Yo 13k reads let's go. You readers are *chef's kiss emoji since it doesn't work on my laptop*

Manga spoilers for the last two-thirds of the chapter.

———

Your crow finally came back.

You were sitting outside — fiddling with some twigs, trying to twist them into a pretzel to fulfill your sudden craving for the snack — when the rotten old bird landed in front of you. Now, you weren't being mean. She started it first.

"Hoe," It cawed. You jolted, not noticing the bird. Then you blinked.

"Bitch," You instinctively replied before covering your mouth. "Shit, I'm so sorry."

The crow stared at you with bead, black eyes. You stared back, determined not to lose. You didn't know if crows could blink or not, but you were not backing down on someone who called you a hoe.

"I meant you resembled a hoe. As in the plowing tool." The crow stepped back and bent its head, clearly mocking your crouching posture from before. "I do not deserve to be called a bitch, especially since the species is entirely incorrect."

"Man, what a sassy bird you are."

"Nonetheless, my name is Sora." The crow, Sora, held out her (you think? At least, it sounded like a female name) wing to you, clearly indicating that she wanted a handshake. At your silence, she added, "This is where you shake my wing with your stubby human fingers and introduce yourself."

Jesus, girl. Calm down.

You gently pinched her wing with your pointer finger and thumb and carefully shook her wing, not wanting to harm her.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm (Y/N) (L/N)."

When you let go, she ruffled her feathers indignantly.

"Are all crows named before they reach the slayer? I thought I got to name you."

I was looking forward to it too. Had top-tier names like Diablo the Second, Karasuno the Crow, and My Precious.

"I do hope your teacher is not as dumb as you."

"Hey, don't insult Urokodaki like that!" She sighed.

"To answer your question, I am the former crow of the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. However," She seemed to grow a little sad as she spoke, "He dismissed me, saying that there was a slayer who required my assistance more than he did." She ruffled her feathers again, straightening up and pacing in front of you. "But no one deserves my speed more than him! I reported directly to him after the Final Selection ended within a quarter of the day! Do you know how long it requires a crow to fly from Fujikasane to the estate? Normally, it would take eight hours. But I did it within four. Four hours!" She huffed before stopping and burrowing her beak into her chest. "And he still thinks he doesn't need my service. He's probably the only one who needs it, with his health."

"Wow," You replied.

"Don't patronize me!!" Sora started flying around your head, pecking at your skull.

"I'm not, I'm not!"

I don't even remember what patronize means!!!

Wait, she said that she used to be Ubuyashiki's crow? Then . . . should I get started?

When Sora calmed down, she stood on the ground again.

"Hey, Sora, I have a job for you," You started, dropping the joking tone you had.

She turned her head sideways to look at you. "I didn't think you had the potential to be serious."

Bruh, I am trying to do a very important thing here, give me a break.

"Listen," You insisted and that damned crow finally shut up. "I have a job for you, and it's important. Will you do it?"

"What is it? If it's within my abilities, I will consider it."

"I need you to deliver a verbal — " Your mind blanked. "Wait, what was the word?" Sora sighed, putting her wing to her head. "It's the thing, you know? A letter."

"A letter — "

"Yeah! A letter! That's what it was! You get me!"

You laughed at your pain.

I can't believe I forgot the English word for 'letter' . . . and remembered it in Japanese.

"So I need you to deliver two verbal letters to two different people."

Sora hopped from one foot to the other as she thought about it.

"Very well," She finally said, and you held back a loud 'yes!'. "What are the letters?" You clambered to your feet and raced inside.

"Just wait a moment! I wrote them down!" You hurried to your futon, where you had stuffed those papers with all the events written on them (remember them?). In the same place, you had also hidden the two letters that you wanted to send.

Honestly, you weren't sure if sending these letters would be the right move. The future only happened because of the circumstances that revolved around it. They weren't ideal, but some sacrifices had to be made for it to happen. But also, some minor events contributed immensely to the final battle. When you started thinking about what you could do, you wondered if you could push those events along, to make them progress faster. That's why you came up with the idea of sending these letters. If it worked, if you could increase the possibility of success, it would mean everything down the line.

"Right, here they are." You brandished the paper to the impatient crow.

"Hurry up if you want me to deliver it."

"I will, but you have to remember each and every word and separate the receivers clearly. Under no circumstances can you accidentally give one letter to the other."

I might be in even more trouble if they end up getting mixed up. Oh well, lol.

"Alright, alright, I get it."

