It's hard to find something by just looking into the halls, but it's not like I can enter the rooms, this going to be harder than I expected.

As I try to turn in the corner, I ended up bumping into a guy using a red uniform.

He was pushing a cart with cleaning products inside, is he a janitor?

"Could I ask why is a young lady like you is walking around?"

Oh no! Think of an excuse!

"I got lost from my room."

"… I see. What's the number of it? I will guide you back there."

"Oh, thank you! It's 305!"

He signalized with his head for me to follow him, and i just silently obeyed it.

We walked for some time, until a sound called my attention in the middle of the way.

Is that…there's someone screaming! Is it coming from a room?

I look back at the corridor. It was silent again.

Was I imagining things?

BANG

Someone started to desperately bang on the door from inside of one of the rooms.

"HELP! PLEASE HELP!"

I immediately try to run to the room, but my arm is grabbed.

"Sorry little girl, you will have to wait your turn with him."

Humans working with a demon?

No, it doesn't matter.

Responding to his intimidation, I gave a knee in his crotch, the man falls on the floor with a painful look.

He's kinda weak for someone who was threatening me so confidently before-

I thought as I ran to the room, immediately kicking down the door.

A demon was pressing a woman against the wall, choking her as she gasped for air.

Total concentration, Seraphic Breathing, first form: Absolute Severance.

I immediately try to cut his head, he lets go of the woman and defend from my attack with his arms, making me cut them instead.

He looked at me in silent before stepping away and entering inside the wall.

?? He can enter the walls? So, he is basically the rich version of the swamp demon Tanjiro fought at the start of the anime.

"Miss, are you okay? Can you walk?"

The woman was breathing heavily, still traumatized.

"We need to find my partner, if you can walk, please hold my hand and let's go away from here together, okay? I will protect you if he appears again, though it doesn't look like it, I'm really strong."

I smile gently to her, holding out my hand.

She was still scared, but nodded silently before taking my hand.

We started to run around the halls.

"So…how are you going to find your partner?" She asks, trembling a bit.

"That's easy! KYOJUROOOOOOO!"

"Eh?! Don't scream!"

"KYOOOO! JUUUUU! ROOOOOOO!"

"How loud!"

The demon suddenly walks through the wall and jumps in our direction.

Total concentration, seraphic breathing, fifth form: Karmic Pay!

The sword barely passes through his neck, the shock wave throwing him some away meters from us.

I grabbed the woman hand again and started to run.

I could just keep fighting with him, but it's too dangerous with a civilian around, he could easily go inside the wall and appear behind her, the halls are too small, so the walls are too close, I need to find Kyojuro so one of us can protect her and the other will kill the demon.

"KYOOOJUROOOOO!"

The demon appeared in front of us and tries to slash the girl, I get in front of her to receive the hit instead, but a flash of fire cut his arm off.

"Kyojuro! Just in time!"

"How low of you, focusing in the civilian on purpose." Kyojuro says to him.

"….You demons slayer are so fucking annoying! Of course, I'm to focus on the weaker one! Since I know that idiots like you guys will want to play hero and take the hit instead!"

Ouch.

Kyojuro didn't respond to him at all and just got close to him at a scary speed, the eyes of the demon got wide before he entered inside the wall in a desperate attempt of escaping.

"He…is he your partner?" The woman asks, still trembling.

"Uh-huh! Now you can rest assured, when both of us are together, we are impeccable! I guess that's what the power of love do-"

Kyojuro covered my mouth with his hand for me to stop my rambles.

"What she's trying to say, is that you will be safe with us!"

She didn't seemed convinced at all, but still nodded weakly, it's not like she has many options besides trusting in us anyway.

"But what do we do now? It doesn't seem like the demon will appear anytime soon."

If only I had a way to track him…. But Kabamaru isn't here…

Wait-

"Shiro!"

"Who's Shiro?" Rengoku frowns, confused.

"There's another one of you guys?!" The woman asks.

After some seconds, the white crow flies through the window, landing in my shoulder.

"Shiro dear, there's a demon around the walls in here, do you think you can track it?"

In response, she started to silently fly around the halls, I started to follow her, Kyojuro and the woman also following.

Shiro then stops and starts pecking a specific place.

He's here!

"Rengoku, you fight the demon, I protect the miss!"

"No, I protect the miss." He shook his head.

"What do you mean? You are way stronger than me, so-"

"But in the train-"

Is he still thinking about that?! I thought he already got past it!

But again, he did consider retiring because he 'failed' in protecting everyone.

That's so unfair! He did his job perfectly, so why does he think he failed? Because an extra like me got hurt?! This doesn't make sense!

"Stop! You didn't fail at all. You saved everyone in that train! Akaza wasn't a demon anyone could defeat alone, all I could do was sacrifice myself to buy time, but in the other side, you actually managed to defend from his attacks and put up a fight to him! You are strong Kyojuro, don't ever think anything contrary to that!"

"STOP PECKING ME, DAMN IT!" The demon suddenly exclaims, getting out of the wall and trying to grab Shiro.

"I will be back in a while." Kyojuro says, gently smiling to me and putting his hand on my shoulder, his expression suddenly gets serious as he walks in the direction of the demon.

The demons tremble as he approaches, he knows he has no chance against a hashira, and there's no point in hiding in the walls anymore since Shiro can just track him.

This is the end.

Total concentration, flame breathing, first form: Unknowing Fire

♡

"Thank you so much for saving me! I don't even have words to say! I'm so grateful." The woman says, bowing to us.

"There's no problem, that's our job, after all!"

As we walked back to the corps, I finally let my body relax.

"Phew, it's finally over!"

Kyojuro just silently smiled at me.

"By the way, why did you say that I remind you of a baby chick before?"

"…"

"Eh? Why are you walking faster? Wait-"