Midway, they met uncle Saburo and said their proper goodbye after briefing him on the details.
After all, he was just an emotional and caring guy behind his serious-looking face. With a parental gaze, he told them, especially Tanjiro, to be careful and take care of himself and his siblings.
As they parted ways and moved on, the Kamado family was finally greeted with their first real sunlight in days.
The place where they lived barely got any sunlight even at noon, when the sun was supposed to be at its peak, because of the damned location. They could not shift the house since it was where their forefathers had lived for hundreds of years.
The family charcoal business was also tied to the mountain location. Nobody before had any real reason to abandon the place, so the decision was never made.
Anyway, after successfully leaving the village without drawing attention, they boarded the carriage drawn by two horses.
The carriage was handled by a man dressed in clothes similar to Giyu's, though most of his face was hidden and his sleeves were much puffier. He was a member of the Kakushi, the support group that worked for the Demon Slayer Corps. Lady Amane had calmly explained many things earlier, including the Kakushi and Kasugai crow.
Although Tanjiro already knew a lot of the details, her deeper explanation gave him a better understanding of how the Demon Slayer Corps operated.
Two hours of travel later~
The carriage rolled swiftly through a dense forest. The trees were not tall, but there were so many that they blocked every trace of sunlight. Thick clouds covered the sky.
At that moment, Tanjiro's sharp senses picked up a faint demonic presence lurking in the distance.
He glanced at the oblivious Giyu and chuckled.
"Hey, Giyu-san, there's a demon over there. Want to handle it, or should I?"
At his words, everyone tensed and turned toward the direction he indicated. The three youngest were dozing off, so there was no panic. The experienced Kakushi driver stayed calm and kept guiding the carriage.
Lady Amane silently observed Tanjiro and instructed the crow perched on her lap.
"Kurosuke, please check the area."
The crow took off immediately and flew toward the said direction.
Giyu stared at Tanjiro's nonchalant face, hesitated, then finally asked, "How do you sense that? Tell me."
Tanjiro raised an eyebrow with a cheeky smile.
"No special method. My nose and sixth sense are just really sharp. That's all."
Giyu turned away with his usual stoic expression.
'What did I expect…'
Lady Amane gave a slight nod.
"If there is a demon, it must be eliminated to protect the people nearby. Tanjiro-san, Giyu-san, I'll leave it in your capable hands."
Over the past few hours with the Kamado family, she had learned that Tanjiro had inherited Hinokami Kagura, a set of twelve sword forms he had mastered at only thirteen, likely due to unimaginable swordsmanship talent. Combined with his Mark and the fact that he had defeated a Hashira, his value was already equal to or greater than other Hashira.
He had even defeated a powerful demon single-handedly to save his family, though it escaped in the end.
"Rest assured, Amane-san. I was planning to take care of it anyway."
Smiling, Tanjiro snatched Giyu's sword in one swift motion and leaped off the moving carriage, vanishing from sight.
"…"
Giyu's face remained cold, but inside he cursed.
'That bastard… He took my sword again…!'
Kie's head suddenly popped out of the basket, staring behind the carriage with half-lidded eyes.
Lady Amane noticed her appearance but felt no fear at all.
'Her human side still dominates despite becoming a demon. What a peculiar case…'
Nezuko looked reluctant to see her brother leave again. She simply snuggled closer to Hanako and waited patiently. She trusted Onii-chan completely; she knew he would win and return.
And just as she believed…
Ten minutes later, Tanjiro jumped back onto the moving carriage without a single scratch.
He tossed the still-red sword into Giyu's lap and nodded at Amane and Nezuko.
Takeo quietly asked, "Nii-chan, was the demon strong?"
Tanjiro slumped back and relaxed.
"Hm, no. It died way too quickly. Much, much weaker than the one back home."
"Eh…"
Giyu and Amane were too busy staring at the glowing, steaming red blade.
'This again…' Giyu thought, eyes sharp.
'He really resembles that person from the records…' Amane thought.
They were clearly in awe.
Beside him, Nezuko secretly glanced at Tanjiro's wrist guard and wondered,
'Onii-chan is hiding that strange sword? If he doesn't want to show it, I should keep quiet too…'
Shortly after, Amane's personal crow, Kurosuke, returned and landed on her lap.
"Caw! Demon was Lower Moon Two! Beheaded in a single strike! Caw!"
Amane and Giyu's eyes widened in shock.
Silence stretched for several seconds before they both turned to Tanjiro with complicated expressions.
Nezuko mumbled softly, "Lower Moon?"
Tanjiro just shrugged.
"No idea…"
Amane pursed her lips and asked, "Tanjiro-san… you said the demon was weak?"
He nodded casually.
"Yeah. The moment it saw me, it looked terrified and tried to run. Weird... I just cut its head off."
"…"
…That's possible?
Giyu's gaze darkened.
He himself had never fought a Lower Moon. His Hashira rank had been earned through countless battles against ordinary demons. Yet this boy…
He shook the thought away and asked what he needed to know first.
"About the sword… how did it turn bright red in your hands? It's back to normal now."
He brushed his fingers over the blade, now its original blue once again.
Tanjiro didn't mind the question and answered casually.
"Ah, that? I just grip it really hard and it changes. Want me to show you again?"
'Just… grip it hard enough?'
Giyu frowned inwardly. He wrapped his own hand tightly around the hilt.
Nothing happened. The blade stayed blue.
He silently handed the sword to Tanjiro.
Tanjiro took it, tightened his grip, and right before their eyes the blade hummed, flared bright red, and radiated heat.
Everyone stared in awe.
Nezuko murmured, "It looks so pretty…"
"Hmm, yeah…" Tanjiro hummed, ruffling her hair with a smile.
Takeo watched intently, his admiration for Nii-chan now through the roof.
Giyu took the sword back and decided internally,
'I'll restart training the moment I return…'
He had been completely overpowered by a thirteen-year-old in both skill and raw strength. His pride had taken a serious blow, even if his face stayed as stoic as ever.
Time passed as the carriage rolled on, eventually entering a vast estate blanketed with blooming wisteria.
Finally, Amane's calm voice sounded from the front.
"Everyone, we have entered the Ubuyashiki family estate. The manor is only a short distance away now."
Tanjiro looked out at the endless sea of purple flowers and clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Damn… these guys are loaded…'
.....
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