Tanjiro wrapped himself tightly in his large, thick coat, looking like a Shiba Inu who had done something wrong and was afraid of being abandoned by his owner.
The two of them wandered aimlessly along the quiet corridors of the Butterfly Mansion, one after the other.
"That..."
Tanjiro quickened his pace slightly and moved closer to Giyu's side.
He swallowed hard, his voice betraying his nervousness.
"Mr. Giyu... my mother, Nezuko, Takeo and the others... are they all doing well?"
"When I transformed into a demon, I looked so terrifying, were they scared?! Was anyone injured in the chaos?"
Giyu was walking ahead, stopped.
He looked at the red-haired boy staring at him expectantly, his face filled with guilt and trepidation, and sighed silently in his heart.
This kid's sense of responsibility is always so heavy that it leaves you speechless.
"They are fine; not a single hair is missing."
"I didn't lose an arm or a leg. I was a little traumatized, but it was all within the range that a normal person could handle."
Hearing this emotionless report, Tanjiro didn't feel awkward at all; on the contrary, he felt reassured.
"That's great... that's really great..."
Tanjiro let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes instantly reddening.
Two lines of tears uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.
"As long as everyone is safe and sound, I'd be willing to go to hell right now..."
Seeing Tanjiro so moved that Giyu his eyes out, a barely perceptible hint of tenderness flashed across Giyu's perpetually expressionless face.
He has always been a man who is bad with words; when faced with other people's tears, his usual procedure is to turn around and walk away.
But this time,
Giyu stretched out his evil hand and landed on Tanjiro's dark red short hair.
I rubbed it twice with very, very force.
"I've arranged for the Kakushi Division to escort them out of Mount Kumotori overnight and transfer them to the most secluded safe house. They have now safely arrived at Mount Sagiri!!"
"Mount Sagiri?!!"
Tanjiro, ignoring his tears, suddenly raised his head, his wine-red eyes bursting with ecstatic light.
"Mr. Giyu... you actually placed them in such a safe place..."
Tanjiro was so moved he was speechless; he was practically ready to give Giyu a deep, ninety-degree bow on the spot.
"Your kindness is beyond measure; I, Tanjiro Kamado, would gladly serve you like a slave..."
No need to thank me yet.
Giyu rudely interrupted Tanjiro's self-indulgent reverie, withdrawing his hand and crossing it back over his chest.
"Not just your family!! After this incident is over, you must pack your bags immediately and head to Mount Sagiri."
"I want to go too?!"
He originally thought that since he had committed the heinous crime of almost eating his family, the Demon Slayer Corps would keep a close watch on him and even imprison him for life in a dark and sunless dungeon.
To his surprise, Mr. Giyu not only didn't blame him, but even let him go to Mount Sagiri to reunite with his family!
What tolerance and gentleness this is!
"You seem to have the illusion that you're going on vacation to Mount Sagiri."
Seeing the happy smile gradually spreading across Tanjiro's face, the Water Hashira Pillar dutifully picked up a basin of ice water and poured it over Tanjiro's head.
"You're going to Mount Sagiri not for a family getaway, you're going there to cultivate yourself."
"Your current strength is so weak it's embarrassing to even look at!! Any random Lower Rank demon could easily crush you in the mud!!"
"If you don't want to become a burden to your family again, and if you don't want to have your sanity easily taken away by evil spirits again, you must strive to grow under the guidance of Master Urokodaki."
Hearing this stern reprimand, Tanjiro not only did not back down, but nodded vigorously and clenched his fists.
"Yes!! I will definitely train with all my might!! I will absolutely not let Mr. Giyu and everyone else down!!"
However, the smile that Tanjiro had just developed because of his renewed fighting spirit didn't last more than three seconds.
You're celebrating too soon.
Giyu put his hands back into his sleeves.
"You don't really think you can sneak away and pretend nothing happened by becoming a demon who has overcome sunlight, do you?"
Tanjiro's smile froze instantly.
He swallowed hard, a bad feeling suddenly creeping into his heart.
"Mr. Yi... Giyu, do you mean...?"
