Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

"Huh, is this some kind of illusion?" Shinichi looked curiously at the wall before him.

What appeared to be a dead end with no passage actually allowed his hand to pass through effortlessly.

When he stepped through the wall, he found himself facing a rather exquisite small building.

"How rude! What an impolite fellow!" Yushiro gritted his teeth, standing beside Tamayo with an annoyed expression as he watched Shinichi repeatedly passing in and out of the wall, clearly enjoying himself.

The memory of having his neck nearly crushed was still fresh, so despite his irritation, Yushiro kept his tone in check, only expressing his displeasure through glaring at him.

On the other hand, Tamayo stood with perfect composure, showing no impatience.

She gently explained to Shinichi "This is Yushiro Blood Demon Art. It's how we've been evading Muzan Kibutsuji pursuit all this time."

Half of Shinichi body remained outside the wall, but his face showed a hint of realization.

"Ah, I thought so."

He had sensed the faint traces of Blood Demon Art earlier, though he hadn't expected that perpetually scowling Yushiro would possess such a rare illusion-type ability.

No—there was also this demon called Tamayo.

Her Blood Demon Art was equally unusual.

Though Shinichi had reacted quickly, he had to admit he'd been momentarily deceived during the first few seconds.

Those few seconds shouldn't be underestimated.

In battles against demons—especially against Upper Moon-level opponents—even half a second could mean the difference between life and death.

Still, Shinichi didn't dwell on it.

To be blunt, neither Tamayo nor Yushiro posed any real threat to him.

Of course, there was a reason he'd stopped his Nichirin Blade at the last moment instead of beheading them.

Simply put, Shinichi didn't sense the usual murderous aura that clung to ordinary demons.

In other words, these two likely hadn't consumed humans in a very long time.

Regardless, maintaining such rationality without feeding on humans was precisely what intrigued Shinichi.

More importantly, he wanted to hear Tamayo explanation about this "misunderstanding."

Soon, Tamayo and Yushiro led Shinichi to the elegant building. Before entering, Tamayo bowed slightly in invitation.

"Welcome to our humble abode."

Though reluctant, Yushiro followed suit with a bow, unwilling to show disrespect when Tamayo had done so.

"A polite female demon" was Shinichi first impression of Tamayo.

As for Yushiro "A hot-tempered brat who glares at guests and keeps sneaking glances at Tamayo."

Upon entering their residence, Shinichi couldn't help but look around.

Though the building appeared small from outside, it contained numerous well-equipped rooms inside.

In one room, Shinichi even spotted various medical research tools—rare equipment that Ryukawa Chinatsu had only managed to procure for the Demon Slayer Corps through foreign connections.

To think they had similar equipment here?

Seemingly noticing Shinichi surprise, Tamayo explained. "This is my laboratory, Shinichi-san. I haven't properly introduced myself yet. My name is Tamayo, and I am a doctor. This is my assistant, Yushiro. Of course, as you can see, we are also demons—just like you, Shinichi-san."

Swish!

The moment Tamayo finished speaking, the air suddenly fell into complete silence.

Yushiro could even feel the temperature in the room drop by two degrees, but what shocked him more were Tamayo words.

This Demon Slayer Corps member before them was a demon?

What was going on?

Had the Demon Slayer Corps been infiltrated?

Moreover, judging by Shinichi appearance and aura, there wasn't the slightest trace of a demon about him.

With those thick eyebrows and big eyes, how could he possibly be a demon?

Yushiro couldn't understand, but Shinichi instantly turned around, one hand gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, his peach-colored right eye and turquoise left eye fixed intently on Tamayo.

"What did you say?"

Until now, very few people had known Shinichi true identity as a demon.

He had almost never revealed his demonized state in front of outsiders and even the other Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps had never discovered his secret.

So how had this female demon, whom he had never met before, seen through him?

In that instant, Shinichi heart surged with intense killing intent, his cold aura radiating outward.

Yushiro expression changed, and he immediately leaped in front of Tamayo, glaring fiercely at Shinichi.

"Don't you dare disrespect Lady Tamayo!"

However, Tamayo remained calm in the face of Shinichi murderous aura.

She gently pulled Yushiro aside. "It's alright, Yushiro. Don't offend our guest."

With that, she turned to Shinichi and spoke softly "I didn't expect to meet you so soon, Shinichi-san. But perhaps this is fate. Please, come to the reception room and rest for a while. I will explain everything to clear up your doubts."

After saying this, Tamayo turned and walked with small steps toward the reception room.

Yushiro gritted his teeth, glanced at Shinichi, then at Tamayo retreating figure and finally let out a displeased huff before quickly following her.

Shinichi watched the backs of the two demons, his grip on the hilt unconsciously tightening.

With a single slash, he was confident he could easily behead both of them.

But—should he really do it?

Shinichi grip loosened slightly.

***

Some time later, Shinichi sat cross-legged casually on the tatami, a small table before him holding several cups of tea.

Sniffing lightly, Shinichi was surprised to find that what was in the cup wasn't tea as it was sugar water—the sweetness was unmistakable.

Unconcerned about the possibility of poison, he downed the entire cup in one gulp.

Yushiro, sitting primly to the side, was probably silently cursing Shinichi for his rudeness.

"Alright, explain. What's going on? How do you know me? And how did you figure out my identity?" Shinichi got straight to the point.

Tamayo expression remained serene.

Despite her youthful appearance, she exuded a sense of composure and maturity that didn't match her looks.

"Not long ago, two gentlemen visited us. It was through their introduction that I came to know about you, Shinichi-san."

Shinichi frowned.

Two people? Who? Only a handful knew his true identity.

Could it be the Old Man or the Master? No way.

"Who are they? What do they look like?"

This question was answered by Yushiro on behalf of Tamayo, because in Yushiro view, those two annoying fellows were equally rude and showed no respect towards Lady Tamayo.

However, upon hearing Yushiro description, Shinichi was momentarily stunned.

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