On a cold, bleak winter night, down a slightly off-path street in town—
The sparse streetlamps cast dim halos of yellow light, flickering like fireflies on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.
The street should've been empty, but two figures were darting across rooftops at incredible speed.
Rowen was running briskly along the ground, glancing up at the silhouettes gliding from eave to eave overhead.
With every leap and bound, their height and distance made Rowen—blessed with night vision thanks to his Demon Panel—begin to wonder if he was hallucinating.
Up on the rooftops—
"Big sis, that guy's still tailing us… what should we do?" Shinobu called out to the figure in front of her, tapping her toes lightly on the tiles without so much as a glance back.
Kanae simply tilted her head with a smile. "Oh dear~ What should we do?"
"Let's ditch him!"
"Hmm~ let's watch a little longer... Still, the fact that he can keep up with us is impressive, don't you think?"
"A spy?"
"Shinobu… I know he gets on your nerves, but we did see him out in the sunlight, so he can't be a demon," Kanae replied with a helpless smile and shook her head.
"Still, to keep pace with us without even knowing Breathing Techniques—he must have incredible physical ability. If he were trained, he could probably become a Hashira one day."
"Big sis? Don't tell me you actually want that shady guy to join the Demon Slayer Corps?" Shinobu halted mid-step, her face a picture of disbelief.
"Of course not. He's not like us. We can't just let people join just because they're talented. After all… being a Demon Slayer is extremely dangerous."
If things were different, she'd prefer her sister leave the Corps entirely and live a normal life.
But Kanae didn't press the point. She simply looked up at the night sky, sighed softly, and resumed her sprint toward their mission destination, choosing—for now—to ignore Rowen tailing behind.
Moments later, Kanae suddenly came to a stop, eyes locked on a figure in the distance.
Then, without warning, she dropped from the rooftop—her patterned haori fluttering behind her like the wings of a butterfly descending from the sky.
Her blade flashed silver the moment she landed. Before the figure below could react, the "butterfly" had already taken both its arms.
"—GRAAAAHHH!!!"
The scream, equal parts fury and confusion, startled Rowen so much that he genuinely wondered if he'd just witnessed a murder. Were these two sisters actually some kind of elite assassins from the Meiji era?
But almost immediately, he saw the truth.
The victim's severed arms squirmed at the stumps, emitting a disgusting, wet squelching as the flesh began rapidly regenerating—just like that monster he'd killed before.
If this was the same kind of creature, then that soft-spoken Kanae… was secretly terrifyingly strong?!
As he watched in stunned disbelief, inching closer to get a better look, he suddenly heard the softest whisper of footsteps behind him—followed by a cold, annoyed voice:
"—So you really do have a peeping kink? Had enough now?"
(When did she get behind me?) Rowen turned slowly, forcing a smile. "A-actually, I was just a little worried about you two."
"Are you our dad or something?"
"If you need a father figure, I could try playing the role—"
"Do you wanna die?" A vein pulsed on Shinobu's forehead.
"…Why is it that just caring about you might get me killed?!"
Knowing better than to keep pushing his luck, Rowen wisely said no more. Shaking his head with feigned regret, he hurried over to where Kanae was.
In the middle of the empty street, the creature lay on the ground, pinned by Kanae's blade, which was lodged at an angle through its left shoulder.
Kanae had one knee pressed against the demon's neck, her voice as gentle as if she were comforting a lost child.
"Miss Demon, do you still remember your name from when you were human?"
"Big sis!" Shinobu temporarily set aside her grudge with Rowen and called out in frustration. "These demons only lie! They can't be changed!"
"Shinobu…" Kanae's expression turned a little conflicted, but before she could say anything, Rowen—still dizzy from the info overload—cautiously raised his hand and interrupted:
"Um… can someone explain to me what exactly is going on right now?"
"You still haven't figured it out?" Shinobu sneered, and with a swift reverse grip, sliced off a demon's arm that had been trying to ambush them. "This is the 'demon' you didn't believe in!"
The severed arm immediately turned to ash.
But this time, for some reason, it didn't grow back.