You cleared your throat. "Wait, I should tell you who I'm delivering to first. The first letter I tell you should be delivered to Ubuyashiki Kagaya — "

Sora let out the loudest caw you had ever heard. She took flight again, starting to scratch your arms and face.

"WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY MASTER'S REAL NAME?! WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT INFORMATION?!"

I should have guessed this might happen.

"It would take a while to explain, but please trust me."

"Why should I trust an inelegant, dumb hoe like you?!"

"Bitch, stop calling me a hoe."

"I'm reporting you to my master! You can explain how you got ahold of classified information there!"

Is that information supposed to be classified?

"Just listen to what I have to say first, then decide to send the letter or not, okay?" After her onslaught of attacks, Sora angrily plopped to the ground. "Now, the first letter is to the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the second is to . . . a demon."

~~~

Kagaya was walking amongst the graves with his wife beside him in case he had another coughing fit. His disease had progressed so much that his vision was blurred. By this time next year, maybe even in half a year, he would be completely blind in both eyes.

"Master," Amane's voice sung in his ears, and he turned to her.

"Yes?" She pointed to the sky, where a black smudge was growing larger and clearer with every passing second.

"It seems we have a letter."

At the sound of a familiar caw, Kagaya held out his arm for Sora to gently perch upon it.

"My dear Sora, I thought I sent you to your new slayer," Kagaya spoke, seeing the crow ruffle her feathers.

"This time, I have a letter, Master," Sora replied and Kagaya hummed in interest.

"From who?"

"From that dumb — I mean, from the new slayer you assigned me to." The pair continued to walk among the graves, Kagaya's eyes going over the gravestones his eyes were too poor to see clearly. However, his feet memorized their placement and his heart memorized their names.

Ikeda, Ishida, Ishikawa, Kato, Kawano, Kimura, Koda, Kojima.

"Where is the letter?" Kagaya asked after paying his respects to the dead. He saw Sora go from his arm to Amane's.

"It is a verbal letter as (L/N) is unable to write in Japanese."

"Ah, yes," He sighed lightly, gently scolding himself, "I should have thought of that. Very well, tell me her message."

"'Dear Ubuyashiki Kagaya," The sound of his name coming from the crow startled him, and he looked at her in surprise. Sora continued, "'My name is (L/N) (Y/N) and I have recently passed the Final Selection, although you probably knew that so it doesn't matter.'" Kagaya felt himself smile at her words, already gleaning a piece of her personality through them.

"This may be a sudden and strange letter, but please hear me out. I have a plan to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan." Her words made the man cough, holding a cloth to his mouth before gesturing for the crow to continue.

"You probably think that I am callous and arrogant to say that, seeing as you and your family have risked your lives for generations, watching other slayers be killed over and over. But I have information that could turn the tide of this war.

"I'm in no place to ask for this, but in my mind and with the information I have, it is a critical step to contact the demons Tamayo and Yushiro. I am sure that you are aware of Tamayo's abilities in creating medicine and drugs, and it is this ability that holds all cards. Please ask for a partnership between the Insect Pillar — who I am aware is also adept at creating poisons and serums catered towards demons — and Tamayo to create a drug that would weaken Kibutsuji. I believe that Tamayo has also been thinking of something along the same lines, so it would be best to contact her directly for the full details of a drug of this caliber.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose any more information at this moment due to this dumbass crow — ACK! STOP! — in case this letter falls in the wrong hands, but it's a verbal letter so . . . in case this crow falls in the wrong hands. I also cannot disclose my source of information due to certain circumstances, so please understand. Then . . . that's it. How do I end a letter? Ah, have a good day, signing out, from (L/N) (Y/N), the soon-to-be best demon slayer."

When Sora finished speaking, Kagaya let out a hearty laugh, his scratchy throat ignored for the sake of the genuine delight he'd felt while listening to the letter. Sora was silent, and Amane had a smile upon her face as well.

"How amusing," He'd stated after, a grand smile on his face. "Amane, we may have been dealt a winning hand with (Y/N)'s knowledge."

"She seems like a precious child," Amane added, seeming to recall the endearing switch between formal and informal tones.

Although it amused him, Kagaya did have new worries. Where did this slayer learn of his family? Did her teacher inform her? As well as Shinobu, how did she know of her poison? Was (Y/N) acquainted with her? Did she contact Tamayo beforehand and learned of the possibility of the drug through her? If so, was Kibutsuji aware of this girl's movements? Is she in danger?

He decided to send Shinobu a letter about the girl, but even if she replied that she wasn't aware of this new slayer beyond what was mentioned at the Pillar meeting, he wouldn't be too worried.

For someone with such priceless information to reach out to Kagaya himself, a child at that, it was unlikely that she worked for the opposing side. Even if she did, he would harbor no ill will if she were to betray him. He did not grow up in a world where he forgave sinners, but in a world where he guided children to the right path.

"Let us return to the main house," Kagaya stated, looking in the direction he came from. "I have a letter to write. Sora, will you be able to send it?"

"Of course, master."

"You need not call me master any longer. You have a new slayer to attend to."

"But she reports to you, so you are the ultimate master."

Both Amane and Kagaya laughed.

"I suppose I am."

