The cold wind howled, gloomy wind gusted, and the sky had already turned pitch black.
Jotaro's figure seemed to merge with the night. His walking pace didn't slow down due to the darkening sky; it was still as vigorous as usual.
His light green eyes appeared especially bright under the night, as if they could clearly see things in the darkness.
This mountain path had been walked by Tanjiro countless times at night. Even so, at this moment, he walked very cautiously.
Seeing Jotaro striding ahead, he was genuinely a bit worried about him.
The ground was covered with snow, making it completely impossible to judge the condition of the road. If Jotaro-san were to step wrong and fall into the valley, the consequences would be simply unimaginable!
"Jotaro-san! Is it really okay for you to walk so fast?"
In response to Tanjiro's concern, Jotaro remained indifferent. He slightly turned his head and calmly said, "Tanjiro, follow behind me. Let's walk faster."
"The dark clouds have already come over. It won't be long before it starts snowing."
Hearing this, Tanjiro looked up at the sky. The sky was completely black. Let alone dark clouds, even the branches overhead were hard to see.
'Could Jotaro-san really see that far?'
If it began to snow, then traveling would certainly become more difficult. Since Jotaro handled matters so reliably, Tanjiro decided to trust him and quickened his pace behind him.
After walking a stretch, a faint light appeared ahead, that was a household halfway up the mountain.
As if having heard the footsteps of the two walking, the window of the wooden house was suddenly opened, and the upper body of an elderly man stuck out from the window.
He shouted toward the two of them, "Hey! Tanjiro! Are you two planning to go back into the mountains?"
Hearing his voice, Jotaro and Tanjiro stopped simultaneously and looked in the direction of the elderly man.
They saw him speak seriously, "It's better not to go back today. It's very dangerous!"
Tanjiro declined his kindness and said, "It's okay. My nose is very sensitive."
The man waved at him insistently and said, "Stay at my house tonight, both of you. Come quickly!"
"Yare yare..." Jotaro stuck both hands in his trouser pockets, tilted his body, and said, "Tanjiro, let's go. If we really encounter a wild beast, I'll punch it flying."
Tanjiro recalled the scene where Jotaro had protected Nezuko and punched a grizzly bear flying. He nodded and once again declined the offer.
"Grandpa Saburo, really, it's okay. Our family is still waiting for us to return."
Seeing the two refusing to listen, Grandpa Saburo was so angry he nearly jumped up.
"It's not wild beasts! It's demons! At night, demons appear!"
Hearing the word "demons", Jotaro's brows furrowed, his expression turned serious, and he asked, "You know demons? Tell me everything you know."
Grandpa Saburo leaned on the window and said solemnly, "Since a long time ago, there have been rumors of demons coming out to eat people after the sun sets. So walking at night is very dangerous."
"You two should just stay at my house for one night and continue your journey tomorrow."
Even though this seemed like useless talk, Jotaro still extracted some useful information. After all, he currently knew very little about demons.
Whether the demons of this world were the same type as Dio, the vampires, he still couldn't be sure. So he asked, "After the sun sets? Could it be these demons are also afraid of sunlight?"
Grandpa Saburo didn't know why he used the word "also", but still nodded and said, "So it's very safe to set off early in the morning."
Hearing the two talking so seriously about demons, Tanjiro felt strange. To him, demons were just rumors, completely nonexistent in this world.
He asked, "If demons really exist, would staying at home be safe? Could it be they don't enter people's homes?"
Grandpa Saburo said, "They do. They enter people's homes."
"Then wouldn't everyone be eaten by demons?"
Tanjiro voiced his doubt. He thought Grandpa Saburo made up the story about evil demons because he was too lonely by himself and wanted company at night.
In his heart, he decided he must bring his younger siblings to visit Grandpa Saburo more often in the future.
At some point, Grandpa Saburo had taken out a long smoking pipe and lit it. He said, "There are demon slayers who slay demons for everyone."
Seeing Grandpa Saburo smoking heavily, Jotaro subconsciously took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit one.
He was different from Tanjiro, he had already been informed by the system of the existence of demons in this world. Now, he only wanted to gather more information about demons.
"You know a lot about demons? Could it be that you've seen one?"
Jotaro gazed at the old man through the smoke. After asking this question, he clearly noticed sadness in the man's eyes.
"No..."
Grandpa Saburo took a deep drag on the mouthpiece. After a long while, he exhaled the smoke, and under the gray smoke, his aged face looked even more desolate.
"But what I can be sure of is, my old wife... she was killed by a demon..."
———
Walking on the road home, Tanjiro's mood remained a bit heavy. He felt Grandpa Saburo's sorrow more deeply than Jotaro did. Moreover, he didn't smell any sign of lying.
"Jotaro-san, do demons really exist in this world?"
To this question, Jotaro gave a light "hm" and said, "Up to now, I haven't encountered one. But... one day I will."
His face was as cold as frost, even colder than the wind blowing head-on.
These evil demons who trample the weak, he would beat every one of them even if there were no mission from the system.
And to leave this world, he had to eliminate all the evil demons in it.
How many evil demons were in this world? One, a thousand, or ten thousand? No matter how many, he would use Star Platinum to beat them hard. Until not a single one remained!
"Big Brother! Jotaro-san! You're back!"
The silhouette of Tanjiro's home gradually became clearer. A girl in a pink kimono stood at the door, looking expectantly into the dark distance.
Until two figures emerged from the darkness, the sorrow between her brows disappeared completely, and a radiant smile bloomed on her face. Beside such a smile, even winter plums would pale in comparison.
Nezuko stepped lightly, bouncing as she ran up to them. She took the bundle from Tanjiro's hand and said, "Big Brother, Jotaro-san, why are you only back now? I was so worried."
Tanjiro apologized and said, "Sorry, Nezuko. We were delayed for a while halfway up the mountain."
Nezuko took Tanjiro's hand and said, "Alright, Big Brother, don't say that. Come inside quickly. Look at your hands, they're frozen stiff."
Tanjiro smiled and scratched his head.
Seeing Jotaro still standing there, Nezuko grabbed his arm with her other hand and pulled both of them toward the house, her tone holding a hint of reproach.
"Jotaro-san, you too. Why are you still standing there like a dummy, really..."
Kie quietly stood at the door, her face wearing a gentle smile, waving toward the two of them. Several children were frolicking freely around her, their faces full of joyful smiles.
"Mom made a lot of delicious food today. Big Brother, Jotaro-san, you must eat a lot later."
"Yare yare daze..."
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Jotaro's mouth. This warm family scene inevitably reminded him of his own mother, that nagging woman.
To be honest, without her nagging in his ears these past days, Jotaro truly felt a bit unaccustomed.
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