Chapter Text
Quid notum sit in mysterio
What must be known in mystery
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…
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[Tanjiro’s POV]
A month and three weeks have passed. A month and three weeks where nothing happened.
My daily life has been nothing but patrol after patrol, fight after fight, but none were difficult, none of the demons were powerful, or at least not enough to have caused… everything that happened.
Since nothing was happening, Shinobu eventually returned to headquarters. According to the latest information, there was trouble in the pleasure district, and she, the Sound Hashira, along with Kanao, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were sent there. That’s the only time I’ve had a bit of news from my group of friends, otherwise the only things I knew were that Zenitsu ended up crying in a corner shouting incoherent phrases about wanting to go home, while Inosuke declared that he would challenge every demon he found because he was “the god of the mountains.”
It seems rather logical for them to do that, knowing them.
I hope the mission assigned to them won’t be too difficult, especially with this Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, on their team. From what I had heard about him (and experienced during the Hashira meeting), he’s someone flashy and exuberant, or in Mitsuri’s words, as they are best friends: “a fun man who sometimes acts like he’s ten years old but incredibly strong!”
Speaking of Mitsuri, she’s currently organizing patrols with enthusiasm. I can see her from where I’m sitting on my log. She does everything with so much enthusiasm that the other slayers in the camp struggle to keep up.
It saddens me to know that all the efforts she has made have amounted to nothing.
It’s frustrating to know that her investment has led to nothing.
Maybe we should go back home, back to headquarters. Do useful missions, help others instead of focusing on a so-called Upper Moon. It’s been too long that we’ve been here, going in circles, without any significant progress.
But yet, but yet!
Something deep inside me tells me that there’s something odd. That something is not right.
My parents have always told me all my life that the heart is the driving force of human beings, that it’s what propels them forward. And now my heart whispers to me that I must continue, I must not give up! I feel that we are on the verge of discovering something that will change everything. I don’t know why, but I have to follow this intuition.
And then there’s also this strange smell that we discovered on the piece of fabric. A strange fragrance, both familiar and unknown. It lingers in the air, elusive, like a fleeting breath of something that shouldn’t be there. That should never have been there. It tickles my nostrils and makes my skin shiver, leaving a lingering impression of discomfort and comfort.
I often find myself lost in thought, trying to remember where I had smelled this fragrance before. But each time, my memories remain blurry, ephemeral images. It’s as if someone is trying to protect me from the truth! I might be getting a little paranoid— I’ve spent hours analyzing this fabric, smelling it over and over again, as if the answer lay in its fibers. But despite my efforts, I haven’t been able to unravel this mystery. Yet I’m convinced that this smell is the key to everything!
“Tanjiro, tell your sister to let me work.”
I turn to the person who just spoke to me. It’s the cartographer.
In over a month, I’ve gotten to know her better. Her name is Ryōku Chizu, she’s from the same final selection as Murata, which is how they know each other. She’s of Kanoe rank. She’s a woman of few words, who prefers the company of old documents to people. Someone who travels all over the world alone but joins in group work if necessary. She hardly ever speaks, but when she does, everyone listens.
She’s sitting right across from me, on a log similar to mine, in the shade of an oak tree. She’s bent over a long piece of light parchment, eagerly drawing the area we’re in. Nezuko is sitting right next to her. Or rather slouching on her. She’s out of her box and back to her normal size. She’s lying on the cartographer, watching her work. I understand why she must be bothering her; it must be hard to draw and trace lines when a demon is on top of you.
“Nezuko, please let her work,” I say gently.
She looks at me, then at Ryōku, and seems to realize that she’s disturbing her. With a small growl, she gets up and comes to sit next to me, in a shady corner. I gently stroke her hair, reassuring her that everything is fine.
Ryōku only nods, gives her glasses a little tap, before resuming her work.
To take our minds off things, Nezuko and I play games like rock-paper-scissors and tic-tac-toe. My sister uses her claws to draw crosses on the ground and I use a pointed stick to make circles. She wins every time. She’s always been better than me at these games. After all, she spent hours at home with our brothers and sisters when she was human, and we had to find something to keep them occupied.
Judging by the position of the sun, it must be around noon. I should go get some food. I’m starting to get hungry. Nezuko can’t eat, but I can always bring something for the cartographer.
I leave Nezuko and head towards one of the camp tents. The camp has been divided into several zones during the month, each zone assigned to a specific task like storage, rest, medical supplies (which must be kept separate for hygiene reasons according to Shinobu), etc. I make my way to the storage area where the food supplies are usually kept. Along the way, I encounter a few other slayers going about their business or getting ready for the patrol organized by Mitsuri.
Once in the storage area, I gather some provisions: fresh fruits, bread, cheese, and a gourd filled with water. I quickly check that everything is in order before heading back to our spot.
