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A hazy mist drifted above the hot spring, while the gentle sound of splashing water echoed through the quiet bathhouse.
Cold Cry removed his clothes, leaving only a pair of white bathing trunks. Carrying his Nichirin Sword, he stepped into the steaming water until it reached his chest.
Fukada followed cautiously behind him.
The moment he caught sight of Cold Cry's body, he couldn't help but gasp.
Although the white-haired swordsman appeared no older than eighteen or nineteen, his body was covered in scars of every size.
What kind of life had this young man lived?
No wonder his personality was so cold and reserved.
Cold Cry sat in the pool closest to the women's bath, allowing the warm spring water to soak away the fatigue in his muscles.
His Nichirin Sword rested on the stone platform behind him, well within arm's reach.
Fukada quietly sat down beside him.
"Cold Cry... are you there?"
Not long afterward, Noe's gentle voice came from the women's bath beyond the bamboo partition.
"...Mm."
Cold Cry answered softly.
Hearing his reply, Noe smiled in relief before quietly relaxing into the warm water herself.
The hot spring truly possessed a soothing effect.
The exhaustion accumulated over the past several days gradually melted away, leaving both body and mind feeling unusually light.
However...
The culprit never appeared.
During the first half of the night, all three remained alert.
During the second half, Cold Cry entered a state of meditative rest through Total Concentration Breathing.
To Fukada, it appeared as though he had fallen asleep.
In reality, he remained aware of his surroundings.
Even while resting, his senses continued monitoring changes in temperature and movement.
The instant anything unusual entered his range of perception, he would awaken immediately.
This was one of the methods experienced Demon Slayers used to preserve their stamina during prolonged missions.
Fukada, however, knew nothing about it.
Seeing Cold Cry apparently asleep while a demon could attack at any moment left him horrified.
How could someone sleep under these circumstances?
Remembering Noe's earlier statement that the two had only recently joined the Demon Slayer Corps, Fukada couldn't help feeling increasingly uneasy.
Perhaps...
They were simply inexperienced.
He had originally believed the composed young swordsman before him possessed extraordinary ability.
Now, he wondered if the calm demeanor had merely been an act.
Several times he considered waking Cold Cry.
But each time he hesitated.
In the end, he decided he would only wake him if the demon actually appeared.
Nothing happened that night.
The following morning, Cold Cry and Noe left the hot spring looking refreshed and full of energy.
Meanwhile, Fukada walked behind them with dark circles under his eyes.
He simply assumed the two of them had been lucky.
Three peaceful days passed in the same manner.
Unable to bring himself to criticize Cold Cry directly, Fukada instead quietly approached Noe.
He repeatedly reminded her to stay awake at night and remain vigilant at all times, hoping she would persuade Cold Cry to do the same.
Only then did Noe explain that Cold Cry wasn't actually sleeping.
It was simply a unique breathing technique used by Demon Slayers to recover while maintaining awareness of their surroundings.
Although Fukada didn't fully understand her explanation, he had no choice but to believe it.
After all, he was merely a member of the Kakushi.
He wasn't qualified to question a Demon Slayer's methods.
So he could only grit his teeth and continue accompanying the two of them to the hot spring every night.
Finally...
On the fourth night...
The atmosphere changed.
The moment the three stepped into the courtyard of the bathhouse, Cold Cry sensed it.
Two icy presences.
Hidden beneath the vast, steaming pools.
He knew that sensation all too well.
Demons.
Just as he had suspected.
The disappearances at the hot spring were indeed the work of demons.
One presence hid beneath the men's bath.
The other lurked beneath the women's bath.
As for how they concealed themselves so completely...
Cold Cry couldn't yet determine the answer.
Perhaps that very ability allowed them to abduct their victims without anyone noticing.
His hand slowly rested on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword.
Cold air instantly poured from his body.
Within a meter of him, the surrounding steam rapidly condensed into tiny ice crystals that scattered across the stone floor.
The demon beneath the men's bath stirred.
Ripples spread across the surface of the water.
Then...
Everything became still again.
Instead of attacking, the demon quietly settled back beneath the water.
Cold Cry frowned.
The behavior was extremely strange.
Even more puzzling was the fact that neither demon showed any intention of attacking.
"What is it?" Noe asked quietly, gripping the hilt of her own Nichirin Sword.
"Did you sense something?"
Aside from drifting steam and gently rippling water, she saw nothing unusual.
Fukada instinctively crossed his arms and stood close to the entrance.
Only now did he truly understand.
The cold radiating from Cold Cry wasn't ordinary.
This young swordsman really was different.
The freezing air made him instinctively want to keep his distance.
Even so, after seeing Noe move closer to Cold Cry without hesitation, Fukada reluctantly followed.
He feared that a demon might emerge from the water at any moment.
"It's nothing."
Cold Cry slowly lowered his hand from his sword.
The icy aura surrounding him gradually faded.
Everything returned to normal.
Ignoring the puzzled looks from the other two, he entered the men's changing room, changed clothes, and quietly stepped into the bath as though nothing had happened.
He sat in his usual position.
His eyes, however, remained fixed on a particular area of the pool.
He wanted to see exactly what those demons intended to do.
Soon afterward, Noe and Fukada also entered their respective baths.
Time slowly passed.
Neither demon moved.
Cold Cry guessed his earlier display had alerted them.
So he gradually relaxed his posture.
Closing his eyes, he once again entered his meditative state, deliberately pretending to lower his guard.
To his surprise...
Neither demon acted.
Not even once.
They remained motionless until just before dawn.
As the first hint of daylight approached, Cold Cry suddenly caught the scent of an unfamiliar fragrance.
His expression changed instantly.
A powerful wave of dizziness struck him.
His consciousness rapidly became clouded.
Something was wrong.
The demons had finally made their move.
He immediately reached toward the Nichirin Sword resting beside the pool.
Yet even that simple movement suddenly felt impossibly difficult.
The strange fragrance drained the strength from his entire body.
He glanced toward Fukada.
The Kakushi member had already fallen asleep, his head leaning helplessly against the stone wall.
A chill ran through Cold Cry's heart.
The danger before him surpassed even his encounter with the Hair Demon during the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane.
Back then, at least he had been able to fight.
Now...
His own body refused to obey him.
Cold Cry forced himself to stand.
He regulated his breathing and attempted to use his Ice Breathing to stimulate his senses with cold air.
The effect was minimal.
For the first time in a long while, regret surfaced in his heart.
He should have attacked the moment he sensed the demons the previous night.
Instead...
He had allowed them to prepare.
The sound of water rippled across the bath.
Although the demons remained invisible, the spreading waves clearly showed that something was moving beneath the surface.
Cold Cry prepared himself for an attack.
Unexpectedly...
The unseen figure climbed out of the bath.
A trail of wet footprints slowly appeared across the stone floor before disappearing into the main building of the hot spring inn.
The demons...
Hadn't attacked them at all.
Only after Cold Cry gradually recovered his strength did the two hidden presences finally disappear completely.
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