While traveling to Headquarters with Tomioka, Yuki voiced his question:
"Are the Kasugai Crows really this fast at delivering messages?"
Hearing Yuki's question, Tomioka instinctively opened his mouth to answer.
But Shinobu's "lessons" flashed through his mind again.
For a swordsman whom even the Lord was willing to meet at Headquarters, he didn't need to keep too many secrets.
Moreover, the fact that Yuki showed no surprise when the Kakushi mentioned the Wisteria House made it clear that he already knew something about the Demon Slayer Corps.
Therefore, even when Yuki directly mentioned "Kasugai Crow," Tomioka wasn't surprised.
However, Yuki clearly didn't realize that the Demon Slayer Corps used "telegrams" to transmit information in addition to Kasugai Crows (Note 1).
Kasugai Crows could relay telegram messages to the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen.
Conversely, they could also deliver messages to telegram stations, which would then transmit them to the Lord.
Thus, Tomioka asked:
"You only know about Kasugai Crows but not telegrams?"
Yuki was immediately speechless.
'Well, well, well, this way of speaking is truly worthy of Tomioka!'
However, Tomioka's words also made Yuki realize the limitations of his own thinking.
When watching the original work, Yuki often forgot that the setting was the Taisho era.
By this time, electric lights, telegrams, and even telephones were becoming widespread in Japan.
Even more astonishingly, if they could defeat Muzan and ensure the survival of all Demon Slayer Corps members, in just over a decade, Yuki could invite them to watch the classic cartoon Tom and Jerry.
Could Muzan, having hidden for so long, be unfamiliar with these emerging technologies?
Could he exploit this to track him down?
Lost in thought, Yuki noticed Tomioka's gaze fixed on him.
He suddenly spoke, "Tomioka, you've always been..."
"...hated, haven't you?"
Tomioka's eyes widened slightly at these words.
His face, usually so calm it seemed almost rigid, now showed a flicker of genuine emotion.
But in the next moment, he said in a low voice:
"I... I haven't been hated."
Yuki gave him a peculiar smile, gently probing:
"In the Demon Slayer Corps, have you ever had the experience of someone suddenly getting angry or even surrounding you the moment you opened your mouth?"
He was, of course, referring to the Serpent Pillar Iguro Obanai and the Wind Pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi.
These two often harbored resentment toward Tomioka.
This situation had even given rise to a term:
"Surround Giyu"!
Tomioka suddenly fell silent.
Yuki continued, "In the Demon Slayer Corps, is there anyone who frequently initiates conversations with you?"
Tomioka immediately thought of Shinobu.
Yuki's question made him realize that, within the entire Demon Slayer Corps, only Shinobu ever willingly struck up conversations with him.
Yuki's next question was:
"Then, would this person's expression suddenly turn sour?"
Tomioka fell silent once more.
Yuki's smile grew increasingly peculiar.
"Do you ever feel that your abilities don't quite match your position, perhaps because of some unique experiences you've had?"
Tomioka nodded unconsciously.
Yuki continued:
"And when interacting with others, do you ever try to express this feeling through words?"
Tomioka nodded again.
'Exactly!' His situation perfectly matched what Mr Yuki was describing!
Wait...
Why had he unconsciously addressed him as "Mr."?
Tomioka frowned slightly, sensing something amiss.
But the next moment, Yuki's words made his eyes widen in shock.
"Tomioka, the phrase you use to express this feeling is likely, 'I'm different from you all,' isn't it?"
Bullseye!
Tomioka looked at Yuki with a mixture of surprise and doubt.
'Mr. Yuki has only known me for a short time, yet he understands my thoughts so well?'
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tomioka's mind:
'So... I really am disliked?'
Tomioka tried several times to speak, but in the end, he fell silent.
Yuki watched the silent Tomioka and suddenly remembered a line from a song:
'Your silence is deafening.'
For the rest of the journey, Tomioka didn't speak again.
Even when Yuki asked questions, Tomioka only responded with simple nods or shakes of his head.
Seeing this,Yuki felt a little embarrassed.
'Did I accidentally make Tomioka withdraw into himself with just a few words...?'
When Yuki and Tomioka set out from Mount Kumotori, the sky was just beginning to lighten with dawn.
After a full day of travel, night once again enveloped the sky.
Tomioka finally spoke:
"After the sun sets, the demons will begin to stir."
"We Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen typically travel and search for demons during the day."
"Now, we can rest at Wisteria Houses or other locations."
"But if a Kasugai Crow brings news or we discover a demon's trail, we'll act immediately."
Yuki looked at Tomioka with surprise.
'So you can actually communicate normally without choking on your words?'
Just then, a Kasugai Crow suddenly swooped down:
"Caw!"
"Southeast! Southeast!"
" Swordsman Murata has encountered a demon!"
"Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
Hearing the Kasugai Crow's distress call, Tomioka's eyes narrowed instantly.
Wisps of white mist escaped from the corners of his mouth.
In the next moment, he surged forward with astonishing speed, charging toward Murata's location.
Yuki followed closely behind. Before long, they spotted Murata pinned beneath a demon, his face contorted with terror.
The demon was roughly human-sized, but its mouth stretched grotesquely from ear to ear.
Sensing Tomioka and Yuki's arrival, the demon paused, then lifted its head, its face twisted with disgust.
"Damn you! How dare you interrupt my meal!"
"Especially that black-haired guy!"
"Why are you making that face?! Just looking at you pisses me off!"
"Hah! I need to tell you this! Black-haired guy, I hate you!"
Hiss—
Yuki heard Tomioka beside him suddenly take a deep breath.
Immediately afterward—
Water Breathing: Seventh Form - Droplet Ripple Thrust
Tomioka launched a lightning-fast thrust.
His blade pierced the Slit-Mouthed Demon's neck in an instant, leaving ripples like those on water.
Yuki faintly heard Tomioka say, "I'm not hated!"
_____
Note 1: This telegraph setting wasn't explicitly shown in the original work.
However, after some research, I found that Japan had already established telegraph lines by 1869.
By the Taisho era (around 1920), when the story takes place, telegraphs should have been widespread, right?