An hour later~
All the Kamado siblings had eaten the food along with a hesitant Giyu who stayed on full alert.
Although everyone's mood was a bit down because of their mother's absence, Tanjiro's reassuring and relaxed smile made the siblings eat breakfast in peace.
After they finished eating, Tanjiro explained their mother's situation to everyone present.
Thanks to his big-brother authority, Nezuko and Takeo were easy to convince. However, Hanako and Shigeru made sad faces while the youngest, Rokuta, simply clung to his chest and started weeping.
For a second, Tanjiro had a sudden impulse to leave the room, but he endured and did what a reliable big brother should. He comforted them one by one until they finally stopped crying.
He explained that he would definitely turn Kie back into a human, and they immediately brightened up.
The best way to handle the situation was to give them hope, which he did.
The desperate hope these children needed right now.
Once he was done, Nezuko, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but softly ask, "Onii-chan, that mark on your forehead… how did it change? It's all over your left side now."
"Yes, yes! I was wondering that too! It looks like actual flames!" Takeo joined in.
Tanjiro touched his forehead slightly and answered, "This? It suddenly appeared last night. I don't know how, but my forehead felt like it was burning, and then it manifested…" He noticed Giyu's ears twitch when he started talking, which made him want to laugh, but he held it back and continued, "After that, my strength and speed increased greatly. Even now I don't feel exhausted…"
"Wow, that's awesome! It's like magic! Nii-chan, how did you do it? I want one too!" Shigeru said loudly, suddenly excited again, as if he had forgotten all the sadness from earlier. Takeo followed his lead, nodding and asking the same thing.
Nezuko, unlike them, showed a worried look but stayed silent.
'To receive strength like this, there must be something great at stake…'
Giyu had the same thought. 'There must be a price to pay…'
Tanjiro's face became serious, and his siblings went quiet. He spoke, "Don't be like that… Whatever this mark is, it doesn't matter. What you little ones need to know first is that in this world every attractive thing comes at a certain price… Do you think it's just free strength waiting to be acquired? No, it must have a ridiculous price in exchange. We just don't know it yet. So relax and let your big brother handle everything for you."
Smiling, he asked, "Okay?"
Shigeru and Takeo nodded, thoughtful expressions on their faces.
Hanako's hair was being combed by Nezuko. The former clearly wasn't listening, while the latter had an unreadable look on her face.
Rokuta, on the other side, was pestering Giyu.
"Giyu-san, your organization, the Demon Slayer Corps, right? They must have some knowledge about this Mark ability. Are you not aware of it?" Tanjiro asked with a curious gaze, faking it.
Giyu, with his usual stoic face, let Rokuta sit on his lap and answered casually, "No. This is my first time hearing about it. But… there's a good possibility that headquarters can help you with that."
Earlier, they had exchanged information while eating and Giyu learned many things about the Kamado family, so he wasn't hesitant now.
"I see…" Tanjiro gave a nod. "And how can I contact this headquarters of yours?"
Giyu turned his head sideways, toward the outside, and replied, "You won't need to… They will know."
And so the conversation between them kept going on. Even though Giyu was not a big fan of speaking, Tanjiro's continuous questions forced him to answer.
After all, his sword was still hostage; Tanjiro had not returned it yet.
As for Kie, after some time she was led out by Tanjiro since the sky was covered with dense clouds and there was no sign of sunlight whatsoever.
He let the other kids and Kie interact under his keen observation. But after seeing that Kie showed no hostility toward others and kept following him around by clinging to his haori, he exhaled in relief.
At least now he was reassured that she wouldn't harm other humans because she completely ignored even Giyu, who wasn't part of the family.
A few hours later, he returned the sword to Giyu.
The half-half haori guy noticed that the sword had reverted to its blue shade and wore a confused expression.
Then the whole family started to rebuild the house. Though Tanjiro and Giyu did the heavy work, it was nonetheless manageable.
Finally…
At 1 PM.
Tanjiro suddenly turned his head.
"Someone's coming… Hm, a woman?"
Giyu, still lingering nearby, followed his gaze.
How is he sensing this…?
Noticing his partner, he suddenly extended his arm. A crow swooped down from the sky and landed neatly on his wrist.
"Caw! Oyakata-sama has given the order! Bring the boy and his entire family to headquarters immediately! Caw! Lady Amane has arrived! Caw! You must lead them back safely! Caw!"
Giyu narrowed his deep blue eyes and nodded once.
The younger siblings freaked out at the talking crow. Shigeru and Hanako lost their balance and landed on their butts.
"A-A crow just talked—!" Shigeru yelped.
"Waaah! The crow spoke…!" Hanako stared in awe.
Nezuko and Takeo looked equally shocked.
Tanjiro ignored the commotion and readied himself to greet the visitor. He could already feel her presence approaching.
Giyu's cold voice cut through the air.
"Lady Amane is the wife of Oyakata-sama, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Because Oyakata-sama suffers from an unknown illness, Lady Amane always cares for him. She is someone the entire Corps respects deeply. Please treat her accordingly."
Tanjiro clicked his tongue at the unexpectedly long speech.
"Do you think I'm rude or something?"
Giyu said nothing and simply leaned against a nearby tree, eyes closed.
Tanjiro silently regretted not hitting him a few more times when he had the chance. Maybe that would have fixed the guy's personality.
Nezuko, Takeo, and Shigeru dropped whatever they were doing and hurried to Tanjiro's side. Hanako and Rokuta stayed near the house, quietly playing their own little game, quickly losing interest in the crow.
Kie was tucked inside the sunlight-proof basket Tanjiro had made that morning. Since the lid wasn't fully closed, she kept peeking out at him the whole time.
After a minute, a graceful figure appeared on the path.
She climbed the mountain alone, steps steady and unwavering.
White hair flowed down her back, and calm plum-purple eyes looked ahead. She wore a thick, warm-looking yellow kimono embroidered with delicate flowers.
Her expression was serene yet serious.
After she arrived, Tanjiro greeted her with a polite bow.
"Good afternoon, Lady Amane. I'm Kamado Tanjiro, and these are my younger siblings. Giyu-san has already told us about you and the Demon Slayer Corps. You must be tired after climbing all this way. Please come inside, and I'll prepare some hot tea for you."
Giyu stared at Tanjiro in open disbelief.
What a complete chameleon…!
Amane blinked once, her gaze briefly lingering on the flame mark spreading across his forehead, then returned the bow.
"Thank you, Tanjiro-san. And please forgive my unannounced visit."
"It's no trouble at all. You're our guest."
He gestured toward the house. To his surprise, his siblings immediately flocked to Amane's side, clearly drawn to her calm, dignified presence.
Ten minutes later, everything was decided.
The entire Kamado family would relocate to headquarters, Kie included.
A horse carriage was already waiting in the village below; that was how Amane had arrived.
The Ubuyashiki family, leaders of the secret Demon Slayer Corps, had chosen to take them in.
Even Kie's demon transformation had been reported to Kagaya, the Oyakata-sama.
Giyu's Kasugai crow was the culprit. It had seen everything: Tanjiro overpowering a Hashira, turning a Nichirin sword bright red, the spreading mark, and Kie's unique demon condition.
He had seriously underestimated those crows' surveillance skills.
Either way, before 2 PM the simple packing was finished. The family left the mountain behind.
Kie rode quietly on Tanjiro's back inside the covered basket, making no fuss.
'Finally leaving these damn mountains…'
With Tanjiro and Giyu helping, everyone reached the village swiftly and without incident.
.....
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