After swallowing the food in his mouth, Tomioka Giyu asked with a faint smile,
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"Also, Tengen, Tanjiro is not weak—why are you chasing him away?"
Before Uzui Tengen could respond, Tanjiro quickly chimed in,
"That's right, Uzui! Inosuke and I will definitely be able to help."
"And I believe your wives and Zenitsu are definitely okay!"
Giyu jumped onto the roof, patted Tengen on the shoulder, and said,
"Don't worry. I've already investigated everything."
"Daki is in Kyogoku House. I think your wives and Zenitsu are under her control, possibly through her clones."
"Don't worry—acting during the day is difficult. The demon will reveal herself at night."
After Giyu finished speaking, the expressions of the others shifted. Tengen looked at him with surprise.
He had actually gone to find Giyu last night but saw him drinking, so he had ignored him.
"Could he have done the investigation in the second half of the night?" Tengen thought, unsure—but at least now, there was hope.
At that moment, Inosuke suddenly shouted,
"Huh?! If we know where the demon is, why not just go kill it now?!"
Giyu calmly finished the last of his salmon and radish, then explained patiently,
"Fighting during the day is an advantage—only if there are no civilians around."
"If we fail to end the battle in a single strike, we'll just alert the enemy and let the demon escape."
He looked in the direction of Kyogoku House, his tone steady:
"The plan for tonight is simple. You all focus on rescuing people—get as many civilians out as possible. Leave Daki to me."
"In this fight, killing an Upper Rank demon is crucial. But if we can save people, we must do everything we can."
At that moment, a memory of Kocho Shinobu surfaced in his mind—her words echoed clearly:
"To protect the happiness of others that has not yet been destroyed…"
Inosuke immediately objected,
"What?! I want to fight demons too!!"
Giyu rubbed his temples with mild frustration.
"Was all my explanation wasted? Do you think rescuing people is easy?"
Tengen considered the situation silently. His wives' safety took priority.
"Alright, Giyu. I'm counting on you. I'll support you as soon as I can."
"Don't worry too much," Giyu replied simply. He couldn't last a whole night, but he was confident he could hold out for a few hours.
Then Tengen looked at the two younger boys.
"Tanjiro, after night falls, use whatever means necessary to get the civilians out of Kyogoku House."
"Start subtly—don't alert the demon too soon."
"But once Giyu engages her, shout as loud as you can and clear out the entire Entertainment District if you must!"
"Fighting an Upper Rank is no joke. The whole district could become a battlefield."
Tanjiro nodded seriously,
"Okay, Uzui!"
Tengen then turned to Inosuke, already bracing for his stubbornness. But surprisingly, Inosuke spoke first:
"I'm not saving anyone. I already found traces of a demon at Ogimoto House, but it escaped 'cause someone messed up!"
"When night comes, I'll hunt it down!"
Tengen stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Alright. After nightfall, act according to your instincts. I need to gather more intel."
With that, Uzui Tengen slipped away, leaving Tomioka Giyu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke on the rooftop.
Giyu waved a hand.
"You three keep talking—I have something else to do."
As Giyu left, Tanjiro couldn't help but speak up with concern.
"Please be careful tonight, Giyu!"
Even though he believed in Giyu's strength, he was still deeply worried.
"It's okay, Tanjiro. Don't worry."
Watching Giyu's silhouette fade into the distance, Tanjiro made a silent vow to rush in and support his senior as soon as he could.
Back in his room at the inn, Tomioka Giyu took a quick shower, lay down, and fell asleep instantly.
He needed to rest and conserve energy for the night's battle.
Thanks to a standing agreement with the innkeeper, the room was reserved for him permanently.
Time passed swiftly. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Giyu was already dressed and ready.
Staring into the mirror, he murmured,
"It's finally time…"
"Tanjiro, awaken your mark soon."
Meanwhile, Tanjiro, fully prepared, carried his sister on his back and approached the front of the house to say goodbye.
"Excuse me. I'm leaving the House of Shi Ren. Could you please give my payment and belongings to the manager?"
"Thank you for everything, Aoi."
As he spoke, Tanjiro pulled an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the tatami.
But Aoi's attention was elsewhere.
"Tanjiro… what are you wearing?"
Tanjiro blinked, flustered.
"Ah, right! I dressed up as a girl for… reasons. But I'm actually a boy!"
But Aoi hadn't even asked that.
"I could tell right away. Your voice, your mannerisms…"
"Huh?" Tanjiro looked confused.
"I mean," Aoi continued gently, "I knew you were a boy from the beginning."
"I was a little surprised you came here, but you must've had a reason, right? Are you worried about Suma?"
Tanjiro nodded with certainty.
"Yes! Of course! I'm not lying. I will rescue the missing people!"
Aoi was quiet for a few seconds, then smiled warmly.
"Thank you. That makes me feel a little better."
"I'm leaving this place tomorrow."
Tanjiro's expression lit up with genuine happiness.
"Really? That's great!"
"I'm really lucky someone's willing to marry someone like me."
But then her smile wavered. She glanced toward the others inside, her tone suddenly laced with concern.
"That's why I'm even more worried about everyone who's still here."
"Even if I think something suspicious is going on, I can't do anything to stop it…"
Tanjiro responded quickly, trying to reassure her,
"You've done your best. Please don't blame yourself. I hope you keep smiling."
***
Tanjiro knelt on the tatami, supported his knees with his hands, and bowed solemnly to Aoi to say goodbye.
