The air in the courtyard suddenly became deathly still.
Even Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima was just frantically dropping small pearls because of Shinjuro's retirement, stopped fiddling with his prayer beads.
Kagaya's voice, neither hurried nor slow, echoed clearly in the courtyard:
"Kanae Kocho."
When Kanae was called out, she immediately took half a step forward, gracefully knelt on one knee, lowered her head, and placed her hands folded on her knee.
"My Master."
Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying an air of calm that was neither humble nor arrogant.
Kagaya nodded, his tone filled with undisguised admiration.
"In this battle to defend Mount Sagiri, you not only demonstrated exceptional medical coordination skills, but also ensured the safety of the swordsmen on the front lines."
"Furthermore, at the most critical moment, with an extremely courageous tactic of luring the enemy, he successfully injected the Upper Rank demon with a deadly special drug, thus completely turning the tide of the battle."
Kagaya paused for a moment, then his smile deepened.
"After careful consideration by Amane and me, and taking into account your recent contributions to the Demon Slayer Corps..."
At this point, Kagaya emphasized his words, emphasizing each one.
"Effective immediately, as an exception Kanae Kocho is promoted to -- [Flower Hashira]."
Upon hearing this statement...
The entire courtyard seemed to have been sucked out of its air, as if an absolute mute button had been pressed.
It remained still for a full three seconds.
Sabito, standing next to Giyu, slammed his chin directly into his chest.
"Holy crap?!?!"
The Sabito felt its worldview had been severely impacted by a physical dimensional reduction attack ( ﾟДﾟ).
On the other side, the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui aggravated the swollen wound on his face, causing him to gasp in pain.
"This is so unglamorous!!"
"To make a delicate woman who works in the back preparing medicine a pillar?"
"My Master, have you been drugged with some kind of bewitching potion?!"
The strongest reaction came from Giyu Tomioka.
His perpetually expressionless, icy face cracked noticeably when he heard the words "Flower Hashira."
The brows were locked together, with a deep "Sichuan" squeezed out in the middle.
"What the hell..."
Giyu's deep blue eyes were filled with utter absurdity.
The appalling physical data he had obtained from scanning Kanae with the Transparent World on the road earlier resurfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
"Should someone with such dismal stats be a key player on the front line?"
"If we encounter a situation Upper Rank demon, it wouldn't even be enough to fill a ghost's teeth!!"
Even if it were based on seniority and merit, she absolutely wouldn't be the one to fill the vacancy of the pillar!
"My Master, don't you even bother with the most basic combat strength assessment? Is it fun to send people to the front lines to die?!"
Giyu mentally flipped the table in a frenzy (╯‵□′)╯┻━┻,
But outwardly, they could only grit their teeth and maintain their kneeling posture.
The eerie silence in the courtyard did not affect Kanae.
She seemed to have anticipated everyone's reaction, and the gentle smile on her lips remained completely unchanged.
"I will obey your command, my Master."
Kanae's voice remained clear and crisp, carrying just the right amount of respect.
"Kanae do her utmost to live up to the Master's trust and contribute everything to vanquishing the evil spirits."
"Very good!!"
Kagaya smiled and nodded, seemingly ignoring the expressions on the faces of the group of grown men below, who looked as if they had swallowed a dead fly.
The meeting is now adjourned!
"Everyone has worked hard. Go down and rest to heal your wounds."
With Lady Amane's help, Kagaya turned around and closed the paper door of the Japanese-style room.
As soon as the Oyakata-sama left, the oppressive and solemn atmosphere in the courtyard immediately relaxed.
But the strange and awkward feeling caused by the newly added Flower Hashira increased exponentially.
Sabito scratched his pink hedgehog-like hair, wanting to go up and offer some congratulations, but then realized he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He could only cough twice and turn to look at a crooked tree in the corner of the courtyard.
Tengen Uzui turned around abruptly and limped away, muttering under his breath, "Not flashy at all."
Gyomei continued to weep and mutter, "Amitabha, all things in this world are impermanent."
Kanae stood up from the ground and patted the dust off her knees.
She straightened the black Demon Slayer Corps uniform that clung tightly to her alluring curves, then turned and walked towards the courtyard exit.
At that moment, Giyu Tomioka also stood up.
Because his calves were numb, his movements were a beat slower.
As the two passed each other.
Kanae deliberately slowed her pace and even subtly moved closer to Giyu.
Just as their shoulders were about to brush past each other...
Kanae's fair and soft little hand suddenly emerged from the wide sleeve.
Her movements were incredibly fast, yet unbelievably gentle.
Warm fingertips accurately slipped into Giyu's naturally drooping right palm.
Giyu's body stiffened abruptly.
A tingling sensation shot directly from the palms all the way to the back of the head.
Giyu's deep blue pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing became erratic.
Before he could pull his hand back...
Kanae had already turned her head slightly, bringing her beautiful face close to his ear.
From her moist eyes, she cast a bright, alluring glance, full of cunning and seductive intent.
"From now on, we'll be equals, Giyu."
She lowered her voice and breathed sweetly into Giyu Yong's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"At work, there's also..."
Kanae paused deliberately, her warm breath brushing against Giyu's earlobe.
Please take good care of me in all aspects of life~
After saying that, Kanae deftly withdrew her fingers from his palm, leaving behind a fleeting warmth.
She didn't turn around, but walked out of the courtyard with light steps and a swaying waist.
Only Giyu Tomioka remained standing there.
His right hand, which had been hooked through his palm, hung stiffly in mid-air, his fingers slightly curled, as if the lingering, excruciating tingling sensation still remained.
A suspicious red flush involuntarily rose at the base of my ears.
"What advice do you have for me in terms of daily life?"
Giyu's brain CPU once again sounded the alarm, indicating it was overloaded.
"Does this woman even realize what kind of danger signal that action she just made represents in human social etiquette?!"
"Hey!! Giyu!! What are you standing there for?"
Sabito, who had reached the courtyard gate, turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hurry up and let's go eat at the Butterfly Mansion!!"
"I'm starving!!"
"I need to eat eight bowls of rice to calm myself down from today's shock!!"
Giyu snapped out of his daze, clenched his fist and pulled it back to his side, forcibly suppressing the strange heat.
"They've arrived."
He started walking, preparing to catch up with the Sabito.
"Giyu."
The paper door of the Japanese-style room was suddenly pulled open a crack again.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's gentle voice came out and called out to him directly.
"You stay here!"
"Come to the inner room, I have something to say to you alone!"
Giyu paused in his steps.
He turned his head and looked at the half-open paper door.
"My Oyakata-sama, have someone stay behind to speak with you?"
His intuition told him that the following conversation would definitely not be about resolving Kanae's complaints about Seiju.
Rather, it was a massive change that would alter his entire swordsmanship career.
"Yes, my Master."
Giyu turned around and walked towards the quiet inner room.