Giyu Tomioka

Under the sunlight, Aomori, Absol, and Pidgeot sat on the ground.

Tanjiro, who had come running, breathed a sigh of relief. "Aomori, you're okay, that's great!"

Looking around cautiously, Tanjiro whispered, "What about the Demon King? Is he dead?"

Aomori shook his head, saying, "He got away."

Then, he took out the earrings and handed them to Tanjiro. "Thanks, these earrings helped me a lot."

"Really? That's great." Tanjiro took them with both hands and happily put them back on his ears.

These earrings were a treasured heirloom of their family, and Tanjiro had been hesitant to lend them to Aomori. Not losing them was a huge relief.

"Aomori, you must be hungry too. Why don't you come back to my house for a meal? Nezuko's rice is delicious!" Tanjiro waved his hands enthusiastically, boasting proudly.

Aomori nodded; he hadn't eaten for nearly a day, so he was indeed a bit hungry.

"Wait a moment." Aomori walked deeper into the woods. Soon, much to Tanjiro's surprise, he returned carrying three pheasants and a large boar as tall as himself.

These unfortunate creatures had been affected by the aftermath of last night's battle.

"Extra food," Aomori explained.

"Oh, okay." Tanjiro nodded, somewhat stunned.

...

Not long after the two left, another person arrived.

His face was stern, and his coat bore two different patterns. Underneath was a black uniform-like garment, and a sword at his waist was faintly visible as he walked.

Arriving at the spot where Aomori had just been sitting, he stood there, surveying the surroundings. Looking at the devastation around him, he paused for a moment, imagining what kind of battle had taken place here last night.

"What in the world..." Squatting slightly, he noticed a row of fresh footprints on the path. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he decided to follow them.

Following the footprints, the stern youth arrived at the edge of the woods, where there stood a wooden house.

Outside the house, a few children were playing with a large dog. Amidst their laughter, the stern youth's guard lowered significantly, and his hand on the sword's hilt relaxed involuntarily.

Suddenly, he stiffened, looking up to see a large bird staring at him with piercing eyes, its intelligent gaze filled with disdain.

Disdain?

"Am I being looked down upon by a bird?" The stern youth shook his head, thinking it must be a misunderstanding. There was no reason for him to be disliked.

At this moment, a young boy burst out of the house, shouting towards the woods, "Hey, we've spotted you, come out!"

Spotted? Was it because of this bird? The stern youth looked at the bird again, which continued to preen its feathers, ignoring him completely.

Deciding, he walked out of the woods, nodding politely without any embarrassment.

"Follow me, Aomori is waiting for you." Tanjiro beckoned cheerfully to the stern youth.

Aomori? Was he the one who created such a terrifying battlefield? He seemed more kind than evil now.

The stern youth nodded and followed the foolish-looking Tanjiro into the house.

As they entered the house, the stern youth saw a young woman sitting on the bed mending clothes, a cute girl tending to a child while tending to a fire, and a handsome young man skillfully handling chicken meat by the hearth.

Aomori, now dressed in Tanjiro's father's old clothes, blended perfectly into this world, without any sense of incongruity.

He placed the plucked and cleaned chicken on the cutting board, and with a flash of his knife, a large chicken was cut into evenly sized pieces.

"What a fast knife." The stern youth's pupils contracted. Was it him? It was him!

"Have a seat first. Aomori is still busy. We can chat during dinner." The young host Tanjiro invited.

"No, thanks." The stern youth felt a bit awkward and instinctively refused.

"Tanjiro's friend, right? Don't be so polite; treat this place as your own home." Tanjiro's mother, Aoi, also smiled and said.

"Uh, okay."

Tanjiro didn't mind and poured a cup of hot water for the stern youth. Then, patting his head, he said, "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tanjiro, that's my mom, that's Nezuko, and the one on my back is Rokuta. And the one over there is Aomori."

"Oh, and," Tanjiro pointed outside, "playing outside are Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Absol, and Pidgeot. They're all good people."

Seeing Tanjiro's silly smile, the stern youth completely let go of his guard and said softly, "My name is Giyu Tomioka."

"Nice to meet you. Oh no, I need to help Aomori." Tanjiro hurriedly went to help Aomori.

Giyu Tomioka held the cup of hot water, and as steam rose, his expression gradually softened, seemingly remembering his previous life.

...

Aomori, who had lived alone for a long time, was still a good cook. He stir-fried a large pot of chicken, which was delicious in color, fragrance, and taste, earning praises from Tanjiro's family.

After eating and drinking their fill, Aomori, Giyu Tomioka, and Tanjiro came to the edge of the woods to talk.

"Um, can I listen too?" Tanjiro indicated that he was just an ordinary charcoal seller and didn't need to be involved in such "mysterious" conversations.

Earlier, Aomori had mentioned Giyu Tomioka's identity briefly, and Tanjiro knew he was a member of the legendary Demon Slayer Corps.

Giyu Tomioka looked at Aomori and didn't want to involve the silly-looking young man in the terrifying world of demons.

"He's already involved." Aomori seemed to see what they were thinking. "The one I fought with last night was the progenitor of demons, Muzan. Although I defeated him, I couldn't eliminate him completely, and he escaped. If I were Muzan, I would definitely send demons back here to investigate..."

"Wait a minute!" Giyu Tomioka became excited just hearing the name "Muzan", interrupting Aomori. "What did you just say? Muzan? Is it Muzan? That bastard?! Yes, it must be him, that evil and terrifying aura, only he possesses it."

"Where did he go?" He wanted to grab Aomori by the collar, but Aomori easily avoided him and restrained him.

"Stay calm!" Tanjiro quickly said.

"What do you know!" Giyu Tomioka shouted hysterically, choking back his words, "Damn it! How could you let him escape! If only I had come earlier, if only I had come earlier..."

"Sister..." Giyu Tomioka's emotions calmed down.

Seeing him gradually stop struggling, Aomori released his hand and said, "As the Water Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, you shouldn't be less mature than a young boy."

Giyu Tomioka lifted his head proudly, his eyes red. "You know my identity?"

"Of course, I know much more than you imagine."

"What kind of person are you, exactly?"

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