"But on the day Master Ginkan and his family were murdered, my ancestor wasn't even in the village. He had gone to another Prefecture to purchase tools. The authorities at the time confirmed this. Despite the villagers' suspicions, my ancestor didn't leave. Instead, he chose to stay and continue Master Ginkan craft, passing it down to this very day"
Komiyai Kaisuke explained to Shinichi.
Shinichi sat on a wooden stool, resting his chin on one hand as if listening to a story.
He pressed further.
"Then what? So why do people now think the suddenly appearing monster is Ginkan from a hundred years ago?"
Komiyai face showed hesitation, but he continued "Because every family that lost a child found numerous ornately decorated silver mirrors appearing in their homes at night. The method to craft such mirrors was known only to Master Ginkan himself. My ancestor only learned how to make bronze mirrors from him."
Shinichi looked surprised. "Leaving silver mirrors after kidnapping children? What the hell? Does this bastard think he's shopping?"
Komiyai gritted his teeth in frustration. "Exactly. But what's most chilling isn't that. Some families, despite losing children, took those mirrors to the city to sell it. Unexpectedly, the mirrors became extremely popular, each fetching a high price. One even sold for thousands of yen. Now, instead of wanting to kill the demon, the villagers want to profit from it!"
Hearing this, Shinichi was genuinely shocked.
No matter how greedy these villagers were, they couldn't possibly do such a thing.
"Have they gone mad? For money, would they really abandon their own children?"
Komiyai was equally furious.
He slammed the wooden table hard, then with trembling hands, took out a package from a box. Unwrapping it, he revealed two exquisitely crafted silver mirrors before Shinichi.
Tears welled up in Komiyai eyes as he said in a shaking voice "My younger brother, Eiji... he's disappeared too!"
"I've always wanted to kill that damned demon! But the villagers keep obstructing me, intentionally or not. I went to the police station, but the villagers insisted I was lying, that no demon existed. The police didn't believe me either. Alone, I couldn't possibly catch that monster!"
"Then not long ago, two Demon Slayers around your age appeared. They said they were members of the Demon Slayer Corps and came here to eliminate the demon. I told them everything. They promised they'd destroy the demon, but several days have passed now, and those two Demon Slayers have vanished. Then two nights ago, another family lost their child. I fear those two Demon Slayers may have already..." Komiyai voice was filled with despair.
Beside him, Shinichi seemed deep in thought.
'The Demon Slayer Corps has been here too? But judging from what this guy said, those two obviously failed and are probably dead now. However, this guy words can't be fully trusted either. A demon that can create mirrors—it definitely feels related to this mirror craftsman before me. A missing younger brother? That seems plausible.'
Shinichi pondered silently to himself, though he was now certain there was a demon in this village.
On those two silver mirrors, he had detected the faint scent of his own kind.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that demon. Thank you for your help tonight. Farewell!" Shinichi left Komiyai wooden hut with Maru-ni in tow, despite the latter persistent urging for them to wait until daylight or seek more help from demon slayers.
But Shinichi had no such plans.
Aside from his suspicions about Komiyai himself, it wasn't as if he could call on the Demon Slayer Corps for assistance.
If anything, running into their members would likely end with him getting slashed at.
Under the pale moonlight, Shinichi quickened his pace, took a slight running start then leaped into the air, swiftly scaling a large tree until he reached the very top, overlooking the entire Teranishi Village.
"Woof! Woof!" Little Maru-ni let out urgent barks at the base of the tree—his round, stubby body couldn't climb up!
Shinichi sighed and rubbed his forehead, using telepathy to instruct Maru-ni to track the scent from the silver mirrors in the village.
Obeying his master's command, Maru-ni stopped barking, shook his chubby head and wobbled off into the darkness.
At the treetop, Shinichi closed his eyes and parted his lips slightly.
A peculiar, rhythmic breathing pattern began as invisible currents of life force gathered toward him. The tree beneath him trembled faintly, as if stirred by wind.
"Forest Breathing, Eighth Form: Whispering Forest Eye!"
Whoosh!
When Shinichi reopened his eyes, his left eye—emerald-green—gleamed with flowing light. Everything in his vision had transformed.
He could now see streams of life force in motion: the vitality of plants, various small animals, even the minuscule organisms underground.
All of it appeared before him as clearly as a thermal image.
The life force of every villager in Teranishi Village was laid bare before Shinichi gaze—human vitality was immense and unmistakable.
This was the first form of Forest Breathing Shinichi had mastered beyond the seven forms taught by Elder Moriki—the Eighth Form: Whispering Forest Eye.
By channeling vast life force into his eyes, saturating every nerve and blood vessel and coating his retinas with a membrane of vitality, he gained the ability to perceive all living energy.
With this power, no demon could hide from Shinichi sight.
Though the Eighth Form might sound simple to train, the eyes are among the most complex human organs.
The slightest mistake during training could result in blindness.
Over centuries, only a handful of Moriki Descendants had succeeded in mastering it.
But for Shinichi? Blindness? He could just pluck out the damaged eye and grow a new one.
Thus, the first Forest Breathing technique Shinichi perfected wasn't among the initial seven forms—it was the Eighth Form: Whispering Forest Eye.
Within the emerald-green eyes, the life force of all living beings in the Teranishi Village was laid bare.
Soon, Shinichi noticed something amiss—an abnormally massive surge of vitality was moving rapidly in the northern part of the village.
Such immense vitality was beyond the capacity of an ordinary human, nor could it belong to the long-lived trees, as trees don't run.
That left only one possibility—a demon!
"Found you!"
A faint smile curled on Shinichi stern face.
At the same time, Maru-ni telepathic warning reached him.
"That little meatball isn't slacking off. I'm pleased. Then—let's go!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Shinichi figure shot forward like an arrow, leaping down from the treetop and charging straight toward the demon location!