Gradually, the image of a lively yet gentle young boy took shape in Takeo's mind.

Faint fragments of memory stirred within him, leaving a vivid impression of Rokuta.

At the end of the letter, Tanjiro wrapped up his description and continued writing:

…Next time, I'll tell you more about Rokuta. I hope it helps you recover your memories!

…By the way, although it might be rude to say… Mr. Urokodaki's cooking is far worse than Mother's or Nezuko's… Ah, I really want to eat their food again.

—Kamado Tanjiro

Tanjiro Kamado's second letter didn't reveal much concrete information.

However, it still gave Takeo a better understanding of the current situation—especially concerning Nezuko Kamado.

From the letter, Takeo could infer that Nezuko's condition might not be ideal. Tanjiro didn't go into detail, likely because he didn't want to worry him.

After all, he mentioned wanting to eat food made by his mother and Nezuko, even though the two of them were clearly together. If Nezuko were able to move freely, she should have been able to cook for Tanjiro.

But she hadn't.

This strongly implied that Nezuko was in a condition where she couldn't move freely.

Was she in a coma? Had she become a vegetable?

From just a single letter, Takeo couldn't draw any firm conclusions, but based on Tanjiro's words, he could at least tell that Nezuko was safe for the time being.

That made sense. After all, she was one of the central characters in this world—nothing serious would happen to her before the main plot began.

Two weeks after the second letter, the third letter arrived.

It seemed Tanjiro had been training intensely and hadn't had the time to write.

When the third letter finally came, Takeo had just received his newly forged swords.

In addition to describing his recent experiences, Tanjiro also talked about another one of the Kamado siblings—Rokuta's older brother and Takeo's younger brother—Kamado Shigeru.

The fourth letter arrived while Takeo was on his way to his assigned garrison post. That one told the story of Hanako Kamado.

The fifth letter was addressed to Nezuko.

The sixth was written to their mother. It was very long—three full pages.

The seventh letter was for their deceased father, just as lengthy as the one for their mother.

The eighth and final letter introduced Tanjiro himself.

But despite receiving all these letters…

Takeo never replied.

Not even once.

...

"Aren't you going to reply?"

Kyojuro's voice echoed in Takeo's ears.

Takeo tucked away the letter Tanjiro had given him. Instead of answering, he turned and asked:

"Has the region I'm responsible for been decided yet?"

"Well, there's never been a Tenth Hashira before! So, Master has decided to have you temporarily share responsibility for the Tokyo area with me! You'll also occasionally assist in nearby regions!"

Kyojuro replied with his usual booming enthusiasm.

Each Hashira had their own assigned territory. These regions had been divided long ago. However, since it was rare for all the Hashira of a generation to be active at once, most were tasked with covering multiple areas.

But things were different this time.

With the emergence of Takeo Kamado, the Wolf Hashira, the Demon Slayer Corps had reached the peak of its combat strength in history.

And ironically, it was this increase in power that created complications when assigning him duties.

Originally, Kagaya suggested that Takeo and Muichiro jointly oversee one region.

After all, both were still young and newly appointed as Hashira. Having each other as support made sense.

Unfortunately, due to the duel between Muichiro and Takeo in the Swordsmith Village, the lord issued a decree forbidding them from having any private contact.

This was to prevent the two from getting carried away again and fighting with real Nichirin swords—potentially delaying critical missions.

That was why Takeo was assigned to Tokyo, tasked with overseeing the Tokyo area alongside Kyojuro.

Takeo had once been Kyojuro's tsuguku, and Tokyo was currently the most prosperous—and most complex—city in Japan. Both investigations and missions there were exceptionally difficult, so it was only natural to have Takeo assist Kyojuro.

Because of this arrangement, Kyojuro was well aware that Takeo's younger brother, Tanjiro, had been writing him letters regularly over the past few months. And yet, Takeo had never replied—not even once.

There were several reasons why Takeo chose not to respond.

First, he didn't want to distract Tanjiro from his training. Second, and more importantly, he hadn't figured out how to face him.

Originally, Takeo had believed it would be easy to face the protagonist of this world. He thought he could naturally call Tanjiro "brother."

After all, he had been reincarnated. There was no need to cling too tightly to things from his past life. And since he had no family in that previous life, it seemed only right to accept the one he had now.

But once he received Tanjiro's letters, his feelings began to shift.

He had witnessed the deaths of comrades. He understood deeply how cruel it was to fight demons.

Once Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps, it would likely signal the true beginning of the original story—a story that would lead this world down the path of Hashira-slaying.

It wasn't that Takeo believed Tanjiro was some ill omen who would bring death… but if the plot began to unfold and the world grew more dangerous, then Tanjiro would almost certainly be thrown into life-threatening crises.

Yes, he was the protagonist of this world, and by narrative logic, he shouldn't die—at least not until the end.

But ever since Takeo arrived, this world had already begun to change.

And now… he wasn't sure if Tanjiro's protagonist halo could still protect him.

Takeo didn't want to see anyone die anymore—especially not someone he knew. Especially not family.

That was why he had been seriously considering whether he should… prevent Tanjiro and Nezuko from joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

It was because of these thoughts that he continued to delay writing a reply.

And even if he did want to respond… he had no idea what he should say.

"…I'm heading out on patrol."

Noticing that Kyojuro seemed like he was about to bring up Tanjiro again, Takeo, unable to bear the topic any longer, picked up his twin swords and left the Rengoku residence.

He called it a patrol, but in truth, it was an investigation.

These days, with no appearances from the Twelve Kizuki, ordinary demons didn't require the intervention of a Hashira.

At times like this, the Hashira had one main responsibility:

To track down the whereabouts of the Demon King—Muzan Kibutsuji.

Tokyo was a sprawling metropolis, the most prosperous city in Japan. Conducting any investigation here was far more difficult than in rural areas.

That was why Kyojuro rarely returned home.

When Takeo had first begun his investigation, he had no leads at all.

But later, he came up with an idea. He disguised himself as a private detective and focused solely on cases involving disappearances, hoping to trace the lingering presence of demons hidden within Tokyo.

There was no way a city as large as Tokyo didn't have demons lurking in its shadows.

_________

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