"It's Mr. Suzuki!"
The first to notice Suzuki Makoto was, once again, Tanjiro Kamado, who was carrying his sister on his back. He could never forget that scent, so comforting it made one want to sleep.
Zenitsu Agatsuma looked at the young man with some reserve. Although it was his first time meeting Suzuki Makoto, he knew that the person before him was also a Hashira.
"Hello, Mr. Suzuki..."
"Ah! It's the cold-faced guy from the mountain with all the spiders!"
"Inosuke! Are you crazy? How can you be so rude to a Hashira!"
"Let me go! I'm gonna fight him! If I beat him, I'll be the... grumble grumble*%%"
As Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira scuffled, Tanjiro Kamado walked up to Suzuki Makoto, slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry, they're always like this..."
"They're just energetic kids. It's fine."
Suzuki Makoto handed over the three train tickets in his hand.
"Are these the tickets for the Mugen Train?"
"Yes, but Tanjiro, take a good sniff of the tickets."
The boy paused, then brought a ticket to his nose and sniffed it carefully. His eyes widened suddenly.
"There's the scent of a demon! It's faint, but it's definitely there!"
"It seems you've taken my teachings to heart. You haven't slacked off in training that talent of yours."
The man patted Tanjiro's shoulder with great satisfaction.
"That's right. They're tainted with the scent of a demon. It's clear the enemy has set a trap starting with the tickets. This demon seems very different from the ones we've encountered before; it's apparently controlling some humans to assist it."
Tanjiro Kamado nodded gravely. This was also the first time he had encountered such a demon.
"Let's enter the station together and see what this Mugen Train is all about."
Suzuki Makoto was also quite curious. How could this demon's aura be so brazen in broad daylight—the sun hadn't even set yet.
And when he saw the Mugen Train, he couldn't help but feel his eye twitch.
This bastard... the entire coal tender is covered in your aura!
No wonder the passengers vanished without a trace. It seems the enemy has already fused with a part of the train. The passengers were digested on the spot, so of course, no trace could be found.
Call this demon clever, and it did think to bribe station staff and set a trap from the very beginning. Call it stupid, and well, if I were to split open the entire coal tender and disinfect it under the sun right now, wouldn't you just explode?
However, considering his own vaguely-defined Nichirin Blade, Suzuki Makoto gave up on this simple and brutal method. Better to wait until nightfall and cut the demon down with his sword.
But then again, now that I've seen through your design, how could I possibly let this train continue on its journey with passengers aboard?
"Whoa! What is this! Is this the enemy boss?! Pig Assault!"
Inosuke shouted, ramming his head into the train car. The huge commotion made everyone stare, dumbfounded, at the bizarrely dressed fellow.
"Hey! Who are you people! Are you here to cause trouble!"
The patrolling police immediately blew their whistles and charged over, brandishing their batons.
"Run! We're carrying swords!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma, the only one who understood the situation, immediately dragged Inosuke away. Tanjiro Kamado, unable to spare a thought for Suzuki Makoto, could only chase after the two of them.
The man couldn't help but smile. Energetic boys really do lift one's spirits—just as he was about to do something, they helped draw away all the attention, and the police.
He reached for the magazine hidden at his waist, pried out a few poisoned bullets, walked to the engine, and flicked two bullets through the steam pipes. Then he went to the coal tender behind it and shot another bullet through the water tank. Amidst the shrill police whistles, the few crisp sounds of metal striking metal went unnoticed.
Watching the leaking steam and the water happily spreading on the tracks, Suzuki Makoto relaxed and began to watch the show from the sidelines. Only after the trio successfully evaded the police did he leisurely stroll over to a station employee.
"Hello, sir. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, yes. I just saw some water spreading from the engine up ahead. Are you guys cleaning the tracks?"
"Cleaning the tracks? Impossible. The train is about to depart, why would we be cleaning the tracks? You must have been mistaken, sir."
"But there really is water. Look, it's still spreading this way."
Suzuki Makoto pointed. The employee looked in that direction, his eyes widening. He hurried to the engine and started shouting at the people inside. After the driver and the fireman came out, the three of them stared at the water tank, which now had several inexplicable, leaking holes, their faces filled with bewilderment.
Didn't it pass a full inspection just last night? How could something this major happen today?
But it was pointless to think about it now. Until the water tank was repaired, the Mugen Train clearly couldn't get back on the rails.
At the station, the news was announced to the passengers. Most of them began to complain about the inevitable delay, but the expressions of a few others became somewhat alarmed and uncertain.
Suzuki Makoto took note of each of them without a word, continuing to hide in the shadows and act like an ordinary, upstanding citizen.
Soon, the Mugen Train was towed away again. A spare engine pulling a tender arrived, and the passengers began to board once more—and this time, the entire train's aura was completely clean.
"Tanjiro, don't get on."
The three, who were just about to sneak aboard, were startled. They only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was Suzuki Makoto.
"Mr. Suzuki, why aren't we getting on?"
"I've already found the demon's location. It's not on this train anymore. Follow me. It's almost dark; it should be getting restless."
Suzuki Makoto led the three towards a nearby maintenance workshop. The damaged Mugen Train was now parked inside.
"Hey! 'Mugen'? The word 'Mugen' is carved on the engine! Wasn't that last train the Mugen Train?"
Zenitsu shouted in disbelief, pointing at the marking on the front of the train.
"Mr. Suzuki, what's going on?"
"It's simple. The demon was hiding in the coal tender behind the engine. It was probably planning to wait until the train departed to devour the entire train and its passengers. However, I used a little trick to make the driver think it was broken, so it was detached and sent here."
Timing it with nightfall, Suzuki Makoto drew his sword.
"So, shall we invite you out, or should we wait until we peel you out layer by layer, Mr. Man-Eating Demon of the Mugen Train?"
_______
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