"What I mean is, I personally wrote a secret letter and reported every single word of the information that you were transformed into a demon by the Ubuyashiki Kasugai Crow and overcame the sunlight to Master Ubuyashiki."
With the most nonchalant tone, Giyu dropped a bombshell comparable to a meteorite hitting the Earth.
"Why?!!"
Tanjiro's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an apple, and he was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning.
It was actually Mr. Giyu who voluntarily reported it?!
Isn't this just pushing him straight into a fire pit?!
Seeing Tanjiro's stunned expression, as if the sky had fallen, Giyu unusually spent a few more words to explain.
"Don't look at me like that, that's the best way I can think of!!"
"A perfect demon that has overcome sunlight—once this secret is accidentally discovered by other pillars or the Kakushi Division, the nature of the crime becomes 'the Water Hashira harboring a high-ranking demon attempting to rebel.'"
"At that time, you won't even have a chance to explain before you're beheaded on the spot. Your family, Urokodaki- sensei, and even Tamayo and Shinobu Kocho who helped you will all be considered accomplices and purged."
"Only by confessing and laying everything out in the open can you earn a chance to be tried, instead of being secretly executed as a monster!... Do you understand?"
Tanjiro suddenly realized.
It turns out that behind Mr. Giyu's seemingly heartless actions lay such a well-thought-out protection!
To protect him, Giyu even went so far as to deliberately provoke the Demon Slayer Corps' most sensitive nerve.
"I understand! Mr. Giyu, I understand all your good intentions!"
Tanjiro was moved to tears once again.
"Don't be so moved yet, the trouble has only just begun."
Giyu ruthlessly interrupted Tanjiro's torrent of tears.
"Because this intelligence is far too sensitive, the Master has issued the highest-level emergency order. The Hashira Meeting will be convened two days earlier than scheduled."
"The sole agenda item for this meeting is defining your identity as Tanjiro Kamado, and discussing whether you should live or be released from this world."
Upon hearing the words "Hashira Meeting," Tanjiro felt his legs begin to weaken and go limp.
That's the Ultimate Inquisition, representing the Demon Slayer Corps' highest fighting strength and most ruthless methods!
"Mr. Giyu... what will the other Pillars think of me... someone who once became a demon?"
Tanjiro's voice began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Does that even need to be asked?"
Without even a second of hesitation, Giyu delivered the most vivid and despairing profile.
"The Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, will definitely draw his Nichirin Blade the moment he sees you."
"The Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro, will use that sarcastic tone to belittle you to the point that you're not even worth a worm in the mud."
"..."
Listening to Giyu's vivid and detailed "analysis of the case at the Hashira Meeting"
Tanjiro felt an extremely cold chill rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
This doesn't look like going to a meeting!
This is clearly an invitation for him to personally attend his own memorial service!
And not just any corpse, but one that isn't even left intact!
"Then... what should I do?"
Tanjiro looked at Giyu as if he had grasped a straw that could save him from the raging waves.
"Clean up your own mess."
Giyu decisively shifted the blame, even taking a slight step back, as if to distance himself from Tanjiro.
"I saved your life at Mount Kumotori, carried you back to the Butterfly Mansion, and even submitted a report to the Master on your behalf. I have done more than enough."
"If the pillars gang up on me at the Hashira Meeting, I don't have the time to argue and debate with each of them individually."
Giyu confidently articulated his philosophy of slacking off.
"At the Hashira Meeting, you'll have to face those hot-tempered guys in person!!"
"If you don't even have the courage and reason to persuade them, and you can't prove your will as a human being, then you might as well find a good feng shui corner in the Butterfly Mansion and end your own life."
These words can be described as utterly heartless.
But Tanjiro wasn't stupid; he managed to discern a deeply hidden expectation between the cold lines.
He knew that Mr. Giyu was forcing him to grow up, to confront the mistakes he had made, and to take on all the responsibilities of being a human being!
"I see!"
Tanjiro took a deep breath, his trembling legs steadied, and a resolute light rekindled in his wine-red eyes.
"I will personally prove to all the Pillars that I will never succumb to the power of demons! I will never become a threat to humanity!"
