"Woof woof~"
The sound of the little Shiba Inu, Taro, made the tense Yae relax slightly.
She stretched out her frostbitten hand and gently ruffled Taro's head.
"Father, I will let you rest in peace." Yae's eyes were filled with a dim, sorrowful expression.
Yes, she had deceived everyone.
She had indeed seen the "man-eating bear," but the creature devouring humans wasn't a bear—it was her father, the hunter Matazo!
From the information she had learned from Shinobu-san and Shinichi-san, her father had turned into a Demon, a legendary monster.
Yae gripped the rifle that once belonged to her father, her breathing slightly heavy.
Her face still bore an unnatural flush from the fever that hadn't fully subsided.
However, this did nothing to shake her resolve.
She absolutely could not allow her father to continue harming humans.
Using the hunting skills her father had taught her, Yae quickly traced the path from her memory to the mountain forest where her father had once roamed.
To lure out her father, Yae drew a small knife from her waist and without hesitation, sliced open her palm.
Warm blood immediately began to drip down.
The crimson blood fell onto the pure white snow, blooming like eerie red plum blossoms.
The scent of blood spread far and wide.
To a Demon, it was as conspicuous as a lighthouse on the sea—especially to one in a state of extreme hunger.
A pair of blood-red eyes soon opened in the shadows of the mountain forest.
A low growl caused the snow on the surrounding bushes to tremble.
At the same time, two figures quietly observed Yae's actions from a tree not far behind her.
Seeing Yae cut her own palm, Shinobu leaned slightly towards Shinichi's ear and whispered.
"Just as I thought. Yae-san has a secret~"
The warm breath brushed against Shinichi's ear and cheek, sending an inexplicable tingling sensation through him.
Suppressing the strange feeling, Shinichi coughed twice and said seriously, "Exactly. I believe the so-called man-eating bear has an unusual connection to Yae-san. It's very likely her family member—or more precisely, her father."
At the word "father," a shadow briefly passed over Shinobu's eyes.
Clearly, she was reminded of her own parents.
But before her mood could darken further, Shinichi's hand gently rested on her shoulder.
A faint emerald glow shimmered and a comforting warmth spread through her.
"Shinichi-kun?"
Noticing Shinobu's melancholy, Shinichi instinctively comforted her, channeling strands of life energy into her body.
Shinichi hoped this would ease her sadness a little.
"It's alright, Shinobu. We'll always be by your side." Shinichi meant that he, Kanae and everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps would walk alongside her.
However, in Shinobu's eyes at that moment, she automatically overlooked the word "we."
A hint of shyness immediately filled her heart.
Shinichi-kun, really... why say something like that here of all places?
The atmosphere here was growing ambiguous, but down below, Yae could distinctly sense a terrifying, dense killing intent.
This feeling was all too familiar—once, when her father had taken her hunting, they had encountered a starving gray wolf.
The sensation of being watched by that wolf was exactly the same as now!
Yae took a deep breath and prepared her rifle at the fastest speed possible, loading gunpowder and bullets before raising the weapon and carefully scanning her surroundings.
Suddenly!
The little Shiba Inu, Taro, began barking wildly in one direction.
Yae swiftly turned towards it and sure enough, rustling sounds emerged from the depths of the dark bushes.
"Grrr—" A low growl clearly reached Yae's ears.
Swish!
A black shadow burst out of the bushes, charging towards Yae at high speed while letting out a horrifying roar.
When Yae saw that familiar figure, the tears in her eyes could no longer be held back.
"Father..."
Tattered fur clothing, disheveled black hair, a ghastly pale face, blood-red eyes, clearly visible fangs in his gaping maw and sharp black claws at his fingertips—everything indicated that Yae's father had truly become a Demon.
Bang!!
Despite her reluctance, Yae pulled the trigger.
A crisp, deafening gunshot rang out—crack!!
The Demon's head shattered instantly and with a thud, his body staggered and collapsed heavily not far from Yae.
After doing this, Yae seemed to lose all strength, swaying before dropping to her knees.
Large teardrops spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.
At the Demon's neck, his mangled flesh slowly writhed as new bone and muscle regenerated.
The previously motionless body began to stir once more.
Before long, the Demon stood up again, his newly grown head slightly misshapen and roared at Yae once more.
Though his eyes hadn't fully recovered, driven by his sensitivity to the scent of blood, the Demon charged at Yae again.
"Father?" Yae's eyes widened as she watched.
Even after a headshot, he didn't die—was this a Demon power?
"Woof woof!!" The loyal little Shiba Inu, Taro, rushed in front of his owner to block the Demon, but how could a small dog stop such a terrifying creature?
At this critical moment, a gentle whisper reached Yae's ears.
"Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance—Caprice~"
Whoosh~
A beautiful figure, like a dancing butterfly, flashed past Yae and darted towards the Demon at incredible speed.
Purple blade light flickered several times in an instant—far too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.
Only when the wide butterfly-patterned haori gently touched the ground did the Demon's body, frozen in place, suddenly spurt jets of blood and let out a pained howl.
Thud!
The Demon, poisoned by wisteria, writhed on the ground, but his crimson eyes remained locked onto Yae, his sharp claws still pointing at her.
"Raaah!!"
Shinobu gripped her nimble Nichirin Blade, her lovely eyes fixed on the Demon.
This Demon must be Yae's father.
If that was the case, her potent poison might make his death too gruesome, possibly leaving Yae with painful memories.
Shinobu then called out softly towards the sky.
"Shinichi-kun~"
Swish!
As if by telepathy, a verdant blade light suddenly descended from above.
"Forest Breathing, First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
Crack!
Without the slightest resistance, the sharp Nichirin Blade effortlessly severed the Demon's head, sending it soaring into the air before it landed precisely in front of Yae.
Thud!
As the Demon's body collapsed, Shinichi slowly sheathed his Nichirin Blade, his heterochromatic eyes turning towards Yae.
Perhaps due to a final surge of clarity before death, the Demon's head that had landed before Yae suddenly regained a fleeting moment of lucidity in his crimson eyes.
A profoundly complex emotion surged in his gaze as he looked at Yae.
Joy, regret, relief, acceptance—his lips trembled soundlessly a few times before the Demon's head closed his eyes and turned to ashes.
Yae stared blankly at it all.
That final look in the Demon's eyes was exactly the same as the one her father had in life.
Her father was truly gone.
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