After Kitaro led him to the location, Hiru sent him back, instructing him to keep a close eye on Kamado Tanjiro. Hiru himself went to the nearby Wisteria House—where people were rumored to have gone missing—to gather information.
"No, none of our people have gone missing…" The head of the Wisteria House looked troubled. "It would be more accurate to say we were attacked."
"Were there any casualties?"
The man's expression grew even more strained as he took out a small booklet.
"Everyone only suffered minor injuries. There were no deaths. But every single one of them insists they encountered a terrifying demon. Some of the Kakushi even resigned because of it. This is what I compiled—information on those who were attacked, along with their accounts."
Hiru accepted the booklet and flipped through it.
"Didn't my brother come to investigate?"
"The Sun Hashira-sama seems to have volunteered to investigate Lord Mikazuki's incident instead…"
The head carefully watched Hiru's expression, only continuing when he saw no strong reaction.
"And as you know, Sun Hashira-sama's cleanups are extremely thorough. Since there were no major casualties here, we unanimously believed it might be someone attacking Demon Slayer members to conceal a demon's trail while avoiding attention from the authorities…"
"So we've been investigating in secret, but as you can see, we haven't found anything."
"…I see." Hiru closed the booklet. "Have any other Wisteria Houses nearby experienced the same thing?"
"Including us, five Wisteria Houses have encountered similar incidents. They are…"
After hearing the list, Hiru looked genuinely surprised.
"If it's only these five, then there aren't many places nearby where a demon could hide…" He paused briefly. "Alright. Leave this to me. Contact the other Wisteria Houses and make sure the injured are properly reassured."
"Yes! Is there anything else I should do?"
"No. I can handle it myself."
"Then… should we arrange a new Kasugai Crow for you?"
"…What do you think?"
"Yes! My apologies—I spoke out of turn! May you be victorious in battle!"
Watching the head hurry off, Hiru unfolded a map. After turning in place several times while studying it, he couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"I shouldn't have let Kitaro leave so quickly… oh well. I'll search slowly."
That said, with his exceptional physical abilities, Hiru spent just over half the night rapidly checking every location he believed could shelter a demon.
Just as he was about to accept a fruitless return, he caught sight of a familiar figure.
Hiru stared at the person seated quietly at the edge of a cliff. After a long silence, he finally walked over.
"I didn't expect it to be you."
The figure tilted his head slightly. The blazing red mark at his temple glimmered under the moonlight.
"I thought it would be Yoriichi…" he said calmly. "So you were the one who found me first?"
"There were no deaths, so the Wisteria House didn't report it right away. By the time they did, Brother was already occupied elsewhere." Hiru looked at the face that was identical to Yoriichi's, his tone flat. "But acting like this, Brother… are you in that much of a hurry to bring everything to an end?"
"This should have been settled long ago." Kokushibo withdrew his gaze. "You're calmer than I expected."
"I can't beat you anyway, so there's no point wasting the energy." Hiru sat down nearby. "More importantly, it's already too late to notify Brother. Even if I tried to stop you, I couldn't."
"I'd rather save that effort for Muzan. He's been tailing me pretty closely lately."
"He's investigating you?"
"Yeah. I don't know how, but he tracked me down. An innocent child got dragged into it, too. Now I've got a whole mess to deal with." Hiru sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
"Ah, right—before the clan was wiped out, my sister-in-law once returned to her family. After the massacre, her child conveniently changed their surname to Tokito. I didn't pay much attention after that, but when I noticed again, the Tokito family had already fallen into decline."
"By this generation, only a pair of twins remained. They're under my care for now and have become Demon Slayer swordsmen. They're extremely talented."
"Because of them, Brother fixed his patrol area—but he still helps out elsewhere when things get troublesome."
"Tokito…" Kokushibo lowered his eyes. "That name takes me back."
"Also, Brother's Sun Breathing has been passed down." Hiru looked up at the star-filled sky. "The successor is that child I mentioned earlier—the one affected by Muzan."
"Honestly, I never imagined that a family with no connection to swordsmanship… no, to martial arts at all, could preserve that inheritance."
"But just like Brother once said, someone capable of inheriting it really did appear."
Kokushibo simply hummed in response and fell silent. Hiru had no intention of continuing either, and the space between them sank into stillness.
Only when faint light appeared on the horizon, and Kokushibo stood to leave, did Hiru speak again.
"How about this—Big Brother lets me leave a mark."
"…Hm?"
"It doesn't mean anything else," Hiru said, not looking at him. "I want to focus on Muzan next."
"If I kill Muzan and survive, I'll bring Brother straight to you. It'll make things easier when we set off together."
"But if I die… then I'll trouble you to make a bit of noise and draw Brother to you yourself."
After a brief silence, Kokushibo replied,
"Rather than that… walk with me for a while."
Hiru finally turned his head, staring at that familiar face in a brief daze before lowering his gaze again.
"There's no need. We're not headed the same way. If you don't want to, then go."
Kokushibo's hand tightened around his sword sheath for a moment before relaxing again.
"…You're more fit to be the head of the family than I ever was."
"Don't joke," Hiru stood and brushed the dust from his clothes, a faint smile in his voice. "A head of a family with no home to protect—what kind of head is that?"
"I stopped being one a long time ago."
"But there is one thing I'm genuinely curious about."
"…What is it?"
"What has always driven you, Brother?" Hiru looked at him. "From my perspective, you've been learning, imitating—everything you've done feels like an attempt to become someone else."
"But no matter who they are, good or bad, no one can truly be copied."
"Do you really think that has meaning?"
"…You're right." Kokushibo turned away, his tone calm. "In trying to become someone else, I abandoned everything that should have been mine."
"I even forgot why I wanted to become him in the first place."
"But now, if I can't even cling to this… then my existence truly has no meaning."
"I suppose so." Hiru nodded lightly. "Neither of us has a way back."
"Then… I'll see you again someday. I've got things to take care of—huh?"
Hiru looked down at the hand Kokushibo extended toward him.
"What? Are we fighting now?"
"Didn't you say you'd come for me in the end?" Kokushibo said evenly. "The mark."
"…Aren't you afraid?"
Hiru reached out, sharp claws piercing into Kokushibo's wrist.
"I might come during the daytime."
Kokushibo's gaze shifted. A faint smile curved his otherwise cold face as he turned toward the shadowed forest.
"If that happens, then ending it with a satisfying battle wouldn't be so bad."
Hiru stood frozen for a long moment before snapping back to himself. Then he laughed, took a few quick steps, and fell into stride beside him.
"Then you two are probably going to fight until the mountains collapse, aren't you?"
Kokushibo glanced sideways.
"Weren't we not going the same way?"
"I'm heading down the mountain too." Hiru smiled. "Come on—let me walk you part of the way."
…