Chapter 64: Blown Up—and Did My Memory Return?

“Mitsuri, what happened?” Kanao leaned half out of the second-floor window, calling out to Mitsuri in the backyard.

She had been organizing the intelligence Zero had just gathered in her room when she heard a sharp “whoosh,” as if something had been launched.

“Kanao… I… I…” Mitsuri, shaken by what had just occurred, couldn’t find the words to speak.

Seeing she couldn’t explain anything, Kanao came downstairs and went to the backyard.

First, she calmed Mitsuri down, then asked her to recount everything that had just happened.

After listening carefully, Kanao understood: Mitsuri had accidentally triggered Zero’s weapon, firing off a missile.

Kanao sighed and gently tapped Mitsuri’s forehead with her finger: “You, of all people—can’t you be more careful?”

“S-sorry…”

“Alright, alright, let’s go check quickly—hopefully no one’s hurt! Otherwise, given Zero’s personality, he’ll probably claim it was his fault.”

“No! No way! This is my fault—I won’t let him take the blame!”

Saying this, she grabbed Kanao’s hand and rushed toward the direction Zero had run off to.

…………

The sky was still as blue as ever, the river still as clear and transparent.

The gentle murmur of the flowing water brought peace to the mind.

Shinobu Kocho sat beside a tree, gazing up at the sky, his mind still shrouded in fog—he remembered nothing of his past.

“What shape is that cloud in the sky?”

He stared blankly at the white clouds drifting overhead.

Suddenly, a tiny speck of light appeared in the sky—caught by Shinobu’s eyes.

“A meteor’s coming that way… strange? Why would a meteor appear during the day?”

Shinobu Kocho watched the “meteor” hurtling toward him, curious why one would appear in daylight.

As the “meteor” drew nearer, it seemed destined to land right where he sat.

Instinctively sensing the threat from the incoming “meteor,” his body reacted—dodging to the side!

Though he avoided direct impact, the missile’s speed outpaced him; when it struck the ground, the explosion’s shockwave flung him backward.

He crashed into a tree trunk, his head striking hard—blood seeped from a wound, trickling down his face and dripping onto the earth.

Added to that, the blast’s air pressure had turned his hair into a wild explosion, and the smoke had blackened him completely…

He rose from the ground, knelt beside the tree, mouth slightly open as he exhaled a wisp of black smoke, then looked up at the sky again.

“What was that just now? Did I just get blown into the air?”

“Where did the meteor go?”

“God… Buddha… please… save my younger brother…”

“When… when was this memory? Why does it feel so familiar?”

Fragments of memory flashed through Shinobu Kocho’s mind, yet remained chaotic—unable to make out the blurred face within them.

“My younger brother… unlike me… he’s a kind-hearted child… he wanted to help others… it was I who held him back… I’m the bad one…”

“Who is this person? Who… why does he look… exactly like me…??”

“If punishment from heaven must come… let it fall on me alone…”

“Why… why do I feel so sad? Damn it! My head… it hurts!”

“I know… the ‘nothing’ in ‘Kocho’ isn’t the nothing of incompetence… it’s…”

Zero arrived at the same moment. He’d assumed no one was hurt—but seeing the man spitting smoke, with wild hair and charred skin, his lips twitched slightly…

“Ugh… damn, someone really got hurt…”

He resolved at once: he’d take full blame for this. He wouldn’t let Mitsuri be blamed.

“Eh… AAAAAHHH!!!”

Shinobu Kocho clutched his head, groaning in pain as if enduring unbearable torment!

Zero rushed forward, concerned: “Kocho, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me like this!”

“I… I think I remembered something… but it’s vague—just scattered fragments…”

“Ugh…”

Zero knew Shinobu Kocho had lost his memory, but he hadn’t expected that the accidental detonation of a small missile would somehow trigger partial memory recovery.

Blown up—and his memory returned?

But it wasn’t full recovery—only fragments.

Still, relatively speaking, it was a good start.

But the immediate priority was to take Shinobu Kocho to Butterfly House for a checkup.

If there were serious aftereffects, it would be disastrous!

“Kocho, let me take you to Butterfly House for an examination.”

Saying this, he helped Shinobu Kocho to his feet.

“Thank you, Zero.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for helping me recover some memories—even if incomplete, you’ve already returned something important to me.”

“N-no problem… heh… heh…” Zero’s lips twitched—being thanked after blowing someone up felt utterly bizarre.

“Why was I just blown up? I remember a meteor flying toward me…”

Oh great—he was back to his old self again…

Kanao and Mitsuri arrived at the same time, seeing Zero supporting Shinobu Kocho—clearly, someone had been hit.

