She nodded as Ofuu and Jinta walked to her place. Ofuu mentioned that he really needed to relax more often. Jinta raised an eyebrow, wondering if he really seemed that tense, and she quickly responded that, yes, he definitely had that brooding, overthinking energy—constantly pushing himself too hard. He couldn’t deny it and admitted she was probably right. His entire life had been focused on one thing: the purpose he was born to fulfill. She didn’t know what that purpose was, but she told him he should ease up sometimes—life couldn’t be all about chasing one goal. To him, though, that was all he had, and he told her he couldn’t follow her advice, even if he wanted to.
A moment later, she noticed some flowers along the path and stopped to admire them, pointing out that they were winter daphnes. She explained that these flowers begin to bloom in the fall and survive through winter, finally blossoming in spring, signaling that the season has officially arrived. Then, she pointed to another patch of flowers, and when she tried to identify them, he told her they were chickweed. He mentioned that boiling chickweed stalks made a great remedy for stomach aches, something he’d often used back in his village, especially for a childhood friend of his who had a sweet tooth and always ended up with stomach pains. Ofuu laughed, saying that girl must have been fun, and he admitted that he had always followed her lead. Hearing that, Ofuu began to suspect there was more to his story than he let on. He liked soba, admired flowers, and cherished warm memories from his past—he was more than just someone fixated on a purpose.
She gently told him that being so focused on one goal was preventing him from seeing the rest of the world. She urged him to slow down sometimes and live in the moment, assuring him that if he did, he would notice things he hadn’t before. Not long after, they reached her house and noticed that the lights were still on, which meant her dad had stayed up waiting for her. She thanked him for walking her home and, as she turned to leave, he asked if she’d teach him more about flowers sometime—preferably when the sun was still out. She smiled and agreed before heading inside.
At that moment, Mosuke deactivated his invisibility and commented that Ofuu seemed like a good woman. Jinta nearly jumped in surprise, realizing Mosuke had been tailing him the whole time. Mosuke dodged the question and said he was going to continue searching for the slasher. Once again, the night ended with Jinta waiting alone on the bridge for the killer to appear.
A drunk man stumbled by Jinta, and at that moment, the slasher appeared and attacked him. The woman behind them dropped to her knees in shock, and Jinta finally got a good look at the slasher. It lunged at him, but he blocked the strike, and the girl started to panic. Jinta warned her to stay still if she wanted to survive, then moved the fight away from her to keep her safe. The slasher, seeing an opportunity, tried to circle back and attack the girl, but before it could get close, Mosuke jumped in and pulled her to safety while Jinta launched a counterattack. Realizing it was outmatched, the slasher decided to flee, shooting into the air to escape.
After it was gone, Jinta apologized to Mosuke for letting the slasher get away, but Mosuke shrugged it off, saying it had been tougher than he expected. Still, he planned to track it down and find where it was hiding. Jinta told him to be careful and keep his distance. Mosuke nodded, assuring him he didn’t plan on dying anytime soon, and set off after it. Once he was gone, the girl behind Jinta asked for help getting up. He assisted her and, noticing her look, she commented that his grumpy attitude really reminded her of something. She asked if he remembered her, and when he looked closely, he recognized her as Natsu. She was glad he remembered her, and he remarked on how much she had changed. It had been three years, after all, and she was surprised he hadn’t aged. He joked that he was immune to aging, and she laughed it off, thinking he was kidding.
Curious, he asked what she was doing out so late. She explained she had just finished delivering something to a regular customer. He pointed out how much she had changed, noting that her smile looked more natural now. She told him that showed she wasn’t a child anymore. At that moment, Zenji appeared and teased her, saying she wasn’t quite an adult yet, which caught her off guard. He then noticed Jinta and immediately assumed they were romantically involved. Jinta quickly corrected him, explaining that Natsu had just been attacked by a serial killer. Zenji then saw the body nearby and panicked, suggesting they call the authorities. Natsu explained that wouldn’t help since it was the work of a demon. Jinta confirmed this, saying it was the same demon he had been chasing for a while, and Natsu had just gotten caught in the crossfire.
Zenji joked that Jinta always seemed to be surrounded by demons. Natsu then asked how he made a living these days, and Jinta told her he was still a demon-slaying ronin. He added that if she wanted to see him again, she could find him at a soba shop in Fukugawa. He even offered her a discount if she stopped by. Since her escort had already arrived, he figured it was time to leave. Before parting, she thanked him for saving her life.
As Jinta was walking off, Zenji called out one last piece of advice. If Jinta was still looking for demons, he might want to check out Temple. The place had been abandoned ever since the head priest passed away, and locals were saying they’d been hearing a woman’s voice echoing from inside. Rumors were spreading that something unnatural might be living there.
Meanwhile, Mosuke was still tracking the demon through the streets, but he ended up losing it. Just then, a woman’s scream cut through the night, and he rushed toward the sound, only to spot the demon carrying someone. It instantly reminded him of his wife, Hatsu, and the rage he’d been holding in finally exploded. He chased the demon all the way to Temple, slipped inside using his invisibility, and what he saw there left him shaking with fury. The demon was devouring the woman it had just kidnapped, swallowing her whole—bones and all.
