A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let's hope that this year will be a good one :)) Man, I haven't posted in ages. I'm so sorry for the long break, writing took way longer than expected, but here we are...
It is quite unusual for me to be posting a large author's note in the beginning - because I typically go for the end - but some things had to be said before the start of the chapter.
First of all, this is a kind of… cheat chapter because it's a recap. Although I did try to make it as entertaining as possible. Given the long break and the density of events that happen in this fic, a recap is necessary. For me as well xD
So, if you are reading/binging this post January 1, 2023, and everything is fresh in your head (or not, but you don't feel like reading recap which is totally valid), feel free to skip!
Second, because this is a cheat chapter, it is unfair that I post it after such a long break. Hence, I posted the first official chapter as well. In general, I am aiming for a weekly Monday schedule (fingers crossed it will be consistent).The electricity lines sizzled to the faint chirping of the cicadas. Even in this stone jungle of a city, they survived and now hid in the cracks to fill the air with the nostalgic sound of summer.
The talons carefully picked up the crumpled advertisement stuck in between the pavement. Straightening out, the demon gave the paper a small tug to smooth out the creases. His gray eyes traveled back and forth.
Tokyo Annual Summer Festival
The demon sighed. Folding the advertisement and slipping it into his pocket, the creature continued down the alley. He paused next to an abandoned store. As he lifted his hair, frizzy from the humidity, into a bun, the demon gazed thoughtfully at the dark aisles and scattered produce on the floor. After a moment of deliberation, he walked up and stepped over the broken showcase. His forearm gashed against a protruding glass shard, but the wound closed almost immediately.
Whistling absently to himself, he strolled around in curiosity. When he passed the hygiene section, he grabbed a small, beige towel.
All the self-checkout machines were down. Wiping his neck, wet from sweat, he sat down next to register with a rectangular fan next to it. Plugging the charger into the nearest outlet, he pushed the knob on the highest degree. At first, the blades did not move; then, slowly, they caught speed, and the humming of the fan rose into the dark room.
Hair tossing slightly from the gusts of air, the demon took out a small tablet, slightly larger than his palm, from his pocket. Unwrapping the string headphones, he simultaneously pressed a button on the edge of the tablet. The screen flickered awake.
The demon swiped across the numerous icons before settling on the one that had "radio" written underneath. Sliding in the headphones, he clicked on the icon. Reclining his head against the empty counter where plastic bags used to hang, the demon closed his eyes.
"…. aaand welcome, ladies and gentleman, to another episode of the NSHB, or the No Story Heard Before, the one and only radio talk show that unravels the stories from the Lower Level which is often forgotten in mainstream media!" Energetic music filled his ears. Stretching out his legs, the demon hummed absently to the familiar tune.
"This is yours truly, Ristō Sora, and we have a very special guest joining us today. Isn't that right, Sabito-san?"
"That's right, Risto-san," a young, clear voice answered politely.
"Sabito-san works directly with the demon slayer corps, who as my dear listeners already know, are an integral part of the Lower Level. We all know that these courageous men and women protect us from demons, but Sabito-san, can you tell us a bit more about how these people are organized?"
"Sure thing. The first division is by skill. After passing the Final Selection, you start off as a mizunoto and then gradually make your way up to a hashira, provided you're good enough. The second division is by blood type."
"Blood type?"
"Yep. A scientific study about fifty years ago showed a peculiar connection between human red blood cells and those in demons. A human whose type matches that of the demon has a higher chance of killing the demon. I do not know the chemistry behind that."
"And how does that come into play practically-speaking?"
"That connection doesn't really matter for weak demons, although we do give rookies missions with matching blood types in the beginning. The hashiras, meanwhile, are grouped into teams of matching blood type, and they patrol regions where their corresponding demons aggregate.
"Fascinating. Speaking of hashiras, it's not often that you can see one on the street."
"I would be surprised if you did." The young voice laughed. "All demon slayers are required by law to conceal themselves. But there are several ways to spot them out."
"Ooo, could you let us in on that?"
"You just have to look closely. All of the ranks below a hashira are disguised as music students. The reason's simple: it's easy to hide katanas inside instrument cases."
