Information on Muzan

Pushing open the door to the hospital room, Chiba Yo saw Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and the boy wearing a boar's head mask inside. Zenitsu was already asleep, while Tanjiro lay on his bed with his head tilted, smiling at the other two.

"Yo..."

When he saw Chiba Yo, Tanjiro called out in pleasant surprise.

Chiba Yo gestured for him to keep his voice down, then pointed at Zenitsu. Tanjiro understood, nodded, and fell silent.

"Is your sister all right?"

Walking over to Tanjiro, Chiba Yo asked him quietly.

"She's fine. She's asleep now. Whenever she gets hurt, she recovers by sleeping," Tanjiro replied with a smile.

Seeing that they were talking, Aoi Kanzaki quietly stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"That's good."

Chiba Yo fell silent for a moment, then said to Tanjiro, "Don't resent the Hashira for their attitude, either. Demons eat people and must be killed-that belief has long been deeply ingrained in them.

"All the demons they've encountered have preyed on humans. They've witnessed countless tragedies caused by demons, which is why they treated you and your sister that way.

"After all, apart from your sister, they've never seen a demon that doesn't eat people.

"They're people who sacrifice everything to kill demons and protect humanity. Countless lives have survived only because of their protection. That's why they're so respected.

"That man who speaks very loudly and seems so cheerful and passionate is my teacher, as well as the Demon Slayer Corps' Flame Hashira. After demons attacked my village, he took me in as his Tsuguko and taught me everything he knew without holding anything back. He takes very good care of me, and everyone else, too.

"He only wanted to execute you and your sister because he didn't believe what you said. Now, he's willing to accept you both for the time being."

Chiba Yo had spoken at length because he didn't want this incident to give Tanjiro the wrong impression of the other Hashira. In his eyes, they were all worthy of great respect.

Tanjiro listened quietly without interrupting. Once Chiba Yo finished, he smiled and said, "Of course I won't resent them. Nezuko's situation really is unusual, after all. It's only natural for them to react that way when they don't know about her."

Hearing Tanjiro's answer, Chiba Yo smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

But Tanjiro continued, "Still, that guy covered in scars stabbed Nezuko so many times that it really made me angry. I wouldn't go so far as to resent him, but I really want to give him a couple of headbutts!

"Headbutting him wouldn't count as breaking Corps rules, would it?"

Recalling the scene, Tanjiro looked angry again. He pressed his lips together and puffed out his cheeks, practically steaming with anger, looking much like Nezuko had at the time.

"Pfft..."

Chiba Yo couldn't help laughing at Tanjiro's expression, then said, "It's understandable that you feel that way, but Mr. Sanemi is a lot stronger than you. Even if Corps rules allowed it, you probably wouldn't manage to land those two headbutts.

"And... Mr. Sanemi has suffered a great deal, too..."

Chiba Yo didn't elaborate. That involved matters between Genya and Sanemi, after all, and he had no intention of telling others without Genya's permission.

I wonder how Genya's doing now. Did he manage to become Mr. Gyomei's student? With Mr. Sanemi right there earlier, I didn't dare ask...

Chiba Yo's thoughts drifted.

After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Chiba Yo asked Tanjiro, "The Master said you met Muzan Kibutsuji. Could you tell me about him?"

This was another important reason he had come to visit Tanjiro and Zenitsu. Muzan was now the one he hated most, so after learning that Tanjiro had encountered him, Chiba Yo naturally wanted to know the details.

Tanjiro gathered his thoughts, then replied, "I met him at a marketplace. He was posing as a human and living among them. He was holding a human girl, and the woman beside him who called him her husband was human, too."

Even as he spoke, remembering what had happened still left Tanjiro shaken.

"He looked exactly like a young human man himself. He was tall and slender, with pale skin and plum-red eyes. I hate to say it, but he really was good-looking, no different from a human.

"If it weren't for his scent, I probably wouldn't have recognized him as a demon.

"When I found him, I was so angry that I immediately wanted to kill him to avenge my family. But seeing him living right alongside humans left me frozen in disbelief. Then he quickly attacked a human nearby and turned him into a demon.

"I had no choice but to protect the people around us first, and Muzan slipped away in the confusion."

After hearing Tanjiro's account, Chiba Yo had gained some understanding of Muzan. To him, the most useful information was that Muzan disguised himself as a human and lived among them.

On the other hand, Tanjiro's description of what had happened left Chiba Yo shaken as well. He also felt that Tanjiro had acted rather rashly.

They had been surrounded by humans. If Muzan had unleashed his power, very few of them would likely have survived. Tanjiro could already be considered extremely lucky with how things had turned out.

"You were a little reckless, Tanjiro." Although he knew saying it outright would certainly upset Tanjiro, Chiba Yo still intended to make his opinion clear.

Otherwise, if Tanjiro mishandled a similar situation next time, not only could many people die, but it would likely leave deep scars in Tanjiro's heart as well.

Tanjiro lowered his head. He had already realized afterward how reckless he had been. He had also felt guilty when that human turned into a demon, but fortunately, he had met Tamayo soon afterward, and she had saved the man.

"Yes, I understand now. If something like that happens again, I'll be more careful," Tanjiro said.

"Then I won't say anything more. Thank you for telling me all this."

Seeing that Tanjiro already understood, Chiba Yo said no more and thanked him with a smile.

"If you need help with anything later, you can come to me. When I don't have a mission, I can give you all some guidance, too. But that will have to wait until your injuries heal. For now, just focus on recovering," Chiba Yo told Tanjiro.

"All right," Tanjiro answered with a smile.

After they said their goodbyes, Chiba Yo left the room. Zenitsu still hadn't woken up, and Chiba Yo didn't disturb him.

On his way back to his own mansion, which the Demon Slayer Corps had assigned him as a Hashira, Chiba Yo considered what he should do if he found himself in Tanjiro's situation. How could he kill the demon without letting the surrounding humans get caught in the fight?

In the end, he could think of only two methods: either avoid the humans and kill the demon instantly, or find a way to lure the demon somewhere deserted before fighting him.

Chiba Yo felt the second method was safer. Not only would the first cause a huge commotion, but if he failed to kill the demon in one strike, the people nearby would still have little chance of surviving.

So how could I lure a demon somewhere deserted...?

After thinking for a while, Chiba Yo still couldn't come up with a suitable method.

I still don't have enough experience hunting demons. I'll ask my teacher tomorrow...