Mitsuko and Junpei Ogiya embarked on a journey together.
After Junpei Ogiya's explanation, Mitsuko gained some understanding of demons.
Unlike Mitsuko, who only needs to drink human blood once a week, the demon craves human flesh all the time and has no concept of being full.
Even if you suppress the urge to devour human flesh, the more you suppress it, the more your inner desires will be amplified until you are captured by them.
Moreover, once you become a demon, you will gradually lose your memories of your human life. No matter how kind you were as a human, once your memories disappear, you will become a true demon.
Through Mitsuko's blood, Junpei Ogiya became a half-human, half-demon being, just like Mitsuko.
Unlike Mitsuko, Junpei Ogiya lost all the abilities of a demon, such as his superhuman physical abilities and self-healing.
However, it retains the disadvantage of being afraid of sunlight.
If he does not drink human blood for a long time, Ogiya Junpei will not lose his mind, but he will become very weak and his life will be in danger.
And like humans, they also need to eat food.
In other words, the current Junpei Ogiya is no different from a human, but he has the weaknesses of a demon.
Junpei Ogiya didn't care about the changes that were happening to him; on the contrary, he felt that this was the best outcome.
Mitsuko and Junpei Ogiya traveled to many towns together, encountering many more demons along the way.
But there wasn't even a single demon who could be a companion.
Three months later.
The two arrived at Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture.
Yashiro once told Mitsuko a story about Gifu Prefecture.
Gifu Prefecture is surrounded by several mountains over 1,000 meters high. It has clear water and pure air, and its green tea is very famous, so the people here live and work in peace and contentment.
As Miyako recounted the story, Mitsuko couldn't help but feel a longing for Gifu Prefecture, and so she came here.
However, when Mitsuko and Junpei Ogiya entered Shirakawa Village, they did not find a peaceful and prosperous scene. The streets were desolate, and every house was closed, which was in stark contrast to the Naganuma Town where doors were left unlocked at night.
Looking at the desolate streets, Junpei Ogiya asked curiously, "It's only just nightfall, why is there no one on the street and no one has lit a lamp? Has this village been abandoned and left uninhabited?"
Mitsuko shook his head and pointed to the bamboo hat placed at the doorway ahead, saying, "There are still fresh tea leaves inside the bamboo hat in front, which means that someone was drying tea during the day, so there must be people living in the village."
Then Mitsuko muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, "The weather gets damp at night, and these tea leaves might spoil if they get damp. Why not bring them back into the room?"
"Maybe they forgot. I'll go remind them." Kind-hearted Junpei Ogiya knocked on the door.
However, a long time passed without any response.
Junpei Ogiya scratched his head and guessed, "Is he not home?"
Mitsuko patted Ogiya Junpei on the shoulder and said, "Never mind, Junpei, they don't want to deal with us."
"Don't want to talk to us? There are people inside?" Ogiya Junpei realized.
Mitsuko nodded: "Yes, although the sound was very soft, I heard footsteps inside just now."
Junpei Ogiya was somewhat disappointed and didn't say anything more. He followed behind Mitsuko and continued deeper into the village.
If you can't find a hotel or similar place, you'll have to hide in a corner to avoid the sun when it rises the next day.
In the village, Mitsuko and Junpei Ogiya found two or three inns.
However, the inn's door was tightly shut, and no matter how much Mitsuko and Ogiya Junpei knocked, they received no response.
Although almost every household in the village had someone present, they were all silent, creating a deathly stillness.
"This village is really strange, it just feels...it just feels..."
Junpei Ogiya pondered what words to use to describe the scene, and Mitsuko spoke up, "It feels like everyone is afraid, as if they're hiding from something terrifying, right?"
Junpei Ogiya clasped his hands in agreement, saying, "Yes! That's exactly the feeling! One or two families might be isolated cases, but it would be very abnormal if every family were like this."
"Could they be hiding from... demons?" Junpei Ogiya boldly guessed.
Mitsuko frowned and shook his head, saying, "Probably not. What's the point of them hiding in the house if it's a demon attacking?"
"That's right, Mitsuko. If the inns in the village are unavailable, where will we go next? Should we head to the next village to find an inn?"
Mitsuko looked up at the night sky: "It's only been a short time since night fell. Maybe we can still make it to the next village. Even if we don't make it to the next village, it's more comfortable to be in the wild than to hide in a corner of a village alley."
Junpei Ogiya nodded in agreement.
On several occasions, Junpei Ogiya and Mitsuko couldn't find an inn as dawn approached, and had to hide in places like alleyways where the sun couldn't reach.
The strange looks from passersby seemed to constantly remind them that they were outsiders, making the two of them feel very uncomfortable.
Just as Mitsuko and Ogiya Junpei were about to leave Shirakawa Village, a child who looked to be only about six years old suddenly appeared and stopped them.
The child looked extremely panicked, staring intently at Mitsuko, and pleaded, "You're a Demon Slayer, right? Please help me!"
Mitsuko asked with some surprise, "How do you know about Demon Slayers? And why do you think I'm a Demon Slayer?"
The child honestly replied, "A group of Demon Slayers who called themselves the Demon Slayer Corps once came to the village. I saw their swords, and your sword is exactly the same as theirs."
"Yeah..."
Mitsuko neither confirmed nor denied the child's statement.
So far, apart from Kūkai, Mitsuko has not seen any other Demon Slayer Corps members in person.
However, the old blacksmith recognized at a glance that the Nichirin Blade belonged to Kūkai.
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Kentaro."
Mitsuko asked Kentaro, "Kentaro, you said that a group of Demon Slayers claiming to be the Demon Slayer Corps came to the village, and now they want me to help them. The favor they want me to do must be related to demons, right?"
Kentaro nodded: "Yes!"
Kentaro began to recount the whole story to Mitsuko and Junpei.
The village has long been rumored to be haunted; at night, people who appear on the streets always mysteriously disappear.
Over time, the villagers started keeping their doors tightly shut as soon as the sun went down, afraid to go out for fear that they would be the next to disappear.
Later, a group of Demon Slayer Corps members appeared in the village. After asking the villagers about demons, they left the village to slay demons.
However, after the Demon Slayer Corps members left, they all disappeared without a trace.
In the days that followed, the situation did not improve; people who appeared on the streets would still disappear at night.
It's clear that the Demon Slayer Corps' Demon Slayers failed to slay the demon.
Kentaro's parents also went missing some time ago after going out at night.
Today, when Kentaro saw Mitsuko carrying the Nichirin Blade appear on the street, he mustered up his courage, went to the street, and asked Mitsuko for help.
After Kentaro finished speaking, Mitsuko unconsciously raised an eyebrow, sensing that things were not so simple.
It's not that the matter of demons is complicated, but rather that Kentaro seems complicated.