Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki lay quietly on the bedding on the floor.
Sunlight streamed through the open door, bathing him in warmth.
He was already bedridden and unable to move freely last month.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki had foreseen this situation, but...
This happened much earlier than he had expected!
There are still 7 years until the Ubuyashiki Family reaches the longest lifespan of 30 years after the curse.
Among the successive heads of the Demon Slayer Corps over the past thousand years, it is rare for someone to die at the age of 23.
"Is something waiting for me ahead?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked hoarsely.
"Puff puff!"
A flapping sound came from nearby, and then something gently landed beside him.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled gently and asked softly:
"Who sent the message?"
Looking at Kagaya Ubuyashiki lying on the bed, White Feather respectfully replied:
"It's Teiichi Dingyi. He encountered Muzan Kibutsuji Doma!"
The following morning.
Sanyo City.
At a breakfast stall along the street, two figures, one tall and one short, were sitting at a small table.
The larger figure gently pushed the steaming bowl of miso soup toward the smaller figure, her eyes filled with doting affection, her voice as soft as a gentle breeze:
" Nezuko, don't just eat the fish, drink the soup too, so you don't choke!"
Nezuko nodded upon hearing this and put down the fish that she had been tightly clutching in her little hand, which was still steaming slightly.
Then she leaned slightly forward, brought her little mouth close to the rim of the bowl, and began to drink in small sips.
Seeing Nezuko's obedient appearance, Kanae couldn't help but smile gently.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little boy standing quietly not far away.
The little boy was dressed very simply, with several patches on his clothes, and his thin body looked rather frail in the breeze.
His eyes were fixed on this side, and he kept swallowing, looking like a starving little animal.
His gaze lingered on Nezuko, who was sipping her soup slowly, and he couldn't help but feel envious.
Kanae turned her head slightly, smiled gently in the direction of the little boy, and then slowly raised her hand, waving softly at him.
Seeing this, the little boy turned his head left and right, and after confirming that it wasn't someone else being called, he hesitated for a moment before walking over somewhat fearfully.
However, even after he came over, he didn't dare to meet Kanae's eyes, only staring at the ground, his little hands nervously clutching the hem of his clothes.
"Sit here and I'll order you breakfast!"
Kanae gave the instructions softly, and was about to call the boss over, but the little boy immediately interrupted her after hearing her words:
"No need to trouble yourself, just give me a little bit of what you can't finish!"
Seeing the little boy's determined look despite being very hungry, Kanae hesitated for a moment before nodding.
She reached out and took the golden-brown, crispy saury that was still untouched in front of her.
"Okay, here you go! Be careful of the thorns!"
A hint of surprise flashed in the little boy's eyes, and he quickly took the saury with both hands.
He then bowed repeatedly to Kanae, his small body bending very low.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Having said that, he held the fish tightly in both hands, turned around, and ran away into the distance.
Kanae sat quietly on the stool, her gaze following the little boy's retreating figure.
A moment later, someone slowly sat down beside her. Kanae turned her head to look at her and chuckled softly:
"You've arrived?"
"Mm!" Teiichi nodded slightly.
Muzan wasn't killed outright, then the only option left is to proceed with the original plan and find the other Upper Rank.
So after dealing with the aftermath there and relaying the message to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, he continued on his way.
Nezuko, who had been watching the little boy run away, turned back when she heard Teiichi's voice. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him and called out in Teiichi clear voice:
"Good morning, Brother Teiichi!"
"Good morning, Nezuko!"
Teiichi greeted Nezuko with a smile and gently patted her Nezuko a few times.
Teiichi turned to look at Kanae and asked:
"By the way, why did you bring Nezuko along?"
Kanae tilted her head slightly, revealing a sweet smile, "Who else did you think it was?"
"I thought it would be Tanjiro bringing Nezuko!" Teiichi.
Kanae shook her head and chuckled softly:
Tanjiro and the others are training incredibly hard at the Butterfly Mansion right now!
"It seems the last time was a big shock to them, so they're training even harder now!"
"Is that so?" Teiichi said, as if to confirm, then thought for a moment and asked, "Is Zenitsu also training very hard?"
Kanae said, " Zenitsu is more serious than before, but he still doesn't seem to like training very much. Tanjiro others dragged him to train! However, he did go on two missions, and he didn't seem scared like before!"
Teiichi, somewhat understanding.
This is probably because it was stimulated, but the stimulation wasn't strong enough, which is why it happened.
However, as long as you're not afraid when fighting demons, that's enough.
Kanae continued, "Then, the potion to turn demons into humans has just been developed, and I'm free for the time being! Since Shinobu is keeping an eye on things at the Butterfly Mansion, I decided to bring Nezuko over!"
"Hmm, that's good! I was going to have White Feather go to the Butterfly Mansion to inform you!" Teiichi nodded.
"A notification?" Kanae, somewhat puzzled.
Teiichi looked up at Kanae and said:
I've encountered Muzan!
Kanae's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. She stood up anxiously and asked nervously:
How are you? Are you hurt?
"It's alright, it's alright!" Teiichi quickly replied.
However, Kanae ignored all of that and raised her hand to examine Teiichi's body, as if looking for wounds.
Seeing this, Teiichi had no choice but to speak up:
"My ear was a little injured, but it's okay now, I don't feel anything!"
Upon hearing this, Kanae immediately leaned down slightly to examine Teiichi's ear, and then carefully looked at Teiichi's body. Seeing that there was nothing wrong, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to Teiichi again.
"It's good that you're alright! But how did you suddenly run into Muzan?" Kanae asked Teiichi with concern.
"It was a chance encounter on the road, perhaps it was fate! It's a pity that Muzan got away!" Teiichi sighed.
"It's good that everyone's alright!" Kanae said softly, then asked, "Does the Master know?"
Teiichi nodded slightly. "Yes, I've sent Kasugai Crow to inform him!"
Kanae nodded slightly.
"Have some breakfast first, then get some rest later!"
Teiichi hearing this, Kanae and Nezuko.
In front of them was a traditional Japanese breakfast: white rice, miso soup, grilled saury, and pickled vegetables.
Teiichi turned his head and called out to the busy figure:
"Boss, please bring ten more of the same thing over here!"