Tamayo and Yushiro, being demons, couldn't travel during the day. Plus, roads in this era of Japan were poor, so their journey was slow.
By the second nightfall, they were nearing their destination.
Bored during the trip, Gusion chatted with Tamayo, trying to learn more about this world.
He handed Tamayo eight blood samples from demons he'd defeated in Yoshiwara, which surprised and pleased her.
"Is Mr. Gusion a scholar too?" Tamayo looked at Gusion with hopeful curiosity, though she couldn't help but doubt it—he always seemed a bit crude.
"Not really. I'm just curious about demon physiology," Gusion replied. After giving Tamayo the samples, he received a system notification—his hidden mission progress had increased. He didn't know what the final reward would be, but according to the quest description, the more samples he gave Tamayo, the better the reward.
"Honestly, you've been a great help, Mr. Gusion. There are too few demon slayers with your curiosity these days—demon blood samples are really valuable for my research."
Tamayo carefully stored the samples. "In the past, many powerful Hashira managed to slay Lower Moons, but none thought to study the structure or origins of demons' abilities."
"Miss Tamayo, have you met other Hashira before?" Gusion asked, curious.
Tamayo gazed at the full moon with a nostalgic expression. "I have, a few times. But most often they came to kill me. I only survived by luck."
"What?! Those Hashira are awful!" Yushiro, ever Tamayo's fanboy, was indignant.
Tamayo shook her head. "It's natural for demon slayers to kill demons. It's normal for Hashira to attack us. You can't blame them."
She flicked Yushiro's forehead. "And don't interrupt others when they're speaking."
"Yes!" Yushiro immediately straightened up. If they weren't in a car, he'd probably be standing at attention.
"The two Hashira who left the deepest impression on me…" Tamayo returned to the topic, piquing Gusion's curiosity.
"The first was hundreds of years ago—a man with long, dark red hair and earrings with a sun pattern. He was the strongest Hashira I've ever seen."
Tamayo's expression was emotional, clearly still moved even after centuries. "It was the first time I saw someone defeat Muzan in direct combat. Muzan was so terrified that he only escaped by self-destructing."
"That's really a shame," Gusion said, not sure exactly why he felt regret.
"Yes. Muzan made the right call—if he'd hesitated even a moment, that Hashira might have killed him. I later learned his name: Yoriichi Tsugikuni, creator of the original Breathing Techniques."
"So a swordsman using the original Breathing Techniques… we descendants of the Demon Slayer Corps owe him so much," Gusion said with a smile. "And the second?"
Tamayo glanced at Gusion and smiled. "Naturally, it's you, Mr. Gusion. You're a strange man—of course, you left an impression."
"Strange?" Gusion frowned, reflecting on his actions as he drove toward the mountains in the night.
"Mr. Gusion looks fierce, but you're principled, independent… and gentle," Tamayo said with a smile. To her, Gusion was the most unusual demon slayer she'd met.
He was powerful, but didn't kill demons on sight; he seemed crude, but was actually meticulous; and though he didn't seem cultured, he was curious about the unknown and knew to collect blood samples.
And even without orders from the Oyakata-sama, he recognized her value and protected her. Tamayo was deeply curious about his inner world.
"I didn't know I was so gentle," Gusion muttered, thinking he was no soft-hearted protagonist.
He slowed the car and stopped at the foot of a mountain. As they arrived, the fog suddenly thickened, obscuring even the moon and stars.
"Out of gas?" Yushiro asked, seeing Gusion stop the car.
"Almost, but that's not why I stopped." Gusion looked at the foggy mountain and turned to Tamayo. "Miss Tamayo, do you know what this place is?"
He wasn't familiar with the maps of this era, and the crow had only given him rough directions to protect the Master's location. He hadn't officially been appointed at the Hashira meeting, so he couldn't know the Oyakata-sama's whereabouts yet.
The crow said it would guide him in stages, and finally, a Kakushi would lead him to the Oyakata-sama.
Honestly, Gusion thought this secrecy had a lot of flaws. In the original, they'd hidden from Muzan's forces for a thousand years, but now, if there were a few clever people on Muzan's side, finding the Demon Slayer HQ or the Swordsmith Village would be easy.
"If I remember right, this mountain… should be Mount Natagumo," Tamayo said after a moment. She'd lived for centuries and traveled the country, so she knew these remote mountains.
"Looks lively up there," Gusion noted as he saw flickering firelight in the mist.
"Caw—south-southeast—south-southeast—" Another crow, not the Oyakata-sama's, swooped down, croaking in a raspy voice before landing beside Gusion.
"Thunder Hashira-sama, please hurry up the mountain! Demon Slayer Corps members have encountered several Twelve Kizuki up there!"
The crow's voice was urgent. "The Sound Hashira is already in a tough battle!"
Gusion frowned. He knew Natagumo Mountain had Lower Moon Five, Rui. But someone like Tengen Uzui (the Sound Hashira) should be able to instantly defeat him. Gusion hadn't even considered coming here for a side quest—Rui was weak, not as tempting as Upper Moon Six.
But if Tengen was struggling, there had to be more going on—maybe Upper Moons, or enemy explorers?
Gusion quickly decided. "Miss Tamayo, you and Yushiro wait at the foot of the mountain. If you see any demon slayers coming down, hide."
If even the Sound Hashira was struggling, that meant there were probably Upper Moon-level enemies. He couldn't protect Tamayo and Yushiro while fighting, nor did he have time to explain. The best plan was to have them hide.
With that, Gusion charged up the mountain, a whirlwind sweeping through the leaves.