After coming down the mountain, Kanzaki Kumo first found a small town and wrote Jigoro Kuwajima a letter explaining that he was going to Mount Sagiri to learn Water Breathing, then continued on his way with Makomo.
Throughout the journey, one thing kept giving Kanzaki Kumo a headache-naming his Kasugai crow.
Makomo had named her Kasugai crow Long Night because its temperament was "as quiet as the night," and its feathers were pitch-black like the night too. It was a very fitting name.
But as Kanzaki Kumo looked at the Kasugai crow resting on his shoulder with its eyes closed, he had no idea what to name it.
How about South-Southeast? Recalling a scene involving a Kasugai crow in the original story, Kanzaki Kumo muttered inwardly.
Of course, he would never actually give his Kasugai crow a name like that, but he really could not think of a good one.
"Oh my, our great genius Mr. Kanzaki is actually terrible at naming things~" As they grew closer, Makomo had become comfortable joking around with Kanzaki Kumo.
"When it comes to names, the only one I've ever been happy with in my entire life is the 'Kanzaki Kumo' I gave myself."
"Hm? You named yourself, Kumo?" Though they had grown much closer, Makomo had never taken the initiative to ask about Kanzaki Kumo's past. After all, he had taken the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection at such a young age. To her, his past was probably terribly tragic.
"Well~ My parents abandoned me when I was four, and an old man named Kanzaki Keizan adopted me. Out of gratitude, I changed my surname to Kanzaki, just like you changed yours to Urokodaki. But I changed my given name too, because back then, I wanted to be as free as the clouds in the sky."
Kanzaki Kumo's tone was very relaxed, as though he were not talking about his own past.
"That old man, is he now..." Makomo looked at Kanzaki Kumo with sympathy in her eyes as she asked cautiously.
"Oh, Grandpa passed away shortly before my seventh birthday. You could say he died of old age. Later, a temple took me in, and then, a little over a year ago, a demon broke into the temple. Mr. Gyomei protected me and the other children there."
"It was after that that the head of the Demon Slayer Corps came to invite Mr. Gyomei to join. I was sort of an extra." At the end, Kanzaki Kumo even poked fun at himself.
After all, given the circumstances back then, he really could only be considered an extra who came with the invitation to Gyomei.
Whether out of genuine surprise or to change the subject, Makomo immediately asked, "So this Mr. Gyomei could defeat demons before he even joined the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"More than that. He pinned that demon to the ground and beat it all night, until the sun came up and destroyed it."
Makomo sucked in a breath. This time, she was truly stunned. After all, Gyomei's feat was far too incredible. But she soon discovered that she had been surprised too soon.
"Oh, Mr. Gyomei is the one who became the Stone Hashira not long ago, Gyomei Himejima," Kanzaki Kumo added unhurriedly.
Makomo: All right, there's something even more incredible. Becoming a Hashira in a year...
Kanzaki Kumo: Heh, in the future, someone will go from first picking up a sword to becoming a Hashira in just two months.
As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps whose master was also the former Water Hashira, Makomo naturally knew the importance of Hashira-level swordsmen within the Corps. To her, someone becoming a Hashira in just a year was even more incredible than holding a demon down for an entire night.
But soon, Makomo's attention shifted to another question.
"You clearly don't have any deep-seated hatred toward demons, so why did you still join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Faced with Makomo's question, Kanzaki Kumo did not know how to answer for a moment. Clearly, she still did not know how the Ubuyashiki Family handled information and people connected to demons.
So Kanzaki Kumo gave the somewhat naive girl a lesson on the spot.
"So that's how it is..." It was as though a door to a whole new world had opened for her, but then another question occurred to her. "Even so, why did you become a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman so early? You could have stayed at the shelter a while longer."
"What difference does it make whether it's sooner or later? Besides, isn't it better to learn a Breathing Style sooner and gain some ability to protect myself?" Kanzaki Kumo shrugged.
"Caw~"
Kanzaki Kumo's sudden shrug nearly made the Kasugai crow resting with its eyes closed on his shoulder lose its footing.
"Sorry, I almost forgot about you. I'd better give your name some proper thought." Turning his attention back to the Kasugai crow, Kanzaki Kumo once again began agonizing over naming it.
The Kasugai crow glanced at Kanzaki Kumo. For some reason, it kept feeling that its master seemed a little unreliable.
Meanwhile, Makomo looked thoughtfully at the troubled Kanzaki Kumo.
If she really thought about it, she owed the fact that she was still alive to Kanzaki Kumo having learned a Breathing Style so early. Otherwise, having lost control of her emotions back then, she probably would have already died at the Hand Demon's hands.
Shaking her head to cast aside those tangled thoughts, Makomo looked at the frowning Kanzaki Kumo and walked up to him with light steps.
"If it's really giving you such a headache, why don't I help you think of one?"
"No way. It's my Kasugai crow, so of course I have to name it myself. It's called 'a sense of ceremony,' understand?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Our great genius Kanzaki knows so much. He just can't come up with names."
"Just you wait. I'll definitely think of a good name!"
"Then I'll look forward to it~"
And so, the two chatted and teased each other along the way, making the journey less dull.
Every so often, a few screams from Kanzaki Kumo punctuated their conversation.
Those were the cries he let out when, after giving the Kasugai crow names such as "Blackie," "Black Bean," and "Coal Ball," it protested and proceeded to attack him.
Whenever that happened, Makomo would laugh beside him, and even the quiet Long Night sometimes could not help laughing. And whenever Long Night laughed, the attacks Kanzaki Kumo suffered tended to grow harder.
Finally, with Mount Sagiri already close at hand, Kanzaki Kumo brought his hands together in front of him, one above the other, with a crisp clap.
"I've decided! From now on, you'll be Ink Shadow. How's that?"
Kanzaki Kumo spoke with complete confidence, but his body had already instinctively begun bracing for an attack from the Kasugai crow.
This time, however, no attack came.
Kanzaki Kumo looked up at the Kasugai crow, which had refused to perch on him after being given so many ridiculous names, and asked uncertainly, "You agree?"
The Kasugai crow did not answer. It merely settled slowly back onto Kanzaki Kumo's shoulder.
"As black as ink, as swift as a shadow. Our great genius has finally come up with a decent name," Makomo immediately teased from beside him.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Kanzaki Kumo had already lost interest in trading barbs with her over naming.
Seeing that, Makomo merely smiled and stopped joking about it. If she kept going, it would be taking the joke a little too far.
"Look, we're here. Mount Sagiri."
Before you continue