Although my meeting with Yoriichi wasn't under the best circumstances, I'm still thankful to him. He made me realize I could just run to my destination instead of taking slow carts pulled by even slower donkeys and horses.
Night had fully fallen by the time I reached the village near Late Ms. Ayuma's mansion. Thinking about it now, with Ms. Ayuma gone, who owns the mansion and runs the dojo there? My worst guess is it was sold off, but that seems unlikely—it sits right inside the Demon Slayer Corps encampment. They probably wouldn't sell it. More likely it passed down to either Gorilla or Nana.
I walked the streets in dark silence, noticing how much the place had changed over the years. After strolling around looking for an inn and finding none open, I was left with sleeping outdoors again.
The thought of heading to the mansion crossed my mind, but I doubted anyone would be awake at this hour, and I didn't want to disturb their sleep.
I found a good spot beneath a tree, made myself comfortable, and decided it was time to check on my companion.
"Status"
NAME: TATSUYA UZUI
AGE: 16
CLASS: UNSELECTED
LEVEL: 75
ATTRIBUTES
STR: 80
STA: 125
SPE: 94
AGI: 90
CLASS ATTRIBUTES
(SELECT CLASS TYPE)
SKILLS
Neural Shell
Pain Resistance
Night Vision
CLASS SKILLS
(SELECT CLASS TYPE)
It had been a while since I last checked. Nothing significant had changed—probably because I hadn't faced a demon strong enough to push me.
I closed the window and shut my eyes for a nap. But a subtle, malicious presence drifted in, not far off, though still outside the village. No reason to ignore it; who knew if it was heading this way.
I jumped to my feet, grabbed my tanto, and moved toward it. The trail led me into the woods. As I closed in, I sensed another presence, a human—and they seemed to be together, most likely fighting.
I kept my distance to assess first, climbing a tree for a better view. As I'd guessed: a demon slayer and a demon.
They'd been at it for a while. The human made it obvious—she was huffing, breathing hard, struggling to stay balanced on her feet. Her hair was short, shoulder-length, trimmed roughly by hand. Her haori was filthy, torn apart. She was clearly losing.
The demon looked untouched, wide taunting smile, comfortable, almost enjoying her struggle.
He charged, slashing sharp nails at her. She dodged side to side, barely blocking and evading. He spun into a kick she hadn't seen coming. It caught her side in an instant. She screamed, flew sideways, rolled across the ground, and stopped.
She tried to rise, but her body refused. She managed to sit up, staying on her back and pointing the tip of her katana at the approaching demon. He drooled, watching her fight to stay upright. Yet even exhausted and outmatched, her face burned with confidence, no trace of fear.
I didn't know how much longer she could hold. Letting the fight drag on was dangerous.
My tanto was already half-drawn. I leaped from the tree. With one clean slash through the neck it was over before it started. I landed between them, blade already sheathed.
Up close, recognition hit instantly. I had never thought of the possibility that after all these years, we will meet in this condition. This was Hanako Nanamiya—Nana.
Before I could speak, the demon crumpled behind me, head disintegrating into ash. Then Nana followed, the exhaustion had finally prevailed, she collapsed in front of me, unconscious.