As the demon retreated, the suffocating killing intent in the room dissipated, but the chaos was far from over. The smell of blood, disinfectant, the newborn's cries, and the groans of the injured filled the air.
Tatsuya stood with his back to the bed, his ears twitching as Silent Listening worked at full power. His nerves remained taut, guarding against a possible ambush from the demon and her "baby."
While maintaining his guard, he nimbly moved the unconscious Mrs. Kochou to a spare bed in the corner. He then helped Dr. Kochou—pale, drenched in sweat, and clutching a visibly mangled arm—to sit upright against the wall.
"Sss... ignore me..." Dr. Kochou hissed through the pain, his voice trembling but his spirit resolute. He looked past Tatsuya's shoulder toward the delivery bed. "Kanae... Shinobu! It's up to you now! Follow the steps I taught you! Count the instruments, apply pressure, stop the bleeding!"
Behind them, the battlefield had shifted. Kanae was entirely focused on the post-delivery procedures: "Shinobu, umbilical scissors! Tie it off... right there! Gauze! Apply pressure, hold it tight!" Her voice was urgent, carrying a steadiness rare for a girl her age as she forced down the terror of seeing her parents hurt.
Shinobu's small face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes still held traces of fear and worry for her parents. Hearing her sister and father's orders, she bit her lip and forced herself to concentrate. She handed over the sterilized scissors, her hands trembling slightly but moving with purpose. She then began to carefully wipe the blood and vernix from the newborn with a warm, damp cloth, her touch as gentle as she could manage.
"Waaa—!"
The baby's loud cry brightened the gloom. "It's a healthy boy, Madam!" Shinobu said, a trace of relieved joy in her voice as she clumsily but earnestly wrapped the fragile new life in a soft swaddle.
Tatsuya caught the scene in his periphery: Kanae was checking for tears and performing a fundal massage to help the uterus contract, while Shinobu checked the infant's airway. It was clear the sisters couldn't be distracted by their parents' injuries yet.
Confirming the immediate area was safe, Tatsuya strode to the shattered window. He took a deep breath and roared into the silent night:
"KAKUSHI! GET IN HERE AND HELP!!"
Almost instantly, several figures in Kakushi uniforms blurred into the room. They were highly trained and moved with military precision, taking over the chaotic scene.
Two members knelt by Dr. Kochou, professionally splinting his broken arm. "Sir, please bear with us. We're going to stabilize this now." They administered a painkilling pill and water; Dr. Kochou's tensed body finally began to relax.
Another member attended to Mrs. Kochou. After checking the wound on the back of her head, he cleaned it and applied a pressure bandage. "A blow to the head, likely a mild concussion. Keep her still for observation," he explained softly to the busy Kanae.
A female Kakushi took over the postnatal care for the mother, while another took the bundled infant from Shinobu's arms. "The young master is very healthy. A strong pair of lungs," she said with a reassuring smile, before helping the mother with her first attempt at nursing.
The entire process was silent and efficient. Within minutes, the room was under control, and everyone had received preliminary care. This professionalism allowed the Kochou sisters' nerves to finally snap; a wave of exhaustion hit them like a tide.
"So, Mr. Tatsuya... you are someone who hunts those... demons?" Kanae asked softly. She looked at the efficient Kakushi, then at Tatsuya, who stood guard by the window with his blade sheathed but his aura still sharp.
Her beautiful eyes held a mix of lingering terror and a new, inexplicable curiosity.
Tatsuya confirmed the perimeter was clear before relaxing his stance. He turned to Kanae and nodded. "Yes. We are the Demon Slayer Corps. Our purpose is to slay those man-eating monsters that plague the world and protect innocent people like you."
"Those monsters... they all deserve to rot in hell!" Shinobu muttered, her small fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms. Her voice was young but filled with a bone-deep hatred. "Targeting weak mothers and babies... it's unforgivable!" Her eyes reddened as she looked at her injured parents.
Kanae took a deep breath. She walked to Tatsuya and bowed deeply, her long black hair falling forward. "Thank you so much, Mr. Tatsuya! If you hadn't arrived... my family, the madam, and the baby... we would have..."
She looked up, her clear eyes meeting his with sincere gratitude. "The Kochou family will never forget this debt."
Shinobu followed her sister's lead, bowing stiffly. "Thank you for saving my sister and the baby! And Mama and Papa!!"
"Protecting lives is our duty," Tatsuya said firmly. "As for that demon..." He gripped his scabbard, a heavy pressure radiating from him. "She won't escape. Next time, I'll take her head."
