The next day, Tanjiro was waiting for his brother at the doorstep. On his back was a large bamboo basket strapped to his arm. He was taking the previous day harvested radish to sell at the village. His younger brother, Shigeru was ready to go. He wore a large fur coat than reached to his knees, probably that coat belonged to Tanjiro.
"Onii chan, let's go!" Shigeru said gleefully.
"Tanjiro please take good care of your brother. And Shigeru don't trouble your brother." Tanjiro's mother told to them. She was a kind hearted lady, fairly young looking and a hard worker.
"Mother, we will be taking our leave." Tanjiro farewelled his family. Both of them wave their hands as they descend the mountain.
The village market was not that particularly large, but had a diversity of shops all to meet the daily needs of the people. Tanjiro was familiar with all the village folks. Despite living on the mountain, Tanjiro and his family was highly recognized by the villagers. They too were mournful at the sudden demise of Mr. Kamado. On the streets Tanjiro and Shigeru greeted every person that passed by. Finally, both of them reach their place of business. A maple tree whose leaves have covered its base. Tanjiro took out a cloth sheet from the basket and spread it under the tree. He laid out the radishes. Strangely the business was slower than usual. Shigeru was getting bored. He frequently dozed off.
Suddenly a loud noise waked him up.
"Give way, give way. There is a sick patient." A man ran shouting; pulling a cart. On the cart laid a girl. She was nearly the same age as Shigeru. The man who was pulling the cart; was probably her father. The man was anxious. He left the place shouting until his voice was no longer heard. Tanjiro noticed that the sun was journeying towards the horizon. There were three radishes unsold.
He stood up and said "We are done for today, Shigeru. Let's go back home. Mother will use these to make something for dinner."
Both of them packed the leftover goods and tidied the place. On the way, they visited a sweet shop. On the counter was lined a series of small sweets. The counter was occupied by a girl, younger than Tanjiro. She greeted both of them with a smile. Tanjiro asked his brother what he would like.
"Onii chan I will like to have a Mame Daifuku." Shigeru replied pointing to the white round sweet.
"Ok Shigeru, here take this, Your Daifuku" she said handing a Daifuku to Shigeru.
Shigeru took a bite and delighted, said "Kiochi-chan handmade Daifuku are the best." Both Kiochi and Tanjiro giggled at hearing his comment.
A woman came out from the inner doorway. She was Kiochi's mother. She looked at Kiochi and the others with a shock visage. She fell on her knees and starting crying. Her hands hid her face. Kiochi and Tanjiro hurried to her and asked why she was crying. To which she replied.
"Kiochi your father is no more."
Kiochi was taken aback. She ran to the room where her father laid. Her dead father laid on the bed. Tanjiro also entered the room and found Kiochi sobbing at the bed's edge. The dead man body was thin as if he was malnourished. Tanjiro didn't stay long. The sun was about to set and he had to reached home before dusk. Both of them hurried. Shigeru was lagging behind and could not match his brother's long strides. Tanjiro noticed that his brother was too tired to be even able to set one more step. He picked him up; hold him on his back and asked him to wear the basket.
As they were about a few metres away from their house, Shigeru asked a question to his brother.
"Onii chan why are so many people sick in the town?"
Tanjiro wasn't expecting such a question, but he did give an answer.
"That is the curse of a demon. They try to bring misfortunes on peoples."
"But nee chan told me that they eat humans. Are we safe Onii chan" Shigeru asked quite concerned with is latter question.
"We are perfectly safe Shigeru. We live far on the hills so the disease cannot reach us." Tanjiro replied; trying to ease his tension. The rest of the walk was accompanied in silence.
Every night Tanjiro was worried by the same question. What if the disease finds its way into their happy family. The sudden death of any member of his family will be too much for even Tanjiro to bear. More concerned was he that he might one day bring that deadly malady from the village into his house. But he must go to the village every day, if he is to feed his family. A constant anxiety always looms over him when he gets back home and sit with his family for the dinner.
