Bodies were piled up inside.
One man. One woman. One female child.
The ground was soaked in fresh crimson blood.
The thick, nauseating stench of blood permeated the house.
'Horrible…' His frown deepened. He moved forward to inspect the cause of their death despite the sickness twisting in his core.
It took him only three seconds to understand what had transpired in the room.
The female child had visible finger marks pressed around her neck. She had been choked to death.
The man had been stabbed all over his body, especially across the back, which now looked like a beehive of wounds. Even his head was mutilated, brain matter gouged out.
'Killed brutally…'
The black-haired, green-eyed woman had slit her own throat with a knife. Blood had gushed from the gaping wound, drenching her body as her hand still held the female child's.
She died with a bitter, anguished smile on her tear-streaked, painful face.
Seeing this, Tanjiro let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment in mental pain.
The culprit behind this horrifying tragedy was the mutilated man, he could tell.
He saw the pattern after observing everything.
The man had choked the life out of the female child.
Her mother took revenge and butchered the man.
Then she took her own life using the same knife, clearly unwilling to live without her child.
Tanjiro looked at the man's body with cold eyes.
'Should I feed his body to bears?' he thought.
Yet it only lingered for a moment before he discarded the idea and subdued his impulse.
He clicked his tongue sharply. 'Don't let it get to your head, fuck.'
So what if he had become too strong to defeat demons single-handedly? It did not mean he was some kind of deity who could save everyone's life or prevent every heinous atrocity from happening. He was still human and could only save the lives in front of him.
Lives taken by humans themselves for their own desires or interests should not concern him.
But as he stood before these corpses, his heart could not help but ache for this lost family of mother and daughter.
'They were miko, hmm…' From the clothes nearby, it was obvious.
By observation alone, he could tell they had died recently.
'Wait… Isn't this a good opportunity?'
The woman had her throat opened and most of her blood had left her body, but the female child.
Her body was completely intact, no damage to her inner organs either.
His head jerked back and located Kanae approaching.
The moment she noticed the three bodies inside, her pupils flickered in horror. Her face looked as though she would have cried if she were not a ghost. She also realized no demon was involved, which struck her with another mental blow.
Tanjiro sensed Shinobu's presence some distance away and quickly instructed Kanae, "Try to possess the child."
Her gaze landed on the still female child and her completely intact body, except for those mind-disturbing dead eyes fixed at the ceiling.
"B-But…" she mumbled.
"Do you wish her life to end so early like that?" he spoke silently, his voice calm and sympathetic.
Kanae's face looked hesitant.
Seeing her like that, he let out a sigh and added, "Forget it. We can just try it another time. No need to force yourself."
Kanae was an extremely gentle soul after all.
She always wore a kind smile and spoke smoothly with no hateful emotions toward others. She even felt sympathy for demons and wished humans and demons could live together in harmony.
Given her warm-hearted nature, she was undoubtedly feeling conflicted.
Not minding her hesitation, he decided. "I'll have to bury them, hmm. As for the man, he doesn't deserve a grave anywhere near the shrine."
As soon as he made up his mind, he prepared to dig the graves at the back of the worship hall.
Both mother and daughter were shrine maidens, so they deserved to rest close to their devoted ground.
The second he was about to leave the house, a soft yet heavy voice came from behind. "I'll try it… Tanjiro."
Turning back, he saw the resolved look on her face.
"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised.
Clenching her hand into a fist, she nodded. "It's not confirmed if I can truly possess the dead child, but I must at least try. I don't want to back off now."
He gave an acknowledging nod.
'This is the first time she's doing this. Although she cannot touch me, whenever she was around somebody else, they could feel a chill run down their spine, feeling cold and eerie.'
'But can she really possess a dead body? Taking over a living person's body is something she had rejected even trying. She thinks it may harm the person's mind as she has no idea what to do at all. And since she's such a gentle soul, the very notion of doing unwanted harm was against her character. But what about now…'
He was clearly at a loss here, powerless to do anything.
Kanae herself had to make up her mind, take action, and see for herself what else her ghostly powers were capable of.
"Your sister's about to arrive…"
Kanae heard his calm voice and moved her ghostly body immediately.
Feeling sorry for the child's early death in her heart, she recalled how their parents had protected and shielded her and Shinobu from the demon that assaulted them in the night. If it weren't for Himejima's arrival at that time, they were sure to have died the same night along with their parents.
'Don't waver… I must do my best. I have to…'
With that thought, for the first time since her manifestation, she entered someone else's mind willingly.
Though the host was already dead, her sole condition for trying possession.
Her ghostly body vanished into the child's mind, disappearing from his view.
Tanjiro's crimson eyes widened. 'What's next… Can she really do it…?'
A late Shinobu finally arrived behind him.
Her purple eyes scanned the room, all the dead bodies and bloody scene. Once she observed everything, three deep lines appeared on her forehead.
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in anger and pain.
As quick-witted as she was, she naturally figured out the situation.
"And here I thought it was another demon's doing…" she murmured with a blank face, settling her disturbed mind.
Tanjiro looked at her, pointed at the man's body, and spoke clearly. "We will bury him somewhere else. You agree with me, right?"
Glancing at the man who looked old enough to be in his late sixties, and having a round tattoo etched on his forearm, she simply nodded without a second thought. 'Murdering scum…'
Only a few words were required and both of them came to a mutual agreement.
'How long is this process going to take? She better hurry. Hah…' he thought, stealing a glance at the female child's body.
Ten minutes passed swiftly.
They finished digging two graves behind the shrine, using whatever tools they could find in the room.
Sitting down, Shinobu wiped a single bead of sweat from her forehead.
"Not even an hour had passed since Upper Moon Four was defeated, and here we are burying dead bodies unrelated to demon activity, huh." She exhaled loudly, staring at the dug ground.
He merely gazed at the mesmerizing night sky.
The distant stars and faraway galaxies twinkled in his eyes.
'Isn't that life… Unpredictable and ever-changing.'
"Do you like watching the night sky?" she asked with a faint smile, curious.
Tilting his head, he responded without much change in his expression. "Not really."
"Hmm? Why watch if you don't like it?" She raised an eyebrow.
Staying quiet for a few moments, he answered. "It makes me strive for higher… That's all."
'Ehh… Strive for higher? What does he mean…?' She was confused.
"You're an oddball, aren't you?" she said softly with a serious face.
Feeling like chuckling, he held himself back.
Suddenly, Shinobu's shrill voice sounded beside him.
Her trembling body bounced back on her butt. Her face looked pale and terrified.
"Gh-Ghost…! KYAAAAAH—!!" She shrieked loudly.
Tanjiro followed her vision and caught the figure she was afraid of.
'Ah…'