Just as Souta was lost in thought, Tanjiro's voice brought him back to the present.
"Um, excuse me... who are you?" The black hair with red tips boy looked at Souta with confusion, trying to figure out who he was.
Souta looked too clean—not like someone who had been stuck in a forest for days.
Plus, he was empty-handed. Aside from that strange craftwork thing he called a "phone," he didn't carry any weapons... How had he even survived this long under constant demon attacks?
Was he even part of the Final Selection?
"I'm Souta. I guess you could say I'm... a friend of your sister's."
After thinking for a moment, Souta introduced himself.
Tanjiro looked surprised. The name Souta wasn't one he heard often.
But then, he caught on to something more important. His expression changed drastically.
"Wait, my sister... Nezuko's friend? That's not possible! Nezuko is..."
Tanjiro quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. Close call—he had nearly let something slip.
He squinted suspiciously at Souta, scanning him from head to toe.
"Could it be... you were friends with Nezuko before? But that's not right either—I knew everyone she used to know..."
"No need to guess. It's a long story," Souta interrupted. "Don't worry. I'll explain everything in time."
Glancing around at the messy, chaotic surroundings, Souta suggested:
"This place is too dirty, and it's crawling with demons—not exactly ideal for a conversation. Let's find somewhere more suitable to talk."
"A place to talk...?"
Tanjiro looked completely bewildered.
Why did he act like he was on a vacation?
"There's a town nearby, right?" Souta asked.
"There's a small one at the base of the mountain," Tanjiro replied instinctively.
"Then let's head there."
"Wait, isn't this the Final Selection? We've only been here five days. We're not allowed to leave yet. We still need to stay two more days, or we'll be disqualified! Besides... Souta-san, you're not one of the candidates, are you?"
"Nope," Souta shook his head. "I'll tell you everything in due time. For now, let's just head to that town at the foot of the mountain."
Before Tanjiro could argue, Souta activated his divine powers and instantly teleported them both down the mountain.
He didn't know which direction the town was in, but his spiritual senses could detect areas with lots of human activity.
After two quick teleports to adjust their course, they arrived at the town. Souta picked a local tavern and walked in.
Tanjiro followed, still in complete shock, like he was struggling to process what had just happened.
It wasn't until Souta ordered drinks and some food that Tanjiro finally started to come back to his senses.
"...Do you have money?" Souta asked.
"Y-Yeah..." Tanjiro instinctively reached for his coin pouch.
Souta glanced at the money and nodded.
He memorized the shape and details—no need to worry about financial problems in this world anymore.
"Wait a second!" Tanjiro suddenly jumped up in alarm. "This is... a town? We were just on Mount Fujikasane! How did we...!?"
"You're really slow on the uptake..."
Souta was a little speechless. How was Tanjiro only now reacting?
He explained simply, "Just think of it as me using teleportation to bring us here. You know what teleportation is, right?"
"Teleportation... that's not something humans can do! Are you a human or a demon!?"
Tanjiro suddenly recalled something his master Urokodaki had told him—some powerful demons could use sorcery.
He immediately went on high alert, nearly drawing his sword.
But there was no trace of a demonic scent on Souta. And he had walked in the sun earlier...
Tanjiro began to doubt his assumption.
"Wait... can humans become that strong? Strong enough to teleport?"
Tanjiro asked cautiously, with a hint of hope in his eyes.
Souta looked at him and replied with three words:
"Keep dreaming, kid."
"..." Tanjiro scratched his head. "Then... what are you?"
"Alright, I'll be straightforward. I'm from another world."
Souta placed the system phone on the table and said:
"This thing is called a system phone. It connects different worlds and acts as a platform to make friends. Anyone chosen by the platform receives one of these phones..."
Souta explained everything about the system in simple terms Tanjiro could understand.
Given Tanjiro's level of knowledge, the explanation took some effort.
By the time the food and drinks arrived, Souta had just finished the rundown.
"So, what you're saying is... you suspect that Nezuko received one of these system phones, right?"
Tanjiro asked, rubbing his temples.
He had just taken in way too much futuristic knowledge, and his brain was on the verge of overheating.
It felt like his head was going to explode.
"That's right. At first, it was just a hunch. But now... I'm almost certain your sister is the one."
Souta sipped from his cup and nodded.
"She used your name as her username. And ever since she joined the group, she hasn't said a word. I got worried about a newcomer being in danger, so I crossed worlds to check things out."
"Crossed... worlds? Other worlds really exist?"
Tanjiro murmured, awestruck.
Learning that demons existed had already been a shock to his worldview, but now there were other worlds too... He didn't even know what kind of face he should make.
"By the way," Tanjiro suddenly asked, "You said you're a god, right, Souta-san?"
"More or less. But not the kind of god you're probably imagining," Souta replied after thinking a bit. "It's more like... I just have access to extremely powerful abilities."
"Then..." Tanjiro looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "Can you turn Nezuko back into a human?"
"Sure," Souta answered casually. "It's not that hard for me."
"Really!?" Tanjiro almost burst into tears. "You can really... cure Nezuko?"
His dream... Could it really be that easy to fulfill?
Honestly, he had prepared himself to endure countless hardships to achieve it.
But now... he hadn't even joined the Demon Slayer Corps yet, and his wish might already come true?
It didn't feel real at all...
"In your world, maybe it's hard. But in another world? It's actually pretty easy. Think about it—if gods exist in the other world, is anything really impossible?"
Souta's voice was calm and reassuring.
Suddenly, Tanjiro stood up, bowed low, and slammed his forehead onto the table with a loud thud.
Even Souta winced at the sound, but Tanjiro didn't flinch. Maintaining his 90-degree bow, he said:
"Souta-san, please—please save Nezuko! If you're willing to help, I'll do anything you ask! I'll give everything I have!"