Night always seemed to arrive particularly early on Mt.
Fujikasane—or perhaps the darkness here had never truly dispersed in the first place.
A nauseating stench of decay permeated the surroundings, the remnants of the countless swordsmen who had died here over the past several decades.
At the center of this deathly silence and bloody miasma, a bloated, misshapen monster covered from head to toe in dark-green arms crouched within the shadows.
Yet less than three meters away, lying atop a large bluish-gray boulder, was a young man who looked completely out of place.
Kiyohiko had one leg crossed over the other and a stalk of foxtail grass—pulled from who knew where—between his lips.
With both hands tucked behind his head, he gazed contentedly at the starry sky obscured by the leaves above.
Despite being a demon, he possessed none of the vicious killing intent one might expect.
Instead, he exuded the lazy air of someone who had come here for a leisurely picnic.
“Say, Hand Demon, you aren’t thinking about how to kill me right now, are you?”
The young man turned his head.
A teasing light flickered within his inhuman, slit-pupiled eyes as he grinned at the mountain of flesh.
The enormous monster—the Hand Demon—twitched all over as its countless arms spasmed, seemingly doing everything within its power to contain the rage threatening to erupt.
Kiyohiko shifted into another position, propping his head up with one hand as he stared at the indescribable creature with the innocent curiosity of a child.
“We’ve already been fighting for ages.
You must be tired too, right?
How about I tell you a joke to help you relax?
Once upon a time, there was a demon with lots and lots of hands.
Then it went bankrupt buying gloves.
Hahahaha!”
“SHUT UP!!”
The Hand Demon finally reached the limit of its patience.
One gigantic arm lashed out like a whip, tearing through the air before smashing violently into the boulder.
Boom—!!
Fragments of stone flew everywhere as a cloud of dust surged into the air.
By the time the dust cleared, however, Kiyohiko was already crouching upon the trunk of another tree.
Several cuts had been torn across his body, but faint white smoke rose from the wounds as they rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Not even a scar remained.
“My, my.
What a terrible temper.”
Kiyohiko brushed the dust from his clothes and shrugged helplessly.
“I already told you—we’re neighbors.
A close neighbor is better than a distant relative, you know.”
Ding!
[Target detected: Hand Demon.]
[Current Bond Value: -50.]
That was right.
Kiyohiko was a transmigrator.
Originally, he had been a twenty-year-old medical intern who worked day and night without rest.
After suddenly dying from overwork, he had transmigrated here and become a minor demon on Mt.
Fujikasane.
Aside from his exceptionally powerful regenerative abilities, he had nothing noteworthy about him.
His combat strength was only roughly equal to the Hand Demon’s.
Otherwise, after fighting for so long, he would not have merely managed to wound it severely enough that it retreated to this place.
Fortunately, Kiyohiko had also received a cheat ability—the Bond System.
As long as he improved his bonds and relationships with other people, he could obtain all kinds of rewards.
At first, Kiyohiko had no idea which world he had transmigrated into.
After all, he had barely watched the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime, let alone any of its movies.
What?
If he had never properly watched it, how did he know he had transmigrated into Demon Slayer?
Well, even if you have never watched tokusatsu, the moment you see a fifty-meter-tall Giant of Light with two salted eggs stuck to his face, you know you are looking at Ultraman.
Even if you have never watched anime, the moment you see a crowd shouting “Tatakae!” as they charge beyond a massive wall, you know you are watching Attack on Titan.
And even if you have never read manga, the moment you see a blond man smugly wrapping an arm around a girl as he leads her into a hotel, you know it is an NTR—
Ahem.
That was getting off topic.
Yesterday, shortly after transmigrating, Kiyohiko had encountered the first demon he had ever seen: the legendary king of refusing to die and a must-visit attraction in practically every Demon Slayer fanfic—the Hand Demon.
That was when he realized which world he had entered.
“Hey, brat.
What era is it now?”
