At the end of the street, a figure slowly appeared.
He, too, wore the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, but over it was a green-and-black checkered haori.
On the left side of his forehead was a dark red scar.
Most striking of all was the enormous wooden box on his back, out of proportion to his build.
The instant that figure appeared, Sasuke's Two-Tomoe Sharingan analyzed him thoroughly from head to toe.
The distribution of his muscles, the rhythm of his breathing, the balance of his steps.
All of it showed that he was a rigorously trained swordsman.
Though, in Sasuke's eyes, his strength was not worth mentioning.
But what truly made Sasuke stop were two things.
First was an extremely unusual scent coming from this boy.
It was a mixture of charcoal, sunshine, and a certain... nostalgic scent that belonged to his school of training.
It bore some resemblance to Master Kuwajima's scent.
Upright and warm, without the slightest trace of gloom.
The exact opposite of the cold, rusty scent of vengeance that clung to Sasuke himself.
The second, and most crucial thing.
Was that wooden box.
Within Sasuke's Sharingan vision, a mass of energy lay coiled inside it.
An energy that undoubtedly belonged to a demon.
But this energy was strange.
Unlike any demon Sasuke had slain, it was not filled with brutality, hunger, and malice.
It was calm, like a deep pool asleep, and even carried a trace of... warm, human emotion.
A Demon Slayer Corps swordsman carrying a demon?
Sasuke's gaze instantly became extraordinarily dangerous.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro Kamado noticed Sasuke at the alley entrance immediately as well.
His nose was keener than anyone's eyes.
He smelled it.
From the boy ahead, he caught an overwhelmingly intense scent, sharp and dangerous, like thunder before a downpour.
That presence even overpowered the nauseating stench of decay in the air that belonged to the Swamp Demon.
This person is strong.
Stronger than anyone I've met so far.
Tanjiro stopped and tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade at his waist, his expression guarded.
He saw Sasuke's eyes, too.
What kind of eyes were those?
Two black tomoe slowly revolved within blood-colored eyes, as though they could see through the deepest secrets of the human heart.
Under their gaze, Tanjiro felt as if a hawk poised to strike had fixed its eyes on him.
The two faced each other from a distance on the deserted, silent street.
In the end, Tanjiro spoke first.
His personality would not allow him to leave a misunderstanding between himself and a comrade.
"Hello, I'm Tanjiro Kamado, a Mizunoto-ranked member of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
His voice was earnest and clear.
"I was ordered here to slay the demon in this area!"
Sasuke did not respond to his introduction. He merely swept those scarlet eyes coldly over him before finally fixing them on the wooden box behind him.
"What's in the box?"
His voice was like ice on a winter night, without a trace of feeling.
Tanjiro's body abruptly stiffened.
Instinctively, he angled the wooden box on his back to one side, assuming a protective stance.
"This is..."
He did not know how to explain.
But Sasuke had no need for his explanation.
"A demon."
It was not a question, but a statement.
Sasuke's tone was as flat as if he were saying, "Nice weather today," but the killing intent within it made Tanjiro feel as though he had plunged into an ice pit.
Nezuko, behind him, seemed to sense that bone-deep chill as well and stirred uneasily inside the box.
"Why are you carrying a demon?"
Sasuke slowly rested his hand on the jet-black Wakizashi at his waist.
"No! You've misunderstood!"
Tanjiro hurriedly waved his hands and explained loudly.
"She's my younger sister! She may have become a demon, but she's never eaten anyone! Not even once!"
Sasuke's movement stopped.
He looked into Tanjiro's crystal-clear eyes, which held not a trace of deceit.
Then, with his Sharingan, he once again confirmed the calm energy within the wooden box, which held no aggression whatsoever.
He recalled what Kiriya Ubuyashiki had said to him on Mount Fujikasane.
"The Master is very interested in you."
This boy carrying a demon is probably someone receiving "special attention," too.
In that case, there's no need to waste time here now.
The highest priority at present was to slay the Swamp Demon that had abducted the girls.
Sasuke released his grip on his sword hilt.
"I'll believe you for now."
He spoke coldly.
"But I'll be watching you. If she does anything to harm a human, I'll personally eliminate both of you together."
With that, he paid no further attention to Tanjiro's reaction, turned, and walked toward the alley where traces of the demon's presence remained.
"Follow me."
"That demon is nearby."
Tanjiro froze for a moment, looking at Sasuke's aloof figure from behind, unable to quite process what had happened.
But when he heard the word "demon," he immediately came back to his senses and hurried after him with Nezuko on his back.
Whatever the case, the person before him seemed to have accepted Nezuko's presence for the time being.
And their goal was the same.
One relied on a sense of smell beyond that of ordinary people.
The other relied on the Sharingan, which saw through all things.
Two boys with entirely different backgrounds and vastly different personalities walked the same path for the first time because of a demon.
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