The platform at the mountaintop.
The setting sun was as red as blood, its lingering rays spilling over the broad expanse of land as though draping the entire mountaintop in a magnificent golden robe.
The enormous wisteria tree stood there like something out of a dream, bathed in the sunset and radiating an enchanting glow.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the crisp sound of a swinging sword rang across the mountaintop, breaking the stillness.
Teiichi stood beside the flowering tree, repeatedly swinging a heavy longsword. Every stroke carried a fierce momentum, the wind from his blade whistling with a force that demanded attention.
With one final swing, Teiichi finished his training for the day.
He let out a long breath, feeling the power flowing through his body, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
Then Teiichi carefully put away his heavy sword, his movements gentle and steady, as though handling a precious treasure.
Once everything was in order, Teiichi turned and headed down the mountain. His steps were slow and firm, revealing a calm confidence.
Time had flown since Teiichi brought Kanon up the mountain, and a full week had passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, perhaps because she felt she was living under someone else's roof, Kanon always rushed to take on the household chores, even the cooking.
For various reasons, Teiichi had not done much to discourage her.
Every day, Teiichi took Kanon along to train.
However, because of the enormous difference in their strength, the intensity of Kanon's training naturally could not compare to his.
As mealtime approached, Kanon would head down the mountain first to prepare their food, while Teiichi would follow about an hour later to eat.
After a week, although Kanon had yet to completely escape the shadow of the pain deep within her, she had certainly become livelier and more endearing than when Teiichi first met her. She was a child, after all.
And so the days of that week passed peacefully, as uneventful as still water.
The only thing was that Master Shoma had gone out to hunt demons and had yet to return. Counting the days, he had already been gone for nine.
Still, Teiichi did not think much of it, because hunting demons was a troublesome business in itself.
First, there had to be a demon to hunt.
When the Demon Slayer Corps assigned a mission, it only meant that there had most likely been a demon in that place at some point.
By the time a Corps member arrived, the demon might have already left, or it might have finished feeding and entered a long stretch during which it did not need to hunt.
Second, they had to be able to find the demon.
Even if there was a demon, and even if it came out to hunt, they still had to discover it in the act.
Thus, the larger the mission area, the harder it was for a Corps member to complete the assignment.
Not everyone was Tanjiro, with a keen nose that could detect a demon with a sniff when it appeared.
Ordinary members relied entirely on victims' screams and the smell of blood to find demons. The louder someone screamed and the worse their injuries, the more likely they were to be rescued.
For those reasons, every year the Demon Slayer Corps had quite a few missions where members were dispatched, only to investigate for ten days or half a month without finding a demon and ultimately abandon the matter.
Depending on staffing, the Corps might have its members stay a little longer if it had enough people, to prevent the situations described above.
But if they were short-handed and there had been no new developments in that place for ten days or half a month, they could only reassign those members elsewhere.
A short while later.
Teiichi returned to the little wooden cabin. The moment he arrived outside, he sensed something strange.
A pitch-black crow stood on the windowsill. Teiichi knew it was a Kasugai Crow-a special living communication tool bred by the Demon Slayer Corps.
Kasugai Crows could speak human language and help relay simple instructions, though anything too complicated was beyond them.
Ask a Kasugai Crow to deliver a dozen or a few dozen words, and it would have no problem. Ask it to deliver a short essay, and it could only say it was powerless to help.
The moment Teiichi saw the Kasugai Crow, it seemed to sense his gaze as well.
It immediately spread its wings and took to the sky, circling above his head as it repeated a shocking piece of news:
"Kato Teiichi, Kato Teiichi! Former Wind Hashira Kazeno Shoma encountered Upper Rank Four and died in battle! Former Wind Hashira Kazeno Shoma encountered Upper Rank Four and died in battle!"
The sudden tragic news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Teiichi frozen where he stood as though lightning had hit him. His mind went blank, unable to accept this cruel reality.
M-Master... was dead?
Inside the cabin, Kanon, who had been busy preparing their meal, heard the Kasugai Crow's cries.
Startled, she hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed outside. When she saw Teiichi standing there, her eyes involuntarily settled on his face.
Teiichi stood rooted to the spot without shedding a single tear, but the unconcealable grief on his face made one's heart ache for him.
Putting that together with what she had just heard, Kanon immediately understood what had happened. Her expression grew solemn, and a trace of worry appeared in her eyes.
"Big Brother Teiichi..." Kanon called softly, her voice trembling slightly with concern.
