“Hey, are you okay?” said the boy with the sword. “Don’t worry. I got the demon’s head. Your arm’s really bleeding, though. Here, apply pressure above the wound.” With his free hand, he tossed Sanemi a clean handkerchief.

Sanemi looked the boy over suspiciously. Likely one or two years his senior, the boy wore some kind of stiffcollared military uniform. Two old scars burned beneath his left eye.

Sanemi tried to collect himself. “Do demons die when you cut off their head?”

“You’re out here demon hunting and you don’t know that much? You’re lucky you’re still alive.” The boy wiped the blood from his sword before returning it to its sheath. He squatted next to Sanemi.

“That blood’s not stopping, huh? How about I bind the wound tight for you? Just make sure you get it looked at properly when you get the chance.” The boy took a bandage out of his pocket. “Give me your arm.” He pressed the fabric against the wound and deftly tied it off.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” he asked as he worked. “The dumb kid running around hunting demons even though he’s not a Demon Slayer. Why would you do a thing like that?” He looked into Sanemi’s eyes, his gaze almost painfully sincere.

Sanemi looked away. “I’m going to slaughter every last one of those hideous things.”

“Yeah?” The boy seemed unfazed by the bitterness in Sanemi’s voice. His tone remained light. “Keep this up and you’re gonna die, you know. You won’t take out a single demon fighting like that.”

“Oh yeah?”

Ignoring Sanemi’s bitterness, the boy stood up and held out a hand. “I’ll introduce you to a Trainer. To kill every last demon, you’ll really need to build up your strength.”

The boy’s smile was bottomless and bright. Despite himself, Sanemi was caught off guard.

And that was how Sanemi Shinazugawa met the Demon Slayer Masachika Kumeno.

Read more of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—Signs From the Wind here.