Hearing this, Yuki was genuinely stunned.
'What a terrible way to phrase that...'
'Is that Tomioka knocking'
Considering Tomioka's taciturn nature, Yuki wasn't surprised in the slightest.
While mentally grumbling, he opened the door.
Seeing the door open, Tomioka said in a deep voice:
"I am Tomioka Giyu of the Demon Slayer Corps. Tell me what happened here."
His tone was so calm it sounded stiff, even carrying a hint of command.
Even though Yuki was well aware of Tomioka's quirks, he still felt a twinge of irritation.
Indeed, Tomioka possessed this peculiar talent:
Even when speaking normally, he could somehow provoke annoyance in others.
Fortunately, this awkward moment didn't last long. Another set of footsteps approached from outside.
A figure clad in black, wearing a white mask with thick black stripes, rushed over, panting heavily.
When Tomioka heard the screams echoing from the summit of Mount Kumotori, he immediately sent a message via his Kasugai Crow.
A Demon whose cries could reverberate across the entire mountain was undoubtedly extraordinary!
The Kasugai Crow not only delivered the message to the nearest Kakushi but also relayed it all the way back to Headquarters.
As the Kakushi closest to Mount Kumotori, she was the first to arrive.
However, when she saw Tomioka "confronting" a swordsman with crimson hair and a red haori, she immediately sensed trouble.
During the Pillar Meetings at Headquarters, she had witnessed Tomioka say just one sentence, only to be surrounded by the Wind Pillar and Serpent Pillar, their faces taut with barely suppressed anger.
Even Shinobu, who usually wore a gentle smile for everyone, had to take deep breaths to maintain her composure when speaking to Tomioka.
In this situation, letting Tomioka communicate with others was definitely not a wise move!
She rushed forward, stepping in front of Tomioka, and said with a sigh:
"Tomioka-Sama, please let me explain instead."
Tomioka glanced at her and nodded slightly.
"Do as you wish."
Even without using the Transparent World, Yuki could clearly sense the underlying meaning in those words.
The Kakushi, whose features clearly indicated she was female, visibly tensed at Tomioka's words, the veins on her forehead bulging.
She took a deep breath and smiled at Yuki.
"Hello, I'm a Kakushi responsible for logistics within the Demon Slayer Corps."
"You can call me Momoki Haruko."
"The Demon Slayer Corps is an organization dedicated to slaying demons. We..."
After introducing the Demon Slayer Corps, Haruko's gaze shifted past Yuki to the interior of the house.
"As a Kakushi, my duties include cleanup and emergency medical care."
"We can discuss the details later when it's more convenient."
"But since everyone inside seems to have fainted, may I check on their condition first?"
It had to be said that this female Kakushi's communication skills far surpassed Tomioka's.
Moreover, looking into her deep green eyes, Yuki felt a strange sense of familiarity.
He recalled that in the original story, the first stop on Tanjiro's journey from the Butterfly Mansion to the Swordsmith Village had been overseen by this very Kakushi.
Was she still introducing herself because she hadn't yet been assigned to guide them?
These thoughts flashed through Yuki's mind.
He turned to Haruko and said, "Just call me Yuki. I'm a... swordsman by hobby."
"I happened to pass by and scared off the demon, protecting this family."
Haruko paused, assuming he simply didn't want to reveal his surname, and didn't press further.
She nodded.
Though many questions lingered in her mind, her immediate priority was to check on the family inside the house.
After she went inside, Tomioka and Yuki were left staring at each other in awkward silence.
The atmosphere at the doorway grew increasingly awkward.
Yuki could only lower his head and check his Restoration System.
Despite only landing two strikes in the battle, his Restoration progress had jumped to 17%.
'No wonder he's the Demon King,' Yuki thought. 'Even though Muzan is cowardly and despicable, cutting him down really levels you up fast.'
Of course, Yuki had considered fleeing far away immediately after resolving this crisis.
After all, in the original work, Muzan had lived for a millennium without ever leaving Japan.
As long as he stayed far enough away, he wouldn't have to worry about Muzan coming after him.
Before he transmigrated, he could only put his Muzan figure out in the sun to bask.
Now that he had transmigrated, wouldn't it be a waste not to expose the real Muzan to the scorching sunlight?
Besides, he was cosplaying as Muzan's "Fear" Yoriichi!
For others, the difficulty in eliminating Muzan lay in "finding him" and "destroying him."
But for Yuki, after maximizing his Restoration System's accuracy, only one challenge remained:
"Finding him"!
As Yuki pondered, he noticed Haruko had finished examining the Kamado family and was now looking at him and Tomioka.
"The family is largely unharmed, though they seem to have suffered a shock and will need some time to regain consciousness."
"However, there are signs of demon activity here, making this place unsafe."
"I recommend contacting nearby Kakushi and the nearest Wisteria House to evacuate the family immediately."
"Once they awaken, we can assess whether they need to be transferred to the Butterfly Mansion."
Haruko's suggestion was perfectly reasonable.
Tomioka summoned his Kasugai Crow again and relayed everything he had witnessed since arriving on the mountain.
Yuki interjected, "Wait, there's another member of this family who's still down the mountain. He'll likely return early in the morning."
Haruko paused, a new wave of confusion washing over her.
Yet she remained composed, simply replying, "No problem. Once the other Kakushi arrive, someone will be sent to find him."
"Then we'll take him to the Wisteria House along with the rest of the family."
Yuki nodded, falling silent.
He had considered following Tomioka or Haruko, using the opportunity to establish connections with the Demon Slayer Corps, or even join their ranks.
After all, whether he wanted to reach the Swordsmith Village and retrieve Yoriichi's sword, or prepare some "little surprises" for Muzan and Kokushibo, he would need the Demon Slayer Corps' cooperation.
Moreover, having arrived in this world without a single coin in his pocket, even securing meals was a challenge.
Currently, the only "high-paying job" he knew of was becoming a Swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But with all the inconvenient secrets he carried, Yuki hadn't figured out how to broach the subject.
*Flap, flap, flap—*
Suddenly, the sound of wings beating filled the air above them.
"Caw!"
"Orders! Orders!"
"Headquarters is sending orders!"
"Pillar-class Swordsman Tomioka Giyu, please escort the swordsmen from Mount Kumotori back to Headquarters!"
Yuki froze in shock.
'Are Kasugai Crows really this fast?'