakawa Akihiro. When Arakawa decided he could no longer teach Su Mu, he introduced him to Kenshin Himura for further instruction.

• Su Mu gently encouraged Kanao Tsuyuri to take her time and try to feel the world around her as they walked to the Hiko Dojo.
• After training for four hours, Su Mu learned from Arakawa Akihiro that true mastery required actual combat.
• Arakawa Akihiro defeated Su Mu in a spar, catching him off guard with a swift counterattack.
• Arakawa Akihiro said Su Mu had become too strong for him to teach and offered to introduce him to his senior fellow disciple.
• Arakawa Akihiro brought Kenshin Himura to meet Su Mu, who asked Kenshin to teach him.

Su Mu trained with Kenshin Himura, gradually grasped Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, and saw the change reflected in his character panel. His increased spirit also strengthened his control over his hunger for human flesh and blood.

• Su Mu sparred with Kenshin Himura, who showed him that Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu relied on explosive, full-body power and speed.
• Su Mu unleashed his demonic strength, but Kenshin defeated him after their wooden swords shattered.
• Su Mu and Kenshin continued sparring with iron swords, and Kenshin guided him as he studied the style.
• Su Mu mastered Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, and his character panel gained a swordsmanship entry while his spirit rose from 1.2 to 1.5.
• Su Mu noticed that his clearer mind and greater self-control eased his fear of losing control amid his growing hunger.

Su Mu declined Kenshin Himura’s invitation to go to Kyoto and help end the fighting, while Kenshin remained determined to act. On the way back to the inn, Su Mu sensed a demon waiting for him in an alley.

• Kenshin Himura celebrated Su Mu’s mastery of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu over drinks, while Su Mu cared for Kanao Tsuyuri.
• Kenshin told Su Mu he planned to leave the mountains and use his sword to stop the killing, then invited him to join him in Kyoto.
• Su Mu refused, warning that one person could not change the era alone and that joining a faction could lead to endless slaughter.
• Kenshin accepted that someone had to act and drank until he was thoroughly drunk; Su Mu arranged for the tavern staff to take him home.
• Su Mu spotted Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen carrying Nichirin Blades and avoided them as he led Kanao toward the inn.
• In a secluded alley, Su Mu stopped before a powerful man whose familiar aura revealed him as one of Su Mu’s kind.

Su Mu confronted a territorial demon who demanded Kanao Tsuyuri as compensation for trespassing and disturbing his hunting. When the demon reached for her, Su Mu drew the blade concealed at his waist, leaving the demon staring at its fiery gleam.

• The territorial demon accused Su Mu of drawing the Demon Slayer Corps to his hunting ground and demanded that he leave.
• The demon noticed Kanao Tsuyuri and demanded Su Mu hand her over as food.
• Su Mu pulled Kanao Tsuyuri behind him and blocked the demon from reaching her.
• Su Mu grasped the weapon concealed at his waist and drew a blade that radiated scorching heat.

Su Mu killed a demon with his Nichirin Blade while Kanao Tsuyuri watched, and he sensed the demon’s sorrow as it died. After the Demon Slayer Corps investigated the scene, Hiroshi Furukawa learned that Kanae Kocho and Shinobu were the only other swordsmen to contact the local Hidden Ones recently.

• Su Mu swiftly beheaded the demon with his Nichirin Blade after it failed to recognize the weapon’s danger.
• As the demon disintegrated, Su Mu sensed its grief over the human life it had lost, and Kanao Tsuyuri noticed its tears.
• Su Mu took Kanao Tsuyuri away from the alley before passersby gathered around the foul smell.
• Hiroshi Furukawa and several companions investigated the demon’s recent death and asked whether other Corps teams were nearby.
• A Hidden One reported that only Miss Kanae and Miss Shinobu had contacted them, prompting a swordsman to identify Kanae Kocho as the Flower Hashira.

Hiroshi Furukawa’s Demon Slayer Corps team investigated the demons Su Mu had killed and waited for a report from their superiors, while Su Mu avoided them with Kanao. Kanao offered to let Su Mu eat her if hunger became unbearable, but he promised she would never be his food and said he hoped to soon find a cure for his hunger.

• Hiroshi Furukawa’s team examined the site where the demons had died, suspected the Flower Hashira was responsible, and sent a Kasugai Crow to report the incident.
• Hiroshi Furukawa ordered his swordsmen to remain nearby while they awaited a reply, recalling that a teammate’s Nichirin Blade was still missing.
• Su Mu watched the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen from the inn and relaxed when they left without searching the area.
• Su Mu returned to their room with Kanao, checked that she was not frightened, and told her to sleep.
• Kanao asked why someone had called her Su Mu’s food and said she would be happy if he ate her; Su Mu firmly promised he would never do so.
• Su Mu said he hoped to find Tanjiro Kamado and the Blue Spider Lily soon so he could remedy the hunger caused by becoming a demon.

