Sun Hashira

The voice was extraordinarily gentle; merely hearing it brought a sense of peace and comfort.

Then Chiba Yo got a clear look at the man who had emerged from the residence.

The upper half of his face was almost entirely disfigured, but the unblemished parts alone revealed that he was a handsome man. He wore a smile, his expression as serene and unshakable as that of a god or Buddha.

Was he the man who led the entire Demon Slayer Corps? His voice was so gentle. Was his face like that because of an illness or injury?

This was Chiba Yo's first time meeting Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and those thoughts crossed his mind as he studied the man's appearance.

"Good morning, everyone. We have lovely weather today."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki raised his head to feel the sunlight shining on his face. Its warmth brought comfort even to his body, which was steadily deteriorating under the burden of illness.

"I am very glad that we can hold another Hashira Meeting without having lost anyone."

Whoosh!

The next instant, all nine Hashira dropped to one knee in perfect unison. Seeing this, Chiba Yo knelt on one knee alongside them.

"Nothing could please us more than knowing that you are still in good health, Master. I sincerely pray that your health will continue to improve," Sanemi said respectfully.

"Thank you, Sanemi." Kagaya thanked him with a smile, then continued addressing the Hashira. "This Hashira Meeting is being held somewhat earlier than usual. I imagine you must all be wondering why.

"The main reason for holding it early is the Demon Slayer Corps' newly appointed tenth Hashira."

As Kagaya spoke, he turned toward Chiba Yo. Upon hearing his words, the other nine Hashira all focused their gazes on Chiba Yo as well.

*???*

"Huh?"

Chiba Yo's mind was full of questions. With everyone staring at him, he grew a little flustered.

"Our Demon Slayer Corps has always had nine Hashira. That has essentially never changed. Although there have been times when some Hashira positions were vacant, their numbers have never exceeded nine.

"In part, this is because the requirements for becoming a Hashira are rather demanding: one must slay a member of the Twelve Kizuki or fifty demons. Another reason is that Hashira undertake more dangerous missions and are especially likely to lose their lives.

"But our new Demon Slayer Corps member, Chiba Yo, recently slew Rokuro, Lower Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki, fulfilling the requirements to become a Hashira and breaking the limit of nine Hashira swordsmen.

"This is a blessing for the entire Demon Slayer Corps," Kagaya said, his words flowing with a measured rhythm.

Looking at Chiba Yo, he continued, "Generally, Hashira take their titles from their Breathing Styles. Yo, have you decided what title you would like to use as a Hashira?"

He actually remembered my name all this time...

Chiba Yo was not puzzled that Kagaya knew his name. After all, when Kyojuro had taken him on as his Tsuguko, he had reported the matter to Oyakata-sama. Chiba Yo guessed that was when Kagaya had learned his name.

What surprised Chiba Yo, however, was that Kagaya, the leader of an organization with as many members as the Demon Slayer Corps, would remember the name of an ordinary member like him. His fondness for Oyakata-sama grew considerably.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will take the title of Sun Hashira." Though he still did not quite understand what was happening, Chiba Yo answered Kagaya's question first.

He chose that title because the character for "sun" was connected to both his Breathing Style and his name, making Sun Hashira a fitting choice.

Upon hearing Chiba Yo's answer, Kagaya nodded.

The other Hashira still looked puzzled. They had yet to understand why the Hashira Meeting had been called early. Surely, one member's promotion to Hashira alone was no reason to bring the meeting forward.

But Kagaya soon cleared up their confusion.

"Now, let us discuss the reason I called the Hashira Meeting early. Yo, I learned from your Kasugai crow's report that you have a distinctive Demon Slayer Mark on your body.

"That is why I called this meeting early. I hope you can tell the other Hashira here what conditions cause the mark to appear," Kagaya said to Chiba Yo, his tone carrying a request.

"A Demon Slayer Mark?!" The other nine Hashira were bewildered by Kagaya's words. They had never heard of such a thing.

A Demon Slayer Mark! That was the term my teacher's father mentioned.

Unlike the other nine Hashira, Chiba Yo had heard the term before. During his last visit to Kyojuro's home, Kyojuro's father had mentioned it. At the time, he had been utterly confused, with no idea what it meant. Now he was hearing it again from the Master.

Kagaya continued explaining, "It is said that during the Sengoku era, a group of swordsmen who used Origin Breathing came close to slaying Muzan Kibutsuji. All of them had marks resembling demonic brands appear on their bodies.

"But this is, after all, only a legend, so very few people know of it."

After hearing Kagaya's explanation, the Hashira roughly understood what a Demon Slayer Mark was. Put simply, it was a mark that appeared on the bodies of powerful fighters. In other words, it was quite possible that it could increase a person's strength.

Chiba Yo fell silent. He had always believed that the strange mark on his forehead was an ill omen. Because of it, his father had abandoned him and his mother, leaving them to live in bitter hardship. The burden had also caused his mother to fall gravely ill.

He had even blamed the mark on his forehead for drawing a demon to the village and had been consumed by guilt over it. Now, for the first time, he learned the origin of what he had always considered an ill omen.

After learning this, Sanemi asked Kagaya in confusion, "This is the first I've heard of it. Why did you keep it from us before?"

Hearing Sanemi's question, Oyakata-sama turned toward him and replied, "Because many outstanding swordsmen, after learning of this, exhausted themselves worrying and sank into despair when no mark appeared on their bodies... We had no choice but to keep it secret."

He then added, "Too many details concerning the transmission of knowledge about the marks remain unclear. Whether people at the time failed to give this phenomenon sufficient attention, or whether the knowledge was inadvertently lost during one of the several crises that nearly destroyed our organization, can no longer be determined."

"Only a single passage has survived in writing:

[Whenever a marked swordsman appears, more marked swordsmen will emerge around him one after another, as though resonating with him.]"

"This was recorded in the personal notes of a swordsman who used Origin Breathing in that era. In our own era, you are the first person to manifest a mark."

After finishing, Kagaya looked at Chiba Yo.

"Sorry for the trouble." As he spoke, Kagaya bowed his head slightly to Chiba Yo.

If it meant strengthening the Demon Slayer Corps so that they could destroy Muzan, he was willing to give anything, even his life, let alone his dignity as their leader.

"Master..." Kagaya's gesture left Chiba Yo at a loss. The other Hashira's earlier behavior had made their heartfelt respect for the Master clear, yet now Kagaya was bowing his head to him. It left him deeply flustered.

At the same time, the fact that Kagaya, as the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, could make such a request of one of his subordinates filled Chiba Yo with respect for him as well.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Chiba Yo said helplessly, "I'm very sorry..."