Seeing the unwavering determination in Tanjiro's eyes, Giyu silently nodded in his heart.
Just when Tanjiro thought the conversation was over...
Giyu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned around to face Tanjiro, and his previously calm, deep blue eyes underwent a startling change at that moment.
His pupils narrowed slightly, and [Transparent World] activated at full power!
Tanjiro felt a sudden tightness throughout his body as Giyu's sharp gaze pierced through his bones, meridians, and blood vessels, even reaching the deepest part of his soul!
Under this overwhelming gaze, Tanjiro felt he had absolutely no secrets.
In Giyu's view, Tanjiro's body had indeed fully recovered all of his human vital signs.
But.
Deep within the hidden neurons of the cerebral cortex, a small, faint, yet extremely stubborn, dark red shadow still huddled.
"It seems... Tamayo's Demon Transformation Medicine Agent didn't work at all?"
Tanjiro's heart skipped a beat, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He never expected that Mr. Giyu could see so clearly even that the evil voice still lingered in his mind!
"That guy... he was just trying to entice me with threats in my head."
Tanjiro lowered his head in shame, his hands clasped together like a child caught red-handed doing something wrong.
"Listen carefully, Tanjiro Kamado."
Giyu's tone was more serious than ever before, and he warned, word by word.
"The temptations of evil are everywhere!!"
"That shadow lurking deep within your consciousness, though now weak enough to only spout empty words, will remain like a venomous snake, lurking in your soul."
"It will emerge when you encounter an invincible foe, when you feel extreme anger and despair because you are powerless to protect your family..."
"It will tell you that as long as you borrow its power, you can crush all obstacles and become the master of life and death."
"But you must remember!! Power always comes at a price!!"
"The moment you feel even the slightest desire for that power in a desperate situation, the moment you reach out to it, your will will be devoured by it, leaving not a trace."
"By then, you will be nothing more than a terrifying puppet that knows only how to kill."
Giyu, seeing Tanjiro's pupils contract violently, issued... his final ultimatum.
"If your mind is not strong enough, you may be bewitched and possessed by that disgusting personality again."
"..."
I hope you understand!
Tanjiro trembled under the weight of the merciless killing intent, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
But he did not take a single step back.
Those wine-red eyes held no impurities, only unwavering purity.
"I understand!! Mr. Giyu!!"
"I absolutely... absolutely will not let that monster touch my body again!"
"... Even if I'm beaten to death, even if I'm shattered to pieces, I will live on as a human being, with dignity!!"
Looking into the boy's eyes, I saw an unwavering determination, pure and unadulterated.
Giyu's fingers, which had been gripping the hilt of the sword, finally loosened.
"Before the pillars,"
Surprisingly, a hint of protectiveness crept into Giyu's originally cold tone.
"As long as you don't abandon your basic human decency."
"I... will stand by your side."
Tanjiro was stunned.
He stared blankly at the man who had turned back to him, leaving him with a broad back, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
This man always speaks so harshly, yet he always manages to bring unparalleled warmth and a sense of security.
"Remember what you said today!! Go back to your ward!!"
Giyu didn't look back. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he slowly walked to the end of the corridor.
At the same time.
In an alternate dimension far removed from the real world.
Infinity Castle.
"Cough cough... Ugh--!"
Inside the spacious central attic, Kibutsuji lay sprawled on the ornate tatami mats, looking utterly disheveled.
The worst part was the right side of his body.
Muzan struggled to move his body, then vomited a large mouthful of foul-smelling black blood.
His once handsome, pale face was now contorted to the extreme, his features almost squeezed together, making him look as ferocious as could be.
"It's over... the connection has been completely severed!"
Muzan gripped the edge of the tatami mat with his left hand, his sharp nails tearing the expensive straw mat into pieces, leaving five deep claw marks on the wooden board.
In his sensory network.
That perfect experimental subject seemed to have vanished into thin air!
"How is this possible?!"
Muzan's seven hearts pounded violently in his chest, causing spasms of panic.
Was that brat killed on the spot by Giyu Tomioka?