Chapter 88 – The Demon in the Depths of the Mountain!
Before long, the group finally arrived at the mountaintop campsite.
Since this was merely a camping trip for elementary school students, the whole thing felt more like a cheerful field trip than a serious training activity.
The site itself was a commercial campground designed for families—complete with lodges, outdoor kitchens, and even play areas. It was safe, clean, and bustling with life.
As planned, the elementary students walked in front, while the high school volunteers—Yukinoshita Akira and Yukinoshita Yukino among them—took positions in the rear, keeping an eye out for potential trouble.
But this time, between Akira and Yukino, there was a small "tail" happily tagging along.
That tail was Tsurumi Rumi—the adorable little girl who looked almost like a miniature version of Yukinoshita Yukino. Her tiny hand clung tightly to Akira's much larger one, a bright smile replacing the loneliness that had once clouded her face.
For Rumi, being ostracized by her classmates no longer mattered. She had found her "Akira-Onii-chan" again, and that was all that counted.
"Yukinon, Akki-kun… what's going on? Who's this kid? Why is she with you two?"
As soon as they reached the campsite, Yuigahama Yui ran over. But when her eyes landed on Rumi, her face filled with confusion and curiosity.
After all, Rumi and Yukino looked so alike—especially now, with Akira holding the little girl's hand while Yukino walked beside them.
From a distance… they almost looked like a small family.
"She's our daughter," Akira said casually. "Cute, isn't she?"
"EHH!?"
Yuigahama froze, her entire body locking up like a malfunctioning android. Even Yukino herself was momentarily speechless.
But Rumi, clever as ever, immediately caught on.
"Hello, Auntie! I'm Yukinoshita Rumi, Papa's daughter! Nice to meet you!"
"Ah… I'm Yuigahama Yui… n-nice to meet you too…"
Her automatic politeness kicked in before logic did.
The sight made Akira burst into laughter, while Yukino could only press a hand to her forehead. Really, Yui? You believed that?
"Rumi, are you teaming up with him to tease people now?"
"Hehehe~"
Rumi giggled mischievously, sticking out her small pink tongue before hiding behind Akira's legs.
But instead of being annoyed, Yukino smiled softly. It was rare to see a child who had once been so withdrawn smile like that.
"Yui," she said, sighing, "try using your brain for once. Rumi's in elementary school, and we're in high school. How old do you think Akira would have been if she were actually his daughter?"
"Ah… I just didn't have time to think about it, Yukinon…"
"You're too trusting. One day, some sleazy guy's going to take advantage of you if you're not careful."
"No way! I'm not that naive…"
"Hmph. You're so naive that you'd probably get whisked away before realizing it."
"Ugh—!"
They'd been friends long enough for Yui to know exactly whom Yukino was implying.
"Th-that's not true~!" she said weakly, her cheeks reddening as she stole a quick glance at Akira.
Yukino sighed in resignation. This idiot… she's hopeless.
Coming from an upper-class family, Yukino's perspective was far more mature—and lately, her older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, had been having more "private discussions" with her about… certain matters.
It was no secret that the relationship between Busujima Saeko and Yukinoshita Akira wasn't normal.
In comparison, the Yukinoshita family were merely mid-tier nobility, while the Busujima family was an ancient samurai clan with a lineage stretching back centuries.
And Akira himself wasn't an ordinary man. He was a Demon Slayer—one who had mastered and even created his own breathing systems, recognized as new, legitimate combat arts.
A man like that would never lack admirers.
He might still be a high school student now, but once he entered university or the professional world, that would be the true beginning.
That was why both Yukino and Haruno had reached a silent understanding—this was not a man who could belong to a single woman.
Better to remain by his side, even if it meant sharing that place, than to lose him entirely.
At the very least, they didn't want to sever the bond they had built.
After learning Water Breathing and Flame Breathing, and after all the ordeals they had gone through together, walking away was no longer possible.
That was also why Yukino never felt bothered by Yuigahama Yui's presence.
"…Hm?"
But at that moment, Akira's sharp senses caught something.
A faint scent—unnatural, metallic, and sinister.
The scent of a demon.
"Rumi, go to Yukino," Akira said quietly.
"Eh? What's wrong, Onii-chan?"
"There's something I need to check. Stay with her, okay?"
"…Okay~"
Though she looked reluctant, Rumi obeyed, letting go of his hand and walking toward Yukino.
"What is it?" Yukino asked, instantly noticing the shift in his tone.
"I smell something suspicious. I'll investigate. You take them to the camp area."
"…Understood."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes were serious. She took Rumi's small hand gently—almost like a wife watching her husband head to work.
Meanwhile, Yui just blinked in confusion, unaware of what was happening.
Akira slung his katana bag over his shoulder and quietly veered off the path, heading into the dense forest.
"Eh? Akki-kun, where's he going?"
"He's got something to do," Yukino said curtly. "Let's go to the campsite first."
"Oh… okay~"
Yui could sense something strange in the air but decided not to ask.
The forest grew denser as Akira walked. His steps were light, steady—each one measured.
The deeper he went, the stronger the scent became.
A faint rustling echoed as he stepped on a small branch.
'Crack—'
A barely audible sound.
He didn't notice that he had just broken a nearly invisible thread stretched across the ground—a spider's silk-thin trap line.
It was too fine to notice in such an environment, where fallen branches and webs were everywhere.
But that single, delicate snap carried deep into the forest—
—and into a cave, hidden in the shadows of the mountainside.
Inside the darkness, a pair of eyes opened.
"…A visitor? How interesting. A human, coming here on his own?"
Though the cave was pitch-black, faint shafts of sunlight filtered through narrow cracks in the rocks, illuminating what lay within.
Bones.
Scattered everywhere—small ones, large ones, some fresh, others brittle with age. The stench of decay clung to the damp air.
This was a nest.
And this entire forest was its hunting ground.
"Such a nuisance… sunlight."
The voice was soft but venomous.
"Very well, human. I'll let you live a little longer. But once the sun sets… your life is mine."
The cave lay deep in the mountain, hidden away where direct sunlight could never reach—only faint reflections from outside flickered across its walls.
Even so, the creature did not dare move in daylight.
Because demons were children of the night—
and daylight was their death.
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