Without a head to lead it, Sato Takeichiro's body stopped struggling and, with a blast of cold wind, crumbled to ash.
Demons are "dead things" to begin with—what does dying again even mean? Only complete dissolution is their true end.
A pity, though… finally running into a walking EXP pack, and it's gone just like that…
Roy wasn't as thrilled as he thought he'd be. Luckily, the panel pinged—[Combat EXP +10]—which put him a little more at ease.
"Nii-san, he just… died like that?" Tanjiro finally dared to come out from behind the tree.
Thick-skulled he might be, but he wasn't stupid. He knew full well that with his measly strength he'd only be in the way, so he'd obediently stayed put instead of dragging Roy down.
Roy sorted the spoils, then dumped all twelve newly earned points into Shadow Step. Only then did he spare Tanjiro a glance. "What? You wanted a big showdown with him yourself?"
Tanjiro flinched and waved both hands. He'd seen that demon's power with his own eyes. Without Roy, he'd have ended up like that half-eaten woodcutter, no question.
Still…
"I… I want to fight with you, Nii-san." Tanjiro lowered his head, stealing a sideways look at Roy, asking nervously but earnestly.
That mix of pleading and resolve made Roy pause. Right— in the original story, Tanjiro is the eldest son, the pillar of the family, the one his siblings lean on. He has to be strong, has to grow wings big enough to shield them. He can't stomach being helpless; striving is his true core.
Roy ruffled his hair. "As little brothers go, you're not like a certain someone."
"You mean the brother from your dream?" Tanjiro asked.
"Mm."
"What's his name?"
"Illumi."
"Illumi…" Tanjiro mouthed it, then declared, certain, "He must admire you a lot."
Roy snorted. If that guy doesn't stab him in the back, it'll be a miracle.
He flicked Tanjiro smartly on the forehead. "Did Mother let you come just so you could pester me with questions? Zip it. Work."
"O-okay…" Tanjiro clutched his head, aggrieved.
Basket on his back, hoe in hand, he followed Roy toward the open-pit coal seam deeper in the forest.
Live off the mountain, live off the sea—if a forest is big enough and old enough, it hides plenty of treasure.
In less than half a day, after a short loop with Tanjiro, they'd filled both baskets with charcoal. It was three in the afternoon, about an hour till sunset. With time to spare, Roy tossed Tanjiro two dumplings and washed his own down with hot tea.
Then he sprang up into a tree, smooth as silk. Tanjiro watched, green with envy. Did Nii-san get even faster? he wondered, gnawing his dumpling and craning his neck.
Thanks to Sato Takeichiro, Roy's Shadow Step proficiency had jumped, and he felt lighter on his feet. Snapping off a branch, he invoked Gyo and scanned for game. With sharpened sight he caught two blobs of "aura."
Thwip… thwip…
The branch "left its sheath" twice—Roy flicked it like lightning.
Two shrieks. The moving "auras" went still. Tanjiro got the hint, dashed off, and came back with a pheasant in each hand.
"Nii-san—pheasants!" he beamed. "Perfect for Father and Nezuko."
Roy only grunted and leapt deeper into the woods. When he returned, he had a roe deer.
"Waa…" Tanjiro circled it, wide-eyed. He'd never seen something so deer-like yet not a deer. He was so captivated he didn't notice Roy toss the deer—neck already twisted—at his feet and vanish again.
Ten minutes later, a savage squeal tore through the trees. Tanjiro turned—Roy reappeared, dragging a wild boar.
The foolish otōto gaped, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things—until Roy patted him back to his senses.
"It's getting late. Pack up." Roy hooked a foot under the boar, flipped it onto his shoulder, bent to hoist the basket, grabbed the roe deer, and handed the hoe and two pheasants to Tanjiro.
He headed out the way they'd come.
These days, with demons everywhere and beasts ruling the night—just like Koizumi Sansaburō at the foot of the mountain said—no one dared go out after dark. Hunters had vanished. Which meant the forest teemed with game—lucky for him.
Shame I only know Gyo, not En… With En, hunting would be a breeze.
But no rush—one bite at a time, one step at a time. For now, mastering Sun Breathing and building his body came first.
Roy's long, deep-red hair swayed in the wind. A smaller version of him trailed behind, the two of them strolling through the snow country, chasing the last of the sunset and leaving two faint lines of footprints.
Tanjiro fell behind—maybe weighed down by the load, maybe reeling from the demon's carnage and the hit to his worldview. Roy didn't speak, and neither did he. Not until a thread of chimney smoke came into view did Tanjiro trot up, eyes set.
"Nii-san, I want to learn."
"Learn what?"
"This—hey… ha…" He swung a pheasant like a sword.
The feathers nearly poked Roy in the face. Roy rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. "Enough, I get it. You're the high-maintenance one, huh?"
"Heh-heh…" Tanjiro scratched his head, and the pheasant went plop onto the snow.
He earned a kick for that and limped onto the veranda to face Kie, Tanjuro, and the gaggle of siblings.
"I'm back!"
"Where's Nii-san?"
"Behind me…"
He handed the pheasants to Kie, shed his shoes and socks, and stepped aside—
And there was Roy, stomping the snow from his clogs: roe deer in one hand, a basket of coal on his back, and a fat wild boar slung over his shoulder. He swung the boar down with a thud.
He smiled. "I'm back."
The Kamado family: "…"
All eyes went wide—
just like Tanjiro's had an hour earlier.