A larger demon crashed through the underbrush before they'd traveled another mile. Claws extended and fangs bared as it lunged directly at Tanjiro with purely murderous intent.
"Behind you!" Tanjiro spun, blade ready for the familiar dance of combat.
The demon halted mid-leap. Akira stepped between them, beginning her breathing technique with the same hypnotic rhythm that had transformed the first creature.
"No," the demon snarled, fighting the pacifying influence with visible strain. "I won't... I can't..."
"You can choose." Akira's voice carried that hypnotic certainty. Each word was precisely weighted and timed. "The hunger doesn't define you."
"It does! It's all I am!"
"You're more than hunger. You're more than rage." The demon's struggles weakened with each word. Its aggressive posture melted into the same docile confusion that had claimed the first. "You're capable of peace."
Within seconds, another placid creature sat before them. Amber eyes reflected nothing but empty calm.
"How?" Tanjiro stared at the transformation. His understanding of demon nature crumbled further. "It was completely feral."
"Fear makes creatures aggressive." Akira explained with the patience of a teacher addressing a slow student. "Remove the fear, remove the aggression."
While she led the second demon away, Tanjiro followed their scent trail to a rocky outcrop. Pine trees gave way to exposed stone. But at the formation's edge, both trails simply vanished.
Not scattered by wind or confused by competing scents. Gone as if they'd never existed.
"This doesn't make sense," he muttered, circling the area. Solid rock should have held scent traces for hours.
When Akira returned, she found him examining the stones with growing confusion.
"Problem?" she asked.
"Your scent trail ends here. So does the demon's. Like you both just... disappeared."
"Mountain winds can scatter scents unpredictably." Akira sounded unconcerned. Something in her posture suggested controlled tension. "Especially around rock formations."
"Not like this. This is like you teleported."
"Maybe I'm just better at moving quietly than you expected."
"Nobody's that quiet. Not even shinobi."
"Are you questioning my methods, Kamado-san?" Her tone remained warm. Something cooler lurked underneath. A hint of steel beneath silk.
"I'm trying to understand them."
The shadows were lengthening toward evening when understanding began to dawn in the worst possible way. A third demon approached their position with unusual boldness. Most demons avoided human gatherings. They preferred to attack from ambush or when victims were isolated.
This one walked directly toward them with no attempt at concealment.
"Another one." Tanjiro reached for his sword.
"Wait." Akira held up her hand. Something in her posture suggested she'd been expecting this encounter. "This one seems different."
The demon stopped at the edge of their patrol route. It made no aggressive moves. When it spoke, its voice carried the same intelligence as the others. But with an added quality that made Tanjiro's blood run cold.
"You kept your word," it said to Akira. "The others said you would."
"Others?" Tanjiro's eyes narrowed. Pieces of a larger puzzle began forming uncomfortable patterns. "What others?"
"The ones she helped yesterday," the demon replied before Akira could intervene. "They told us about the choice."
"Choice?" Tanjiro turned to Akira. His scar now throbbed with urgent warning. "You've been talking to them?"
"I've been helping them." Akira corrected smoothly. For the first time her composure seemed strained. "Communication is part of effective pacification."
"Communication implies they were already docile."
"Or that docility was always possible."
As Akira led this third demon away—with the same impossible swiftness that defied explanation—Tanjiro realized he was no longer observing random encounters. He was witnessing a carefully orchestrated performance, and he had no idea what role he was meant to play in it.