CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96: EMPTY-HANDED

As they made their way back, Sosuke was deep in thought.

Kanae seemed equally preoccupied. Finally, she paused slightly. "Take him back first," she said. "I’ll go back and investigate. That feeling from earlier still bothers me."

Sosuke looked at her silently for a moment before nodding. "Be careful."

"Mm-hmm." Kanae smiled brightly and turned back.

Sosuke stood there, watching her retreating figure for a long moment before sighing. He needed to get Kaigaku back to Jigoro’s house first.

He didn’t try to stop Kanae from going back for two reasons.

First, he also felt that something was genuinely wrong in that forest.

That sudden, heart-stopping fear couldn’t have been caused by human eyes watching them.

Perhaps before encountering the demon in the small town, he hadn’t been able to distinguish that feeling. But afterward, he knew that unique, heart-pounding sensation was his intuition telling him where demons lurked.

Therefore, something strange must be hidden in that forest.

However, the sensation had vanished the moment he faced Kaigaku.

This was the reason for his heavy-heartedness throughout the journey back.

Secondly, since there was a problem, he had to investigate.

Yet he couldn’t simply abandon Kaigaku. In terms of strength, he was far inferior to Kanae. Under such circumstances, there was no reason to stop her from investigating the anomaly.

This was reality, and it was also mutual trust.

If Sosuke were to stop Kanae under the pretext of danger, it would be a grave betrayal of trust.

After all, no matter how delicate she might appear in his presence, she was a Pillar—a symbol of the Demon Slayer Corps’ peak strength.

Her swordsmanship had been fully displayed during her battle against Upper Rank Two.

In this situation, forcing her to escort Kaigaku back while he went to investigate the forest alone would be sheer arrogance.

Of course, regardless of the reasons or the reality, the underlying worry remained.

Sosuke returned to Jigoro’s hut with a grim expression. He kicked open the door, and Jigoro immediately saw Kaigaku slung over his shoulder.

Jigoro’s face froze in surprise. "Kaigaku? What happened to him?"

"He was likely training in the forest. Kanae and I sensed something amiss and entered the woods. He mistook us for enemies, and we mistook him for a demon. We ended up fighting each other."

After briefly explaining the situation, Sosuke set Kaigaku down on the ground.

Jigoro examined him thoroughly, only relaxing when he confirmed there was no immediate danger to his life.

He glanced at Sosuke beside him, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately shook his head and asked, "What about the Flower Pillar?"

"She’s still in the forest," Sosuke replied. "Is this man your disciple? If so, I’ll leave him in your care for now. I need to return as quickly as possible."

"Very well," Jigoro agreed without hesitation, nodding immediately. "Go and investigate. If you find anything concerning, remember to send word back."

Sosuke nodded and immediately turned to leave the house, sprinting toward the forest.

The distance wasn’t particularly far, and he had only covered half the distance when he spotted Kanae walking back.

Sensing Sosuke’s approach, she waved to him.

Only then did Sosuke feel completely relieved. He hurried over and asked, "Did you notice anything?"

"Nothing at all."

Kanae’s brow furrowed slightly. "It just feels so unnatural. I can’t believe I was the only one who sensed it."

Sosuke nodded. "That feeling... it definitely wasn’t human."

It was precisely because that momentary sensation felt inhuman that he had mistaken Kaigaku for a demon. In the dim light of the forest, he had only glimpsed the blade being drawn, leading him to even mistake Kaigaku for Upper One.

Kanae nodded in agreement.

"But the strange thing is, when I went back to investigate, I did find evidence of training—the sword marks on the trees proved that. Yet there was no trace of a demon."

She glanced up at the sky and said, "It’s still daytime; the sun hasn’t set. If our senses weren’t mistaken earlier, there truly is a demon in that forest. But it shouldn’t be able to leave that place. Under this sunlight, any evil spirit would dissipate."

Without any immediate leads, the two decided to return to the forest.

After a thorough search, Sosuke felt no trace of the earlier unease.

At the edge of the forest, the young man and woman who had emerged from within exchanged bewildered glances.

A passing farmer cast a suspicious look at the pair, then glanced at the forest, his expression thoughtful.

Sosuke’s face darkened. He had a feeling the farmer was thinking something strange.

After the farmer walked away, glancing back repeatedly with an infuriatingly smug air, Sosuke shrugged. "Maybe it really was just a hallucination?"

Kanae nodded silently.

After searching the forest thoroughly and finding nothing amiss, the two had no choice but to leave.

As they walked back, Sosuke murmured to Kanae, "Let’s come back and check again tonight."

Kanae glanced at him. "You still suspect there’s something in the forest?"

Sosuke nodded. "It’s unlikely we both hallucinated the same thing," he said. "But if there really is something in the forest, it must be extremely good at hiding. If it won’t show itself during the day, perhaps we’ll have better luck at night."

Kanae nodded, unable to suppress a smile. "Why didn’t you say this when we were at the edge of the forest?"

"If that thing is really in there, it might have overheard us," Sosuke replied. "Then our ’unexpected’ discovery wouldn’t be so unexpected after all."

Sosuke frowned. "But there’s one thing I can’t figure out."

Kanae met his gaze and ventured, "Why would there be a demon near the former Thunder Pillar’s residence?"

"Hmm."

Sosuke nodded, his expression darkening. "I suspect he might have followed us here."

"Assuming he even exists," Kanae added, her face growing more serious. "In any case, we need to be extra cautious from now on. If anything happens, absolutely do not face it alone!"

"Mm-hmm," Sosuke replied with a smile. "So, you’ll protect me, right?"

"Yes!"

Sosuke paused, scratching his head. "Your unwavering certainty is making me feel a bit embarrassed."

"Regardless, I absolutely won’t let anything happen to you," Kanae insisted, ignoring his embarrassment as she gripped his hand tightly.

Sosuke’s expression turned serious. "Me neither."