~~~

In the bright, crowded streets of Asakusa, a woman in a dark purple kimono and a floral hairpin walked through the crowds with her companion, a shorter boy with light green hair and a white haori.

"Lady Tamayo," The boy stated, his eyes darting to the people walking past them. "I sense that someone is watching us."

"Not to worry, Yushiro," Tamayo replied, calmly inspecting the kimonos displayed in the window of a shop. "It is not a demon nor a slayer."

"Then what is it? We can't have it follow us back to our house. It may attract the attention of others."

"It is not careless. As long as we ensure that we are in its view, it would not resort to attracting attention when it does not want it."

"Lady Tamayo, are you sure?"

"I am quite sure."

The two continued their shopping, Yushiro constantly looking over his shoulder while Tamayo paid no attention to the anxiety he was projecting.

"Lady Tamayo," Yushiro stated as he watched her exchange money for some patterned cloth she'd found. "If you are done, I would like to return to the house. I'd feel more at ease with my Blood Demon Art cloaking us."

"Very well," Tamayo agreed, holding the cloth in her hands.

They hurried back to the house, Yushiro looking every which way to ensure that they weren't being followed. Tamayo laughed lightly at the sight. She was not worried. She'd seen the messenger crows the demon slayers used to communicate and if a crow suddenly started watching them, no doubt it had a message for her.

The second the two entered the area under Yushiro's Blood Demon Art, a crow seemingly materialized beside her, its flapping wings almost completely silent.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?" Yushiro demanded before Tamayo said a word, stalking up to the crow. He attempted to grab it out of midair but it skillfully dodged before coming in front of Tamayo. She stretched out her arm to the bird and it landed on it.

"I have two letters for you, Tamayo." The crow was polite in its words, but despite them, she noticed only one paper tied to its leg.

"Thank you for bringing them. We'll look at them inside." Tamayo started to walk back to their house, briefly turning back to see Yushiro grumbling to himself. "Come along, Yushiro."

"Coming, Lady Tamayo!"

After settling in the main room, the crow jumped from Tamayo's arm to the table.

"The first letter is a verbal message." The crow cleared its throat. "Dear Tamayo and Yushiro, I know that receiving this letter may be quite a shock and I understand why you may be apprehensive of my words, but please take a moment to consider them carefully before acting.

"I am aware of your true identities as demons, however, I am also aware that you, Tamayo, have broken out of Kibutsuji's curse and turned Yushiro into a demon with your own powers. How I came to know this information is convoluted and highly unbelievable, but please be assured that I am on your side and I also wish for Kibutsuji's downfall." Tamayo furrowed her brows.

Did one of the humans I've treated figure it out? Are they one of them? How did they find out about that man?

"I have a plan to defeat Kibutsuji and you two are critical players. Tamayo, you have already created a serum that would increase a demon's healing capabilities, but is it possible to create a similar one that catered to a human's capabilities instead? There will be many deaths and injuries in the future and I would like to know that there may be a way to prevent them. Additionally, you may be receiving a letter from the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps requesting a partnership to develop a drug that will weaken Kibutsuji, so when the letter arrives, please do not be wary and trust in his words."

"The insolence — "

She raised a hand, silencing Yushiro from speaking. The sender of this letter has information that she had never told any human patient of hers. She had no idea how they may have found out about her healing serum, but they did mention it was a highly unbelievable tale.

"I am not sure where this crow will find you, but in roughly a year's time, a demon slayer and his sister, Kamado Tanjiro and Kamado Nezuko, will be in Asakusa. Kamado Nezuko is a demon that has been turned over a year ago but has refrained from hating humans the entire time. By meeting them, I am one-hundred percent positive that you will be inspired to create such a drug, and I am willing to help in any way I can.

"Again, please take my letter into consideration. Unfortunately, I am unable to meet with you in person, but trust in my words as a demon slayer and someone who hates Kibutsuji with the same passion you do. Sincerely, (L/N) (Y/N)."