“Hmm… The Taisho era.”
And so, they had been fighting ever since.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the forest.
A strange scent suddenly mingled with the deathly still air.
It was the scent of living humans.
There was more than one of them—there were many.
Fresh, living people whose hearts still beat, their scents brimming with fear, hot blood, and vitality.
The Hand Demon’s enormous body abruptly trembled.
Its eyes rolled toward the foot of the mountain, and the body that had previously been taut with rage now shook violently with excitement.
Drool spilled from its mouth as a greedy growl rumbled from the depths of its throat.
“They’re here… They’re finally here… Hehehe… My little foxes…”
The Hand Demon’s voice became shrill and distorted, carrying the ecstasy of a predator that had caught the scent of prey.
Still crouching upon the tree trunk, Kiyohiko gradually wiped the playful grin from his face.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked toward the dark forest path in the distance.
From that direction came the faint sound of hurried footsteps and the scrape of Nichirin swords being drawn from their sheaths.
Final Selection had begun.
Which meant…
Was Tanjiro finally here?
“Looks like your food delivery has arrived, Hand Demon.”
Kiyohiko brushed the dust from the seat of his pants and rose to his feet upon the tree trunk.
He knew he could no longer afford to waste time here with this many-armed freak.
His objective was clear—Tanjiro Kamado.
The rewards he could obtain by forming bonds with major characters from the original story would be considerably greater.
Considering Tanjiro’s personality, forming a bond with him should be easy.
Hehehe.
Tanjiro, don’t run away.
I’m coming to find you.
“Sorry, Hand Demon.
I know you’re hungry, but the great Security Guard Kiyohiko won’t allow a single food delivery to enter this residential complex!”
Just as he prepared to turn around and slip into the forest in search of the dark-red-haired boy, the Hand Demon’s deep, hoarse voice came from behind him.
“Hey, brat.”
The Hand Demon’s massive body writhed within the shadows.
Its countless arms spread apart like a sea anemone, revealing the hideous face concealed deep within them.
Its murky eyes stared fixedly at Kiyohiko, as though evaluating a rare and valuable tool.
“A new Final Selection is about to begin.
All those fresh little brats are walking right into our hands.”
Temptation crept into the Hand Demon’s voice.
“I can tell that you’re different from ordinary demons.
You don’t carry that man’s curse.
How about this?
I’ll let you eat all of them.
In exchange, you cooperate with me.”
“We’ll escape this damned prison of wisteria flowers together.
Then, once we’re outside… we can take revenge on that old bastard Urokodaki!”
The Hand Demon had clearly calculated everything carefully.
It had been trapped here for forty-seven years and had long since grown ravenous for both freedom and revenge.
The strange demon before it, who possessed extraordinarily powerful regeneration and was not restrained by the curse, might be the key to breaking the stalemate.
“Sorry, Uncle Hand Demon.”
Kiyohiko raised one finger and gently waved it from side to side.
“Although your proposal is very constructive…”
“I refuse.”
“Why?
You’re a demon too!
Don’t you want to get out of here?”
Kiyohiko looked at the Hand Demon and pinched his nose, speaking with the disdainful tone of someone inspecting rotten cabbages at a marketplace.
“Why would I cooperate with you?
Because you don’t wash your hands before eating?
Because you haven’t brushed your teeth in forty-seven years?
Or because you’re ugly?”
“Come back and talk to me once buying gloves no longer bankrupts you.”
With that, Kiyohiko turned around and left.
His movements were smooth and seamless, without the slightest trace of hesitation.
[The target Hand Demon’s Bond Value has decreased.]
[Current Bond Value: -70.]
Upon hearing the system notification, Kiyohiko suddenly felt that, compared to raising Bond Values and building good relationships with others, he seemed far more skilled at lowering them.
Perhaps being hated by everyone simply came more naturally to him.
…
TL: I have a good feeling about this fanfic—totally not because it’s about Shinobu or anything, fr fr.