Su Mu struggled with his growing hunger and hid in an underground hole to escape the rising sun. Kanao tried to comfort him by basking in the sunlight for him, and her kindness eased his fear as he stayed in the darkness.

• Su Mu watched the dawn approach and crawled beneath his bed to hide from the sunlight.
• Kanao joined him under the bed and asked to stay in the underground hole with him.
• Su Mu told Kanao he could not go into the sunlight and asked her to feel its warmth for him.
• Kanao basked in the sunlight and described its warmth, believing Su Mu could feel it through her.
• Su Mu watched Kanao through a crack in the cover, then closed it as her kindness calmed his unease.

Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho argued about Shinobu’s hatred of demons and her refusal to abandon demon hunting. A Kasugai Crow then brought news that a demon had been killed in a town they had recently visited, though no Demon Slayer was known to be nearby.

• Shinobu Kocho urged Kanae Kocho to make demons suffer, while Kanae reminded her that demons had once been human.
• Kanae Kocho asked Shinobu to give up demon hunting and live an ordinary life, but Shinobu refused because a demon had killed their parents.
• A Kasugai Crow delivered a letter asking whether Kanae and Shinobu had killed a demon in a town they had recently passed through.
• Kanae Kocho said a Demon Slayer squad had tracked a demon to the town and found it already dead, despite no nearby swordsmen being on a mission.
• Shinobu Kocho wondered who could have killed the demon and dismissed the idea that a demon could wield a Nichirin Blade.

Hiroshi Furukawa and his squad investigated the unexplained demon death after learning that no Demon Slayer had killed it. Su Mu saw the Demon Slayer Corps and local authorities searching the town, and realized that staying there risked exposing him.

• Hiroshi Furukawa received the Flower Hashira's reply confirming that she had not killed the demon and that no other Corps swordsmen had passed through.
• The swordsmen debated how the demon could have died, and Hiroshi Furukawa ordered them to keep investigating.
• After nightfall, Su Mu emerged from his hiding place with Kanao and spotted Corps members searching the alley where he had killed the demon.
• Su Mu saw a swordsman carrying a cloth-wrapped object that appeared to be a Nichirin Blade, while Corps members enlisted the town patrol to search and question residents.
• Su Mu realized the search put him at risk of discovery and felt that the Demon Slayer Corps was more difficult to evade than he had expected.

Su Mu prepared to leave town with Kanao, worrying about her future while hiding his identity as a demon and carrying a Nichirin Blade. They slipped past the inn’s investigators and reached the town gate, where Hiroshi Furukawa noticed Kanao and reflected on how differently people’s lives could turn out.

• Su Mu combed Kanao’s hair, fastened a Butterfly Hairpin in it, and told her to care for herself if he was ever gone.
• Su Mu dressed Kanao warmly, concealed his Nichirin Blade beneath his clothes, and endured the weapon’s weakening effect on him.
• Su Mu left the inn with Kanao just as a constable and a man wearing a wisteria emblem arrived to ask questions.
• Su Mu and Kanao blended into the nighttime crowd, bought fried oysters, and walked toward the town gate.
• Hiroshi Furukawa saw them leaving and recognized Kanao as resembling the girl he had once seen in Taro Town, though she now looked well cared for.

Hiroshi Furukawa reaffirmed his resolve to protect people’s happiness by hunting demons, while Su Mu left town with Kanao and continued toward Tanjiro Kamado’s home in search of the Blue Spider Lily. The scent of wisteria forced Su Mu off the road, where a Demon Slayer Corps Hidden member stopped him and demanded to inspect him.

• Hiroshi Furukawa watched Su Mu and Kanao leave and remembered that protecting ordinary happiness was why he had joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Su Mu passed through the city gates with Kanao, then carried her away at an ordinary walking pace to avoid attracting attention.
• Su Mu thought about finding Tanjiro Kamado’s home and having Kanao help him search for the Blue Spider Lily.
• Su Mu smelled wisteria incense ahead and instinctively stepped off the road to avoid it.
• A Hidden member wearing the Demon Slayer Corps emblem ran up behind Su Mu and ordered him to turn around for inspection.

Su Mu killed a Hidden One who discovered the markings in his eyes, then fled as Hiroshi Furukawa and other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen gave chase. A Wind Breathing swordsman intercepted Su Mu and struck him hard, leaving them facing off.

• A Hidden One stopped Su Mu and demanded to see his eyes, then discovered the clear markings that identified him as a demon.
• Su Mu cut down the Hidden One and fled when his companion spotted the body and shouted an alarm.
• Hiroshi Furukawa arrived, recognized Su Mu, and ordered the pursuit.
• Su Mu ran to escape the Demon Slayer Corps, but a Wind Breathing swordsman attacked him from above.
• The swordsman blocked Su Mu's blade and kicked him back, then landed in front of him.