The next day Tanjiro again visited the village, but this time he was travelling alone. He had to buy some goods to repair the house before the winter snow start to fall. But there was something strange today. There was a sign board in front of a worn-down shop he had never seen before. He was sure that the sign wasn't there until yesterday. The sign read "Medicine to cure the ongoing epidemic by renown doctor Muroshi Kiyotaka." Tanjiro thought that it was probably a scam. Someone was trying to make easy money. But his worries compelled him to try it. He opened the door. The door gave a distinctive creaking sound. There was a long dark corridor.
"Shut the door, please." a voice from inside told him.
Tanjiro thought it was probably the doctor. Tanjiro moved into the poorly lit corridor. The door to a room was opened. In the room a man was seating on a chair. The whole room was poorly lit. The windows were covered by pitch black curtains that didn't allow even a ray of light to enter. Whatever visibility remain was from a poorly lit bulb that was directly above the doctor. The man was wearing a long sleeve shirt and trousers. His hairs were long and dishevelled so much that they covered much of his eyes. He was most probably a western medicine practitioner. One that had also picked up some of the western cultural elements too.
Tanjiro was standing at the door. The doctor noticed him and invited him inside and offered him a chair.
"Um, what is your name?" the doctor asked holding a notebook and pen in his hand.
"Tanjiro Kamado" he replied.
The doctor motioned his hand as if he was writing down his name.
"Myself Muroshi Kiyotaka, please to meet you Tanjiro kun." the doctor greeted him with a smile.
"Um, is it true that you have a medicine to cure the disease" Tanjiro asked hesitantly.
"Oh! I certainly do, let me bring it to you." the man stood up and move towards the table. There on the table he was searching for the medicine. His fingers moved from one bottle to another as he search for the right bottle.
"Ah, found it!" he said as if he was delighted by that sudden discovery.
"Here is the medicine that you were looking for. But I must warn you that after consuming it you will be severely ill for a few days." the doctor warned him.
Tanjiro became worried when he heard about the side effects. The doctor reassured him that there would be no long-lasting disability.
"May I ask you why are you so in need of this medicine? You particularly look healthy" asked the doctor who was keen to know the reason. Tanjiro told him his worries.
"I see, but do not give it to old people or children. Do you understand?" the doctor asked him to ensure that the medicine wouldn't go to waste.
"How much would be the medicine?" Tanjiro asked as he was getting up from the chair.
"No need to pay me. You are my first customer and you are in the most need of it" the doctor replied.
"Please I insist, tell me how much does it cost?" Tanjiro asked persistently. An argument followed afterwards until the doctor admitted his defeat.
"Fine. You need not pay me in money. You told me that you sell vegetables, didn't you? Well tomorrow bring some vegetable in exchange for the medicine. Here take this. Pay me tomorrow." the doctor told Tanjiro and handed the small glass bottle.
At the door way, he stopped Tanjiro.
"I forgot to tell you something very important. Do not let the medicine to come in direct contact with sunlight. If it ever comes in contact than all the medicinal quality will be loss." Tanjiro nodded and went out.
The doctor thought to himself "What a persistent boy."
That night before going to bed Tanjiro drank up the whole bottle of medicine. The medicine itself was deep red. It had a salty flavour quite peculiar for a drug.
The next day he woke up and putting some of the leftover vegetable to give to the doctor. When we opened the door, he met Nezuko sweeping the front yard.
"Onii chan where are you going?" she asked him.
He motioned Nezuko to come closer "Nezuko don't tell mother, but a good person had yesterday sold me a drug against the ongoing pandemic. In exchange for the drug, I promised to give him some vegetables," he whispered in her ear.
"Are you sure brother that is the right thing to do?" she asked him concerned about the drug.
"Don't worry Nezuko everything will be alright," he said and gave her goodbye.
To his surprise the signboard wasn't there. He went inside the shop, but no one was inside it. He asked the nearby shop. They said that the man came and went without their notice. However, the nearby shop bought all the vegetables that Tanjiro had meant to give to the doctor.