Early the next morning, when Tanjirou returned from Saburou-jii-san's house at the foot of the mountain.
"The smell of blood..." As he neared his home, Tanjirou's nose twitched slightly, and his expression grew uneasy.
Ignoring the need to rest, he ran up the mountain, panting heavily.
The front door was open... From afar, Tanjirou saw the wide-open door, and his heart grew increasingly unsettled.
Until he saw the figure lying prone in front of the door, a pool of blood flowing out from the doorway, staining the snow crimson.
"Ah~" Tanjirou's expression instantly became terrified, his pupils trembling violently, wanting to scream but the sound caught in his throat.
He quickly rushed forward, kneeling helplessly in front of Nezuko.
"Nezuko, what happened to you?"
"What is going on! What happened?!"
After a long moment, his horrified expression stiffened, and he quickly looked inside the house.
"Mother! Takeo! Hanako! Shigeru! Rokuta!"
Tanjirou frantically searched the entire house.
Nothing... No one was anywhere... Where did everyone go... Calm down, calm down... Nezuko is still breathing, she can still be saved... Everyone else might still be alive too, but he must save Nezuko first... It must be said that Tanjirou possesses great talent to make such a decision in such a short time.
He carried Nezuko on his back and ran down the mountain.
Mizuki walked out from the woods and followed silently.
This was the event where Tanjirou met Giyuu, the beginning of the Demon Slayer Corps accepting Nezuko, and Mizuki did not want to change it.
If she hadn't agreed to Nezuko yesterday, she would have brought the entire Kamado Family down the mountain, then found Tanjirou, who sells charcoal in town, and settled them all in her home.
Because Tanjirou was very kind, if she explained the situation to him, he would definitely join the Demon Slayer Corps to help others.
Mizuki never doubted this.
But a plan is just a plan; it couldn't keep up with the changes. If things followed the original plot, then for her not to change anything was the best course of action.
She was not a qualified teacher, at least she thought so.
Tanjirou was still too young, and his physical condition was not yet suitable for using Sun Breathing. Letting him follow the plot and study under Teacher Giyuu was the best choice.
Just like many people mocked Rayleigh as a fake master, building a solid foundation is also paramount.
Without a foundation, where would the later rapid success come from?
Mizuki, who was following closely behind Tanjirou, suddenly paused, watching as Tanjirou stumbled, missed a patch of snow, and fell down the cliff.
Fortunately, the area below was covered in snow, so they were safe and sound.
But... Nezuko's transformation was complete.
Mizuki watched Nezuko, who was not far below.
Tanjirou abruptly sat up from the snow, calling out loudly: "Nezuko!"
Seeing Nezuko standing nearby, Tanjirou rushed forward.
"Nezuko, are you alright?"
"Don't move recklessly. I'll carry you to town."
His response was the pounce and bite of a demon.
Nezuko grabbed Tanjirou's arms with both hands, suddenly lunged, and tackled him to the ground.
Tanjirou pressed his axe against Nezuko's mouth, cold sweat pouring down his face.
'It's a demon...'
'Is Nezuko a man-eating demon?'
'No, that's wrong. Nezuko is human.'
'But, Nezuko's scent is different from before, and the blood at home was left by Nezuko.
'While he was comfortably lying in his futon, something must have happened at home.'
'There was another... No, there were two unfamiliar scents at the scene...'
Mizuki watched the scene below while running down the mountain.
The process of transforming into a demon consumes a large amount of physical strength, so in the initial stages after transformation, most demons lack self-awareness. In this phase, they would devour even their own family without hesitation.
The fact that she was able to overcome the urge to eat humans and recover her sanity back then shouldn't just be due to the effects of the spider lily, but also her own special characteristics.
But no matter what, Nezuko could also be awakened.
Suddenly, Mizuki flashed her body and evaded to the side.
Just as Tanjirou was calling Nezuko back to her senses, a figure rapidly approached from behind the two, and then... raised the Nichirin Blade high in their hand and swung it down towards Nezuko's neck.
To be honest, Mizuki felt a bit panicked watching this scene.
But after observing Tanjirou's muscle movements and seeing him shove Nezuko away, Mizuki finally relaxed.
There was no problem.
The plot was back on track.
Mizuki stood aside and watched the siblings' fight for a while. Calling it a fight was generous; it was really Giyuu being unable to strike due to the emotional bond between the siblings, and Nezuko protecting Tanjirou behind her, causing Giyuu to fall into a state of doubt regarding his long-held beliefs.
Giyuu was someone who couldn't express his feelings honestly; a nicer way to put it was that he was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
Looking at the course of the fight, it was clear he no longer had the resolve to kill Nezuko.
Mizuki observed for a while, confirmed that the process was fine, and returned the way she came.
No one was home; Tanjirou would definitely return.
But what Mizuki hadn't expected was... the fight below had already ended, and Tomioka Giyu was leaning against a nearby tree, waiting for Tanjirou to wake up.
Tanjirou woke up abruptly from his sleep.
"You're awake."
Hearing Giyuu's voice, Tanjirou immediately hugged his sister tightly.
"Go to the foot of Mount Sagiri and visit an old man named Urokodaki Sakonji. Tell him Tomioka Giyu sent you."
"It's fine now because there's no sunlight, but don't take your sister out into the sun."
Seeing that Giyuu was about to leave, Tanjirou suddenly remembered his missing family and shouted quickly.
"My family is missing, please help me!"
Giyuu paused his steps. He had almost forgotten.
"There were two unfamiliar scents in my house. I think they must be the ones..."
Giyuu said calmly, "Some demons don't eat their prey on the spot. Instead, they take them back to their lair and hide them as reserve food."
Tanjirou's face lit up with joy: "Then..."
He really hadn't smelled the scent of anyone else's blood at the scene.
Everyone might still be alive.
Giyuu nodded slightly: "Take me to your house."
...Mizuki sat by the doorway, gently wiping the Nichirin Blade at her waist.
The black blade emitted a faint, cold glow.
Perhaps because she was too deeply influenced by Yoriichi, the blade's color would only change when she deliberately altered her breathing; normally, the sword maintained the appearance of a black blade.
Having finished wiping it, she returned the blade to its sheath and looked up into the distance.
Footsteps were approaching.
It must be Tanjirou and Nezuko.
But as the footsteps drew closer, Mizuki suddenly felt something was off.
The steps of one of them... were too steady.
Tanjirou's figure appeared before her, just as she was about to wave hello.
"It's her!"
The owner of one of the scents!
Tanjirou's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at her with grief and indignation.
"Huh?" Mizuki was slightly stunned, her mind momentarily crashing.
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