Judging from the wound, it looked like it had been poisoned—whatever it was, it was spreading fast, leaving the demon completely paralyzed.
Only now did Kanae begin to explain—to both him and the immobilized creature—her identity and the truth about demons.
…
Demons—are the man-eating creatures from ancient legend. Once human, they are transformed by the blood of their progenitor, Muzan Kibutsuji.
They grow stronger by consuming humans. The more they eat, the more powerful they become. Some even develop special powers called Blood Demon Arts.
Demons are nearly impossible to kill under normal circumstances. Only sunlight, a Nichirin Blade to the neck, or wisteria poison can truly end them.
The Demon Slayer Corps is a secretive, long-standing organization that predates government recognition. Known traditionally as "demon hunters," both Kanae and Shinobu are members. In fact, Kanae is one of the strongest among them—a Hashira.
And yet, despite her strength, she earnestly hopes for peace between humans and demons... even though she's never managed to convince a single one.
After laying it all out, Kanae glanced hesitantly at Rowen, who was still digesting all the new information.
"Following us might put you in danger. If you can find a safer—"
"—This is a great goal, don't you think? I want a grand dream like that too!"
"Huh? That's…"
"If you don't mind, please let me lend you a hand!" Rowen said, eyes shining with excitement.
He stepped forward, grasping Kanae's hand firmly.
"Actually, I'm a priest. I might not be much help in combat, but I'd love to assist in conversions! I'm really confident in my persuasion skills. And praying for the dead is kind of my specialty! You could even say I'm an expert at soothing troubled souls!"
"Y-you are?" Kanae blinked, clearly not expecting that.
"This guy is so suspicious…" Shinobu frowned and stepped between them, separating their hands.
"Didn't you say before you were a hunter? And a fortune-teller? Now you're a priest too?"
"Those were side gigs!" Rowen declared, pulling out the cross necklace from under his coat. "See? This is my crucifix! Being a priest is my real job!"
"You sure do have a lot of side gigs..."
"The Bible never said a priest couldn't moonlight as a hunter or fortune-teller."
"...You are so suspicious."
She'd never actually met a priest before, but even so, Shinobu couldn't shake how absurdly sketchy this guy felt.
Yet somehow, his honesty felt too blatant to be fake.
And as much as she tried, she couldn't figure out what he'd gain from all this.
Kanae, on the other hand, was beaming. Her dream had finally been acknowledged—by someone else! But the joy quickly gave way to hesitation.
"I'm really happy to hear that, but... are you sure this is okay? This is very dangerous, you know? There's a real risk of dying."
"You might not know this, but the Lord once said—our friends' dreams should become our own. And I was genuinely moved by yours. Please, let me help you achieve it!"
Rowen's tone was sincere. He didn't sound like he was joking at all.
Seeing the burning light in his eyes, Kanae hesitated for a long moment before nodding slightly. "If you really insist… once the demon is fully subdued, I'll let you try to reason with it."
"Thank you! Then allow me!"
Barely able to contain his excitement, Rowen crouched down beside the demon, who lay frozen from the poison.
Staring into the creature's fearful, hate-filled eyes and feeling the flood of negative energy rolling off it, he immediately understood—
Not only did humans and animals have different emotional values… but even between the strong and the weak, the emotions they radiated were on a whole different scale.
This demon's emotional output was leagues above any human's.
"The night is long—we've got time. First, let's have a little chat… about Muzan Kibutsuji."
He'd noticed how the demon had reacted earlier when they mentioned Muzan—utter, bone-deep terror.
Sure enough, the moment Rowen brought up the name again, the creature gasped audibly. Its teeth clattered, cold sweat poured down, and it trembled uncontrollably, as if fear itself had taken hold of its marrow.
Bathed in this wave of raw, bloody dread that crawled straight up his spine—
Rowen understood: he hadn't arrived too early or too late.
Hell wanted him to cling to these girls' coattails, quietly reap the benefits, and let them do the heavy lifting.
If he played his cards right, it wouldn't be long before he unlocked his second ability.