After doing this, Tanjiro stood up and said with a smile,
"Then I'll go first. I wish you happiness."
Aoi raised her head and looked at Tanjiro, and responded with the same smile:
"Thank you, you also have to be happy. Suma is in your hands."
Not long after Tanjiro left, another voice came from behind her. Li Xia smiled and turned around to ask,
"Something fell down…."
Li Xia's voice suddenly stopped. The person behind her was not Tanjiro at all.
It was Daki, with long flowing hair and pink sashes on her face!
"Yes, I forgot something. I have to eat you first."
"After all, you won't be here after tonight, right, Li Xia?!"
But just as Daki was about to make a move, a calm and cold voice reached her ears.
"Sorry to interrupt your meal."
"But, can you please die?"
Daki's pupils shrank suddenly, and she looked toward the window.
She saw Giyu Tomioka standing with his arms folded across his chest, head slightly tilted, a cold smile on his lips as he looked at her quietly.
"It's you?!" Daki roared, furious, veins bulging on her face.
She would never forget this swordsman who nearly killed her the last time.
And in the next second, the world in Daki's eyes flipped upside down.
Her head had been cleanly severed by Tomioka Giyu in a single motion.
Thump — Her head hit the ground.
Daki hadn't even fully reacted, staring blankly at Tomioka Giyu, who stood silently before her now-headless body.
At that moment, Tanjiro returned, having smelled a strong demon scent.
"Li Xia—"
When Tanjiro saw the scene in the room, the word "sister" stuck in his throat.
Seeing him frozen, Giyu Tomioka reminded him with slight exasperation,
"Take Li Xia away quickly!"
"Oh—sorry!" Tanjiro rushed forward to carry Li Xia and said,
"Be careful, Giyu!"
As Tanjiro leapt out the window with Li Xia in his arms, Daki burst into a tantrum.
"Dammit! DAMMIT!! DAMMIIIT!!!"
"ONII-CHAAAN!!"
Giyu Tomioka calmly blocked his ears, waiting for Gyutaro to appear.
With a guttural roar, a spinning sickle suddenly shot toward Giyu's head—the battle had begun!
But the surprise attack didn't catch Tomioka off guard. He was prepared.
Clang! — Steel struck steel.
After raising his blade to block, both demon and Hashira were flung backward.
Gyutaro scratched his face and sneered:
"Ahh… I've been sensing a familiar presence since yesterday. So it was you, you little brat!"
"Hahaha! Very good, very good! This time, I'll chop you into pieces!!"
"Blood Demon Art: Blood-Spattered Scythe!!"
Sticky blades of blood flew toward Giyu Tomioka!
But he didn't confront them head-on—he leapt out of the room in a flash.
He hated confined spaces for battle.
Gyutaro sneered and raised two fingers,
"Don't think of escaping! Blood-Spattered Scythe: Turn!!"
Bang! Bang!
The blood blades tore through the window and pursued Giyu outside.
In midair, Tomioka gripped his blade with both hands and stopped dodging. He struck toward the incoming blades.
"Water Breathing!"
As his sword clashed with the blood blades, he used their force to twist himself midair.
"Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
Bang! Bang!
All the blood blades were flung away. Though nearby houses took damage, Giyu remained unharmed.
Luckily, the civilians had already been evacuated.
He landed on a roof, just in time to hear another attack.
He looked up—Gyutaro's twin sickles were spinning toward him!
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
Clang! — The sickles were deflected!
Giyu wasn't afraid of direct confrontation—especially not with flying weapons.
Without pause, he stomped down, shattering the tiles beneath him.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
A roaring water dragon surged forth!
As Giyu charged, the dragon's force intensified!
On another rooftop, Gyutaro didn't bother to dodge. He laughed maniacally:
"Hahaha! You little brat!"
"How arrogant!!"
From behind Gyutaro, dozens of pink obi belts flew toward Tomioka.
But the water dragon tore through them with ease!
Gyutaro wasn't fazed. That had been his intent—soften the blow.
As the water dragon approached, Gyutaro took a firm step.
"Blood Demon Art: Leaping Slash!"
The water dragon and blood blades collided in midair, cancelling each other out.
As Giyu landed, he adjusted the angle of his blade—
But Gyutaro moved first, slashing rapidly at close range!
There was no time to activate a form—Giyu could only parry.
CLANG!
Blade met scythe—and Giyu's eyes widened.
He had forgotten Gyutaro's sickles could infect with flesh!
His blade was being consumed—flesh crawling up the Nichirin metal!
For a moment, he couldn't pull it free—
But Giyu reacted swiftly. He dropped his weight and shifted—
Clenching his right fist, he hammered the hilt of his sword.
Shnk! — The blade pierced Gyutaro's palm.
The flesh on the sword dissolved as Giyu twisted free.
He grabbed the hilt again with both hands and slashed—
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
A perfect counterattack!
Gyutaro couldn't raise his other hand in time—he barely avoided decapitation!
But a deep gash appeared across his chest.
Suddenly—dozens of pink belts rained down from above!
Slicing—Tearing—
Giyu was forced to leap back, landing on another rooftop.
He muttered in frustration:
"Tch… damn Daki!"
Sure enough, the dust cleared.
Daki now stood beside Gyutaro, her third eye open—her "Controlled Enhanced Form."
"There are two of us, but we are one!"
"Die in agony!!"
Together, they shouted:
"Blood Demon Art: Blood-Spattered Scythe!!"
"Blood Demon Art: Eight-Layered Obi Slash!!"