Not just them—several other Pillar Swordsmen arrived simultaneously.

The explosion had been loud enough for most of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters to hear.

A few stayed to guard Ubuyashiki Kagaya; the rest rushed over to investigate.

Muichiro Tokito: “What the hell are you up to now?! What happened to Kocho?!”

Shinobu: “Brother-in-law, what did you do this time?!”

Tengen Uzui: “Oho! What a magnificent explosion!”…

“Uh… sorry, I was adjusting my weapon and accidentally triggered the switch—fired a small missile that hit Kocho. I’ll take full responsibility.”

Zero chose to shoulder all blame for the incident himself.

“No… it’s not true! This was my fault! I caused this! It’s my mistake—please don’t blame Zero!” Mitsuri spoke up.

She bowed deeply to Shinobu Kocho at ninety degrees: “I’m sorry—I made you like this. Please don’t blame Zero either.”

She knew Zero was protecting her, but she refused to let him bear every burden.

One person’s mistake, one person’s responsibility—she understood that.

Shinobu Kocho merely shook his head—he felt no serious injury—and signaled it was fine.

Seeing it wasn’t serious, the others departed; Shinobu Kocho was carried off to Butterfly House by Tengen Uzui, tucked under his arm.

Before leaving, Muichiro Tokito shot Zero a venomous glare.

Damn it, they’re showing off again!

Zero ignored him completely.

“Damn it! Just wait! Tonight I’ll wipe out every demon in your territory—see how you catch any then!” Muichiro Tokito thought.

“Zero, I’m sorry!”

Mitsuri stood like a child who’d done something wrong, unable to raise her eyes.

Kanao and Zero exchanged glances—her eyes silently told him: comfort Mitsuri.

Then she left, giving Zero and Mitsuri the rest of the time alone.

“Mitsuri.”

Hearing Zero call her, she looked up into his gaze.

Zero cupped Mitsuri’s face and kissed her lips.

“Mmm~”

After a long moment, their lips parted.

Mitsuri’s face was crimson—so red it could drip!

As if ready to burst into water!

“Fool, you don’t need to apologize—I’d never blame you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Come on, let’s go back.”

“Mmm~”

……

Saimu Mountain.

After completing the Fujiyama Trials, Tanjiro returned to Saimu Mountain at dusk, having spent a full day traveling.

At that moment, Nezuko, who had been asleep for over two years, finally awoke.

The siblings embraced, weeping together.

Hashibira Rengoku, seeing Tanjiro still alive, stepped forward and hugged them both—tears dripped from his mask.

Afterwards, Tanjiro told Hashibira Rengoku about the Hand Demon in Fujiyama.

Hashibira Rengoku never imagined that, because of his own actions, the demon he’d captured had hidden within Fujiyama and undergone such a drastic transformation.

It was because of my mask that many disciples lost their lives!

Hearing that Tanjiro had slain the Hand Demon, he felt a sense of relief, yet he was filled with deep guilt over the dead disciples…

Tanjiro spent the entire day recuperating at Higurashi Mountain.

The next day, he intended to go to the summit to tell Sengoku and Shinobu that he had become a Demon Slayer.

But he did not see them.

This left Tanjiro feeling disappointed…

Only after watching Tanjiro’s figure fade into the distance did Sengoku and Shinobu reappear.

“Aren’t we going to see him?”

“He’ll understand!”

…………

Fifteen days later.

On this day, a visitor arrived at Higurashi Mountain.

He wore a wide-brimmed hat like an inverted washbasin, adorned all around with wind chimes, and carried a large wooden box wrapped in cloth strips on his back as he slowly approached the small house.

Tanjiro stood at the door to greet him.

“I’m Koyuri, a bladesmith come to deliver a sword to Kamado Tanjiro.”

“I’m Kamado Tanjiro. Please come in.”

Koyuri ignored Tanjiro’s words, crouched down, and removed the large wooden box from his back.

He spoke to himself: “This is the Nichirin Blade, forged by me. Its material comes from sand iron and ore atop the highest mountain nearest the sun!”

“Scarlet Iron Sand and Scarlet Iron Ore absorb sunlight! Mount Taiyo is a mountain bathed in sunlight year-round, never raining, never clouded…”

As Koyuri spoke, he opened the box; Tanjiro could only sigh helplessly.

“Still the same man who never listens,” thought Rengoku Saigetsu, sitting inside the house.

Suddenly, Koyuri lifted his head, revealing the Fire Demon mask beneath his hat.

“What… what a strange mask!” Tanjiro was startled.

