"Please let me go with you!" Haganezuka's snot flowed from under his mask as he clung to Tanjirou's leg, refusing to let go.
As for why he didn't cling to Mizuki's leg, it was because he had been beaten again when he pounced on her earlier.
Tanjirou was sweating anxiously, "Mr. Haganezuka, please let go."
"No!" Haganezuka's voice was sharp, "You want me to leave that sword, no matter what I..."
Mid-sentence, Urokodaki Sakonji delivered a chop to the back of his neck.
Haganezuka collapsed instantly.
The world fell silent.
Urokodaki Sakonji said calmly, "Go on, don't worry."
"You've been a great help, Urokodaki-sensei." Tanjirou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Urokodaki Sakonji nodded slightly, grabbed Haganezuka's ankle, and dragged him back inside.
Tanjirou broke out in a sweat and said to Mizuki, who was beside him, "Mr. Haganezuka's passion for swords is truly terrifying."
"Mhm."
Mizuki responded, then handed the box in her hand to Tanjirou.
It was made of special wood and used to hold Nezuko.
The shrunken Nezuko was exceptionally cute, especially her dazed and silly appearance, which made Mizuki exclaim in her heart.
My maiden heart!
On the way, Tanjirou asked with a worried expression, "Is it really okay for Miss Mizuki to follow me?"
He felt like he was delaying Miss Mizuki's time.
Mizuki shook her head, "It's fine."
It wasn't just because she was worried about Tanjirou; in fact, now that Tanjirou had learned Sun Breathing, he was definitely much stronger than in the original story. The main reason she wanted to follow Tanjirou was... if she didn't follow Tanjirou, she wouldn't be able to find Tamayo at all!
Before coming to Mount Sagiri, she had stayed in Asakusa for a few days, wandering around day and night, but she hadn't seen a single demon, let alone Tamayo or Muzan.
Tamayo and Yushiro's Blood Demon Arts were extremely deceptive, and she couldn't easily find them with just her senses.
Blood Demon Arts were unreasonable; even the progenitor of demons, Kibutsuji Muzan, couldn't be immune to them.
This was also why Muzan was unwilling to increase his companions and didn't want to see demons gather in groups; he worried that those demons would unite and rebel against him.
Even though Mizuki said it was nothing, Tanjirou felt it was necessary to show Miss Mizuki his growth.
Arriving at the town where the mission was, where demons appeared, Tanjirou successfully obtained information from a man who had lost his fiancée, and with his excellent sense of smell, he successfully found traces of the demon.
"The scent is stronger, a demon has appeared!"
"Over there, Miss Mizuki!"
As Tanjirou spoke, he had already leaped onto the rooftop and was running into the distance.
What a sensitive nose, he discovered it not long after her.
Mizuki's eyes flickered, and she turned to look at the man who was shocked by Tanjirou's fluid movements.
"You come along too."
Although Mizuki didn't think his fiancée was still alive.
She didn't remember much of this part of the plot; her little notebook only recorded the demon's abilities.
It was a Swamp Demon that could create clones.
By the time Mizuki brought the man to Tanjirou, Tanjirou had already rescued a young girl and was vigilantly watching the demon before him.
Tanjirou demanded, "Where are the abducted women?!"
The demon gnashed its teeth in anger, emitting a sharp, grating sound.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Tanjirou said without turning his head, "Miss Mizuki, please look after them."
With the box on his back, he actively charged at the demon with his sword.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Circle Haze!"
A crimson circular arc of flame slashed directly, severing the demon's head.
'I was cut! This brat!'
It wasn't until his head was thrown high into the air that the demon, with three demon horns on its forehead, showed a look of utter terror.
He hadn't seen anything clearly.
If he hadn't created clones beforehand, he would have been defeated by now.
'No, this brat is too strong.'
If this continued, he would definitely not escape.
In a panic, the demon's head, spinning in the air, saw the people not far from Tanjirou.
They were just ordinary people!
Tanjirou, who had regained his footing, smelled a strange odor.
He turned and shouted, "Watch out! On the groun..."
A shadow emerged from the ground, and Mizuki looked down.
Two demon shadows burst out from within the shadows, attacking the group from left and right.
"Ah!" the man cried out in panic.
'I'll take them hostage and escape first!'
The demon had no intention of fighting Tanjirou at this moment; in the instant of their brief encounter, he understood that he was no match for that brat.
With lightning speed, the demon felt a blur before his eyes, and Mizuki had already gripped his neck with one hand, lifting him up.
What about the other clone?
He couldn't feel the connection anymore!
A head fell beside him, rolling onto the ground, and the demon whose throat was gripped by Mizuki showed a terrified expression.
Dead!
He hadn't even seen her draw her sword, let alone sheathe it!
This woman... is a monster!!
Mizuki ripped off his head and stepped on his headless body, which struggled but couldn't break free.
Mizuki expressionlessly wiped the blood from her face, holding the head, "Where are the people?"
Tanjirou's voice faltered, cold sweat appearing on his forehead, and he chuckled twice.
As expected... of Miss Mizuki.
The demon looked at her in terror, stammering, "E-eaten."
The next moment, a faint light flashed, and the demon's head was split in two.
Its body gradually turned to ash.
The man beside her, who had barely managed to stomach the bloody scene, froze completely upon hearing what the demon said.
Mizuki slowly sheathed her Nichirin Blade, carried the girl lying on the ground to a corner, and gently woke her up.
On the other side, Tanjirou was comforting the man.
Mizuki didn't get involved.
It wasn't that she had changed, but tragedies always played out, and even the most emotional people would gradually become indifferent.
They were Demon Slayer Corps members, not psychologists.
No... even a psychologist couldn't heal the wounds of the heart.
After reluctantly comforting the man, Tanjirou stood up with a gentle expression and quietly left.
The one human and two demons hadn't even walked two li when Tanjirou's Kasugai Crow circled overhead.
"The next location is Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture!"
"I hear there's a demon lurking there!" The Kasugai Crow named Tennoji Matsuemon landed on Tanjirou's shoulder.
"Eh? Another mission already?" Tanjirou, who had just caught his breath, couldn't help but be surprised.
Mizuki exhaled, silently looking at the pale light of dawn in the sky.
The demon's blood remaining on her face slowly dissolved.
The sun was that magical; even Blood Demon Arts would lose their effect in sunlight, let alone demon blood.
Mizuki's mind went blank.
How long had it been since she and Tamayo parted ways?
Even if it wasn't two hundred years, it must have been over a hundred years.
They were finally going to meet again, in this era with the most hope of defeating Muzan.
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