Not long after Muzan left,
In the house at the foot of the mountain.
It was pitch black.
Tanjiro was lying on the bed; he slowly opened his eyes.
"Puhaha... ha... ha..." His contracted pupils trembled violently.
The cold sweat on his forehead had already soaked the hair on both sides of his head.
Tanjiro was like a drowning fish; he opened his mouth and breathed in large gulps.
Even the rhythm of his breathing was slightly trembling.
His eyes were filled with terror.
'What was that?'
As Tanjiro was slowly falling asleep, he suddenly smelled an incredibly powerful hatred and anger.
Immediately after, an overwhelming pressure came in from outside the door, instantly choking off Tanjiro's breathing rhythm.
Along with the strong smell of blood, it blocked his nasal cavity!
It was only when the smell had completely disappeared that Tanjiro was able to breathe again.
Tanjiro slowly sat up, looking at the door in shock, breathing heavily, his bedding already soaked with sweat.
"Was it a bear? Or something else?"
"No, that strong emotion..."
Tanjiro couldn't tell what that thing was just now.
He looked to his side.
Grandpa Saburo was already fast asleep, snoring softly.
It seems that the strange movement just now did not wake up Grandpa Saburo.
~Tap.~
Tanjirou got up quietly, put on his clothes, put his hands together in front of Grandpa Saburo, and bowed slightly.
Then he walked to the window.
Instead of opening the window, he leaned over the windowsill, closed his eyes, and sniffed carefully.
The faint smell was carried by the cold wind from the direction of the mountain.
'That thing has gone up the mountain!'
'Mother and the others are still on the mountain!'
Tanjiro's heart suddenly tightened!
His breathing became rapid, and he quickly turned his head to look at Grandpa Saburo, who was fast asleep.
Then, Tanjiro quickly picked up the heavy cold-proof coat from the ground and wrapped it around his body in a hurry.
Just as he walked to the door, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to push the door open.
"Tanjiro."
The old, hoarse voice came from behind Tanjiro.
Then came the rustling sound of someone getting dressed and getting up.
"Don't go."
Tanjiro turned around to see Grandpa Saburo standing behind him, quietly watching him.
Saburo looked at Tanjiro.
He had already woken up when that thing was in front of his home.
He was just pretending to be asleep.
He looked at Tanjiro; his muddy eyes were a little unclear in the dark, and he could only see a rough outline.
When he called out to Tanjiro at the beginning of the night, Saburo was thinking.
"If his grandson hadn't died at the hands of a demon, he would be about this age now."
"Don't go." Saburo shook his head slightly, his expression serious, and he just repeated this sentence.
Tanjiro and Saburo looked at each other. He opened his mouth slightly, panting, choked for a moment, and then quickly said.
"Grandpa Saburo!"
"That thing! It went up the mountain!"
"I know." Saburo closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.
"That thing is the demon I told you about."
He opened his eyes; his aged eyelids that had already drooped down trembled slightly.
"The demon that comes out at night to eat people."
"Don't go."
Tanjiro listened to Saburo's words, his pupils trembling. He turned his head and glanced in the direction of the mountain, then turned around and looked at Saburo.
...
He shook his head at Saburo.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Saburo!"
"My family, they're still up on the mountain!"
Tanjiro's hands trembled slightly; the impact of the intense bloody odor was too much for him.
But he still said in a trembling voice.
"I have to go!"
He turned and staggered towards the door.
He attempted to force the door open, but his arms were weak and his legs trembled, almost knocking him to the ground.
Tanjiro clutched the door, panting as he attempted to rise up.
Tanjiro's olfactory nerves were constantly stimulated by the lingering smell of blood.
How many people did he kill?
I am afraid.
Tanjiro is quite terrified right now.
But I cannot back down! My father told me once.
"Tanjiro."
"After I'm gone, protect everyone." "Don't be afraid." "You're the eldest son."
Yes, I'm Kamado Tanjiro.
Tanjiro clenched his fists and opened his eyes with determination.
The eldest son of the family! Mother, Nezuko, Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta... The smiles of his family members floated in his mind.
Move!
Tanjiro stabilized the fear in his heart, and he recalled the scene of his father's bright axe beheading the giant bear when he was young.
The trembling hand gradually became steady.
Then he suddenly pushed the door open!
Bang! He rushed out into the wind and snow.
He sniffed the remaining bloody smell in the air and ran hard in the snow while panting heavily.
White mist was constantly exhaled from his mouth.
"Mom!!" he shouted at the dark forest in the distance, hoping to attract the attention of the "demon."
...
...
Looking at the reassembled door.
"Tanjiro..."
Saburo's solemn look didn't change.
But it was as if his body had suddenly lost all of its vigor.
Slowly bent down and knelt on the ground.
He supported himself on the ground with both hands, and his eyes, blurry from age, appeared to be moistened by tears.
He lacked the confidence to stop Tanjiro at the end.
He saw in Tanjiro something he had never had.
Over a decade ago.
When he encountered a demon, he stopped for a second due to shock and fear and was unable to save his grandson in time.
He watched his grandson die right in front of him.
If not for the morning, he would have perished at the hands of the demon.
In the end, just the elderly guy remained from the initial happy family of four.
Saburo has since lived alone at the foot of the mountain, regretting his actions to this day.
Tanjiro! He shouted in his heart.
If... if I had done the same back then, if I had been able to rush to my family without a care in the world... If that had been the case...!
Bang!
He pounded the ground with all his might, biting his teeth hard, trying not to cry out, and squeezed out a few syllables from the bottom of his throat.
"Well done."
In a trance, it seemed that three illusory figures appeared around Saburo.
They squatted down and hugged him.
They were a man, a woman, and a young child.
~Creak.~
The door was opened again.
Holding an axe, Saburo appeared outside the door. He turned around and closed the door and tightened his clothes.
His expression was serious, and his breathing was steady.
He looked up at the mountain.
"...child, Grandpa is here."
What he wanted to save at this moment was not just the Kamado family on the mountain.
---
Muzan, who was strolling, seemed to hear someone shouting.
He turned his head back in confusion, clicked his tongue, and frowned slightly.
Then he turned around and continued to walk up the mountain.
The house was already visible.