"So if I see a violinist getting late on the subway, I should assume that's a demon slayer on a mission?"
"Pretty much."
As laughter filled the earphones, the man opened his eyes drowsily, before closing them again. His talons pressed the side buttons of his tablet, decreasing the volume.
"Sabito-san, could you please tell us what the demon slayers have been up to for this past month?"
"This past month…" it was obvious that the guest Sabito-san was lost in thought.
"It all started when Kanroji Mitsuri, our AB hashira, and Giyuu — my bad, Tomioka Giyuu, blood type B — went to the sewage system for a mission. There, they discovered a bunch of bodies of dead demons."
"I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding something, but don't demons crumble to ash when they're killed…"
"They do. That was the catch. Our medical specialist, Kochou Shinobu, found out that the reason their bodies remained intact was because their blood vessels were removed."
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand how that works."
"I'll try to explain it. The blood is what gives a demon its superhuman abilities. It's also what keeps it functioning - I mean, obviously. That's basic biology. If you remove all blood from a human, that individual dies."
"Vampires."
"What?… yeah, vampires. Anyways, if you apply the same concept to a demon, because there's no blood for the heart to pump and carry around whatever needs to be carried around… the demon physically dies. And because there's no blood, it can't regenerate from the loss of blood. We hit a paradox."
"Do you think that could be a new way for the demon slayers to kill demons?"
"… we'll have to be super-vampires for that to work."
"You're right. I'm sorry, please continue."
"Back to the sewers. Kanroji and Tomioka encountered a demon of blood type AB-4527 whom they, in the violent sense of the word, engaged. You know him, by the way."
A glimmer of amusement sparked behind the half-closed eyelashes as the demon sluggishly examined the self-checkout machine across.
"I'm sorry?"
"He's the one that raided the Upper Level a few weeks ago."
"You mean the umbrella man?"
"Is that what he goes by among people? Well, he's an unusual case. First of all, he's missing from all of our records which is, by itself, preposterous. Second, he's a former Upper Moon Six."
"An Upper Moon?"
"Yeah. For a while, we thought that his shadow buddy is the Upper Moon because of his ability to convert humans to demons."
The demon propped himself up with his hand and sat up. Bending one leg, he swiped out of the radio application and tapped onto a candy icon. A small smile hovered on his lips.
"Hold on, hold on…"
"I know, I know, I'm jumping around. The same day Tomioka and Kanroji fought AB-4527, a demon appeared in an electric company in the Upper Level."
"But what about the sunlight…"
"Another catch. Unfortunately, I can't explain this one."
"I see. So what happened to the shadow demon?"
"He killed the company's highest executive and framed one of our younger demon slayers for it."
"Kamado Tanjiro?"
"Oh, you know him?"
"Well, they were airing his case everywhere. Wasn't his family killed by demons?"
"His younger sister survived."
"That's a surprise. Does she also work with the demon slayers?"
"… kind of. Although she's in a dilemma right now."
"Dilemma?"
"Let's just say that someone who she thought was one thing turned out to be someone else completely."
Sweet! The game declared silently to the demon. His talon tapped the edge of the tablet as he considered the outcome.
"Happens all the time, doesn't it?"
"I guess."
"Was the shadow demon dealt with?"
The demon sighed and swiped some insignificant candy pieces together.
"No… unfortunately, no. Both him and his winged accomplice got away. But we did severely injure him. In the sewers, one of our hashiras found a pit where the demon kept the blood from all the demons he collected." The young voice paused. "Now that I remember it, the circumstances surrounding that pit were also pretty interesting."
"I'm not holding you back."
"Basically, two locations in the sewers were switched so that the pit was hidden away from public view. Yet another mystery. There was also a block hologram established around the pit's perimeter. Before you ask me, a block hologram is the type that messes up demon detectors."
"So…"
"Just my theory, but I call hacker. The blood and winged demons dissipated into thin air, which is also reminiscent of holograms."
"You were talking about a pit…"
"When the shadow demon faced off Tomioka, Kochou dumped a bucket of wisteria into the blood supply and poisoned the demon."
