After parting ways with Shin Arashi, Tanjiro walked down the mountain alone.
Along the way, he came across Zenitsu Agatsuma, who had been thrown out by Shin and was now unconscious.
Tanjiro hurried over and helped Zenitsu lean against the trunk of a tree.
Looking at him, Tanjiro let out a helpless smile.
This guy really knows how to keep secrets.
If it weren't for Zenitsu, Tanjiro might not have survived until Shin Arashi arrived.
"Zenitsu! Wake up! Are you okay?" Tanjiro gently patted his face.
Zenitsu slowly opened his eyes, frowning in pain.
"Tanjiro~ Was it you who saved me?" he asked weakly, his vision still blurry. After a moment, he recognized the familiar face in front of him.
"No, it was Senior Shin who saved us," Tanjiro replied with a smile.
"Really? That's a relief..." Zenitsu sighed, slumping back against the tree.
"Zenitsu, can you walk on your own? We need to leave here and meet up with Senior Shin in a safe place," Tanjiro asked.
Zenitsu tried to move but found his body too sore and weak to even stand. He shook his head with a helpless expression.
"Tanjiro, I can't even stand up... Am I going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair? I haven't even gotten married yet!"
"What are you talking about? You're just exhausted. I'll carry you," Tanjiro said, smiling wryly at Zenitsu's usual dramatic behaviour.
Without another word, he hoisted Zenitsu onto his back and began running down Mount Fujikasane.
On the way, they ran into a boy with a sprained ankle—the same one who had been thrown aside by Shin earlier. Due to his injury, the boy could barely walk, but he was relieved to see Tanjiro and Zenitsu alive. That could only mean Shin had defeated those demons.
Thinking back to the terrifying scene with all those demons, the boy still shivered. Just how powerful was Shin Arashi to handle all of that?
"You're both okay! That's great! I'm Shinji Murata. I only survived because of you and your senior!" he said gratefully.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Shinji. Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Tanjiro Kamado, and this is Zenitsu," Tanjiro said with a warm smile, motioning to Zenitsu on his back.
Shinji looked at Zenitsu and remembered how the timid boy had exploded with strength at the critical moment. From that point on, Shinji no longer underestimated him.
After all, if Zenitsu hadn't stepped up, none of them would've lasted until Shin arrived.
The three of them owed their survival to Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
"Hey, Shinji, do you have an older or younger sister around your age? Can you introduce her to me?" Zenitsu suddenly asked.
Tanjiro and Shinji exchanged bitter smiles. They already knew what was going through Zenitsu's mind.
On the way down the mountain, he kept muttering about how he wasn't married and didn't want to die like that.
But now he was even eyeing Shinji's family?
Honestly, they didn't know what to say anymore.