‹Demon Slayer Nezuko› : A Kimetsu no Yaiba Story

Chapter 3: Departure

The figure who swung the sword lightly jumped over them and landed inside the house, killing their momentum with a single step.

Nezuko, who dropped to the floor with Tanjiro, lifted her head. She spotted the figure standing on the tatami flooring.

"....!?"

A man.

With unruly long black hair tied into a ponytail behind his head, he was a young man who seemed to be below twenty in age. He wore a strange haori that was split in half at the middle into two separate patterns; the right was a solid pink-red colour, while the left had a pattern with rectangles of yellow, green and orange geometrically packed together.

As he turned, he revealed his face — dark blue eyes narrowed to an expressionless glare stared down at Nezuko and Tanjiro.

He held a katana that had a deep navy tint to it.

Who... is this person....?

The man turned fully to face them on the floor.

"Why do you protect that demon?" He asked in a low, toneless voice.

Nezuko called back at the man. "Y-you, why are you entering someone else's house without permission...?"

The man widened his eyes slightly -- he opened his mouth surprisedly.

In the next instant, he disappeared.

"....excuse my rudeness..." The man called to Nezuko from behind. He had reappeared outside, standing in the snow.

--He... he moved outside...

The man, as if nothing had happened, retained his expressionless face.

"....Why do you protect that demon."

--He said it again..... what is up with this person....

Nezuko pursed her lips and gulped nervously.

She hugged Tanjiro, who was staring at Nezuko's face with an open mouth.

"He.... he's my older brother..."

She thought she saw the man's expression twitch a small bit.

- - - - -

"He... he's my older brother...."

"......"

The man — Tomioka Giyu — narrowed his eyes painfully.

The demon in the young girl's arms was staring up at her face. Then it slowly extended its arm -- he saw that its nails were elongated into claws.

It looked like the demon was about to touch the girl's cheek, in a friendly way as if to comfort her.

——If only it wasn't a demon.

Giyu drew his blade and slashed.

"Gyaaah!!??"

Having lost its hand from the wrist up, the demon screamed in pain and pulled its arm back from the girl.

"Onii-chan!?" The girl called, seeming confused at what had happened. To her, it had looked like the demon's hand had disappeared instantaneously.

——Nezuko couldn't even see Giyu move; the second she realised, she saw Giyu hold his drawn blade in one hand, Tanjiro's severed hand on the other.