Before bringing Tanjiro back, Hiru had imagined countless possibilities.
Tanjiro might lose control and attack his family. His family might reject him. Any of those outcomes would have been understandable.
What she hadn't expected was this.
Not only had Tanjiro successfully restrained his desires, his family had also accepted him with startling ease.
From the letter Yoriichi had entrusted Kitaro to deliver, Hiru already knew that Yoriichi had explained Tanjiro's condition to his family in advance. Given that, no matter what reaction they showed, she wouldn't have been surprised.
Yet they had accepted him so naturally—without the slightest sense of distance or hesitation.
"That kid really was born into a good family…"
Hiru wandered aimlessly, then tilted her head slightly.
"What? Something else now?"
The next moment, the sound of beating wings filled the air as Kitaro landed precisely on her shoulder.
"Gah! You've been idle for two whole months! Get back to work, gah!"
"Hey, don't say it like that. I do hunt demons too, you know? Just… not that many," Hiru replied lazily. "So what is it this time?"
"Gah! There are rumors of a powerful demon appearing in a nearby mountain town. You're needed to confirm and deal with it."
Hiru froze, suspicion flashing in her eyes.
"Nearby? Are you sure? That's my brother's territory."
"I find it strange too, gah…" Kitaro settled steadily on her shoulder. "That's why I wasn't rushing you, gah. But you still need to go, gah."
"…Fine." Hiru sighed. "Take me to the exact location. After that, come back and keep an eye on Tanjiro for me. Take this medicine too, just in case."
"You're really overworking a crow, gah," Kitaro complained, though he still stretched out a claw to let Hiru secure the medicine pouch. "But aren't you being a bit too kind to a demon?"
"There are… various reasons," Hiru said lightly. "You didn't go around spreading this, did you?"
"Gah! Even if I'm just a crow, I know how serious this is! How could I possibly blab about it, gah?!"
"Good."
Hiru straightened.
"Then lead the way."
...
"This is perfect timing—we're on break, and we get to eat Aunt Kie's cooking again!"
The boy with long black hair tipped in a faint mint color grinned brightly.
"I've been looking forward to it—haven't you, big brother?"
The youth he called brother looked exactly the same as him, except his expression was far more severe.
"Looking forward to it? That's great and all, but watch where you're going, Muichiro."
"Haha… Yuichiro gets really serious whenever he's worried about someone," the girl with the high ponytail laughed softly. The light pink hemp-leaf-patterned haori she wore made her look especially gentle. "He's nothing like the brothers in our family."
"That's because my little brother is a handful," Yuichiro replied flatly. "If he were half as reliable as Nezuko's brother, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
"Hey, that's not fair, big brother!" Muichiro protested. "I'm amazing too, you know!"
Muichiro turned toward the boy walking at the very back.
"Right, Takeo? You tell him! Aren't I super impressive?!"
The boy called Takeo had deep crimson hair, with a small tear-shaped mole beneath his right eye.
"Huh? Uh… yeah. Muichiro is really impressive."
"See?" Muichiro puffed out his chest proudly. "But Nezuko and Takeo aren't bad either. Haven't you both already learned Breathing Styles? And your physical abilities are great too. If you keep training like this, you should be able to take the exam this year. Let's team up then!"
"Sure~" Nezuko smiled gently. "But we improved so quickly thanks to Yuichiro and Muichiro explaining things to us. Sensei Yukinashi was fine, but Mr. Yoriichi's lessons were honestly a bit too advanced."
"Advanced?" Muichiro rubbed his chin. "Really? I didn't think they were that hard."
"No… every day felt like pure suffering to me…" Takeo lowered his head. "Compared to that, facing demons later doesn't seem all that scary anymore."
Yuichiro glanced to the side.
"Demons weren't scary to begin with. The ones used in the exam are ridiculously weak. You two won't have any problems."
Nezuko slowed her steps and gently ruffled Takeo's hair.
"Try to have a little more confidence. You really are amazing, Takeo."
Takeo kept his head lowered, saying nothing, his mood clearly subdued.
Nezuko didn't know what else to say. She could only walk a little closer to him, offering silent reassurance.
"Ah, right," Yuichiro said after a quiet sigh, deliberately changing the subject. "What exactly is wrong with your eldest brother? Even if he's being treated, there should be some kind of progress report by now, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Muichiro added, walking backward with his hands behind his head. "I really want to see this Fire God that Shigeru and Rokuta keep talking about! He must be super cool, right? When's he coming back?"
Nezuko paused, then shook her head slightly.
"We don't know either. To be honest, Mr. Hiru and Mr. Yoriichi haven't contacted us at all…"
"Don't worry so much!" Muichiro clenched his fists, brimming with confidence. "If Brother Hiru took him away, then there's definitely a solution! Brother Hiru is amazing! And Yoriichi said so too—your big brother will be fine for sure!"
"I hope so…"
Nezuko still smiled, but there was a faint bitterness hidden within it.
"Ah! I can see your house already! I'm so excited—huh?"
Muichiro suddenly stopped, the smile vanishing from his face.
"Did you feel that, brother?"
Yuichiro was already staring at the small cabin ahead, one hand silently resting on the hilt of his sword.
"…What an arrogant bastard."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's nothing. The two of us will handle it." Muichiro turned back with a smile. "By the way, does this count as overtime?"
"Stop talking and finish it quickly."
Nezuko watched the brothers sprint toward the cabin and instantly realized something was wrong.
"Could it be… Takeo, we need to catch up! A demon might have come here!"
Takeo broke into a run as well, his expression unconsciously twisted with fear and hatred.
"Did that demon from before track us here? Damn it! What did our family ever do to him? Why won't he leave us alone?!"
Nezuko's hand went to her sword hilt as she stared toward the cabin, her pink eyes filled with worry.
"I hope everyone's safe… We should have come back sooner…"
Takeo was about to say more when he suddenly saw the brothers who had charged inside get blasted back out.
In that instant, all his fear and unease spiked to their absolute limit.
Just as he was about to rush forward with a charging sword technique, he saw a figure step out of the house.
The same haori as his own.
Paper earrings swaying at the ears.
The momentary shock made him misstep, and he fell hard to the ground. Even so, he struggled to lift his head, staring at the figure standing against the light.
His expression went completely blank.
"…Eh?"