Before leaving, Kanae Kochō handed Yōsuke four vials of medicine.
"Master, these are gifts for Hakuji-san and the others. The effect of this medicine is that, once injected into a demon's body, it will continuously suppress the cells inside, forcing them into a dormant state. Although it hasn't been tested on Upper Rank demons yet, ordinary demons instantly lose their strength after injection. So far, Shinobu and I have only managed to produce four doses."
"I understand. Well then, goodbye." Yōsuke carefully stored away the vials, and, under the reluctant gazes of those around him, waved freely as he left the Butterfly Mansion.
Through the Kasugai crow, Yōsuke learned that Hakuji and the others were currently in the Kinki region.
The four of them had been traveling from place to place in search of the Upper Moons, but with very little success. They had finally tracked down Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, yet by the time they arrived, he had already vanished. All that remained on the battlefield were the corpses of fallen Demon Slayer swordsmen.
When Yōsuke reached the Kinki region and found the four, they were sitting together, looking utterly dejected.
"Long time no see, Hakuji, Koyuki, Gyūtarō, Ume!"
"Yōsuke-sama?! You came?!" Hakuji exclaimed in disbelief at the sudden appearance.
Placing his hands on Hakuji and Gyūtarō's shoulders, Yōsuke smiled: "I missed you, so I came to see you. Why the long faces?"
Akaza recounted to Yōsuke the events that had led them to the Kinki region.
"Don't be so discouraged. Upper Five, Lower Five, and Lower Six are already dead. Kibutsuji Muzan must be stomping in rage somewhere right now," Yōsuke said with a grin.
"What?! Upper Rank Five is dead?" Hakuji asked in astonishment.
"Yes. A crow found the whereabouts of Gyokko, so I went and disposed of him. As for Lower Five and Lower Six, they were slain by Demon Slayers—Kamado Tanjirō and the others. Next time I'll introduce you to them. I think you'll like them."
Hakuji and the others looked even more disheartened. He muttered, "Even the crows are doing better than us..."
"Enough of that. Cheer up. Tracking down the Upper Moons is like searching for a needle in a haystack. How can finding twelve demons among the vast sea of people ever go smoothly? Here, this is a gift from Kanae and Shinobu."
Yōsuke handed them the vials he had received.
"These medicines suppress the cells inside a demon's body, robbing them of strength."
The four carefully stored the vials away. "Next time we meet Lady Kanae and Shinobu, we'll thank them personally."
"What are your plans now?" Yōsuke asked.
"We've decided to split up. That way we can search for the Upper Moons more efficiently."
Yōsuke thought for a moment before replying, "In that case, for your safety, let me share some of my blood with you."
The four immediately tried to refuse, but Yōsuke, without giving them a choice, injected his own Demon King blood into their bodies.
"The Upper Moons' abilities are extremely unique. Take Muzan's attendant, Nakime—she can instantly summon others and form an overwhelming numbers advantage. If I'm not by your side, you may find yourselves in danger. This way, you'll have greater power to face whatever lies ahead."
Feeling the surge of strength coursing through them, the four bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Yōsuke."
"There's no need to thank me. Seeing you working so hard to hunt down the Upper Moons makes me want to push myself harder too. Take care of yourselves. Until we meet again."
"We look forward to our next meeting!"
Yōsuke's figure disappeared into the night.
After his departure, the group began to divide up their destinations.
"I'll go west to search for signs of the Upper Moons," Hakuji said first.
"Then I'll head east," Gyūtarō muttered, scratching his cheek.
"I'll go south then!" Ume quickly followed.
"No!" Hakuji and Gyūtarō refused in unison. "Ume, you'll go with Koyuki."
"What? But Koyuki and I have gotten stronger too!" Ume protested.
"Your strength is enough to handle the Lower Ranks, but against an Upper Rank, you'll still be lacking. That's why you must stay with Koyuki."
Hakuji turned to both Koyuki and Ume. "If you find any trace of an Upper Moon, don't fight them alone. Immediately inform me and Gyūtarō through the crow—or contact Yosuke-sama directly. As soon as we receive the message, we'll rush to your side. Understood?"
Koyuki and Ume nodded together. "We understand!"
"Good. Then let's part ways here for now, and keep in touch through the crows."
After half a month of recovery, Tanjirō and his companions had completely healed and mastered Total Concentration: Constant, greatly increasing their strength.
Before dawn, a Kasugai crow appeared before the three of them.
"The casualties of the Mugen Train have increased! Over forty people have gone missing! You are to rendezvous with Kyōjurō Rengoku at the scene—head west immediately!"
After packing their belongings, the trio went to bid farewell to Kanae and Shinobu.
Kanae gently patted Tanjirō's hair. "Remember to protect yourself and Nezuko, alright?"
Zenitsu, standing nearby, glared in burning jealousy, his eyes wide.
Blushing slightly, Tanjirō replied, "I will, Kanae-san!"
Shinobu handed Tanjirō a small bundle. "If you're injured and can't receive treatment right away, these medicines will work quickly."
After thanking her, Tanjirō noticed Kanao sitting at the entrance and ran over to her. "Kanao, we're heading out. I owe you a lot of thanks for everything!"
Kanao gave her usual practiced smile, saying nothing. Instead, she pulled out a coin and tossed it into the air. When she caught it, it landed heads up.
"There's no need to thank me. I was only following my sister's instructions. Farewell."
For Tanjirō, who had spent many days with her without hearing her voice, this was the first time she had spoken to him. His face lit up with joy.
"What did you just flip? It says 'heads' and 'tails'? Why do you toss it?"
Kanao's mind was thrown into confusion by his barrage of questions.
"If I don't receive orders, I flip this to decide. Just now, I was deciding whether or not to talk to you."
"Why don't you decide for yourself?" Tanjirō asked.
"Because I can't decide on my own, so I leave it to the coin."
"Then it must be because the voice in your heart is too quiet. Following instructions is important... but, could I borrow that coin?"
"Eh? ... Okay." Kanao handed it to him.
Taking the coin from her hand, Tanjirō declared with cheerful resolve: "Alright! Then let's use the coin to decide!"
"Decide what?"
"From now on, Kanao, you'll listen to your own heart!" He flipped the coin into the air. "Heads! Let's choose heads! If it lands on heads, you'll follow your heart!"
As she watched the coin spin in the air, something stirred deep within Kanao's chest.
When Tanjirō caught the coin, her heart raced in anticipation of the result. "Which side is it? At the moment it landed, his back blocked it, so I couldn't see..."
"It's heads!" Tanjirō exclaimed with delight.
Handing the coin back, he lightly grabbed her hand as she reached for it. "Believe in yourself! The heart is our true driving force! It can grow infinitely strong!"
"Take care! Until we meet again!" Tanjirō waved as he left.
Kanao called after him, stopping him in his tracks. "Wh-why was it heads?"
"Just coincidence. Honestly, even if it had been tails, I would've kept tossing it until it was heads."
With a bright, warm smile, Tanjirō rejoined Zenitsu and Inosuke, and the three departed the Butterfly Mansion.
His smile seemed to etch itself into Kanao's heart. For the first time, light entered her once-empty eyes. She stared blankly at the coin in her hand before clenching it tightly.
From behind, Kanae and Shinobu smiled softly at the sight.
"Finally... the one who can change Kanao has appeared."
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