~Knock~ x3
The sound of the door being hit echoed in the house of the Kamado family, followed by a man's voice. His tone contains a flat and emotionless resonance.
"Please open the door."
"I am Giyu Tomioka of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"I need you to tell me the details of the demon attacks happening here."
Giyu's demands convey an unwavering conviction that the occupants of the house should comply with his request.
The situation inside the house, however...
"Huff... huff..." Granpa Saburo was exhausted after dragging both father and son to their bed. He was still recovering his breath when Giyu suddenly arrived and knocked on the door.
As he sat there, torn between the voice from the door and the passed-out bodies of father and son.
'What do I do?'
Saburo became very anxious. He never heard of the Demon Slayer Corps or this character, Giyu Tomioka.
This place was just attacked by a demon, and now it is going to be raided by some weirdo bandits?
Saburo stared hard at the door, then he picked up his axe, raised it above his head, and prepared to swing. He did not answer, nor did he consider leaving.
---
Several seconds passed.
"Hm? Did that old man faint?"
Giyu raised his hand and knocked on the door again.
~Knock~ x2
"Please open the door."
"I know you're in there."
Giyu repeated his words. His voice is still as flat and emotionless as ever.
...
"If you don't open this door, I will have to break it in for your safety."
Finally, there was movement from inside the house. The door moved carefully to reveal an old man in sweat and panic in his eyes.
"Demon Slayer Corps...?"
Saburo carefully observes the man standing before him from behind the door. Half of his body was exposed, while half of it was shielded by the wooden door.
The man was tall enough to tower over him, blocking some sunlight with his wide shoulder and back. His face offers a calm and serene aura that contradicts his violent words. His long black hair was tied into a low ponytail that reached his back, and he wore a haori with a red right half and a hexagonal pattern on the left half that was mainly colored yellow and green.
'As expected, it's a weirdo!'
Saburo lamented his bad luck.
This guy has such a calm face, yet he was quick to threaten violence.
Who would even do such a thing to someone else's house!
Then, Saburo noticed the sword hanging from his waist.
'A Katana? In the open?'
Saburo lifted his gaze to stare Giyu straight in the eyes. What he saw were the eyes that seemed to belong with the dead. Blue eyes stare back, cold, lifeless, and sharp. And yet beneath its surface lay turbulent waves of anger, a storm of fury that promises demise.
Saburo shuddered.
This guy... How can his eyes express no emotion and anger at the same time!?
Saburo swallowed his saliva, trying to push away his nervousness.
"Excuse me... are you a police officer?"
Giyu tilted his head ever so slightly, unnoticeable by Saburo, as he held gaze with the old man.
"No, I'm Giyu Tomioka from the Demon Slayer Corps." Giyu answered.
"Oh... I see..." Saburo hesitated as he expressed his next question.
"And what is the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Giyu frowned slightly.
Saburo looked at Giyu, waiting for his answer.
Yet Giyu didn't start talking and just held his gaze with Old man Saburo.
-?
A question mark rose above Saburo's head.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
'Why is he so weird?'
Awkward doesn't begin to describe it.
Doubt began to fill old Saburo's heart. He dismayed at his life choice, at Tanjiro for climbing the mountain, and at himself for entertaining this man.
No words were spoken, for neither men knows how to dispel this uncomfortable atmosphere.
However, they were saved by the arrival of the Kakushi.
"Tomioka-sama?"
Both men turned to see two men covered in black with a wooden box on their backs. Their face covered in a thick facecloth. They wore the standard uniform for the support and logistics division of the Demon Slayer Corps. Their eyes shone through the clothing covering their face as they saw the awkward encounter between the Water Hashira and an Old man.
"Tomioka-sama, why don't you let me explain?"
Giyu looked at the man and pondered for a moment, then he nodded as he stepped to the side.
"I'm counting on you."
Saburo is even more confused now; his gaze moved back and forth between Giyu and the newly arrived Kakushi.
The Kakushi bowed slightly, hoping to put the Old man at ease.
"Hello." The Kakushi tone of voice carried an understanding and a smile, even though it was obscured by the cloth.
"My name is Goto, and I belong to the Kakushi, the support and logistics division of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"The Demon Slayer Corps is, simply put, an organization that has existed since ancient times to hunt down demons." The newly named Goto continued as he saw Saburo's frowned expression.
"What you saw in your encounter tonight is the same demon that we were tasked to hunt and kill."
Then, the other Kakushi that tagged along with Goto stepped forward. He also bowed to show he is sincere.
"I am Masao Maeda, and I am mainly responsible for dealing with injuries of the wounded and the aftermath."
"I saw two people that may be injured. May I come in to give emergency treatments? If we delay, there might be some serious consequences that happen." Maeda asked, not one to beat around the bush. He wants to quickly move this conversation along.
Saburo's mind blanked as he stared at the three men in front of him. Goto's word ringing in his ears.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Goto's arms from both sides. His face filled with shock and desperation as he whispers the word.
"Y-you guys... you can actually kill demons!?"
"No, wait, is there really such an organization?!"
Goto's lips twitched slightly, not really appreciating being held and shaken like a rag doll by Saburo. He placed his own hands atop Saburo.
"Sir, the wounded! We need to treat the wounded." Goto said as he tried to calm down Saburo. But Saburo is in his own little world, not really hearing anything that Goto said.
Seeing this, Goto had to exert a little force.
"Old Man!" Goto voice command. "Let us in first, hm?"
"Ah..! Um.. yes, please come in." Saburo snapped out of his little episode and then, shamefully and embarrassed, moved aside to let them into the house.
"Thank you." Goto sighed and nodded to Saburo as he walked in. "Sorry to bother you."
Giyu and Masao quietly followed closely behind.
---
---
"Tanjiro is fine; he has some frostbite on his hands and feet, but he'll be alright after a nap." Goto said to Saburo, who was sitting behind the Kakushi waiting for the verdict. Giyu sat alongside him.
The box that Goto carried was now opened, and several drawers were already rummaged through to take out medical equipment like a stethoscope, salve for frostbite, and bandages.
Then he moved on to Tanjuro, who is still gripping Kusabimaru tightly, as he placed his stethoscope on his chest, trying to listen to his heart.
The man has been in battle with a demon, so he should handle this more carefully.
Goto pulled a small wooden stick from the box and quickly pried open Tanjuro's mouth to observe inside. Then, he pulled open Tanjuro's eyes.
"No pupil dilation, no problem with his gums, no internal injuries that I can detect, and a stable heartbeat..."
Goto straightened up and put away his equipment.
After finishing his examination of both father and son, the worry in him slowly dissipated, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"These guys... they weren't hurt much."
At the same time,
"Cough, cough, cough...!"
Tanjiro dazedly opened his eyes.