On my way back, I noticed that Ryōku had stopped drawing. The woman with glasses has her thumb in her mouth and seems to be fuming inwardly. I leave my portion of food near Nezuko who eagerly grabs it.
“Is everything okay?” I ask gently.
She removes her thumb from her mouth and I see that she has a small wound. Red drops bead on her parchment. She must have cut herself with the paper. She sighs.
“It’s nothing.”
“Do you want me to go get you a bandage?” I suggest.
“No. There’s just something bothering me.”
“What’s wrong?”
I see Nezuko tilt her head to the side from where she is, seeming just as intrigued as I am.
The cartographer furrows her brow. “I think someone stole a map from me.”
“What?!” I exclaim, “Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Who could have committed such an act? A demon? But this place is full of slayers! It’s impossible, we would have seen it!
“I wasn’t sure until now, but while working, I realized it.”
“What card was stolen from you?”
“A card leading to the final selection, I made it when I went there for the first time.”
The final selection? But why would a demon want to go there? It’s a place filled with wisterias! And if the demon had access to the cards, why didn’t he take a more useful one? Like, for example, one leading to the headquarters so he could destroy it?
Ryōku once again brings her thumb to her mouth. “Actually, I could use a bandage.”
I nod and run towards the tent keeping all the medical supplies. During the short journey, my mind fills with questions and suspicions. Who could have stolen Ryōku’s card? And why a card leading to the final selection? It doesn’t make sense. Unless the thief knows something we don’t…
I arrive in the tent where bandages, medicinal herbs, medications, antiseptic, small machines, and bandages are kept. I rummage through the boxes where all these things are supposed to be stored.
During my search, I notice something strange: one of the storage boxes seems to have been forced, but so subtly left and hidden on the side of a shelf that it would have been impossible to see if I hadn’t looked closer! The lock is broken and a few items are scattered on the floor. My heart races as I realize that it’s not just Ryōku’s card that was stolen, but also medical supplies!
I kneel down to pick up the scattered items and that’s when I smell again that strangely familiar scent that I can’t understand, this time stronger because it’s more recent. I would give it about three weeks old.
But that’s not the only scent.
If I remember correctly, there were two scents on the piece of fabric, the demon’s being stronger but there was indeed another, albeit weaker scent. A floral scent.
A person had been “kidnapped” by the Upper Moon, right…?
What if… this “Upper Moon” wasn’t really one?
We had seen that the demon left no trace of an inflicted injury on the person he would have “kidnapped”, whereas demons never miss an opportunity to feed.
What if the person was in cahoots with the demon? What if they were working together? It would be this person who had infiltrated the camp. Mitsuri had told us that the fabric came from a small-sized haori, so if the person was small, they could have more easily infiltrated without being noticed.
What if… there were other people like Nezuko and me?
Oh my god!
Quickly, I gather the scattered medical supplies and find a bandage for Ryōku.
I have too many hypotheses in mind, and if they turn out to be true, it could change everything! Change the reason why we undertook this mission! I absolutely have to talk to the others about it.
I hurry back to Ryōku and Nezuko with the bandage. Ryōku tends to her wound and then listens attentively as I share my discoveries and theories with her. Nezuko also seems attentive to my words, her pink eyes fixed on me intently. Once I’ve shared all my thoughts, there’s a moment of silence.
Ryōku takes off her glasses, cleans them with a piece of cloth, and then puts them back on her nose.
“Fascinating… your assumptions are not without merit.”
I nod, “Yes! There’s definitely something going on!”
Nezuko approaches and squeezes my arm to show that she agrees with my idea.
“We should inform…”
“TANJIROOOOO!!! TANJIROOOOOOOOO!!!!”
A voice echoes throughout the camp. I turn just in time to be tackled by Mitsuri. I momentarily lose my balance as she hugs me with superhuman strength.
“Mitsuri, what’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to be on patrol?” I ask.
She releases her embrace, but her face beams. “I came back as fast as I could! We found something! Come quickly!”
“But we have something to tell you too…”
“No time! You’ll explain on the way!”
We exchange questioning glances with Nezuko and Ryōku, but it doesn’t take them long to decide. Ryōku stands up and Nezuko jumps into her box placed a few meters away from her, which I quickly put on my back.
Off we go!
—————
We run through the trees, going as fast as we can, caught up in the pace of the Hashira. She seems excited, her pink-green hair swirling behind her as she guides us to our destination.
Between the panting breaths and the sounds of our footsteps on the forest floor, I take a brief moment to quickly explain to Mitsuri what I discovered.
She seems impressed by my conclusions and tells me that what she found could help confirm my theory, but she still keeps the conversation brief, to avoid wasting our energy for nothing. So we hurry to follow her, curious to find out what has excited her so much.
