Security Guard Kiyohiko

[Hands up! Hand over your brains like good little readers! I'll collect them all and sell them to Muzan Kibutsuji. (Just kidding.)]

[Solemn declaration: Any badly written plot in this story was written by the author's fifth personality and has nothing to do with the author himself. Don't doubt that the good parts were all written by the author.]

Night always fell especially early on Mount Fujikasane. Or perhaps the darkness here had never truly lifted.

A nauseating stench of rot hung in the air, the traces left behind by the countless swordsmen who had died here over the decades. At the center of this deathly silence and bloody stench, a bloated, monstrous creature covered in dark green arms lurked in the shadows.

Yet on a large rock less than three meters from the monster lay a boy who looked completely out of place.

Kiyohiko lay with his legs crossed, a stalk of foxtail grass he had pulled from who knew where between his teeth and both hands tucked behind his head. Looking thoroughly content, he gazed at the starry sky hidden by the leaves overhead. Though he was a demon, he showed none of the usual ferocious killing intent. Instead, he lounged as though he were on an outing.

"Hey, Mr. Hand Demon, you're not thinking about how to kill me right now, are you?"

The boy turned his head, his unusual slit pupils glinting with amusement as he grinned at the mountain of flesh.

The countless arms covering the enormous monster-the Hand Demon-twitched violently, as though he were struggling to hold back a fury about to erupt.

Nearby, Kiyohiko changed positions and propped his head on one hand, looking at the indescribable monster with an expression of innocent curiosity.

"We've been fighting for ages. You must be tired too, right? How about I tell you a joke to pass the time? Once upon a time, there was a demon with lots of hands. He went bankrupt buying gloves. Hahahaha."

"Shut up!!"

The Hand Demon could bear it no longer. One enormous arm lashed out like a whip, whistling through the air as it smashed into the rock.

"Boom!!"

Stone fragments flew, and dust billowed into the air.

But a moment later, as the dust cleared, Kiyohiko was already crouching on the trunk of another tree. He had suffered several cuts, but wisps of white smoke rose from the wounds as they rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving not even a scar.

"My, what a temper." Kiyohiko dusted off his clothes and shrugged helplessly. "I told you, we're neighbors. A close neighbor is better than a distant relative."

"Ding."

[Target detected: Hand Demon. Current Bond Value: -50]

That was right. Kiyohiko was a transmigrator. He had originally been a twenty-year-old medical intern who worked day and night. After dying suddenly from overwork, he had transmigrated here and become a little demon on Mount Fujikasane.

Apart from his exceptional regeneration, he had nothing remarkable about him. His combat strength was even on par with the Hand Demon's; otherwise, their long fight would not have ended with him merely leaving the Hand Demon severely wounded and holed up here.

Fortunately, Kiyohiko also had a golden finger, the Bond System. As long as he strengthened his bonds and relationships with others, he could receive all kinds of rewards.

At first, Kiyohiko hadn't known where he had transmigrated to. After all, he had barely watched the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime, much less the movies. What? You're asking how Kiyohiko knew he had transmigrated into Demon Slayer if he hadn't watched it?

It was like how, even if you had never watched tokusatsu, you would still know it was Ultraman when you saw a giant of light over fifty meters tall with two salted eggs on his head.

Or how, even if you had never watched the anime, you would still know they were the retreating dwarves when you saw a group of people shouting "Tatakai!" and charging beyond the walls.

Or how, even if you had never read the manga, you would still know it was N... ahem... getting sidetracked...

Yesterday, shortly after transmigrating, Kiyohiko had met the first demon he had seen-the legendary king of survival, a must-have encounter in Demon Slayer fanfiction, the Hand Demon. That was how he had learned where he had transmigrated to.

"Hey, kid, what era is it now?"

"Hmm... Taisho."

And then they had fought until now.

Just then, a breeze swept through the mountain forest.

A strange scent suddenly mixed into the previously still air. It was... the smell of living humans. More than one, too-there were many of them. A living, pulsing scent, full of fear and hot blood.

The Hand Demon's massive body jolted, and his eyes swiveled toward the foot of the mountain. His body, which had been tense with anger, now trembled violently with excitement. A greedy roar rumbled from deep in his throat, mingled with drool.

"They're here... they're here... hehehe... my little foxes..."

The Hand Demon's voice grew shrill and distorted. It was the ecstasy of a predator scenting prey.

Crouching on the tree trunk, Kiyohiko gradually let his grin fade. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward a dark forest path in the distance. Faint sounds of hurried footsteps and Nichirin Blades scraping out of their sheaths came from there.

The Final Selection had begun.

So... Tanjiro is finally coming?

"Looks like your delivery is here, Mr. Hand Demon."

Kiyohiko patted the dust off his backside and rose to his feet on the tree trunk. He knew he couldn't waste any more time here with this many-handed monster. His goal was clear: Tanjiro Kamado.

The rewards for forming bonds with the original story's main characters would be a little better, and with the protagonist Tanjiro's personality, wouldn't forming a bond with him be easy?

Hehehe, Tanjiro, don't run. I'm coming to find you.

"Sorry, Mr. Hand Demon. I know you're hungry, but the great security guard Kiyohiko won't let a single delivery into the neighborhood!"

Just as he was about to turn and slip into the forest in search of the red-haired boy, the Hand Demon's low, hoarse voice came from behind him.

"Hey, kid."

The Hand Demon's massive body writhed in the shadows. His countless arms spread like a sea anemone, revealing the hideous face hidden deep within. His murky eyes fixed on Kiyohiko, as though appraising a rare tool.

"A new selection is coming. Those tender little kids are delivering themselves right to our door." A hint of temptation entered the Hand Demon's voice. "I can tell you're different from ordinary demons... You don't have that person's curse on you. What do you say? I'll let you eat all of them. Work with me, and we'll escape this damned Wisteria prison together. We'll go outside... and take revenge on that old bastard Urokodaki!"

The Hand Demon clearly had it all planned out. He had been trapped here for forty-seven years, and his hunger for freedom and revenge had long since become unbearable. This uncontrolled freak with exceptional regenerative abilities might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

"Sorry, Mr. Hand Demon."

Kiyohiko held up a finger and gently wagged it.

"Your proposal is very constructive, but... I refuse."

"Why? You're a demon too. Don't you want to get out?"

Kiyohiko looked at the Hand Demon, pinched his nose, and spoke in a disgusted tone, as though picking through rotten cabbages at a market. "Why would I work with you? Because you don't wash your hands before eating? Because you haven't brushed your teeth in forty-seven years? Because you're ugly?"

"Come back and talk to me when buying gloves won't bankrupt you."

With that, Kiyohiko turned and walked away. His movements were smooth and unhesitating.

[Target Hand Demon's Bond Value has decreased. Current Bond Value: -70]

Hearing the system notification, Kiyohiko couldn't help feeling that, rather than raising his Bond Value and getting along with others, he seemed to be better at lowering it and getting people to hate him.