"Ohhh… that's smart."
"That is smart."
"Have you thought about how to find them? After all, they must have a base somewhere."
"I think they did, but we messed that one up. Our flame hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, traced AB-4527 to an apartment that was owned by an ancient cyborgian woman. However, when he arrived, the entire apartment was flooded in nail polish. The woman then dropped a lighter into that entire mess and… you can assume what happened next."
"That's horrible. Sabito-san, these events all happened roughly a month ago. Did anything notable occur in recent weeks?"
Game Over. The demon grimaced and lowered the phone onto his lap. Without thinking about it too much, he clicked on the new round button.
"You bet. Two of our hashiras, Shinazugawa and Kochou came across an organization that captures demons and transplants their organs into humans."
"It what?"
"I know, talk about macabre. The frustrating thing is that the demon slayers couldn't apprehend them right away."
"Wait, why? What that organization is doing is a clear threat. Imagine if all those demons went loose?"
"Let me answer this way. Do you know any laws about demons?"
"… No?"
Without turning away from the screen, the demon searched the fan's back. Finding the right knob, he reduced the strength of the blades. The humming quieted.
"No. Representing demons in law would be the equivalent of admitting that they have some status; but our society has been built to view them as chaotic, malevolent forces of nature that we, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, suppress. Besides, the demon slayer corps has been dealing with demons for centuries. Lawmakers just prefer to let them handle the monsters."
"Are you saying that the organization claims that they can hoard demons because there is no law prohibiting them from doing so?"
"Innocent until proven guilty."
"But that's absurd!"
"Which is exactly why the matter isn't over."
"Understood. Good luck!"
"Thank you, I'll let the hashiras know."
The glass shards crushed under the tennis shoes. A humanoid figure stepped over the showcase. The demon followed the intruder with his eyes as it wandered around the aisles.
"Who are you, by the way? I mean, in terms of your relation to the demon slayer corps. Are you their technician, or possibly one of their medical workers…"
"I'm an AutCo."
"… Sorry?"
"I'm an Auto-Consciousness. I died fourteen years ago."
"Well, and that wraps up this episode of NSHB! This was Ristō Sora and Sabito-san with you today. Sabito-san, thank you so much for entertaining us today."
The intruder took a pack of chips and yanked them open. The demon nearly missed the young voice's, perpetually polite, response.
"My pleasure."
"Now, we will take a short break with a song…"
Careful not to break the small buds with his talons, the demon took out one headphone out of his ear. Listening to a cheerful song play out, he watched how the intruder swallowed the chips.
"Thief."
Cheese on its lips, the intruder turned around and pointed at the demon.
"The towel around your neck agrees."
"Did you know that AutCo's still exist?" The demon asked, not disturbed by the accusation. Chewing, the intruder walked up leisurely to the creature.
"How'd you know?"
"I just heard one on the radio. He must be the last one remaining."
The intruder hummed appreciatively and squinted into the chips bag.
"The more you live, the more you learn."
It clicked its tongue and tossed the bag onto the self-checkout counter. "Disgusting."
Slapping its hands to get rid of the crumbs, the intruder turned and looked inquisitively at the demon.
"What are you lazing around here for? Phase I completed half an hour ago. It's your turn on."
The demon sighed and, twisting his body, pulled out the charger. The blades of the fan slowed to a complete stop. The creature stood up and, sliding the tablet into his pocket, walked up to the figure.
"I can never screw this up." The demon grinned slightly, giving the intruder a light squeeze around the shoulders.
"We're friends, after all."
A/N: I took the idea of a recap from Kekkai Sensen, actually, where the main character Leonardo Watch is interviewed by a radio host. I found it a very creative way to retell the story without being boring.
Also, this chapter is for me, part real, part a dream. (I mean, Sabito won't just go on a radio show and spill all of his buddies' secrets. And not with the demon listening. That would be a very directed by Robert B. Weide situation xD)
I will save the big words for the official chapter, but for now I'll say that I am so, so glad to be back! And thank you so so much for waiting! Hope you are having restful and joyful holidays!