Shinichi stared at the broken Nichirin Blade in his hand, swallowing hard.
This was completely unexpected.
Over the past six months, he had relied on this blade to slay more than twenty demons. Never once had he imagined it would break.
It wasn't until he had just finished beheading a bull-like demon with hardened skin—a Blood Demon Art that had given him considerable trouble—that a crack appeared on his Nichirin Blade "Forest Dragon."
Then, in an instant, the blade shattered.
"Dammit, what now? The old man definitely going to be pissed when he finds out" Shinichi muttered, his expression troubled.
At his feet, the bull demon head hadn't fully disintegrated yet, still screaming in disbelief.
Annoyed by the noise, Shinichi violently kicked the massive head away.
"Shut up!! Get lost!!"
"Arf arf!"
Maru-ni trotted up to Shinichi, wagging his little tail excitedly, his big, shiny eyes fixed on his master as if expecting something.
After half a year of battling demons, Maru-ni once-chubby figure had slimmed down, making him even cuter.
"Tch."
Sighing, Shinichi collected the broken shards of his Nichirin Blade, sheathed the remains, and crouched down to pat Maru-ni head.
"Alright, guess we'll head back then. It's been over half a year—hope the old man still in good shape."
"Arf!"
Maru-ni seemed to understand, barking even more happily.
He missed Chinatsu, the big sister who spoiled him rotten.
Though he never went hungry with Shinichi, his taste buds had suffered terribly!
****
An ordinary day by the creek.
A small figure in a patterned kimono carried a basket of freshly washed medicinal herbs, wiping a thin layer of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
Her violet eyes glanced down the country road.
Soon, Shinobu Kocho on her way home with the herbs ran into her older sister, Kanae Kocho, who was also carrying a basket.
"You did great today, Shinobu! I heard Dad praising you earlier—said you have a real talent for being an apothecary" Kanae said with a smile, gently ruffling her sister hair.
Though Shinobu was secretly delighted, she kept a straight face, as if to say "It's not that impressive."
Kanae basket held freshly picked wisteria flowers.
Curious, Shinobu asked "Sis, is this for old man Moriki order?"
Kanae nodded, holding her sister hand. "Yes, he came by the Butterfly Mansion yesterday to place the order."
"Is that cold-faced guy back?"
"Shinobu, that's so rude! Shinichi-kun would be upset if he heard you say that" Kanae chided gently.
Shinobu just snorted.
She was a competitive little girl—and a bit of a grudge-holder. She hadn't forgotten how that "cold-faced guy" had flicked her forehead hard.
The two sisters chatted and laughed as they walked home together.
Inside the Butterfly Mansion, a villager was purchasing medicine in the apothecary hall. Butterfly Mansion master, Shinobu Kocho father, carefully prepared the prescription in his hands.
At the counter, bored villagers began gossiping about the recent happenings in Takinogawa Village.
"Speaking of which, Yakushin-kun, did you hear? Iida has been missing for several days now. The police at the station hasn't found him and last night, Obara didn't return home either. His family has been searching all day today."
Yakushin, while mixing medicines, wasn't particularly interested in village gossip but casually asked.
"Is that so? Has Obara been found yet?"
"No, not yet. I heard his family is planning to go to the police station, but with those sluggish officers, there's probably little hope. I think... could they have encountered some wild beast? After all, those two always liked to go hunting in the mountains."
Yakushin shook his head. "Let's hope nothing like that happened. Obara wife just gave birth to a child last month. I pray for both Obara and Iida safety."
He handed the prepared medicine to the villager, who thanked him and left.
After seeing off the customer, Yakushin began cleaning the used utensils, giving no further thought to the earlier conversation.
"Dad, we're back!"
The voice of Kanae rang from outside the door.
Seeing his two sensible daughters return with medicinal herbs, Yakushin smiled.
"Good work, Kanae and you too Shinobu. Go find your mother, lunch should be ready soon."
The two girls set down the herbs and went to the backyard to find their mother, Yuki.
Meanwhile, in a small grove behind Takinogawa Village, within a dark and damp cave, a pair of sinister, glowing green eyes slowly opened.
A low growl echoed through the cavern.
"So... hungry..."
***
Night fell.
On the country road leading to Takinogawa Village, Shinichi strode briskly, a Nichirin Blade at his waist.
His clothes were no longer the same as when he had first left—those made of ordinary fabric were easily damaged in battles with demons.
Compared to his initial appearance, laden with bundles, Shinichi now traveled much lighter.
All thanks to the silver mirror tied to his belt.
Yes, the very one obtained from the demon Ginkan he had encountered at the beginning.
This mirror, altered by Ginkan Blood Demon Art, had undergone a strange transformation, granting access to a spatial space.
Ginkan had once trapped children and Demon Slayers within this mirror space.
Though Shinichi had slain Ginkan, the mirror retained its spatial ability, proving incredibly convenient.
Shinichi had stuffed all his miscellaneous belongings into the mirror space and even purchased a large stock of supplies to store there.
Of course, using the mirror spatial space came with conditions.
Each activation required Shinichi own blood or the lingering traces of his Blood Demon Art within his blood to trigger the mirror power.
To an ordinary person, cutting oneself to draw blood every time might sound cruel.
But for Shinichi immortal body, it was no trouble at all.
What was a little blood?
He'd gladly carve out a chunk of flesh if needed.
As Shinichi walked along the road, he parted his lips and willed his fangs to extend.
Pressing his thumb against the sharp fangs, blood immediately welled up.
He casually smeared the blood onto the silver mirror at his waist and in the next instant, a flash appeared in his hand—revealing a still-warm dorayaki exuding a cloyingly sweet aroma and a large slab of meat.
Tossing the meat into the air—whoosh!!—a nimble figure lunged forward.
Maru-ni caught the meat slab, which was half the size of his own body and began tearing into it voraciously.
Shinichi himself took a bite of the dorayaki in his hand.
"Still not quite the right flavor. Oh well, it'll do" Shinichi muttered, dissatisfied with the taste of the dorayaki, even though its sweetness could overwhelm an ordinary person.
The man and his dog soon arrived at Takinogawa Village. But the moment they stepped past the village entrance, Shinichi halted.
"Wait—what's that smell? Blood?!"