Tamayo

Kujo Tachibana stayed at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters for another week.

He spent the time working with Ubuyashiki Kagaya to refine the Demon Slayer Corps Talent Selection Plan.

He also met some people he needed to meet, including Himejima Gyomei, who had already become the Stone Hashira, and several veteran Hashira.

One of them was Flame Hashira Rengoku Shinjuro, the father of the future Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro.

At this point, Rengoku Shinjuro was just as warm and cheerful as Kyojuro would be in the future.

Kujo Tachibana got along very well with him. After Shinjuro repeatedly invited him, Tachibana even went to visit the Rengoku Family.

Kyojuro, who was only a few years younger than Tachibana, had to call him "Uncle Kujo"...

One day, after Kujo Tachibana and Rengoku Shinjuro returned from sparring at the Rengoku Family's training ground,

Tachibana told Shinjuro some terrible news.

Just moments earlier, while they were sparring, Tachibana had opened up his senses and accidentally detected that Shinjuro's wife, Rengoku Ruka, might have a health problem.

When Tachibana told him, Shinjuro didn't believe it at first.

As far as he knew, his wife had always been in good health. Since they'd married, she had never once mentioned having a cold or fever.

But Kujo Tachibana simply looked at him with a serious expression and said:

"I wish that weren't the case either."

"But this ability of mine has never been wrong."

"Shinjuro, feel my breathing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tachibana exhaled.

He used Flame Breathing to draw in a gentle breath.

"Vmm..."

A faint, searing sensation slowly spread toward Rengoku Shinjuro, who was standing beside him.

Shinjuro's expression changed at once, and he exclaimed:

"What!"

"How is that possible!"

"How can you use Flame Breathing too?"

"And your level of mastery... how did you do that?"

Rengoku Shinjuro couldn't help pressing him for an answer.

Kujo Tachibana exhaled the air in his lungs and switched back to Thunder Breathing before replying:

"This is the highest realm a swordsman can reach."

"It's called the Transparent World!"

"You should look through the old family records later. There may be something about it in there."

"I won't go into the details."

"In short, I can see... no, I should say I can sense the body's internal structure and the slightest changes within it."

"Not only that, I can control my own body and use Flame Breathing, even though it isn't naturally suited to me."

"And your wife, Ruka... her condition doesn't look good from what I can sense."

"Her life force is too weak. More specifically, there may be something wrong with her heart."

"And it's probably been that way for quite a while. Why hasn't she told you?"

Kujo Tachibana looked at Rengoku Shinjuro curiously.

Shinjuro's mind had gone blank. All he wanted was to find his wife, Ruka, as quickly as possible and confirm whether it was true!

Rengoku Ruka was mending clothes in the bedroom when the two men suddenly barged in. She looked at them in confusion and asked:

"Shinjuro, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Rengoku Shinjuro looked at his wife solemnly and asked:

"Ruka, tell me. Have you been feeling unwell lately?"

Ruka paused, then gently touched her chest with her right hand. Frowning, she replied:

"I have, a little, but it's just an old problem. It shouldn't be anything serious, so I didn't want to trouble you with it."

Her answer made Shinjuro's heart tighten.

All he could do was turn helplessly toward Kujo Tachibana behind him.

Tachibana carefully examined Rengoku Ruka's heart, then shook his head. The structure of her heart valves was somewhat different from that of an ordinary person.

It was probably a congenital heart condition, but unfortunately, he hadn't been a doctor back on the Blue Star in his previous life.

He had no idea how to treat it.

Kujo Tachibana looked directly at the two of them and said:

"It's serious. You should prepare yourselves."

"Get a doctor!"

After seeing the doctor out, Rengoku Shinjuro found Kujo Tachibana, looking utterly dejected.

"The doctor said Ruka has an incurable illness. There's no treatment!"

"Tachibana, can you do anything?"

"You must be able to do something, right?"

Rengoku Shinjuro's eyes were full of pleading.

Kujo Tachibana thought it over. In the Demon Slayer World, someone who could treat this sort of illness...

Muzan might be able to help. Of course, that didn't mean turning her into a demon!

Muzan had spent over a thousand years trying to overcome his weakness to sunlight.

In particular, he had accumulated a terrifying amount of knowledge in biology and medicine.

Even if Muzan had no talent for it and was a complete idiot, one could imagine how much he might learn after a thousand years.

But Muzan definitely wouldn't help them save her...

Fortunately, besides Muzan, there was another demon whose expertise was a better fit.

Miss Tamayo, who lived in Asakusa, Tokyo!

Before Muzan turned her into a demon, Miss Tamayo had been a highly skilled doctor.

And for the hundreds of years since becoming a demon, she had continued to treat people.

Kujo Tachibana thought to himself:

She's a good demon. Maybe she can help.

But Miss Tamayo was still a demon, and Rengoku Shinjuro might not be willing to trust her.

After considering it carefully, Tachibana looked at Shinjuro and said:

"I heard that foreigners have opened a hospital in Asakusa, Tokyo. Their medical care is far more advanced than Japan's."

"I think you should go there and see what they can do. Maybe they'll be able to treat her."

Of course, if the foreign hospital couldn't help either,

Kujo Tachibana would have to ask Miss Tamayo.

That afternoon, Rengoku Shinjuro, frantic with worry, sent a letter to the Master.

Then he set out with his entire family.

Kujo Tachibana went with them, too.

If he didn't, who would help them find Miss Tamayo when the time came?

Seeing how much Kujo Tachibana cared about their family's troubles moved the Rengoku family deeply.

The brothers Kyojuro and Senjuro grew more and more accustomed to calling him "Uncle Kujo."

Two days later, they arrived in Asakusa.

After accompanying the Rengoku family to a foreign-run hospital, Kujo Tachibana finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness the foreigners had opened a hospital here...

He led Rengoku Shinjuro to a corner of the hospital.

Then Tachibana said:

"Shinjuro, you should have her examined at this foreign-run hospital first. I know of a few other renowned doctors in Tokyo."

"I'll go look for them. If I find anything out, I'll come back to the hospital tonight."

With that, Kujo Tachibana turned and left. Miss Tamayo was a good demon, and he wanted to meet her, too.