That morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting even rays onto the wooden dining table in the Wisteria House.
Kanae, dressed in a Demon Slayer Corps uniform, sat quietly at the dining table, savoring the exquisite breakfast prepared for her by the Wisteria House.
"Hiss--"
With a slight hissing sound, the sliding door slowly opened, and a middle-aged woman walked in with a warm smile on her face.
" Kanae, here is today's Mine City morning newspaper that you requested!"
"Thank you so much!"
Kanae smiled and thanked her, gently putting down her bowl and chopsticks, and took the newspaper to begin reading.
"It's just what we at the Wisteria family should do; it's nothing more than buying you a newspaper. Compared to Demon Slayer like you, this is hardly a big deal."
Mie said, then looked at Kanae and asked in confusion.
Are you looking to learn about current events?
Upon hearing Mie's question, Kanae looked up at the woman, smiled, and began to explain.
"While I do read some news and current events, I didn't ask you to buy me the morning paper for that."
"That is?"
"I wanted to see if I could gather any information about ghosts from the newspapers."
Kanae explained to Mie, then looked down at the newspaper.
The front page of the newspaper mainly reported on domestic economic and political developments, including a new government policy that involved raising taxes, and so on.
After quickly glancing through the text, Kanae continued to look away.
Suddenly, a picture occupying a quarter of the page on the second page caught her attention. It was of a young girl dressed casually, with her hair tied up high, and her face was delicate yet unfamiliar.
Kanae frowned slightly.
This person looks vaguely familiar.
Memories churned in his mind, finally settling on the girl who had bumped into him three days prior.
Mie, noticing the change in Kanae's expression, asked curiously, "What's wrong, Kanae? Did you find out some weird news?"
Upon hearing Mie's question, Kanae tilted the newspaper towards Mie so that Mie could also see the contents.
After reading the contents of the newspaper, Mie read aloud some of the first few pages.
"Missing Person Notice: Sae Tahara, female, died the day before yesterday..."
After quickly reading the report, Mie seemed to understand what Kanae was thinking and said:
"Does Kanae believe this person's disappearance is related to a ghost?"
Kanae nodded. The discovery of demonic traces in Mine City, coupled with the disappearances of people, made it hard not to connect the two.
Seeing that Kanae had admitted it, Mie lowered her head and thought for a moment before revealing her guess.
"It might not necessarily be caused by a ghost."
Hearing Mie's words, Kanae looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Why do you say that?
"Things are different now. Many young women these days believe in free love; they're with whoever they like. They completely disregard the older generation's opinions. Sigh, I'm getting old too, and I just can't accept this kind of thing. You tell me..."
Before they met, Mie hadn't gotten to the point and seemed rather rambling, Kanae had to interrupt her.
"So why do you think her disappearance wasn't caused by a ghost?"
Kanae interrupted her speech. Mie clicked her tongue, seemingly wanting to say more, before finally speaking.
"I feel like she probably found a boyfriend, but her family didn't approve of him, so she eloped with him!"
"Elopement?"
The familiar yet unfamiliar words reached Kanae's ears, leaving Kanae somewhat taken aback. She wasn't unfamiliar with the term "elopement," but this was the first time she had encountered it in reality.
Mie nodded and continued speaking.
"That's right, an elopement. The Tahara Family is considered one of the more powerful families in our Mine City. I heard they've always wanted to marry their daughter off to a councilor, but their daughter has always disagreed."
At this point, Mie's voice lowered involuntarily.
"So, I bet their daughter found a boyfriend and ran off with him!"
Mie's words seemed to overlap with her memories from several days ago; the girl was indeed in a close relationship with a white-haired man.
Considering the background Mie gave, it does seem to make sense.
With that in mind, Kanae put aside her doubts and stopped paying attention to the matter.
late at night.
The streets were deserted.
"Huff... huff..."
A figure rushed in, looking disheveled, accompanied by heavy breathing.
" Flower Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirling Peach "
A soft yet powerful voice came from behind, exceptionally clear in the quiet night, causing the fleeing figure in front to turn around and look back.
His eyes revealed fear and confusion. When he saw the scene behind him, his eyes widened like saucers, and fear was uncontrollably revealed in his eyes.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the scene on the street was reflected in the pupils of the fleeing people.
Petals drifted through the air, creating a dreamlike fairyland. Within this fairyland, a figure leaped into the air, her movements elegant and swift, like a butterfly in flight.
Because she was backlit by the moonlight, her face was not clearly visible; all that could be seen was her holding Nichirin Blade bent to her left shoulder. The Nichirin Blade gleamed with a cool light in the moonlight, like the brightest star in the night sky.
"Whoosh--"
With the sound of Nichirin Blade slicing through the air, the fleeing man's head rolled to the ground.
Kanae slowly sheathed her Nichirin Blade and glanced down at the oni's head on the ground, which was slowly turning to ash.
I breathed a sigh of relief; this mission was finally accomplished.
Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Kanae couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy.
"Still haven't encountered a ghost that can communicate normally with humans this time..."
He shook his head and walked towards the Wisteria House.
Now that the mission is complete, we can go back and rest. We'll take the train back tomorrow.
The mission was accomplished, and as my mind relaxed, I couldn't help but think of Shinobu Kocho.
It seems Shinobu is also on a mission in southern Honshu Island. I wonder if she's finished her mission yet.
Sigh... If only there were something that could be communicated in real time.
That way, I can contact Shinobu, and we can go back together once she finishes her mission.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I seemed to catch a glimpse of a white-haired figure on the street corner.
Kanae perked up and looked over carefully.
The figure looked somewhat familiar, and memories began to flood her mind.
"Isn't that the boy who was with Sae?"
"Didn't you say you were going to elope?"
Driven by a desire to find out what was going on, Kanae quickly chased after the figure in the distance.
After a few minutes, Kanae finally caught up with the figure. Just as the figure was about to turn a corner, Kanae couldn't help but shout.
"Please wait a moment!"
Upon hearing the sound, the white-haired figure stopped and turned to look at Kanae.
"Um, you're Sae's boyfriend, right? Aren't you with Sae?"
Upon hearing Kanae's words, the white-haired figure smiled, pulled out a hat from behind her, lowered her head, and slowly put the hat on her head.
As the white-haired figure slowly raised her head, Kanae froze on the spot, a chill rising from the bottom of her heart and rushing straight to her body.
Those once clear and beautiful rainbow pupils now bear the marks of writing.
Upper Rank Two!
Doma!