Mount Sagiri.
A thick, fine mist enveloped the entire mountainside, like a hazy veil.
In the boundless sea of fog, only a lone lamp flickers faintly among the lush green forest.
At that moment, flames flickered inside the house.
Sakonji Urokodaki knelt beside the fire inside the house, meticulously carving a mask in his hand.
Thump, thump!
The sudden knocking on the door made Sakonji Urokodaki stop what he was doing.
Instead of opening the door immediately, he cautiously picked up his Nichirin Blade.
Then, he carefully opened the door, and a breath of fresh air mixed with the chill of the outside rushed into the room.
Outside the door stood a striking couple.
The boy was handsome and tall, and the girl was gentle and charming. The two of them standing together were like a beautiful painting.
Seeing this, Sakonji Urokodaki breathed a sigh of relief, but not because the couple was good-looking, but because the girl was wearing Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
"Who are you?" Sakonji Urokodaki asked.
The more approachable Kanae spoke first, "Hello, Urokodaki- senpai, I'm Kanae Kocho, the current Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Upon hearing Kanae's introduction, Sakonji Urokodaki nodded, then looked at Teiichi.
"I am Kato Teiichi! I am..."
Before Teiichi open his mouth, Sakonji Urokodaki nodded, interrupting him:
"I know you. I heard you left the team because you used people as bait!"
Concerned that Sakonji Urokodaki might misunderstand Teiichi, Kanae explained:
"Because those two people are evil, what they did was even more unbearable than what ordinary ghosts do, so Teiichi that..."
Sakonji Urokodaki interrupted, "No need to explain. I'm not that stubborn. Besides, since he left the team instead of being forced to commit seppuku, it means the team has its own judgment on this matter, which is even less of my business as a retired person!"
Having said that, Sakonji Urokodaki looked at the two of them.
"As for you two, what brings you here?"
Kanae bowed. "I apologize for the intrusion. I heard there was a brother and sister, the sister of whom became a demon, but unlike other demons, she doesn't need to eat people. Her brother is studying under you, so I wanted to come and check on his sister!"
Upon hearing Kanae's words, Sakonji Urokodaki stared intently at the two of them.
One is the Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, known for his gentleness, not just towards people.
The other one is Kato Teiichi, who was expelled from the team because his definition of the boundary between humans and demons did not conform to that of ordinary people.
If it's these two, there shouldn't be any problem.
Sakonji Urokodaki asked, "Did Giyu tell you that?"
"Please don't misunderstand, we wanted to come ourselves..."
The two of them didn't tell Giyu about their trip, worried that Sakonji Urokodaki would misunderstand and blame them. Kanae wanted to explain, but before she could finish, Teiichi gently pulled her hand.
Teiichi glanced at Sakonji Urokodaki, nodded, and softly replied, "Mm!"
"Since it was Giyu who spoke to you, please come in!"
As he spoke, he stepped aside to make way for the two of them to enter the house.
After the two entered the house, Sakonji Urokodaki closed the door again.
"Although I know you two are very interested in ghosts that don't eat people, unfortunately..."
"What's wrong?"
Hearing Sakonji Urokodaki's words, Kanae became somewhat worried.
Did that girl eventually succumb to cannibalism and then get killed by Urokodaki- senpai?
Or did they run away?
Without a reply, Sakonji Urokodaki arrived at a side room and opened the door.
Teiichi and Kanae then looked into the room.
Two children were lying quietly asleep inside the house.
Sakonji Urokodaki spoke up, "That girl is the demon you're looking for, but she's currently in a deep sleep, and I can't be sure when she'll wake up."
Teiichi watched silently from the side.
It's been so long, I'd completely forgotten about it...
On the other side.
Kanae breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the girl who had become a ghost was still there.
As long as they're not dead or have run away, that's fine.
However, it's still a bit of a disappointment; I was hoping to try and communicate with the ghost.
"Has this been going on for a long time?" Kanae asked.
Sakonji Urokodaki nodded. "On the day I met her, she had just fallen into a deep sleep."
However, they encountered a demon that day. According to her brother Tanjiro, Nezuko fell asleep after helping him in battle.
I guess it's because they can't eat people, so the energy they consume can't be replenished, and they can only reduce and replenish energy consumption by sleeping."
"And Tanjiro...?" Teiichi asked Tanjiro, looking at Nezuko lying not far from Nezuko.
Sakonji Urokodaki said, " Tanjiro is exhausted from training. If you had arrived an hour earlier, you would have seen Tanjiro!"
Teiichi, his expression becoming more settled.
I was hoping to see if I could exchange a few words with Tanjiro.
But since they're sleeping, let's just leave it at that.
Having experienced so much over the years, Teiichi has lost much of his interest in specifically seeking out lead actors.
If we happen to run into each other, I wouldn't mind chatting, but since the timing isn't right, let's just leave it at that.
"So?" Sakonji Urokodaki asked, "Do you have any further questions?"
Kanae hesitated for a moment, but finally made her request. "Could I draw a little bit of Nezuko's blood?"
Upon hearing this, Sakonji Urokodaki.
He knew that Kanae was currently the medical expert in the Demon Slayer Corps, and when he heard that Kanae wanted to have her blood drawn, he knew what Kanae wanted to do.
but...
Nezuko is currently replenishing her energy through a period of sleep; drawing her blood might cause Nezuko to sleep for even longer.
Seeing that Sakonji Urokodaki hesitated, Kanae took out a small bottle.
"Not much, just a tiny bit is enough!"
Sakonji Urokodaki looked up at the small bottle.
It's really not much; the blood that flows from a cut on your palm is more than that.
"Alright, let's extract some then. Hopefully, the reason why Nezuko doesn't eat people can be figured out!"
With Sakonji Urokodaki's consent, the blood draw went smoothly.
After glancing at the two people inside, Sakonji Urokodaki carefully closed the door.
"Do you need me to arrange accommodations for you?" Sakonji Urokodaki asked.
Teiichi shook his head. The house was only so big. If the two of them stayed overnight, someone would have to sleep on the floor in the living room.
"We went to the Wisteria family's house in the town on the outskirts first before coming here. We'll go back to stay there later!"
Upon hearing this, Sakonji Urokodaki nodded in agreement.
After chatting for a while longer, Teiichi and Kanae got up and said goodbye to Sakonji Urokodaki.