Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

The night was as dark as ink, with a half-moon hanging high in the sky, its cool light permeating the courtyard.

Kiyokawa Izumi sat on the roof, lost in thought. If he remembered correctly, his Nichirin Blade would be delivered tomorrow.

Good evening!

A sudden voice rang in her ears, but Kiyokawa Izumi did not turn her head to look. Instead, she asked very seriously and calmly.

"As a swordsman who has just passed the selection, I feel deeply inadequate in my skills. Can I leave the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"Is that what you think?"

After a moment's thought, Shinobu Kocho smiled and asked.

"After you leave, can you turn a blind eye to an ordinary person who is about to be killed by a demon?"

"I……"

Kiyokawa Izumi hesitated for a moment, but could not give his answer decisively.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

Without encountering such a situation, he wouldn't know what choice he would have made.

"I once had a happy family, before everything fell apart."

Her slender, long fingers unconsciously stroked the ends of her hair as Shinobu Kocho, who had sat down beside her, spoke softly.

"Until that day, the evil spirit suddenly appeared without any warning."

"If Mr. Xingming hadn't arrived in time, my sister and I would probably have been eaten by the evil spirits."

Kiyokawa Izumi listened calmly, even though he knew very well what had happened to this person.

A faint sense of sadness and hatred seemed to permeate the air.

Shinobu Kocho's tone remained completely calm, but some of her emotions were hard to hide.

"Why don't you think about it some more? Don't sit here for too long, 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 you're an emotional disruptor?"

Kiyokawa Izumi slowly raised his head and couldn't help but complain.

I always feel that whenever Shinobu Kocho is around, he always manages to ruin my mood.

But he really didn't do it on purpose.

Kiyokawa Izumi was also very confused, and the words of Kocho Shinobu's smiling question echoed in her ears.

Can we really just turn a blind eye?

May I?

"No matter what, getting stronger is never a bad thing."

"I have indeed been a bit lax lately..."

Kiyokawa Izumi slowly got up. With nothing to do and no feeling sleepy, he decided to practice his swordsmanship.

……

The so-called Nichirin Blade is neither gold nor jade; its blade is made of special iron sand and ore that can absorb sunlight, and it is the only weapon that can harm demons.

On the morning of the seventh day, Kiyokawa Izumi's Nichirin Blade was delivered by a member of the Hidden Sect.

The blacksmith's name was Iwami Tetsuzan, not a famous swordsmith who appeared in the original work.

He didn't come in person; he simply entrusted the sword to the Hidden Sect, who then passed it on to Kiyokawa Izumi.

Kiyokawa Izumi solemnly took the knife from the hidden member whose face was covered, her feelings at this moment were particularly complicated.

The Nichirin Blade was encased in a black scabbard. Grasping the hilt, I gently drew it out, and the silver-white blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Although the blacksmith was an unknown figure, his craftsmanship was indeed excellent, and the Nichirin Blade he forged was quite good.

It is said that Nichirin swords change color depending on the user, and Kiyokawa Izumi finally saw it with his own eyes.

The blade, which had been somewhat dull, suddenly lit up with specks of light blue light, which spread instantly at a speed visible to the naked eye until they completely covered the blade.

It was a blue like flowing water.

Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't surprised at all. As a swordsman who had mastered water breathing, it was normal for his blade to be light blue.

It definitely won't be black.

He neither knows Sun Breathing nor has he learned Hinokami Kagura, so it would be strange if he were black.

Just then, the crows circling in the sky suddenly landed and stood steadily on Kiyokawa Izumi's shoulder.

Its jet-black feathers seemed to gleam with a metallic sheen, and at this moment, it tilted its head slightly, as if sizing up its new owner.

Looking at him, I always get the feeling that he's not very smart.

A hawk!

These are messenger birds provided to official members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

What's most surprising is that they can talk!

"Fall! Fall! Fall!"

Some sharp sounds rang in my ears, and a crow perched on my shoulder flapped its wings, repeating the same word over and over again; it seemed to be its name.

"A mission! There's a mission!"

"Team member Kiyokawa Izumi, dispatch immediately! A child is disappearing!"

Kiyokawa Izumi roughly understood what the crow was trying to say.

In a certain small town, there seems to be a demon that likes to eat children under the age of eight.

His mission was to kill this evil spirit.

Once you become a full member of the team, this kind of thing is unavoidable.

However, considering that he is only a swordsman of the lowest rank, the demons that he needs to slay are probably not too strong.

To go or not to go?

Kiyokawa Izumi felt the smooth hilt of the knife, gave a wry smile, and reluctantly accepted the task.

"I'm broke, completely broke. Maybe I should just join the Demon Slayer Corps for a while."

"A demon that preys on children... it probably isn't one of the Twelve Demon Moons, is it?"

Kiyokawa Izumi didn't think his luck was so bad that he would bump into a lower or upper moon as soon as he stepped out the door.

This task is available.

However, some preparations still need to be made before accepting the offer.

Kiyokawa Izumi shifted her gaze to Kocho Shinobu, who was not far away, and gave her a slightly ingratiating and flattering smile.

Hey, do you have any good poisons I can borrow?

Do you have any spare Nichirin swords? I could take a few more with me.