Hearing Kanon's voice, Teiichi came back to his senses as though waking from a dream. He forced a smile at her and said, "It's all right. This is a Demon Slayer's fate."
Looking at Kanon, Teiichi fell silent for a moment, then raised his head toward the Kasugai Crow in the sky and called, "I understand. Please deliver a message to the leader for me."
"I rescued a little girl a few days ago, and she wants to join the Demon Slayer Corps too. Sorry for the trouble, but could the master arrange for her to study at the Butterfly Mansion?"
"Understood! Understood!"
The Kasugai Crow cried out in reply to Teiichi.
It circled overhead for a while longer, then, seeing that Teiichi had nothing else to say, beat its wings and sped off into the distance.
Teiichi watched the Kasugai Crow's silhouette recede into the sky until it vanished completely before turning toward the cabin.
"B-Big Brother." Watching Teiichi approach the doorway, Kanon wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but she did not know what to say and could only call to him in a small, soft voice.
Teiichi gave Kanon a gentle but strained smile and said softly:
"I'm really sorry, Kanon.
Master won't be able to come back for the time being, so there's no one to teach you Wind Breathing.
But don't worry. I've already spoken to the Kasugai Crow.
The leader should send someone specifically to escort you to the Butterfly Mansion later.
You'll have the chance to learn all kinds of exquisite Breathing Style techniques there too."
Kanon quietly gazed at Teiichi as he struggled to maintain his smile. After a moment, she broke the silence and said gently:
"Big Brother, you don't have to force yourself to smile.
It's perfectly all right even if you don't.
Because I know very well that you've always been an incredibly gentle, kind person!"
At Kanon's words, Teiichi's breath caught, and tears nearly spilled from his eyes.
He quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his emotions. Only after he had calmed a little did he slowly open his eyes and look at Kanon again, his voice full of apology.
"I'm all right. I'm just sorry, Kanon. I promised we'd teach you, but now I can only send you to the Butterfly Mansion to learn a Breathing Style."
Kanon lowered her head slightly, her large, lively eyes fixed on the ground, and asked tentatively, "Could I learn from you, Big Brother?"
A bitter smile touched Teiichi's lips at her words. He slowly shook his head and answered:
"I'm not even an official member myself yet, and what I've learned is still pretty mediocre. If you want to learn a Breathing Style, you need an experienced teacher."
Then Teiichi took a deep breath and continued:
"Besides, I'll probably be taking the trial to become an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps soon. Once I become one, I'll have to travel around on missions. Training with me would only slow your progress."
At that, Teiichi gently patted Kanon's shoulder and reassured her, "Don't worry. The Butterfly Mansion is very safe, and there are lots of girls there too. You'll definitely have a good life there, Kanon."
Understanding that she could not stay with Teiichi, Kanon nodded helplessly. Feeling somewhat downcast, she answered quietly, "Okay."
"All right, let's go inside and eat. I've been training all day. I'm starving."
Teiichi's smile was a little strained, and he was saying things he had never said before, as though trying to conceal something.
Hearing the slight difference from his usual tone, Kanon suddenly recalled the news of Master Shoma's death.
She knew that Master Shoma's passing was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Big Brother Teiichi.
Originally, Kanon had felt that she ought to take on the responsibility of comforting him, yet without her noticing, he had been the one looking after her and showing concern for her all along.
At that thought, guilt welled up in Kanon's heart.
She hurriedly composed herself and gave him a brilliant smile, saying gently, "Okay. Big Brother Teiichi, today I made the braised pork you taught me, stir-fried some wild greens, and made some fish soup."
Deep into the night, all was silent.
Teiichi lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Upper Rank Four... Hantengu...
Those words kept surfacing in his mind, weighing ever more heavily on him.
Was the Swordsmith Village, after the main story began, the definite time and place where Hantengu appeared...?
I'll have to find a way to establish the timeline later. I have to be strong enough to kill Hantengu before the Swordsmith Village.
With that thought, Teiichi clenched his right fist and lightly tapped his forehead, pondering to himself.
Moments from the past flashed through his mind like a film. This was someone who had been by his side day in and day out for two years, the only person who had been like family to him since he came to this world.
Having lived two lives, Teiichi could not shed a single tear, yet he could not stop the stabbing pain in his heart.
What had happened to Kanon and the news of his master's passing kept looping through Teiichi's mind.
It shook Teiichi profoundly. For the first time in two years, he truly felt it.
This was a real world!