Sharingan!
Tetsuya kept his head bowed. His eyes bled into a deep crimson, two blood-red tomoe materializing within them. Relying on the Sharingan's terrifying visual acuity to guide the surgery, every single cut he made was flawlessly precise.
The razor-sharp scalpel carefully sliced through the skin of Kanae Kocho's abdomen.
Even as the blade carved into her flesh, unleashing waves of excruciating pain, Kanae's breathing didn't falter for a single second. She was actively using her Breathing Style to staunch the bleeding.
A fine layer of sweat broke out across her smooth forehead, sliding down her flawless cheeks and dripping from her delicate chin. Her pale, sickly complexion was enough to make anyone's heart ache with pity.
"Haa... Haa..."
The gentle smile never left Kanae's face. Her cherry-like lips parted slightly to aid her breathing, the soft, rhythmic sound of her exhales filling the quiet room.
Despite herself, Kanae found her gaze constantly drawn to the demon boy. His expression was dead serious, pouring his absolute focus into performing the surgery on her.
There was an invisible, undeniable charm to someone completely absorbed in their work. Kanae's heart brimmed with curiosity. She wanted to know absolutely everything about this boy.
"Want to talk about something?" Tetsuya asked. He was well aware of the sheer agony of undergoing surgery without anesthesia. Kanae was tough enough to endure it, but distracting her would definitely help ease the pain. Of course, splitting his focus like this added even more pressure on him.
Kanae blinked in surprise. 'Is he actually being considerate of me?' she thought, finding it incredibly sweet. She offered a radiant smile. "My name is Kanae Kocho. What's yours?"
"Tetsuya Kamihara," he replied.
Kanae pressed on. "Tetsuya... when did you become a demon?"
"The day before yesterday," Tetsuya answered. His hands never stopped moving as he used a pair of forceps to carefully extract the blood-soaked bullet.
As if she couldn't feel the pain at all, Kanae's beautiful eyes lit up. "Tetsuya, I saw a grave just outside of town. You built that for the deceased man, didn't you?"
Tetsuya gave a slight nod. "Yeah."
The corners of Kanae's beautiful lips curled up even further. 'What a gentle person,' she mused. She knew it—the person who had been murdered earlier definitely wasn't killed by Tetsuya.
"So there's another demon, then?" Kanae asked softly. "The one who killed the townspeople and turned you."
Catching onto Kanae's intentions immediately, Tetsuya furrowed his brow. "I'd advise you not to court death. That guy isn't someone you can handle."
"Is it one of the Twelve Kizuki?" Kanae pursed her lips. Only Muzan Kibutsuji's blood could transform a human into a demon. Ordinary demons were greedy and selfish, utterly unwilling to part with even a drop of the precious blood granted to them. Only demons at the level of the Twelve Kizuki had the authority to extract Muzan's blood and use it to turn humans.
"It's fine. I'm strong. I can slay even a Lower Rank," Kanae smiled confidently. She was the current Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, after all. One of the direct requirements for promotion to a Hashira was successfully slaying a Lower Rank demon.
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Tetsuya's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Is slaying a Lower Rank supposed to be impressive?"
"An Upper Rank?" Catching the unmistakable hint of disdain in Tetsuya's voice, Kanae furrowed her delicate brows. The realization hit her instantly—the demon Tetsuya had encountered was likely an Upper Rank!
"Spot on," Tetsuya said flatly. "Upper Rank Three."
Kanae's pupils constricted. It really was an Upper Rank, and one of the absolute strongest at that—Upper Rank Three!
Seeing Kanae's reaction, Tetsuya wasn't surprised. Compared to the Demon Slayer Corps, he actually knew vastly more about this world's hidden truths.
The Lower Ranks and Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki weren't even on the same playing field. A Hashira might be able to handle a Lower Rank easily, but when facing an Upper Rank, there were barely a handful capable of surviving, let alone winning. If they didn't have the blood of at least a dozen Hashira on their hands, an Upper Rank wouldn't even have the face to show themselves in public.
And putting the Twelve Kizuki aside entirely, there was still the absolute ceiling of this world's power—the Demon King himself, Muzan Kibutsuji. The power scaling between humanity and demons was severely unbalanced. There was a reason this series was jokingly referred to by fans as "Hashira Slayer" or "Total Wipeout Slayer" in the later arcs.
"All done," Tetsuya announced. Working with lightning speed, he removed the bullet, disinfected the wound, sutured the flesh, and firmly bandaged it. Finishing Kanae's treatment in record time, he finally let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you!"
Kanae looked down at the treated wound. It was practically perfect. The incision was incredibly small; once it fully healed, it likely wouldn't even leave a noticeable scar. Coming from a family of apothecaries, she had her own trained judgment. Tetsuya's masterful surgical technique was easily enough to make him the chief surgeon at any major hospital. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have never believed such delicate, life-saving skill could come from the hands of a demon.
Kanae's beautiful eyes sparkled. After their brief conversation, her interest in Tetsuya had only magnified. Encountering Upper Rank Three and surviving, only to be deemed worthy enough to be turned into a demon with Muzan's blood... Tetsuya undoubtedly possessed something remarkably unique.
"Haa..."
A flash of sheer exhaustion crossed Tetsuya's eyes. His nerves had been stretched to their absolute limit. Going dozens of rounds with Kanae and then immediately maintaining the Sharingan for an intricate surgery—even with his demonic constitution, he was starting to feel the toll.
Packing up the bloody medical tools, he tossed them into the corner of the room.
Slumping against the wall, Tetsuya sat down to rest. "Make yourself comfortable, but don't try anything funny," he warned.
While Kanae was unconscious, Tetsuya had already taken the liberty of hiding her Nichirin Sword. Without a Nichirin Sword, not even a Hashira could kill a demon. With the immediate threat she posed severely neutralized, Tetsuya wasn't really worried.
He wasn't in a rush anymore, either. Since Kanae was already here, the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't be dispatching any more slayers to this little town anytime soon.
Kanae didn't seem the least bit bothered that her sword had been confiscated. Watching Tetsuya finally drop his guard, she beamed at him enthusiastically. "Tetsuya, join the Demon Slayer Corps! I'll personally vouch for you to Oyakata-sama!"
Tetsuya stared at her, utterly speechless. 'Asking a demon to join the Demon Slayer Corps? I can't believe you even came up with that. Why don't you just ask me to drop dead right now, it'd save us both the trouble!'
"Not interested," Tetsuya replied flatly. "Once you've rested enough, get lost. Don't cause me any more trouble."
In the original timeline, Muzan Kibutsuji had witnessed Nezuko Kamado conquering the sun directly through the eyes of Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, right before his death. Every single demon was under Muzan's absolute control. Hell, Tetsuya couldn't even be entirely sure if Muzan wasn't watching him right this very second. Joining the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't end well for him, nor would it end well for the Corps.
Kanae could feel just how resolute Tetsuya's rejection was, but she wasn't about to give up. It was so incredibly rare to find a demon she could actually be friends with.
Knock! Knock!
Right at that moment, the sudden sound of knocking echoed through the room.
'Who's there?'
Tetsuya whipped his head toward the door, his brow furrowing. He almost never got visitors here.
"How is the search for the Blue Spider Lily going?"
Just as Tetsuya was trying to figure it out, a low voice drifted through the door. His limbs turned to ice instantly.
'Is that... Akaza?!'