Night had fallen.
Snow drifted silently through the mountains as Kokushibo arrived near the Kamado family residence according to the address his subordinates had obtained.
The moment he stepped within a certain distance of the house, the wooden door creaked open.
A thin man slowly emerged into the cold night air.
His long dark hair was tied behind his back.
A faint scar rested upon his forehead.
And hanging from his ears
The hanafuda earrings inherited from Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Kamado Tanjuro.
The final inheritor of Hinokami Kagura.
According to the original course of events, this man only had around ten days left to live.
The moment Tanjuro saw Kokushibo, his expression changed slightly.
"You're… a demon."
Unlike ordinary humans, Tanjuro possessed the Transparent World.
Though his body was frail from illness, his perception far surpassed that of normal swordsmen.
He could instantly tell that the being standing before him was something utterly inhuman.
Kokushibo did not deny it.
"Yes."
Tanjuro quietly tightened his grip around the axe in his hands.
That simple woodcutting axe was now the only weapon available to him.
Although he looked weak and sickly, Tanjuro was far from powerless.
Not long before his death in the original timeline, he had effortlessly killed a gigantic man-eating bear in only two strikes while suffering from severe illness.
His mastery of movement and breathing had already reached an extraordinary level.
Unfortunately
The opponent standing before him was Kokushibo.
Against Upper Rank One, Tanjuro possessed absolutely no chance of victory.
Even if Kokushibo stood still without defending himself, Tanjuro could not truly kill him.
Tanjuro's eyes briefly lingered on Kokushibo's appearance.
Then on the six eyes.
Then on the aura surrounding him.
And finally
On the resemblance to the man connected to those hanafuda earrings.
Tanjuro immediately reached the worst conclusion possible.
"You came because of the earrings," he said quietly.
"Please… spare my family."
Even now, his emotions barely fluctuated.
Tanjuro possessed a calmness almost unnatural for ordinary people.
Kokushibo stared at him silently for several seconds before turning away.
"Follow me."
Tanjuro hesitated.
He looked back toward the warm light shining from his home.
His wife.
His children.
Tanjiro.
Nezuko.
Then, after a brief silence, he chose to follow.
The demon and the human walked together through the snowy mountain path until they eventually arrived at a secluded house near the foot of the mountain.
The property had been purchased earlier through Kokushibo's subordinate network.
Inside, everything necessary had already been prepared.
Food.
Sake.
And several containers of diluted human blood.
Obtaining blood legally had become surprisingly easy after Kokushibo's human businesses began investing in struggling hospitals.
Under the excuse of medical preservation and transfusion programs, enormous blood reserves had quietly become accessible.
One particular child with an extremely rare blood type had even caught Kokushibo's attention.
Because of that, he had specifically ordered additional financial support for the boy's family.
Naturally, none of the humans involved realized how suspicious that arrangement actually was.
The two sat across from one another.
Kokushibo calmly poured himself a cup of diluted blood.
The scent immediately spread throughout the room.
"Mmm."
Delicious as always.
Then he gestured toward Tanjuro's cup.
Tanjuro hesitated only briefly before pouring himself a drink as well.
Considering his situation, there was little point in fearing poison now.
Silence filled the room as the two drank together.
Kokushibo said nothing.
Tanjuro eventually broke the silence first.
"What do you want from me?"
Kokushibo pretended not to hear.
Instead, he calmly drank another mouthful of blood before speaking seemingly at random.
"Kamado Tanjuro."
"Your wife is Kamado Kie."
"You have six children."
"The eldest son is Kamado Tanjiro."
At those words, Tanjuro's calm expression finally shifted slightly.
For the first time, genuine concern appeared within his eyes.
"You investigated my family?"
Kokushibo ignored the question.
"You possess the Transparent World as well, don't you?"
This time, Tanjuro's surprise became impossible to hide.
Very few people knew about that ability.
In fact, he had only spoken vaguely of it to Tanjiro once before.
If this demon knew about it
Then either Tanjiro had encountered him…
Or this demon possessed terrifyingly thorough information.
Tanjuro's grip around his cup tightened slightly.
"You met Tanjiro?"
Kokushibo shook his head.
Honestly, he had considered it.
But Tanjiro's nose was utterly unreasonable.
The boy could smell demons.
Smell emotions.
Smell lies.
At this point, Kokushibo suspected Tanjiro could probably smell plot development itself.
"I have not met him."
Then Kokushibo suddenly changed the topic entirely.
"Tanjuro… you are dying."
He drained the cup in one motion.
"Even if I had never come here tonight, you would not survive much longer."
To Kokushibo's surprise, Tanjuro remained calm.
No fear.
No panic.
No denial.
Compared to Muzan's obsessive terror of death, the difference was almost absurd.
"We will not discuss certain people," Kokushibo thought silently.
Then another idea surfaced within his mind.
A dangerous one.
"Tanjuro."
"Become a demon."
The room fell silent.
Kokushibo leaned forward slightly.
"If you become a demon, you can continue living."
"You can protect your family."
"And perhaps…" his voice lowered slightly, "your son as well."
In truth, Kokushibo had additional motives.
If Tanjiro and he ever became enemies in the future, having Tanjuro around would complicate matters immensely.
Besides
A father and son standing on opposing sides sounded strangely entertaining.
Yet Tanjuro rejected the offer immediately.
"No."
No hesitation whatsoever.
Kokushibo narrowed his eyes.
"You are not afraid of death?"
Tanjuro quietly drank from his cup.
The sake was excellent.
Perhaps the finest he had ever tasted.
Finally, he answered.
"If becoming a demon means harming innocent people… then I would rather die."
Kokushibo frowned slightly.
"What if I threaten your family?"
Surely that would shake him.
Yet Tanjuro merely lowered his eyes calmly.
"I trust my family."
Then, after a brief pause, he suddenly looked directly at Kokushibo.
"Why do you ask questions like that?"
"…Did something happen to your own family?"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"Enough."
Kokushibo's voice exploded through the room like thunder.
Tanjuro fell silent immediately.
Because he had guessed correctly.
Before arriving in this world, Kokushibo's previous life had not possessed warmth.
His parents argued endlessly before eventually divorcing.
Neither truly cared for him afterward.
They merely sent money.
Large amounts of money.
Enough to fulfill obligations without affection.
Later, after he was diagnosed with terminal illness, neither parent even visited the hospital.
The only person who came to see him consistently…
Was the younger stepbrother from his father's second marriage.
They shared no blood relation whatsoever.
Yet that boy still played games with him.
Talked with him.
Stayed beside him.
Perhaps because of that emptiness, Kokushibo unconsciously longed for complete families.
For warmth.
For happiness.
Even now, despite possessing overwhelming power, he still felt strangely hollow.
Tanjuro quietly chose not to press further.
The room returned to silence.
Two men possessing the Transparent World sat facing one another.
Frankly speaking, with both capable of seeing through muscle movement, blood flow, and breathing
The entire interaction felt absurdly intimate.
At this point, they might as well have spoken while shirtless.
Eventually, Kokushibo regained composure and poured himself another cup.
"Tanjuro," he said quietly, "your death will not end this."
"Your family will suffer after you are gone."
For the first time, Tanjuro's hand trembled slightly.
Then
Crunch.
Snow shifted outside the house.
Kokushibo had already sensed the approaching presence long ago.
But Tanjuro, distracted by their conversation, had failed to notice entirely.
"Come inside," Kokushibo said calmly.
"It's snowing."
The door slowly slid open.
And standing there
Covered lightly in snow
Was Kamado Kie.