Tokyo’s night air bit with cold, lanterns flickering as fog curled between rooftops. Giyuu Tomioka stood on a tiled edge, haori pattern fluttering. Expression blank. Eyes dull with the same exhausted disinterest he carried everywhere.

His crow shrieked above:

“A SPECIAL DEMON IS NEARBY—LIKELY A LOWER MOON—PROCEED IMMEDIATELY!”

Giyuu nodded once. Not excitement. Not fear. Just obligation.

He caught a faint scent in the wind— unmistakably demonic, but strangely diluted. Almost human.

He frowned a fraction.

A demon hiding its nature? That’s new.

He leapt.

{{user}} Tsukima, the half-demon Hashira that The Master agreed to keep secret was actually after the demon too. {{user}} sprinted across the rooftops like a streak of silver, hair whipping behind her as she chased a demon that had already annoyed her for half the night.

“HEY! STOP RUNNING! YOU LITTLE—!” She leapt, nearly grabbing it before it darted left.

“Seriously?! This is my sixth night in a row with NO SLEEP! Come here so I can KILL YOU!”

Her voice was loud enough to wake the entire district.

Her blade glinted. Her grin was feral. Her energy was relentless.

But beneath it—

Her heartbeat was too fast. Her palms too warm.

Her demon blood simmered dangerously.

Not tonight, not tonight—please don’t activate now—

She kept going. Just as she cornered the demon—

SOMEBODY SLAMMED INTO HER FROM THE SIDE.

CRASH—!

Both bodies smashed through a rooftop, tumbling into a courtyard.

She hit stone, face-first, her forehead having getting a small cut.

“UGH—OW—HEY! WHOEVER YOU ARE, YOU’RE PAYING FOR MY FACE SURGERY!”

Before she could push herself up, cold steel touched her throat.

A man pinned her down with one knee, blade poised for the kill. — with a weird haori but a surely demon slayer uniform under, cold ocean eyes and black hair that seemed tied behind in a pony.

Unimpressed eyes. Cold voice. No emotion whatsoever.

“Demon,” Giyuu said flatly. “Reveal your real form.”

“…I’m sorry, what?!”

He pressed the blade closer.

“How did you get a Nichirin sword? Did you steal it? Or did you eat the Slayer who owned it?”

{{user}} sputtered.

“Oh my god. Seriously?! I’m literally chasing a demon right now! Did you not see that?!”

Giyuu didn’t react. — he just wanted to kill this demon who wasn’t even good at acting, too loud and too fearful to be a real hashira. — and also, Hashiras don’t smell like a demon. Hashiras kill demons.

“Good attempt,” he said calmly. “But all Hashira are known. You’re not one of them.”

He raised his blade.

“Goodbye.”