"What the—just a brat."
The girl had clearly gotten a good look at Takeo now—and just like he had seen her, she saw him.
And when she noticed his short stature and youthful appearance, she let out a breath and muttered something that sounded far too similar to what that drunkard Shinjuro had once said.
That… irritated Takeo a little.
Driven by the impulsiveness that came with his younger body, the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them:
"I should be the one saying that—just a little girl. What are you even doing out here?"
"L-Little girl!? What part of me is little?!"
It was like he'd hit a nerve. She slapped her hand against her chest and exclaimed, "I'm fifteen! That's marriageable age in the village, you know! I'm way older than you, you runt!"
"Ah… I see. Nice to meet you, old lady, sorry to bump into you!"
"…You little punk!!!"
They had barely just met, and yet Takeo and the girl were already bickering.
But it couldn't be helped—he had already noticed this lately. The way his mind had started syncing with his younger body… was definitely starting to influence how he acted.
His mindset had started to grow younger too—otherwise, there was no way he would've lost his temper just because of a few mocking words from that drunk, Shinjuro.
Compared to the scoldings he'd endured from supervisors in his previous life, Shinjuro's words were nothing more than child's play.
He shouldn't have gotten angry at all.
But the reality was—he had gotten angry. His words had leapt out of his mouth faster than his thoughts could catch them.
It had been like that then. And now, it was happening again.
"Waaah—!!"
Thankfully, a sharp and loud baby's cry interrupted their argument.
The girl who had come out of the brush instantly turned her head toward the sound, and so did Takeo.
Both of them stopped quarreling and sprinted toward the direction of the crying.
The girl ran ahead, with Takeo right behind her.
Watching the swift agility of her movements—and the way her physical ability clearly exceeded that of a normal person—Takeo became even more certain:
She must be a Demon Slayer swordswoman trained in Breathing Techniques.
And most likely, she was a prospective recruit, just like him.
It definitely wasn't possible for her to be a Hashira. The Demon Slayer Corps only had two female Hashira—one was Kanroji Mitsuri, whom Takeo had already met, and the other was Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira.
And Shinobu's haori was famously distinctive. There was no way this girl was either of them.
Aside from the Hashira, all official members of the Demon Slayer Corps were required to wear the standard uniform.
Since this girl wasn't wearing one, that could only mean—She was a prospective recruit.
Takeo reached that conclusion in mere seconds.
And by that time, both of them had arrived at the source of the crying.
"…A woman? What's she doing out here so late at night?"
Hiding behind the trees, the girl and Takeo spotted the source of the sound—a woman standing in the clearing, dressed in a dark green kimono.
Her back was to them, and she cradled a swaddled baby in her arms, gently rocking it as if trying to soothe it. But it wasn't working—the baby's cries only grew louder.
The girl furrowed her brows in confusion. She didn't understand why a woman would be wandering through the forest with a baby at this hour.
Takeo's nose twitched.
His expression turned serious. In a low, firm voice, his eyes locked onto the woman holding the child.
"…It's a demon."
"A demon?! Wait—how do you know what a demon is?!"
The girl first gasped in shock, then quickly realized what Takeo had just said—he had recognized it was a demon.
Takeo didn't even glance at the girl as he replied,"What's there to be surprised about? You knew what it was too, didn't you?"
"Y-Yeah, but I'm a Demon Slayer swordswoman, and you—wait, you have a sword too? Don't tell me—"
"That's exactly it. Now quit the chatter! We've got a demon to deal with!"
Takeo had no interest in arguing with the clueless girl beside him. His eyes were fixed solely on the demon in the green kimono before them.
Demons smelled different from humans.
Takeo, having fought one before, knew this all too well.
There was always a faintly foul odor clinging to demons—not immediately obvious, but noticeable to him. To Takeo, it was like the stench of rot.
The water demon he fought previously had the same scent, though its strength had been masked by the moisture clinging to its body. It wasn't until they fought inside a warehouse that he had truly picked up on it.
And now—this was no different.
The first thing he smelled was the woman's heavy perfume, thick and almost overpowering. But beneath that, buried under layers of fragrance, was that familiar, unmistakable stench of a demon.
That was how he had known for sure what she was.
"…You're right! We have to take this demon down first!"
The girl snapped to attention, clearly shaken but now determined.
The girl quickly reacted, drawing the sword at her waist. Together with Takeo, she stepped out of the bushes and into the open.
And without hesitation, she launched an attack on the demon!
"Wait—hold on—!" Takeo called out, trying to stop her. But it was too late.
Her grasp of Breathing Technique wasn't bad. With her body strengthened at such close range, she practically closed the distance in an instant—bringing her blade down toward the demon woman.
She didn't use a formal Breathing Technique form—just a straightforward, powerful slash.
But given her speed and strength, any ordinary demon should've been caught off guard and decapitated on the spot.
However, reality didn't play out the way she expected.
Just as her blade came down, the demon woman—still holding the infant—suddenly turned her head sharply.
And in that instant, several long, dark green cloth strands burst from the back of her kimono.
The sashes wove together rapidly, forming a shield-like dome in front of her that resembled a pot lid.
The girl's blade struck the cloth shield, but aside from causing a slight ripple across its surface, it had no effect at all.
"Tch! That's tough!"
Her attack failed, and she immediately leapt back—retreating to Takeo's side.
Takeo frowned and snapped at her, "That was reckless! Don't you know how to observe your enemy first?!"
"If it's a demon, just cut it down! What's there to observe?!"
The girl shot back without hesitation.
In most cases, a demon encountered deep in the forest at night was likely to be a regular one—and against an ordinary demon, she wouldn't even need to use a Breathing Technique form to decapitate it.
That was how it was supposed to go.
But the demon woman standing before them now was clearly not ordinary.
"Ah… ah! My baby… Oh no, my baby… why are you over there…"
The demon, who had blocked the girl's attack, didn't counterattack.
The cloth sashes that had protected her moments ago were now fully retracted, blending seamlessly into her kimono—giving both Takeo and the girl a clear look at her face.
She had a horn on her forehead. Her face was lined with bulging veins. Her mouth was filled with sharp, exposed fangs. And her eyes—those wild, beast-like pupils!
She looked exactly like a demon.
From the structure of her face, she must have been a very beautiful woman before she became a demon—but now, to Takeo and the girl, all they saw was something grotesque.
The demon woman still cradled the wailing infant in her arms, but she didn't even glance at the child.
Instead, her gaze locked—completely and intently—on Takeo.
That entire statement just now—had been directed at Takeo.
"…Is she your mother?" the girl asked blankly, turning to look at Takeo in disbelief.
A vein twitched on Takeo's forehead as he rolled his eyes at her.
"If you don't need your eyes, donate them to someone who does!"
"Well, excuse me for asking! Why do you have to be so mean about it…? Stupid brat!"
She rolled her eyes right back at him, pouting in clear annoyance.
Just as the two were about to start bickering again, the demon woman interrupted.
She stared at Takeo, and despite the beast-like pupils in her eyes, her gaze was full of motherly affection—as if she truly believed what she was saying.
"My child… come here… come to me! Let Mommy see you… Ahh, my sweet child… You've grown so big without me even realizing… Come, let Mommy take a look at you!"
The moment she finished speaking, the cloth sashes around her body shot out like serpents—lunging straight toward Takeo!
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