Then, Tatsuya's gaze fell on his left arm. The haori Master Kuwajima had given him had a long, hideous tear in the sleeve, the edges stained with dark spots.
The intense aura vanished instantly.
He clicked his tongue in pain, muttering to himself: "Tch, if the Old Man sees I ruined my haori on the very first mission... he'll make me run a hundred laps around the mountain as a 'warm-up'... I'm doomed."
Kanae noticed his distress and his miserable expression as he poked at the tear. She stepped forward, her voice gentle but persistent. "Mr. Tatsuya, that haori... if you don't mind, please let me have it."
Before Tatsuya could react, she reached out. "I'm not a professional tailor, but I can mend it so the tear is barely visible." Tatsuya blinked, then sheepishly took off the garment and handed it to her.
Kanae pulled out a small sewing kit embroidered with butterflies. She found a black thread that matched perfectly. Her fingers were white and nimble, moving like a butterfly through the fabric. Her stitches were fine, even, and fast.
Soon, the jagged rent was closed, leaving only a nearly invisible fine line.
"There, Mr. Tatsuya! Look!" Kanae held the mended haori up with both hands. She tilted her head, a trace of girlish pride and expectation in her eyes. The fear from before seemed to have been softened by this small achievement. "Isn't that better? I promise no one will notice!"
Tatsuya touched the sleeve in amazement. "Your needlework is incredible, Miss Kochou!"
Kanae gave a graceful smile. "You can just call me Kanae."
As dawn broke through the shattered window, a young man in a stained railway worker's uniform burst into the room, gasping for breath. He was the mother's husband, a switchman who had run all the way from his night shift. Seeing his wife safe and his son sleeping in the swaddle, the grown man burst into tears of joy and terror.
He bowed repeatedly to Tatsuya, choking on his words. "Our savior! Thank you for saving my family! My wife is my life, this child is our everything... I don't know how to repay you!"
Tatsuya held the man's arm and patted his shoulder. "It's fine. Seeing them safe is repayment enough. Go be with them—but wash your hands and change your clothes before you hold the baby!"
Shortly after the sun rose, Takeshi arrived, covered in dust and breathing heavily. He saw the bandaged Kochous and the safe family and understood immediately.
Tatsuya slapped Takeshi's sturdy back in return. "Takeshi, relax! When has the Demon Slayer Corps ever had enough hands? There were only a few of us left after Mount Fujikasane, remember?"
He glanced at the thick muscle on Takeshi's arms. "Besides, among the new recruits, you're the top tier when it comes to raw strength and frontal combat. As for me, I'm not half bad at moving fast and tracking clues. Between the two of us, we're the best 'starter pack' there is! We'll scout the situation and take it as it comes."
Takeshi scratched his spiky hair, reassured by Tatsuya's confidence. "Tch, true enough. The Hashira are all out there risking their lives in even worse places... Fine! To be honest, thinking isn't my strong suit, so I'll follow your lead. What's the plan?"
The two quickly exchanged the intelligence gathered by the Kakushi. After some deliberation, they decided to split up. Takeshi would handle the western farmlands, while Tatsuya investigated the town areas to the east.
Tatsuya walked down the main thoroughfare of Takinogawa. It was a scene of daily hustle and bustle. However, looking closely, he saw no trace of panic. Ordinary citizens assumed there was a "serial killer" on the loose—disturbing, but far less terrifying than the truth of man-eating demons.
Tatsuya turned off the main road, heading toward the medical district. There, the atmosphere was different. People's footsteps were heavy, and the air smelled of disinfectant. He focused, quietly activating Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Silent Listening.
He overheard hushed, frantic conversations about pregnant women hiding in their homes. From these murmurs, he extracted three key targets: The Sato Family, The Tanaka Family, and The Kochou Clinic.
He contacted Takeshi via Shiun-sai. The crow returned shortly: "Caw! West side! Three homes! Scattered! Hard to guard! Caw!"
Manpower was desperately thin. Three in the east, three in the west—and only two of them. It was a race against time.
In the town center, at the Kochou residence, Dr. Kochou and his wife were reassuring a pregnant patient. Outside, Kanae Kochou organized medicine with innate grace, while her younger sister, Shinobu, kept a vigilant watch beyond her years.
The parents warned their daughters to be careful at night. "We are near the market, but we aren't a fortress," Dr. Kochou said. Mrs. Kochou added, "We will protect her. We just have to hope that demon doesn't target us."
Kanae smiled gently to soothe her parents. "As long as we are together, we will get through this." Shinobu checked her hidden dagger, looking like a small, determined predator. "I'll protect everyone!"