Early in the morning, as Ryoma and Tanjiro finished packing and were ready to return.
Two kasugai crows from the Demon Slayer Corps flew towards them, landing on Ryoma's and Tanjiro's shoulders respectively.
"Caw! Next destination!"
The kasugai crow on Tanjiro's shoulder announced in a high-pitched and urgent voice, "Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture! Rumor has it there are demons lurking there! Caw!"
"Eh?!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are we going to another place so soon?"
The fatigue from continuous battles and travel had not yet completely dissipated.
"Hurry up! Caw!"
His kasugai crow pecked at his ear without ceremony, immediately interrupting his hesitation.
"Don't dawdle! Hurry up and go! Caw!"
The urging grew more insistent.
Ryoma watched Tanjiro fumbling with his noisy kasugai crow, a faint smile gracing his lips.
He turned his head to look at the much quieter and calmer kasugai crow on his own shoulder, which merely watched him silently with its dark eyes, and a hint of relief flashed through his heart.
However, from the looks of it, since they were from the same batch and disciples of the same trainer, he and Tanjiro were probably implicitly teamed up for missions.
The two packed their belongings and set off in the direction of Asakusa. Along the way, Tanjiro's kasugai crow occasionally made urging sounds, while Ryoma's kasugai crow rested quietly on his shoulder, occasionally preening its feathers.
"Ryoma, your kasugai crow is so quiet." TTanjiro looked at the steady black crow on Ryoma's shoulder with some envy.
"Caw! Hurry up and travel!" Tanjiro's kasugai crow immediately pecked at his head in dissatisfaction.
Ryoma chuckled. "Perhaps it's a difference in personality. But yours is very dedicated."
—
After several days of arduous travel, the two finally arrived in the bustling Asakusa.
Unlike the remote towns they had visited before, the streets here were wide and lined with shops.
Even at night, the streets were still bustling with people, and the cries of various hawkers rose and fell. Colorful lanterns hung under the eaves, illuminating the entire street.
The air was filled with the aroma of various foods—roasted sweet potatoes, oden, takoyaki...
Seeing the highly developed urban area, Tanjiro was stunned.
"How can the city be so advanced, and so bright even at night?"
Tanjiro felt somewhat suffocated by the bustling crowd, and instinctively leaned closer to Ryoma.
Compared to the tranquility of other places at night, this place was like another world.
"There are too many people here."
"The more prosperous a place, the easier it is for shadows to breed." Ryoma's voice remained clear amidst the noise.
"A demon here is like a drop of water merging into the ocean."
Ryoma looked around and said, "Let's find a place to rest first, then gather information. In such a crowded place, it's easier for a demon to hide its identity."
Tanjiro really couldn't adapt to a place with so many people. So the two, with Nezuko, came to a quieter side road on the outskirts.
There was even a small noodle stall on this path, which was just right for them to rest and eat something.
The two ordered two bowls of noodles, ate them, rested for a while, and then prepared to go collect information nearby.
Ryoma and Tanjiro returned to the bustling main street.
Tanjiro slowly walked along the lively commercial street, admiring the various novel goods while paying attention to the surrounding scents.
However, in such a noisy environment, with various smells mixed together, it was not easy to distinguish the scent of a demon.
"Have you found anything?" Ryoma asked.
Tanjiro frowned, trying to distinguish every wisp of scent in the air. "It's too complex, there are too many different smells..."
Suddenly, a familiar scent that made his blood instantly freeze rushed into his nostrils, it was a smell he could never forget.
"This scent is... why would it suddenly appear in this place..."
Tanjiro's voice began to tremble, and he froze in place as if struck by lightning.
It was the scent that lingered in his home, the scent of that man.
The demon who had killed his entire family and turned Nezuko into a demon—Kibutsuji Muzan!
"Tanjiro?"
Ryoma noticed his abnormality immediately.
Tanjiro didn't answer, he abruptly pushed through the crowd and rushed towards the source of the scent.
Ryoma's eyes narrowed, and he immediately followed.
Finally, in the middle of a nearby street, he saw a tall, slender man.
His black hair was neatly combed, he wore a sophisticated suit, and his demeanor was as elegant as a gentleman from high society.
But Tanjiro knew what kind of demon was hidden beneath that harmless face.
"It's him..."
Tanjiro's voice was so low it seemed to be squeezed through his teeth.
"Kibutsuji Muzan..."
Ryoma's nerves instantly tensed, and he looked in the direction of Tanjiro's gaze.
The man seemed to sense something and slowly turned his head.
The moment his gaze met Tanjiro's, Tanjiro felt an unprecedented terrifying pressure wash over him.
Those eyes... dark red pupils flickered with a cold light, as if they could see through one's soul.
"I found you..."
Tanjiro's hand unconsciously reached for his sword hilt.
Ryoma noticed Tanjiro's abnormal state and immediately reached out to grasp his shoulder. "Calm down, now is not the time."
"But... but he..."
Tanjiro's voice trembled slightly.
"Look carefully at your surroundings." Ryoma's voice was stern and calm.
"There are so many innocent people here."
Tanjiro's reason was abruptly pulled back by these words.
He saw the endless stream of innocent people around him, their faces beaming with happy smiles, completely unaware of the impending disaster.
Just then, a little girl with a bow in her hair skipped over to Muzan, intimately took his hand, and sweetly called out, "Papa."
The woman beside also asked gently, "What's wrong, is something the matter? Do you know that child?"
"No." Muzan's tone was disturbingly calm, even with a hint of a troubled smile.
"It's truly perplexing, I've never seen this child before."
This scene, like a heavy hammer, stunned Tanjiro, feeling his worldview collapse in an instant.
Muzan was actually pretending to be human and living among them, and the woman and child clearly had human scents. It seemed obvious that Muzan was using her as a tool to conceal his identity.
Watching Muzan, this demon, blend so naturally into human society, Tanjiro's anger intensified.
However, just then, Muzan made a move that Tanjiro had not expected.
As he held his daughter, and a passerby brushed past him, his arm shot out like lightning, at a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch, and his sharp nails lightly grazed the back of the male passerby's neck.
A drop of demon blood, imbued with destruction and a curse, silently injected itself into the innocent person's body.