At that moment, Mosuke couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He charged in, dead set on ending the thing, convinced it was the same one that murdered Hatsu. But the demon sensed him coming and tore into him with its claws, shredding his gut open. Then, it calmly went back to its meal, chewing through the woman’s head while Mosuke lay on the ground, bleeding out, wondering if this was how he was going to die—pathetic and empty, without even getting his revenge.
Eventually, the demon left, and not long after, Jinta showed up. He spotted Mosuke barely hanging on and knelt beside him. Mosuke managed a weak grin, joking that he had really made a mess of himself. Jinta asked if he found the demon, and Mosuke confirmed it, saying it was here eating women alive. It was the same monster that took his wife. Jinta was stunned to hear that, especially about the eating part.
Then, Mosuke made one final request. He asked Jinta to avenge him and handed him a sword forged in Kadono, saying it would slice through any demon-like butter. Jinta promised to do just that, but in return, he asked Mosuke to lend him his power. Mosuke was relieved and grateful, even that he could still help Jinta one last time, even with his dying breath.
Jinta then absorbed Mosuke’s power, and as he did, he caught a glimpse into his soul. He saw that Mosuke had spent most of his life running from demons, constantly looking over his shoulder. But when he finally settled in this town, he began living like a regular human, and for the first time, he found peace. Eventually, he met the woman who would become his wife, and over time they fell in love. When things got serious, he came clean about his true nature, revealing that he was actually a demon. But instead of running away, she looked him dead in the eye and told him she loved him. So, human or demon, it didn’t matter to her.
After seeing that, Jinta finished absorbing Mosuke’s power and quietly promised to carry out his final wish. Some time passed, and we see the demon dragging another woman into its hideout and starting to feed. As it ate, it started recalling the day it first became self-aware. It had already been born into this grotesque demonic body from the beginning. It had this instinct, this need to kill men. That urge was the only thing it understood at the time. Since then, it had been searching for something. It didn’t know who or what it was looking for, just that it needed to go home, but it didn’t even know where home was. The only thing it was sure of was that it couldn’t return in its current state, so it kept abducting women it believed carried something its body lacked. That’s why it devoured them—so it could consume what was missing and finally find a way back.
Back in the present, the demon continued its feeding frenzy when suddenly Jinta showed up. He was surprised the creature would come back here after its lair was exposed. Without hesitation, he attacked, using invisibility and slicing off one of its hands in a clean strike. The demon lashed back, but Jinta dodged every blow, keeping just out of reach. It bolted across the temple, trying to go on the offensive. Jinta admitted that its power was kind of a pain to deal with, but this time, he was armed with Mosuke’s power. He dodged every strike again, then dropped his invisibility and let the demonic aura in his arm flare. He then told the demon that he was going to end it by using the gift Mosuke had entrusted him with.
Jinta then charged in, vanishing at the last second, and in one clean motion, took its head off. The demon was still clinging to life, gasping in pain, and Jinta walked up to it, demanding an answer. He asked why it left Mosuke’s wife’s body untouched when it devoured every other woman it captured. If it really was the killer Mosuke was hunting, then why didn’t it consume her completely? The demon started crying, saying it needed a body—it couldn’t go home without one. Jinta didn’t understand what it was talking about, but he remembered the question the demon asked him earlier if he feasted too. He told it yes, he does—except he feeds on demons the same way it fed on women. Now he was going to consume its power.
As he absorbed the demon’s strength, he realized its ability was called Dart, a temporary speed burst that lets the user kick through the air and accelerate instantly. It was a solid ability, one that would surely come in handy. But as he consumed the demon, he ended up seeing into its soul. He saw Hatsu, Mosuke’s wife, being violated by two men while they were laughing, before tossing her into the river like trash. As she sank, her final thoughts were about going home, but she refused to return in a body that had been defiled. Instead, she searched for another vessel—one that could help her make it back to her husband.
That’s when it became clear to Jinta that this demon was Hatsu, and she just wanted to go home. But that was never going to happen. The demon then faded away, and Jinta quietly left the temple.
A few days later, back at the soba shop, the owner mentioned that Jinta hadn’t shown up in a while. He figured it was because he joked about letting him marry his daughter. She reminded her father that he never actually said that, and she also ran into Jinta the other day in Sakuza, and they chatted for a bit. He told her he’d stop by once he was finished with his current job. The owner thought the job might already be done because word around town was that the slasher disappeared, and the killings had stopped. But she told him Jinta mentioned he still had demons to hunt somewhere else.
Those same two men who violated Hatsu were wandering the streets late at night. They started talking about finding their next victim, laughing about how the last one cried out for her husband as they dragged her under. But then they saw Jinta. He stepped forward without a word and cut both of them down in a single strike. Looking down at their bodies, he said nothing. He just hoped that Mosuke could finally rest in peace now that Hatsu had been avenged. Then, he walked away.
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