‹Demon Slayer Nezuko› : A Kimetsu no Yaiba Story

Chapter 4: Temple Demon

TWO WEEKS LATER -----

Nezuko was walking down a road, when she heard a woman shouting in the distance.

"Hey, young man over there!" 

She stopped in her tracks, wondering whom the woman was calling towards. There were nobody else on the road except for Nezuko.

"——yes, you! You with the luggage!"

.....me?

Nezuko turned around, and met eyes with a woman standing outside her house. 

Ah..... I forgot I was in disguise as a man...

She touched her short hair instinctively. Along with her hairstyle, she was dressed up in Tanjiro's clothes - a male kimono. From afar, nobody would be able to realise her true gender.

"Y-yes!" Nezuko answered and started jogging towards the woman, while the basket on her back swayed.

"Dear, are you heading into the mountain with that much luggage?" 

The woman - who seemed to be in her mid thirties - asked, pointing at the basket Nezuko shouldered on her back. She frowned worriedly. "It's almost sunset. Why don't you spend the night here, and depart tomorrow?"

Nezuko smiled brightly in response. "I'll be fine; I know my way around!"

"Are you sure...?"

...What a kind lady. Nezuko thought.

"Yes! Thank you for your kind concern."

"...Alright. Be safe, young man."

Waving goodbye to the woman, Nezuko entered the mountain road while the sun set. As the road became steeper, her surroundings became covered in trees. The sky was clear, letting the moon light up the area with its faint glow.

Nezuko stopped and scanned the area around her.

...Good, nobody's around.

"——Onii-chan. Are you awake?" 

She asked to the basket on her back -- it rustled in response. She set it down on the ground and removed the piece of cloth that covered it, which blocked out the sunlight during the day.

Tanjiro, who had shrunken into a child form to fit inside the basket, tumbled outside. 

As he stood up, he started to grow in size — soon, he was standing as tall as Nezuko in his original size.

"Mmm." He moaned, releasing a muffled sound through his bamboo mouthpiece. He blinked his eyes sleepily, then turned his gaze towards Nezuko.

"Onii-chan. It was cramped up back there, huh? Are you alright?"

"...Mm." Tanjiro lifted his hand and patted Nezuko's head.

"Ahaha... stop it, I'm no longer a child!" Nezuko protested, but didn't shake his hand off.

In the darkness, Nezuko wouldn't be able to make her way through the forest. But with Tanjiro's sense of smell, there would be no worry of getting lost.