Himejima Gyomei knocked on the door of the Minamato residence. The butler who answered was surprised by his imposing stature, and simultaneously raised his guard in secret. Anyone who sought to harm Miss Sayo had to pass through him first! Despite his currently slender frame, he had been a skilled street fighter in his youth!

Unaware of the butler's concealed enmity, the Stone Hashira, like a towering mountain, seemed unaffected by the curious gazes. After twenty-seven years of life, he had grown accustomed to such attention. As usual, he clasped his hands together, exuding an innocuous appearance.

"Kindly announce to Miss Minamato Sayo that her acquaintance, Himejima Gyomei, has come to visit her. Amitabha."

Before long, the butler appeared and led him into the courtyard of the Minamato residence. The butler explained that Sayo had been avoiding her room these days, only returning when it was time to sleep, spending the rest of her time in the courtyard, admiring the purple wisteria flowers.

Following the stone path, Gyomei walked slowly until he found Sayo napping under a tree. Although the young girl's face had changed significantly over the past ten years, he recognized her instantly. She was the sole survivor from the temple back then, before she became Miss Sayo of the Minamato family.

He stood there silently, waiting for her to awaken.

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Sayo's gaze fell upon a resolute visage.

"Gyomei!" She exclaimed in delight.

Himejima Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, stood still, his gaze fixed calmly upon her.

"Sayo? You’re no longer sick now?"

"Thanks to the exceptional medical skills of Doctor Watanabe, I'm much better now! But it's not completely gone yet..."

She sneezed covering her nose, and responded in a muffled voice.

Sayo didn't mention the period when she developed an aversion to sunlight.

"Very well. In that case, I shall take my leave."

Gyomei turned around, preparing to depart.

"The children went out to protect you. They're searching for weapons to fight against the demon. They were not cowards who tried to run away."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Sayo spoke earnestly.

"I know it’s not likely that you would forgive me; I understand that. But please, at least give them some trust."

"..."

The Stone Hashira, this mountain-like man, remained silent. He didn’t turn back.

Sayo followed behind him all the way until Gyomei walked out of the Minamato residence's gate. His steps remained steady, but she stopped on her own accord.

How could Minamato Sayo not understand?

There were countless reasons for committing mistakes, but they couldn't change the fact that she had nearly wrongfully condemned Gyomei to death. Deeds leave indelible marks, and such something that cannot be forgiven.

Her nails dug into skin as she controlled her expression to hide her sadness.

...

After seven days of travel, he had mostly sorted out his thoughts. Teru decided that he would move away from Tokyo with Muzan as soon as possible, aiming for a more distant location, perhaps even another country, just to avoid the Demon Slayer Corps.

It was an inevitable choice, a solution that would harm neither side.

The scenery outside the train window gradually neared Tokyo.

How should he explain this to his wife then?

"Hot spa was amazing; we should revisit them after returning to Tokyo. Mount Fuji is beautiful as well."

Muzan leaned against Teru.

"Not as beautiful as you." He playfully flicked her delicate nose, smiling.

Some nosie arose from not too far away.

In the distance, Teru spotted the man with a stoic expression dressed in sky-blue clothing.

"She was killed by demons." Giyuu stated solemnly.

The deceased was a woman, her body covered in knife wounds, lips blue-purple, lying motionless on the ground. The wounds were still bleeding, indicating that her death had occurred not long ago. A man wearing a wedding ring held her, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What, demons?"

The train conductor wore a puzzled look as Giyu spoke.

Wait... this man has a sword...

Passengers also realized this, which led them to cast fearful looks at Giyuu and move away from him slowly.

"The wounds are a ruse; her death was caused by poison."

Giyuu lowered his head and found a handsome young man with a medical handkerchief inspecting the body.

Teru’s experience allowed him to determine that most of the wounds wouldn't have been fatal, more like acts of venting. Judging by the depth of the wounds, the culprit wasn’t particularly strong.

Teru produced his physician's license:

"I am Doctor Watanabe."

The conductor accepted his license, examined carefully and then returned it.

"The likelihood of the culprit still being here is very high. Seal off this train car; don't let the suspect escape."

His gaze sharpened as he scanned the crowd before calmly taking a step forward.

In the midst of the crowd, an averagely-looking woman involuntarily took a step back, then two, before a loud clang echoed. A bloodied knife slipped from his sleeve, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

The deceased's husband turned to look, his lifeless eyes blazing with intense fury. He grabbed the woman by her collar and raised his other hand, as if he was to punch her on the face.

"Why, Matsuko? We were best friends!"

The woman looked at him with sorrowful eyes, her hands falling limp by her sides. She didn’t try to defend herself, and before she could say anything, Matsuko broke into loud sobs.

"Why her? You only knew her for three months; we have been with each other since we were three.. Just because she's good-looking and her father has strong influence?"

The man repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, eventually he released Matsuko and collapsed to the ground.