“Oh~ You’re the Child of the Scarlet Flame! How auspicious!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m the son of Tanjuro and Kuei— not the Child of the Scarlet Flame.”

“You misunderstand me. Your eyes and hair are red; children born to families working with fire with such features are considered an omen of good fortune!”

Koyuri poked Tanjiro’s face twice with one finger, then leaned into the house and called to Rengoku Saigetsu: “Given this, the blade will likely turn red too—don’t you think, Saigetsu?”

Rengoku Saigetsu: “Hmm… probably…”

Tanjiro: “Is that even a thing? I’ve never heard of it before…”

Then Koyuri entered the house, handed Tanjiro the Nichirin Blade, and eagerly awaited its color change!

He said with great anticipation: “The Nichirin Blade is also called the Color-Changing Blade! Quick! Let me see if yours turns red too—like that person’s red?!”

At this, Tanjiro slowly drew the Nichirin Blade and held it in his hand.

Under the gaze of the three, the blade began to change color—blackness spread from the tsuba to the tip, gradually engulfing the entire blade.

Koyuri: “BLACK?!”

Rengoku Saigetsu: “Extremely black…”

Tanjiro: “Huh? Is there something wrong with it turning black? Is it unlucky?”

Rengoku Saigetsu: “No, it’s not what you think—black Nichirin Blades are exceedingly rare… hmm… I’ve never seen one myself.”

Despite this, Koyuri exploded, lunging forward and tackling Tanjiro in a full nelson.

He roared: “Why is your Nichirin Blade black?! Damn it! I thought I’d see the legendary red blade again! That man made his blade red—why can’t yours?!”

“Ow! Ow! Calm down! How old are you?!”

“Thirty-seven! Do you have a problem with that?! Why isn’t your blade the same red as his?! I’m furious! Damn it!”

“Master Koyuri! Please ease up! Ow! Ow!”

Yet as the two bickered, Tanjiro’s Murasame flew in through the door.

It had come to deliver a mission.

“Gaaah! Kamado Tanjiro, proceed immediately to the northwestern town! Hunt the demon! This is your first assignment!! Be careful!”

“In the northwestern town, young girls vanish mysteriously every night! Go at once! Go at once!! Gaaah!”

Hearing this, the two ceased their squabbling. Tanjiro now understood the mission’s gravity and immediately began preparing.

Before leaving, Koyuri still wore a furious expression and warned Tanjiro not to damage the blade—or he’d never forgive him!

After seeing Koyuri off, Tanjiro donned the Demon Slayer uniform, pulling on the black-and-green checkered haori.

Rengoku Saigetsu explained to Tanjiro the properties of the Demon Slayer uniform and the Nichirin Blade.

Black Nichirin Blades are exceedingly rare; it is said that swordsmen wielding them never rise to prominence.

Tanjiro replied: “I don’t know how things are in the Demon Slayer Corps, but no matter what, I’ll turn Nezuko back into a human!”

“Tanjiro, there’s something I must tell you: One demon can turn humans into demons—the progenitor of all demons, Muzan Kibutsuji!”

“Over a thousand years ago, he was the first to become a demon. He is the enemy who nearly killed your family. I believe he may know how to restore your sister to humanity!”

Tanjiro thought for a moment and asked: “Has anyone ever seen him?”

“Yes! Not only has someone seen him—they fought him! They once infiltrated Muzan’s stronghold and battled all Twelve Kizuki, surviving unharmed!

Moreover, before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he slew two Lower Moon demons; shortly after joining, he single-handedly became the first to slay an Upper Moon demon, lifting the Corps’ morale to unprecedented heights. But all this is far beyond your current level.”

These words stirred Tanjiro’s memory of what Zero had said half a month ago, after the Mount Fujikawa trial.

“Master Rengoku, that person… is he Zero?”

“Yes. Zero, the Demon Slayer Corps’ Pillar—Zero.”

“It really is Zero!”

“Tanjiro, take this,” said Rengoku Saigetsu, handing Tanjiro a specially crafted wooden box.

“This is for carrying your sister during the day. It’s made from lightweight Mokunin wood, and its entire surface is coated with Iwaura lacquer—greatly increasing its hardness!”

Tanjiro lifted it and felt how light it was.

“So light, Master Rengoku!”

He then carried the box to Nezuko’s side.

“Nezuko, can you get in? Shrink your body and crawl inside this box?”

Nezuko poked her head out from under the covers, shrank herself, and crawled into the box—perfectly fitting.

Everything prepared, he strapped the box to his back, gripped the Nichirin Blade, turned, and waved goodbye to Rengoku Saigetsu.

He set off for the town the Murasame had named, beginning his first mission.

Hunt the demons!

……