After a frantic run, we arrive at a place filled with slayers. Probably those who are part of the patrol. They inspect every corner of what seems to be an altar.
The altar is a massive stone structure, made of columns of gray rock. Here and there, statues of a deity and effigies dedicated to it are scattered. Many in an advanced state of disrepair. I can’t recognize the deity depicted. This place seems to have been abandoned for a long time.
And yet I can smell the scents present on the fabric. They are there, in the air, extremely recent.
I exchange a glance with Mitsuri who smiles, probably guessing what I’m thinking.
“Follow me,” she says, “I think this might interest you!”
She leads us to a corner of the altar, where I notice Murata in conversation with someone I don’t recognize. It’s a man wearing a Hyottoko mask, a mark of the blacksmiths.
What is a blacksmith doing here?
We approach and Murata and the man turn their heads towards us.
“Oh hi Tanjiro and Ryōku!” he greets us.
He pauses briefly to bow to Mitsuri, in a small awkward bow. Since his last confrontations with Shinobu, he wanted to stay on good terms with the Hashira. After all, Shinobu is someone who scares people and having good relations with the other Hashira, like Mitsuri, can always be useful, especially if a certain master of poisons has compromising information about you. “Hello again, Miss Kanroji!”
“Hello to you Murata! But you don’t need to be so formal with me, we’re all friends here.” She laughs.
He blushes somewhat. “Yes, of course, excuse me!”
The braided young woman claps her hands. “Well, Murata, would you like to explain what has been discovered to our friends here?” She asks, indicating us.
“Yes! We were on patrol, as usual, and then we came across this man!” He gestures to the man with the Hyottoko mask. “We questioned him and he told us a disturbing story that could be related to this story of “kidnapping” and “Upper Moon” and brought us here, to this altar! I’ll let you speak mister, it’s better if you explain!”
The man takes a few steps forward, then speaks in a deep voice. “Allow me to introduce myself: Kajiya Hono, blacksmith. I have traveled from my village to deliver the uniform and weapon of a young demon slayer.”
“A demon slayer? Here? At this altar? But it’s completely in ruins! I didn’t think anyone could live here,” I remark, astonished.
“I don’t believe she lived here. She didn’t strike me as someone who often frequented this place. Anyway, Her Kasugai crow guided me to her,” the blacksmith explains.
“And what did this girl look like? So far, your story doesn’t seem related to our mystery,” Ryōku, who had been silent until now, observes.
“I’m getting to that,” the blacksmith continues. “She was a small girl with messy black curly hair, radiant bronze-like skin adorned with delicate freckles, and bright eyes like freshly unearthed gold nuggets— a child of gold !—and wearing a blue haori. If I recall correctly, your colleague mentioned finding a piece of blue fabric belonging to this type of haori, right?”
Blue haori…
My blood runs cold.
A small girl, hence small in stature, who could easily have infiltrated the camp.
A young slayer, presumably trained hard (which could explain the signs of fighting we found earlier! Was she trained by the demon?!) who had just passed the final selection. She would have needed a map to get there in the first place if she didn’t know its location. And perhaps also medical supplies, in case of injuries.
A map and medical supplies that had been stolen.
The pieces of the puzzle come together in my mind.
There had never been an Upper Moon.
Perhaps the demon accompanies and aids the demon slayer.
Perhaps they are like Nezuko and me.
That doesn’t explain the forest fire, alright, but we can always ask them if we find them!
I look at Mitsuri. In her green eyes, I see and feel that she has already thought the same thing as me. We must go find them, for answers, but also to help them if necessary. I remember all too well the difficult beginnings my sister and I had. And if there are other demons like Nezuko, then we must find them, for it will bring us closer to creating a cure. And maybe even win the war against Muzan.
We are so close!
“Do you know if this girl was accompanied by anyone? And where did she go?”
“I heard some noise, but otherwise, I didn’t see anyone. Maybe there was someone, but I didn’t check; it didn’t seem important to me. As for where she went, while conversing with her crow on the way to the altar when it was guiding me, it revealed that she was receiving her first mission to one of the theaters in Tokyo.”
“I know the city well!” Mitsuri exclaims. “I’ve been there with Kyojuro during one of my missions! He even became a Hashira there by killing a Lower Moon!”
“So, do we know what we have to do?” I say with a smile.
“Ryōku, Murata, I leave you in charge of patrols and the camp during my absence; we can’t leave this region unprotected!” Mitsuri explains.
They nod.
I can already feel her overflowing joy. This new mission after a month and three weeks of going around in circles must be good for her. And it’s good for me too because we can finally change our minds and think about something else.
“To Tokyo!”
