Achoo!
The sound of a sneeze came from outside, and the old lady who was clearing the snow in front of her door couldn't help but look over.
"It's you, Tanjiro! Why didn't you wear more clothes when you came down the mountain in this weather!"
Hearing the woman's concern, Tanjiro couldn't help but smile.
"It's fine at this level!"
The aunt said, "Don't say you're fine! You're just sneezing because you're cold! Wait here for a bit, I'll go inside and get you another one of my husband's clothes."
When the woman offered him clothes, Tanjiro quickly refused.
"No, no, no! I'm fine!"
"What do you mean you're fine? You just sneezed! You're the pillar of this family now! You absolutely can't catch a cold! You can bring me my clothes next time you come down the mountain!"
Tanjiro bowed to the woman. "Thank you so much for your kindness, but I'm really fine! By the way, do you have enough charcoal? Would you like to buy some?"
"Hey! Tanjiro! I need to buy charcoal!" A male voice came from afar, and a young man stood at the doorway, calling out to Tanjiro, "Thanks for replacing the window paper last time!"
"I want to buy charcoal too!" shouted another woman standing on the other side.
Seeing people buying charcoal as soon as he came down the mountain, Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh.
Just as I was about to reply, a painful groan came from behind me.
Tanjiro turned around upon hearing the sound.
A man, with blood spilling from his mouth, struggled to walk out of the house.
A woman followed closely behind him, grabbing the man's shoulder.
The man looked delighted to see Tanjiro.
" Tanjiro! You've come at the right time! I've been mistaken for the annoying person who broke the plates! Please save me!"
As he spoke, the man ran up to Tanjiro.
He pulled a small packet from his pocket, and as he did so, the broken plate was revealed.
"Smell it!"
Tanjiro lowered his head and sniffed.
Then he looked up at the woman who had followed him and said, "I smell a cat!"
Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, the man felt his injustice had been cleared and said with a wronged tone.
"See? I already told you it wasn't me!"
Hearing Tanjiro's words, the woman understood and ignored the man, raising a hand to cover her mouth.
"So it was the cat that did it?"
night.
Tanjiro was walking alone on the road back to the mountain.
"It's getting too late!" Tanjiro muttered to himself.
Although sales were good at the beginning of the day, fewer people bought them later.
Is it because it hasn't been long since I last went down the mountain to sell charcoal, and everyone still has a lot of charcoal left?
Or is it because everyone thinks they won't come down in the heavy snow and is worried about running out of charcoal, so they're using it sparingly?
Feeling the empty bamboo pouch behind him, Tanjiro laughed again.
"But thankfully, all the carbon is sold out!"
"Ara, Tanjiro!"
A male voice came from the side, Tanjiro looked in the direction of the voice.
He found himself at the foot of the mountain, where Grandpa Saburo, who lived there, was looking at him through the window of his little wooden house.
"Are you going back to the mountains? Don't go back, it's too dangerous!"
Tanjiro replied, "My nose is very sensitive, it's alright!"
"Stay at my house for the night!" Ignoring Tanjiro's words, Grandpa Saburo continued, "Come on, come here!"
"But..." Tanjiro hesitated.
"Listen to me, come here right now!" Although the words were gentle, they sounded like a command coming from Grandpa Saburo's mouth.
"There might be ghosts around!"
Grandpa Saburo had a serious expression on his face, as if he had seen a ghost with his own eyes.
With Grandpa Saburo's insistence, Tanjiro finally nodded.
After entering the house, Grandpa Saburo brought Tanjiro some food and then busied himself with other tasks.
After thanking him, Tanjiro sat down and started eating.
Soon, Tanjiro finished his meal with a "Thank you for the meal."
Tanjiro picked up the hot tea from the plate, took a sip, and then asked a question.
"Hey, Grandpa Saburo, what was that ghost you were talking about?"
Grandpa Saburo explained as he took a spare quilt from the cupboard and spread it on the floor.
"Since ancient times, cannibals have been said to roam after sunset."
So, don't go out at night!
Go to sleep right after you finish eating, and you can get up early and go home tomorrow!
Tanjiro obediently nodded and lay down in the prepared bedding.
"Won't demons come into the house?" Tanjiro asked.
Grandpa Saburo picked up his pipe and took a puff.
No, it will!
"Won't everyone get eaten by demons?" Tanjiro asked, puzzled.
" Demon Slayer will come to slay the demons!"
From ancient times to the present!
Grandpa Saburo gave a simple explanation, and then, seemingly not wanting to discuss the topic further, Grandpa Saburo spoke up.
"I've turned off the lights, go to sleep!"
Despite his lingering doubts, Tanjiro obediently nodded.
In the pitch-black room, Tanjiro lay quietly alone in his bed.
Grandpa Saburo must be very lonely living alone after losing his family!
Next time I'll bring my younger brother and sister to keep Grandpa Saburo!
Thinking of this, Grandpa Saburo's words seemed to resurface.
Tanjiro comforted himself in his heart.
Don't be afraid, ghosts don't exist!
It's okay! It's okay!
However, speaking of which, my grandmother said the same thing before she passed away.
Do ghosts really exist...?
As his thoughts raced, Tanjiro gradually drifted off to sleep.
I don't know how much time passed.
A figure appeared on the path outside the house.
The figure was dressed in a sharp suit and wore a delicate little round hat.
After glancing at the cabin with his scarlet eyes, he didn't linger and continued walking towards the mountain.
"Rustling"
Footsteps fell on the snow-covered road, making soft, light sounds.
Teiichi figure walks silently through the snow in the dead of night.
In the past three years, he has only encountered three ghosts.
One of the demons was sent by the Demon Slayer Corps.
If we exclude that one ghost, we've encountered two ghosts in three years.
This is because Teiichi would travel at night, and occasionally patrol at night when staying in a place temporarily.
Otherwise, if you go to bed as soon as night falls, you're even less likely to encounter ghosts.
However, this is also a good thing.
If encountering ghosts were so common, ordinary people would have no reason to live.
I estimated the time in my mind; it would be dawn in another two or three hours.
It looks like tonight will be another peaceful night. Maybe I should start training.
With this thought in mind, the foot that had been about to step forward landed but then stopped moving.
Teiichi silently turned around and looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared behind him.
Even in the dead of winter, the other person was still wearing a crisp red short-sleeved shirt, as if they didn't feel the cold at all.
Paired with a neat red short haircut.
The identity of the visitor was self-evident.
" Upper Rank Three, huh..."