Kanae had been running for a couple of minutes now.

It was dark, at around 8 PM. Shin and Kanae had been feeling cozy with each other after their talk that they forgot to wake up at noon and eat lunch.

There was a thick fogging mist obstructing Kanae's field of vision.

She was following behind Bob's Personal Dial — the crow.

These couriers were trained to go back to their owners after they finished their tasks.

So that's the reason why Kanae was following this crow. 

It was her lead — that would eventually bring her to where Bob was.

A moment later, Kanae saw houses from a distance. She had come near where most people in the village resided.

Her house was technically residing in the village. It's just that, her house stood at the edge of the border that marked the land as part of 'Your-Resting-Place.

Kanae then jumped from roof to roof.

Her movements were swift yet were producing an almost imperceptible sound. Her body was inclined forwards, hands swung behind as she run, like a ninja from a certain anime.

As she was running, Kanae felt a strange atmosphere.

It was solemn, there was no noise aside from her breathing and the low-volume steps she made as she run from above.

She felt uncomfortable. Her skin was crawling, and cold sweats were running down her spine. It was eerie.

Different from before, even at night, people usually go to sleep, Kanae could still slightly hear uniform breathing which concludes that the villagers are asleep.

However, at this moment, Kanae felt like this was a hunted place. She couldn't feel a single presence.

Kanae didn't stop to check on the people of the village. 

She couldn't.

The crow won't wait for her. And Kanae didn't want to get separated from her guide that was going toward the place where the distress message came from.

Kanae has her priorities settled down. She need to go to where Bob was.

She isn't heartless at all. It's just that, if there was a choice to be made, she would rather choose to go and save her companion, a friend, someone who she had spent a long time with. 

.

.

.

Kanae then arrived at the bridge.

The moment she took a step — effectively going out of village premises, Kanae smelled a rusty scent of iron.

It was —

'Blood' 

"!!!" 

Kanae's body tensed up and her expression became firm. She stayed sharp, a look befitting of someone who had honed her combat skills with 8 years of experience.

As she continued following the crow, crossing the bridge, Kanae saw a puddle of blood and then from there, was a humanoid figure with a dismembered body lying on the ground.

"..." As she was coming closer, her face darkened.

Kanae recognized the man lying on the ground.

"Bob…" She muttered with a pained tone.

Kanae noticed that the man was still breathing. But she wasn't feeling glad at all.

It was too late. 

The man cannot be saved at all. 

He had lost a significant amount of blood. His body was starting to get colder.

It was just a matter of time before he would run out of breath and died.

Kanae bit her lips, and once again solidified the look in her eye.

She crouched down.

"... Bob, what happened?"

She asked with a serious tone. 

Kanae was sad that she couldn't help him and save his life. 

But, since the man was still conscious, Kanae concluded that the best thing to do in this situation was to get information from him.

Bob slightly opened his eyes.

"Kan… san. Pl – se es —pe. Upp – moon." 

He spoke with difficulty. He was struggling for air — gruffing as he tried to warn Kanae.

Kanae saw the terror in his eyes. He was trembling.

Kanae held herself and controlled her raging emotion.

Instead of asking for more, Kanae soothed him.

"It's okay now, Bob." She gave him a cheerful smile and spoke in a calm tone.

"..." What Kanae did was effective as this made Bob calm down a little.

He then slowly closed his eyes and smiled.

He died.

Kanae looked at the man, he was riddled with fresh cut wounds on his body. His limbs were bent in an awkward position and some of it even missing. His eyes were gouged out only one was left. 

Kanae felt her heart scrunching at this sight.

Bob and Kanae had a close friendly relationship, which was also the reason why she chose him, and other members from the 'Stone squad' as escorts for the mission.

Sadness was apparent in her eyes as they had tears gathering in them.

But she held herself from crying and mourning for the loss of someone who she can call a 'friend' and an 'uncle'.

Bob was someone who had been there for Kanae and her little sister ever since they came to the Demon Slayers. 

He was one among the men under Gyomei who trained her by sparring with her.

She was just a little weakling back then who couldn't even hold the sword properly.

But by going over and practicing daily with Bob's guidance and company, Kanae was able to become who she is today.

It was all thanks to them who even went as far as treating Kanae and Shinobu as their very own daughter.

A moment later, Kanae realizes something…

'Why?' She asked.

She was confused about the reason why Bob was in this place.

She remembered two weeks ago, she had sent him and the others back to HQ. Yet why was he here now?

The distance from HQ and this place would take approximately 3 days to travel. She knew he didn't came here just to see Kanae.

'Something must be going on…' Kanae felt suspicious. There was something in her mind but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Kanae couldn't get as much information from Bob as the man in question had reached his limit. But what she could conclude from his dying message was that the thing that did this to him was a 'demon' and an 'upper moon' at that.

And that moment, Kanae was alerted when:

"Oh my ~ Hmm. Hmm." 

A playful sound of a man reverberated in her ears.

…