Reincarnation as Lower Rank Five in Demon Slayer

Under the faint moonlight, Li Lei flew swiftly and freely in the high sky, appearing from the ground like a large, white bird in flight.

Li Lei has been away from the small village with the ghost that can modify memories for five or six days. During these days, Li Lei flies high in the sky at night to check the situation on the ground.

He wanted to see if there were any ghosts with the Blood Demon Arts he wanted, but Li Lei hadn't encountered a single ghost in the past few days of flying down the mountain. Because of this, Li Lei started thinking about returning to Nata Spider Mountain.

"Today was another day of wasted effort. It seems that this place, like the place I visited a few days ago, is not haunted."

Li Lei, hovering in the air with his wings flapping incessantly, looked down at the town below and murmured to himself.

Perhaps he found the evil spirit that altered his memories, which used up all of Li Lei's luck. He hasn't seen a single ghost in the past few days.

Suddenly, a figure that looked no more than ten years old caught Li Lei's attention.

A girl wearing a butterfly-patterned kimono walked alone down a street with a tan-colored bundle of medicine.

Because Li Lei was a ghost high in the sky, and because his Blood Demon Art had strong control and modification over his body, he temporarily modified his eyes to see very far.

"That figure looks like Shinobu Kocho, only a bit smaller."

Li Lei stroked his chin and muttered to himself high in the sky, where ordinary people could hardly see.

Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, a poison swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, a cute and petite figure. These words unconsciously surfaced in Li Lei's mind.

"Could it be Shinobu Kocho as a child? Interesting. Let's go down and take a look."

With that in mind, Li Lei carefully landed in a place where no one could see him, changed his clothes and appearance, and transformed into his human form.

He then ran towards the girl who looked a lot like Shinobu Kocho. Following his memory, Li Lei first crossed a street, then turned into an alley and walked straight. At the end of the alley, he encountered a wall. Finally, he climbed over the wall and arrived at the path that the girl in the butterfly kimono must have taken.

Li Lei, who had arrived in front of the girl, looked around and realized that the girl hadn't come yet, so he immediately started preparing his plan.

First, prick your palm and smear the blood on your body, pretending to be seriously injured. As soon as the girl in the butterfly kimono passes by, you immediately start your performance.

On the quiet street, Li Lei surveyed his surroundings with sharp eyes, waiting for the girl to arrive.

Just then, a girl dressed in a butterfly kimono walked towards them. Her breathing was steady as she walked, and she exuded a special aura that brought peace to people.

Upon seeing people arrive, Li Lei happily attempted a sliding tackle but fell to the ground, immediately reenacting a real-life scene of injury.

"Ah! My back is broken, my legs hurt so much, I'm going to die, someone please save me, I don't want to die!"

Li Lei used an exaggerated style to express his pain, and his screams startled a girl wearing a butterfly kimono not far away, almost causing her to drop the medicine bag in her hand.

The girl, recovering from her shock, immediately ran over to check on the injured person, her eyes filled with a concerned and anxious look.

"Are you alright? Are you feeling well? Don't be afraid. My family owns a pharmacy, and I know a little bit of medicine. I'll take a look at you right now."

Upon hearing the girl's soft and gentle voice, Li Lei looked closely and realized that the girl resembled Shinobu Kocho, but even more so her older sister, Kanae Kocho.

In an instant, Li Lei realized that the girl in front of him was not Shinobu Kocho, but her older sister, Kanae Kocho. The floral scent mixed with the smell of medicine emanating from her further convinced Li Lei that he was not mistaken.

Kanae Kocho, the future Flower Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, was incredibly powerful, but she was unlucky. She encountered Doma, the Upper Moon Two among the Twelve Demon Moons, whose strength was nearly second only to Kokushibo. During their battle, Doma's Blood Demon Art destroyed her lungs, causing her death.

Li Lei felt quite saddened by Kanae's death, after all, she was one of his favorite characters in Demon Slayer.

"Are you alright? Why did you suddenly stop moving? Say something, don't scare me. I don't want to be responsible for someone's death."

While Kanae was examining Li Lei, she noticed that Li Lei had suddenly stopped moving. She thought that Li Lei was going into shock and was about to die, and her face turned pale with fright.

The person in front of me was about the same age as me and wasn't seriously injured at all. Why did they stop moving? I hadn't even started to save them before they died. I'll be traumatized by this.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I was just so happy to see such a beautiful girl checking my injuries that I froze in shock."

Upon discovering that it was Kanae from her childhood, Li Lei was overjoyed and unconsciously expressed his feelings.

When Kanae heard Li Lei compliment her on her looks, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she unconsciously lowered her head a little.

"Thank you for complimenting my looks, but this is distracting me from examining your injuries. If I misjudge your condition, it could cause you considerable trouble."

"It's okay, this little injury will heal in a few days. You can think whatever you want, I'm fine."

Li Lei looked tenderly at the young Kanae Hanazono and thought to himself how adorable she was now, with a gentle charm.

"I really want to take her away right now," a thought that Li Lei found rather cruel suddenly popped into his mind.

Kanae as a child: "?_??"

Why does this kid, who's about my age, have such a strange look in his eyes, like he's about to grab me?

"Could you please stop looking at me like that? I'm a little scared."

Seeing Li Lei's murderous gaze, Kanae tilted her head and said uneasily.

Li Lei: "? ????..."

"Is my gaze that scary? I feel like I'm being very kind!" Li Lei said, speechless.

"By the way, while you were examining my injuries, I still don't know your name. Could you tell me?"

Although Li Lei knew Kanae's name, he pretended to be meeting her for the first time and politely asked her name.

"My name?" When Li Lei asked her name, Kocho Kanae was unsure whether to tell him, since he had just given her a strange look.

"My name is Kanae Butterfly. I come from a family of pharmacists. My family has been running a pharmacy for generations. What is your name?"

After introducing herself, Kanae Butterfly, she asked Li Lei a question.

"Me—? My name is Lei. I'm from another world, currently living in the mountains. I enjoy traveling and collecting things. It's nice to meet you, Butterfly Kanae. Your name is beautiful." Hearing Kanae's reply, Li Lei said happily.

After all, exchanging names is the beginning of becoming friends, and Kanae mentioned her family when she said her own name, indicating that she considered him a close friend.

Kanae: (?_?)

"Um—your introduction is so strange! Does 'visitors from another world' mean someone who comes from other islands or other countries?"

Upon hearing Kanae's question, Li Lei thought about it seriously for a moment, and then nodded earnestly.

"Yes, it's pretty much what you thought. It's just a little bit farther away."

"Oh—I see."

Kanae nodded, indicating that she understood. After checking that Li Lei's body was fine, she began to examine his hands and feet.

"You're tired, but your body isn't seriously injured. I'll check your hands and feet and you'll be fine."

Kanae gave Li Lei a warm smile and said happily to him.