Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

The deceased was a young woman wearing a gray-blue kimono made of cotton and linen, with a dark green sash. The skin on her exposed hands and feet was grayish-white and wrinkled, indicating that she had been soaking in the water for quite some time.

The onlookers gathered to the side were talking in hushed tones, and their voices carried by the wind to Kiyokawa Izumi's ears.

Here's roughly what happened.

The deceased had a three-year-old child who suddenly disappeared one night.

Unable to bear the blow, she committed suicide by drowning herself in the river two days later.

The young man standing to the side, looking sorrowful, appeared to be her husband; he was now sobbing uncontrollably.

Did they just disappear?

Without a doubt, it must be an evil spirit.

Kiyokawa Izumi subconsciously gripped the Nichirin Blade at his waist, and his expression changed slightly.

In an era rife with evil spirits, ordinary people lived hand to mouth.

A happy family can be destroyed by evil spirits, suddenly and without warning.

A virtuous and beautiful wife may suddenly die one day.

"Muzan!"

The source of all this is, of course, Muzan, the progenitor of all demons.

Kiyokawa Izumi was clearly not in a good mood at the moment, having obviously taken his feelings to heart.

The raven perched obediently on his shoulder, tilting its head slightly as it looked at him.

……

The dark night enveloped the town, and the number of pedestrians on the fairly wide dirt road gradually decreased. Kiyokawa Izumi paused for a moment in front of an udon noodle shop, but ultimately did not have the courage to step inside.

The reason is quite real.

He has no money!

I don't have a single coin in my pocket!

It's quite tragic; if he were to leave the Demon Slayer Corps now, he would likely starve to death.

As I passed a food stall, the steaming hot soup noodles emitted an enticing aroma, and my stomach started growling uncontrollably.

The boss was very enthusiastic, but what puzzled him was that Kiyokawa Izumi walked by expressionlessly.

A huge blow!

Is his face really that unappealing?

Having found a secluded spot, Kiyokawa Izumi finished the remaining rice balls with plain water, but couldn't help feeling a little troubled.

If the evil spirit doesn't appear tonight, what will he eat tomorrow?

If he still doesn't show up by tomorrow, won't Kiyokawa Izumi starve to death here?

I still suffered from my lack of experience; when I left, I didn't want the hassle of bringing extra rice balls.

Whether in the past or present, reality is undeniably true—without money, one's ambition is diminished no matter where one is.

"How am I supposed to find the evil spirit in this huge town, all by myself?"

With nothing to do, Kiyokawa Izumi couldn't resist teasing the jay perched on his shoulder.

The latter tilted its head slightly, subconsciously flapped its wings, flew into the air, and circled around.

Kiyokawa Izumi was slightly surprised to see this.

The not-so-bright little guy is quite perceptive.

And so, with the help of the ravens, Kiyokawa Izumi wandered aimlessly around the town.

He's not Tanjiro, so he can't smell the demons through his nose—sometimes he finds this world quite incredible.

How can someone smell other people's emotions? Is this reasonable? Is this scientific?

Why doesn't he have that ability?

As time ticked by, Kiyokawa Izumi, whose sleep schedule was already quite irregular, did not doze off.

It was just a little boring.

The wait was undoubtedly long.

I can tolerate a short time, but what about two hours, three hours, or even more than ten hours?

Just then, the sharp cry of a raven came from overhead, which was particularly clear in the quiet town late at night.

Kiyokawa Izumi instantly got into the zone, without the slightest hesitation, and quickly moved forward following the direction the ravens were flying.

Not far from him, there seemed to be a dark shape moving rapidly on the rooftop.

This is no ordinary stray cat.

At a distance, Kiyokawa Izumi almost didn't notice this guy, and it was only thanks to Kasugai's reminder that he was alerted.

"So fast?"

Kiyokawa Izumi frowned slightly, and was also startled.

The demon before us is much faster than those we encountered in the final selection.

Concentrate on your breathing!

The rapidly expanding lungs, like bellows, draw in a large amount of air in an instant.

With a sudden burst of muscle in his lower body, Kiyokawa Izumi took three steps at a time, chasing closely after the appearing demon, leaving deep dents in the muddy ground beneath his feet.

"You are... a demon-slaying swordsman?"

The demon, who had suddenly stopped, stood on the rooftop, looking down at the demon-slaying swordsman who was relentlessly pursuing him.

This was the first time it had encountered a swordsman like this.

The reason they stopped running away was simply because they couldn't escape.

It's not that Kiyokawa Izumi is particularly fast.

No matter how fast he is, he is still just a human being, an ordinary person who has not mastered the complete concentration of the ordinary.

The raven circling in mid-air is something the evil spirit can never shake off.

It had no intention of bringing the demon-slaying swordsman to its hiding place.

It's alright at night.

However, if a demon-slaying swordsman comes knocking on your door during the day, it would undoubtedly be very troublesome.

"Is it you?"

Kiyokawa Izumi also stopped, slowly raised his head, and began to calm his breathing, slightly out of breath.

The demon before them had dark skin and an unusually hunched back, like an old man in his seventies or eighties.