The night was as dark as ink, with a half-moon hanging high, its cold moonlight drenching the courtyard.
Kiyokawa Izumi sat on the eaves in a daze; if he remembered correctly, his nichirin blade would be delivered tomorrow.
_______
"Good evening!"
An abrupt voice sounded in his ear. Kiyokawa Izumi didn't turn to look, but asked very seriously and calmly.
"Can a swordsman like me, who just passed the Selection and feels deeply inadequate in strength, quit the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Is that what you think?"
After a moment of thought, Kochou Shinobu asked with a smile.
"After leaving, can you turn a blind eye to ordinary people about to be killed by demons?"
"I…"
Kiyokawa Izumi hesitated for a moment, unable to give a decisive answer.
Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't.
Having never encountered such a situation, he didn't know what choice he would make at that time.
"I also once had a happy home, before everything shattered."
Her slender fingers unconsciously toyed with the tips of her hair as Kochou Shinobu sat down beside him and spoke softly.
"Until that day, a demon suddenly appeared without any warning.
If Mr. Gyoumei hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid my sister and I would have been eaten by the demon."
Kiyokawa Izumi listened calmly, even though he knew very well what had happened to her.
A faint sadness and hatred seemed to permeate the air.
There was no fluctuation in Kochou Shinobu's tone, but some emotions are hard to hide.
"Why don't you think about it some more? Don't sit here too long, or you'll catch a cold."
Her figure was as light as a butterfly; with a gentle leap, she landed steadily in the courtyard.
"Why does it feel like I'm a mood killer?"
Kiyokawa Izumi slowly raised his head and couldn't help but complain.
He felt that whenever Kochou Shinobu was around him, her mood would always be ruined by him.
But he really didn't do it on purpose.
Kiyokawa Izumi was also very confused right now, with Kochou Shinobu's smiling question echoing in his ears.
Can he really turn a blind eye?
Can he?
"Regardless, there's nothing wrong with getting stronger."
"I have indeed been a bit slack lately…"
Kiyokawa Izumi slowly stood up. With nothing to do and no sleepiness, he decided to practice his swings… The so-called nichirin blade is neither gold nor silver; the blade is forged from special iron sand and ore that can absorb sunlight, and it is the only weapon that can cause damage to demons.
On the morning of the seventh day, Kiyokawa Izumi's nichirin blade was delivered by a Hidden Member.
The forger's name was Iwami Tetsuzan, not a famous swordsmith who appeared in the original story.
He didn't come in person, but entrusted the blade to the Hidden, who then handed it over to Kiyokawa Izumi.
Solemnly taking the blade from the face-covered Hidden Member, Kiyokawa Izumi's mood at this moment was exceptionally complex.
A black scabbard encased the nichirin blade. Gripping the hilt and pulling it out gently, the silver-white blade glinted coldly in the sunlight.
Although the forger was a nobody, his craftsmanship was indeed good, and the nichirin blade he created was not bad either.
It is said that the nichirin blade changes color according to the user, and Kiyokawa Izumi finally saw it with his own eyes.
The originally somewhat dull blade suddenly lit up with small light blue spots, which spread instantly at a speed visible to the naked eye until the entire blade was covered.
That was a water-like blue.
Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't surprised; as a swordsman who mastered Water Breathing, it was normal for the blade to be light blue.
At any rate, it definitely wouldn't be black.
He didn't know Sun Breathing, nor had he learned Hinokami Kagura; it would be a miracle if it were black.
Just then, a crow circling in the sky suddenly descended and landed steadily on Kiyokawa Izumi's shoulder.
Its pitch-black feathers seemed to have a metallic luster. At this moment, it was tilting its head slightly, as if sizing up its new master.
Looking at it, there was always a feeling that it wasn't very bright.
Kasugai Crow!
These are the messenger birds provided by the Demon Slayer Corps for official members.
The most surprising thing is that they can talk!
"Raku! Raku! Raku!"
A somewhat sharp voice sounded in his ear. The crow standing on his shoulder flapped its wings and repeatedly said the same word, which seemed to be its name.
"Mission! There's a mission!"
"Team Member Kiyokawa Izumi, set out immediately, children are disappearing!"
Kiyokawa Izumi roughly understood what the crow was trying to convey.
In a certain town, there seemed to be a demon that liked to eat children under the age of eight.
And his mission was to kill this demon.
After becoming an official member, such things are unavoidable.
But considering he was only a swordsman of the lowest rank, the demon he needed to subjugate probably wouldn't be too strong.
To go, or not to go?
Kiyokawa Izumi felt the smooth hilt and gave a bitter smile, somewhat reluctantly accepting the mission.
"My pockets are empty, maybe I should just hang around the Demon Slayer Corps for a while."
"A demon that likes to target children… It should, probably, possibly not be one of the Twelve Kizuki, right?"
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't think his luck would be so bad that he would run into a Lower Moon or Upper Moon as soon as he stepped out.
This mission can be accepted.
However, before accepting it, some preparation still needed to be done.
Kiyokawa Izumi shifted his gaze toward the nearby Kochou Shinobu, showing a somewhat eager and fawning smile.
"Hey, do you have any useful poison you can lend me?"
"Are there any extra nichirin blades? Let me take a few more."