Before leaving, Shinichi gave all the remaining hundreds of pounds of wild boar meat to the Kamado family.
To Shinichi, this meat was nothing significant, but for the Kamado family, it would likely feed the children for a while.
Kamado Kie was deeply grateful for Shinichi's generosity but firmly refused to accept it without compensation.
She insisted on paying him, though gathering enough money for hundreds of pounds of wild boar meat was no small feat.
After scouring the entire house, she managed to scrape together just over ten yen.
(The exchange rate of yen during the Taisho era was somewhat unstable, but it was still quite valuable. Please look it up and correct me if im wrong.)
Staring at the crumpled bills and coins, Shinichi fell silent.
Yet he didn't refuse.
After accepting the payment, Kie also packed a generous amount of homemade food for Shinichi and Yuichiro.
As Tanjirou led Shinichi and Yuichiro down the mountain, Kie and the rest of the children stood at the crossroads, waving goodbye.
Shinichi, carrying a full bag of foods, felt a surge of emotion and waved back at the distant figures of the Kamado family.
On the mountain path, Tanjirou chatted cheerfully with Yuichirou while carrying a heavy basket of firewood on his back.
The responsible Tanjirou never missed an opportunity to help improve his family's livelihood.
"So, Yuichirou, do you have a younger brother too?"
"Yes. His name is Muichirou. But... because of certain reasons, I might have said some harsh things to him before." Yuichirou's expression darkened slightly.
Tanjirou smiled and patted Yuichirou's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's alright, Yuichirou. There are no lasting grudges between brothers. Take me, for example—sometimes I scold Takeo when he's being mischievous. He gets mad, but after cooling off, he still clings to me and calls me 'big brother.'
So don't worry. Even if you said something hurtful, as long as you're willing to talk openly with your brother, he'll definitely forgive you."
Yuichirou blinked, looking at Tanjirou hesitantly.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Shinichi walked alongside them, listening to the boys' conversation.
Despite being the formidable Hashira known as The Forest Hashira, who had slain countless demons, a rare, gentle smile appeared on his face.
Spending time with Tanjirou was unexpectedly pleasant.
Laughing and chatting, the three soon arrived at the town at the foot of the mountain.
"The carriage to the city passes by that little tavern over there every day, Shinichi-senpai! You can catch it there!" Tanjirou pointed into the distance.
Shinichi squinted in that direction, deliberately feigning confusion.
"Where? I don't see it." As he spoke, he casually lifted the basket off Tanjirou's back.
"With this basket on your back earlier, I couldn't see properly. Could you point it out again?"
"Oh! Of course! Look, senpai, it's right there!" Tanjirou pointed again.
Worried they still might not find it, he shouldered the basket once more and personally guided Shinichi and the others to the tavern.
"Thank you, Tanjirou. You're such a good kid." Shinichi smiled and patted Tanjirou's shoulder.
Kamado Tanjiro scratched his head sheepishly, then bowed slightly to Shinichi and Yuichiro.
"Well then, Shinichi-senpai and Yuichiro-kun, goodbye! Have a safe journey!"
Yuichiro, who rarely responded to such gestures, also bowed in return.
"Goodbye, Tanjiro. I'll bring my younger brother to visit you again when we have time."
After saying their farewells, Tanjiro turned to leave, but Shinichi suddenly called out to him.
"Wait, Tanjiro!"
"Huh? Shinichi-senpai, is there something else?"
With a flash of the silver mirror at his waist, a small and exquisite porcelain bottle appeared unnoticed in Shinichi's hand.
He personally placed it into Tanjiro's palm.
Shinichi said meaningfully, "This is a small gift for you Tanjiro. It's a fragrant wisteria flower perfume. Just one drop in a bottle of the same size will last a long time. You can also add a drop when drinking tea—it tastes wonderful. This is our little token of appreciation, so please accept it."
"Oh, and I noticed the empty land behind your house is quite nice. You might consider planting some wisteria flowers. They can be dried in winter and sold to herbal medicine shops—it's a good idea."
Tanjiro took the bottle, a look of realization dawning on his face.
"I see... That's a great idea. I'll discuss it with Mother when I get back."
"Arigatou! Shinichi-senpai, I'll remember that."
This time, it was truly goodbye.
Shinichi and Yuichiro, master and disciple, watched as Tanjiro's figure disappeared into the distance down the street.
With a wave of his hand, the silver mirror at Shinichi's waist flashed again and the foods he had been carrying vanished into its dimensional space.
The reason he hadn't done so earlier was to avoid startling the Kamado family.
Demons, Demon slayers—such cruel tales were better kept from this kind-hearted family.
He hoped they could continue living happily and that the gifts he had given them would never serve their true purpose.
Additionally, while handling Tanjiro's bamboo basket earlier, Shinichi had discreetly tucked a few hundred yen and some small, pretty gold ornaments beneath its contents.
It wasn't that Shinichi didn't want to give more, but giving a lot of money would only unsettle the Kamado family.
A few hundred yen, though modest, could still improve their lives.
Suddenly, Shinichi felt a poke on his arm.
Looking down, he saw Yuichiro hesitating to speak.
"What is it, Yuichiro? Do you have a question?"
"N-no, nothing much... But, Master, wasn't what you gave Tanjiro concentrated wisteria toxin? Is that... really safe to consume?"
Shinichi shot Yuichiro an exasperated glare. "That's the new wisteria toxin developed by Shinobu. For demons, a single drop is lethal poison, but for humans, it's completely harmless—just a bit bitter. What are you thinking you brat?"
Hearing this, Yuichiro finally relaxed and grinned.
"Ah, of course! Master is the best. But, Master, I have another question—where's Maru-ni?"
Whoosh~.
At that moment both Shinichi and Yuichiro felt silent for a moment.
****
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, Maru-ni, who had been sound asleep, finally woke up.
Slowly rising to his feet, he wobbled his round body groggily and looked around.
A cold wind suddenly blew past.
"Oro?"
Maru-ni suddenly widened his pitch-black eyes, gazing at the empty mountain forest around him.
The air had long lost any trace of Shinichi and Yuichiro's presence.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
....
That afternoon, an extremely terrifying wolf's howl echoed through the deep mountains, sending shivers down the spines of many small animals.
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