The Appointment of a Hashira!

Just as the atmosphere grew tense once again—

"Creeeak—"

The thick wooden door to the medical department, which had been closed for a long time, was finally pushed open from inside.

A female doctor in a white coat, apparently in her thirties, came out.

She had delicate features, but the exhaustion around her eyes was impossible to hide. Even so, her eyes were remarkably bright.

She spotted the two people waiting in the corridor at once. The sight of the Master sitting there, in particular, made her freeze for a moment.

Her expression immediately turned respectful, with a touch of surprise at the honor. She hurried over, stopped a few steps away, and bowed deeply.

"Lord Flame Hashira, Master."

"Please, there's no need for that, doctor."

Ubuyashiki spoke gently. "How is Giyu?"

Without even thinking, Shinjuro stepped forward and asked urgently in his booming voice:

"Doctor! How's the kid?! He's still alive, right? Can he still move his arms and legs?!"

The doctor straightened up and took a deep breath, as though trying to calm her excitement.

She looked at the two men, the shock in her eyes still undiminished. She gathered her thoughts before speaking clearly, though she could not conceal her amazement.

"Lord Giyu Tomioka... he, he's simply..."

She paused, seemingly unable to find the right words, before finally saying what was on her mind:

"~~~He's simply not human!!!"

Her words left both Ubuyashiki and Shinjuro stunned.

The doctor continued her professional report at a rapid pace, the disbelief in her voice growing stronger.

"Severe physical exhaustion throughout his body... at least thirty bones fractured to varying degrees... extensive, severe muscle tears... and blood loss that reached an extremely dangerous level..."

She shook her head, then changed tack, the shock in her eyes reaching its peak.

"But! His vitality and powers of recovery are terrifyingly strong!! They defy medical common sense!"

"There seems to be some indescribable, exceptionally active vitality circulating on its own inside his body, repairing those terrible injuries like crazy."

"The rate of cell regeneration and metabolism both far exceed those of a normal human, even..."

She hesitated, but said it anyway.

"They even reminded me of a demon's regenerative abilities. Of course, the nature of the two is completely different!!!"

"Our medical department has done everything it can, but the main force behind his recovery seems to come from his own body!"

The doctor's face showed confusion and amazement, as well as a hint of the excitement a medical researcher felt upon witnessing a miracle.

"At this rate, with our supportive treatment, he'll probably need only... a week, ten days at most, to make a full recovery!"

"And judging by the quality of the repair, it's very likely he won't have any lasting effects that would hinder him in battle!"

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Shinjuro's mouth fell open, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

His gold-and-red eyes were wide, and his head buzzed.

A week?

A full recovery?

No lasting effects?!

He recalled the worst injury he had ever suffered.

It had happened when he was protecting his companions during a mission to slay a demon with a troublesome Blood Demon Art. His chest and abdomen had been pierced through, seven or eight ribs broken, and his internal organs shaken.

He had spent more than three full months in the medical department before he could barely fight again. Even now, his chest still ached faintly on rainy days.

But compared to that kid Giyu's injuries...

Shinjuro suddenly felt that, at most, his own injury had been like taking an accidental tumble.

"Fuck..."

Shinjuro cursed without thinking, then immediately remembered that the Master was present. He quickly coughed twice to cover it up, but he could not hide the shock and sense of absurdity on his face.

"How, how... how the hell can there be such a huge difference between people?!"

"That kid... he's not really a demon wearing human skin, is he?!"

His voice was full of disbelief and a kind of admiration that left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who had been sitting quietly all this time, listened to the doctor's detailed account. A particularly gentle smile slowly appeared on his face.

"What an... extraordinary young man."

He sighed softly, his voice full of undisguised appreciation and anticipation.

He was not at all surprised by Giyu's inhuman powers of recovery, as though he had expected it all along.

Ubuyashiki turned his head slightly and nodded to a Kasugai Crow that had been waiting quietly in the shadow of a corridor pillar.

"Pass on my orders."

His voice was gentle, but carried an unquestionable decisiveness as it echoed clearly down the corridor.

"First, transfer the finest healing medicines in the Demon Slayer Corps' stores to the medical department immediately, regardless of type."

"Use the best resources available to ensure Giyu Tomioka receives the most thorough treatment."

"Whatever he needs, provide it."

"Second,"

Ubuyashiki paused, his grayish-white eyes seeming to gaze into the distant future. His tone grew even more solemn.

"Once Giyu Tomioka has recovered from his injuries~~~"

He announced clearly, enunciating every word:

"Promote him directly to the position of the Demon Slayer Corps' Water Hashira!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the corridor fell silent again, but this time it was a stunned, deathly silence.

Even the usually boisterous Shinjuro was utterly dumbfounded.

Then a radiant smile, without a trace of gloom, spread across his face, and he slapped his thigh hard.

"Good! That's how it should be! A wise decision, Oyakata-sama!!!"

He was genuinely happy for Giyu and applauded Oyakata-sama's decisiveness.

A thirteen-year-old Water Hashira? Unprecedented!

But if it was the kid who had performed the miracle of slaying a Lower Rank... it somehow seemed only natural.

The doctor, too, looked surprised and then understanding. She bowed slightly.

"Yes, Master. We'll do everything in our power."

The magnificent Kasugai Crow nodded and let out a clear caw.

Then he flapped his wings and took flight, swiftly spreading the order that was destined to shake the entire Demon Slayer Corps once again.

The sun was still just as scorching, but the atmosphere in the corridor had completely changed.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki remained seated quietly, facing the medical room door, the smile never leaving his face.

The Demon Slayer Corps was about to welcome its new, and youngest, Hashira.