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"Tomioka-san, Nezuko is feeling cold."

The boy's sudden remark jolted Giyuu out of his thoughts. His mind had been circling around whether what he was doing was right to the point that he didn't realise it had started storming. Snow rained down heavily as a chilly wind blew on his face, making it harder to look forward. Giyuu looked down to see Tanjirou's worried frown.

"My sister," Tanjirou said, tugging at his hand insistently. "She's freezing."

Giyuu blinked, before turning to check on the little girl in his arms. Indeed, the toddler was shivering, curling up tightly into a ball as she pressed her face on his chest to avoid the frigid wind. He had forgotten that this girl was neither a Demon Slayer nor a demon, but a normal human being. A very young child to boot, thus very vulnerable to extreme weather events.

She might die at this point, Giyuu thought in alarm.

Scanning the surroundings, the Demon Slayer searched for a shelter. But everywhere he looked, he only saw snow and pine trees. He couldn't run at his normal speed because of the two children, so it would take much longer to reach the nearest village.

Giyuu began to panic for real when he heard a sniffle from her.

"N-Nezuko is going to cryyyy…," Tanjirou said, lips wobbling. For some reason, he was also ready to cry even though the harsh weather didn't seem to faze him.

Giyuu was officially stressed. What was he supposed to do? He was a Demon Slayer, not a babysitter! He had no experience with kids, let alone calming two down in the middle of a snowstorm like this. Nezuko was freezing; should he build a fire? But there was wet snow everywhere and there was no shelter around. And her brother didn't seem to have any issue with the cold but he was also a demon and demons were much more resistant to external conditions and Giyuu never needed one in the first place because of his Breath of the Water–

That's it!

Giyuu closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Held his breath for a couple of seconds. Contracted his abdominal and pelvic muscles, before exhaling slowly. He repeated the exercise until his body began to heat up and Nezuko's sniffle died down at the warmth.

"Is this enough?" Giyuu looked at her and asked.

Nezuko responded by snuggling on his chest and peeking up at him. Giyuu decided that he should cover her with his haori because those teary doe eyes unexpectedly caused heart palpitations.

"Thank you, Tomioka-san," Tanjirou said and smiled happily at him. For some reason the boy always said things on his sister's behalf, as if he knew what she was feeling. And it seemed like he even knew what Giyuu was thinking, because then Tanjirou said, "Daddy said I can smell emotions."

"Smell emotions?"

"Umu," Tanjirou nodded. "Like when Nezuko felt happy or scared or uncomfy. Daddy could do it too."

Was that why the boy could trust him so easily? Giyuu admitted he had immediately lost his will to kill this demon the moment he saw the little girl Tanjirou was protecting. Moreover, recognising the change in emotions through one of the five senses was not unheard of. After all, some Demon Slayers who practiced Breathing Styles may obtain enhanced senses which could help them in battles.

"Was your father a Demon Slayer?" Giyuu asked.

"Nope. Daddy is a coal seller," Tanjirou said, before humming in thought. "Though you breathe like me and Daddy. Are you also a coal seller?"

"... No, I'm not."

"Aww… That's too bad. Mommy said coal sellers can bring warmth to homes. They can help people cook, see in the dark, things like that–Oomph!"

The tiny hand holding his suddenly disappeared. Giyuu whirled around to find Tanjirou buried in the snow. It had been snowing heavily so the layer of snow had thickened significantly to the point that it was hard for the four years old to walk.

"...'M fine!" Tanjirou yelped and stood up. His face was red. "I'm a big boy! I can walk–Oof!"

Tanjirou stumbled down again. Giyuu sighed. At this rate, they would reach the nearest village next week. So he shuffled Nezuko on his left arm such that she wouldn't fall, before bending down to pick Tanjirou up and hold him with his right.

"Hold on tight," Giyuu said to the kids. "I'm going to run."

The excited squealing of the two children pierced his ears as he used his Breathing technique to run towards the nearest village.

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