The two demons were silent, a strange feeling growing inside Tamayo's stomach.

"Lady Tamayo — " Yushiro started but Tamayo held up a hand once more.

"Where is the second letter?" She asked and the crow held out the leg with paper tied to it. After untying it, the crow hopped to the edge of the window.

"Are you really going to — "

"Yushiro." Her hard tone made the boy stop.

"Sorry, Lady Tamayo."

She opened the letter and started to read it out to Yushiro, who was stiffly sitting on the other side of the table.

"'Dear Tamayo, I believe that it has been a while since my family has contacted you and I am eager to hear of your continued existence. I have no doubt that you have already received a message from a demon slayer named (L/N) (Y/N), proposing our skills be utilized in a collaborative effort to defeat Kibutsuji. This letter is affirming this fact and a formal request for you and your associate to become partners with the Demon Slayer Corps to produce a drug effective against Kibutsuji. Kibutsuji is a tumor that has grown too strong and it is out of our powers to handle him alone. I assure you that we will offer you our greatest form of protection while you work with our Insect Pillar while preparing the drug. While the two of you are with us, you will not face any harm from slayers or demons.

"'Our desires to get rid of a blight on this Earth have manifested into this once in a lifetime opportunity and I, personally, refuse to let it go to waste. The crow who delivered the letter will be on standby until you write your response. I hope we get the chance to work together. From, the Leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.'"

Tamayo quietly folded the letter and went to a small desk where she kept her empty sheets of paper and bottles of ink.

"Lady Tamayo, you can't be thinking of replying!" Yushiro protested, getting to his feet. "They're demon slayers! This is probably a lure to kill us!"

"When you have killed no people?" Tamayo quietly questioned. "The Demon Slayer Corps may kill demons like me, who have harmed countless humans, but you have done no one harm, so they have no reason to kill you. He even went so far in the letter to mention you twice, as my associate, and offer you protection. Ubuyashiki may be the leader, but he is in no way a heartless man. That family is one who keeps their word."

" . . . Alright," Yushiro haltingly admitted and Tamayo sat down to start her letter. "But if they try one thing, I'll make sure that I do what that man could not!"

"And I'm sure you will," Tamayo mused, "But please do not harm Ubuyashiki. I have a fondness for that family."

"That destroys the whole point, Lady Tamayo," Yushiro ground out, making her smile. Her little demon never failed to amuse her.

Once she finished her letter, she went to the crow who was patiently waiting at her window.

"Thank you for waiting," She said as she tied the letter to the crow's leg. The crow spread her wings and took flight, hovering in front of her face.

"You're a nice lady," It stated before leaving, becoming a dark speck in the night sky.

As she watched it soar away, Tamayo had a sudden thought.

"Yushiro, call for Chachamaru. I have something for him to do."

As Yushiro went to get their feline helper, Tamayo prepared her second letter. When the cat came to her, Tamayo put the letter inside the small pack.

"Chachamaru, find the owner of the crow and give them this letter." The calico let out a meow, rubbing his head against her hand affectionately before disappearing. Tamayo sighed, her body tense in a particular excitement that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Kibutsuji, times are changing. You will be defeated sooner than you think.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Bonus scene:

After Sora left to deliver the messages — When Tanjiro walked back inside, he saw you sitting on a futon looking quite spaced out.

"Tanjiro," You whispered, a foggy look in your eye. "I don't know who I am anymore."

Taisho Secrets:

— The title refers to Sora, (Y/N), and Tamayo

— The author had way too much fun writing Sora's dialogue

— While you were reading the letter to Sora, there were a few moments where you were muttering to yourself, but Sora decided to say those as well because she was spiteful

— Sora helped you translate a few of the harder words from the English you'd written to Japanese because she could read both languages as well

— Tamayo's letter was more formal because you had gotten the hang of dictating the letter and Sora wasn't comfortable with making you look like a fool in front of someone she didn't know

— Sora thought it was very admirable for Tamayo to put aside her fears of the demon slayers to come to their aid when they asked, so that's why she said that she was a nice lady

———

No one asked, but I figured having you readers have a say in the storyline would be fun, so I'm posting a poll regarding the possible story routes we can take. I'll release the results of the poll in Chapter 20.

I'll be posting the poll chapter on Wattpad, but the poll is up on Quotev as well, so you can either go there and fill it out or wait for it to be uploaded here.

Question of the day: Should I continue adding bonus scenes like the one above?