A little earlier, Tanjiro had ventured deep into Fujikasane Mountain. Before he could encounter his first demon, he spotted a faint red glow.
"A fire?"
His expression shifted slightly. "There are people on this mountain. If it catches fire, they'll be in terrible danger."
He trusted that, as the site of the Demon Slayer Corps' final trial, this place would never be allowed to suffer such a horrific disaster. The people responsible would surely take steps to deal with it.
Still, now that he had seen it, he simply couldn't shrug it off.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to head toward the flames and take a look.
In the forest, he occasionally spotted young swordsmen moving through the trees, but not one of them seemed curious about the fire.
"I should be like them and trust the Demon Slayer Corps to handle everything."
Tanjiro suddenly felt that his actions were a little ridiculous. He should be taking the final trial right now, not fighting a fire.
Yet despite that thought, his hands defied his intentions as he doggedly raced toward the flames.
I can't... just leave it alone!
Figures darted through the trees. Tanjiro suddenly looked up and saw an agile figure leaping overhead.
"It's Kanao..."
Tanjiro recognized her immediately. They had only parted a short while ago, after all. "Looks like she's thinking the same thing I am."
He quickly called out, "Hey, hello!!!"
Kanao pushed off with her toes and came to rest on a tree branch. She looked down at him, a trace of confusion on her face, unsure why he had called out to her.
Tanjiro leaped onto the branch. "Are you going to put out the fire too? I'll go with you."
Without giving Kanao time to respond, he continued forward.
Kanae considered taking