The mountain road to the Swordsmith Village was rugged.
The Five Hashira and the Sapphire Star, along with the Kakushi members carrying them, formed a silent, somewhat strange procession as they made their way through the mountain mist.
Although the Sapphire Star's eyes were securely blindfolded, her five senses were far sharper than an ordinary person's.
Hikigusa's heartbeat was clearly getting faster and faster beneath her...
The Sapphire Star's height was one thing, but her equipment alone weighed several hundred pounds. Poor Hikigusa really had her work cut out for her~
The mountain path was steep, and feeling one's way through thick fog with a person on one's back was no easy task. Hikigusa was not the only one struggling.
"Huff... heave-ho!" Not far away, someone let out a pained, restrained gasp. It was the tall, burly Kakushi member carrying Gyomei Himejima.
Though it was hard to say who had it worse-him or Hikigusa, with her several-hundred-pound burden...
Himejima was built like a walking mountain. With every step his carrier took, the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble. Strained grunts caught in his throat, as though an enormous bronze cauldron were crushing the breath out of him. Every jolt made his heavy panting even more frantic.
The Sapphire Star was afraid he might drop dead halfway there. Her hand was already poised to toss some Lifepowder at any moment.
Things were hardly better on the other side. Tengen Uzui was not as massive as Himejima, but his extravagant accessories were certainly no lightweight burden.
The lankier Kakushi member carrying him swayed with every step, wheezing like a worn-out bellows. Small, pained whimpers escaped his lips. "Ugh... Lord Tengen... your... diamonds... they're digging into my shoulder... it's about to break..." His voice was faint and tearful.
Meanwhile, Tengen Uzui shifted comfortably on his back, fiddling with the remaining fragments of his flashy earrings as he muttered, "Hmm... once we reach the village... I'll have to ask whether they can set some bigger gems in the new ones... can't compromise on flashiness..."
Listening to the distinct chorus of labored breaths and groans around her, and feeling Hikigusa's increasingly rapid heartbeat and heavy footsteps beneath her, the Sapphire Star finally could not take it anymore.
"Hikigusa... are you really okay? I can feel how fast your heart's beating... how about... you put me down for a bit? I could try holding your hand and walking part of the way myself! I can keep my footing even with a blindfold! I promise I won't fall!" she offered, hoping to lighten Hikigusa's burden.
"No! Lady Sapphire Star!" Hikigusa immediately answered, her voice breathless.
"Escorting you swordsmen safely and secretly to the Swordsmith Village without revealing your movements is one of the Kakushi's most important duties!" She drew a deep breath, trying to steady her frantic panting.
"Huff, huff... please, please remain seated... I-I really... am fine! Huff, huff... the... mission... must be... huff, huff... cough, cough..."
The Sapphire Star reluctantly swallowed the rest of her words and sighed softly. She could feel Hikigusa's whole body trembling with her coughs, so she could only relax as much as possible and try to make herself feel lighter on Hikigusa's back...
Much later, night was approaching.
The six mighty warriors finally set foot at the village entrance, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Ha! We're finally here!" Kyojuro Rengoku was the first to jump down. Brimming with energy, he brushed the dust from his haori and laughed heartily before turning to Himejima. "Mr. Himejima, I hear that special student of yours is already in this village?"
Himejima pressed his palms together, his voice calm. "Yes. Genya arrived ahead of us to have his Nichirin Blade repaired."
"Tch!" Sanemi Shinazugawa sharply turned his head away, a vein briefly twitching at his temple.
Just then, an embarrassingly loud stomach growl rang out.
Grrrrrr-
The Sapphire Star rubbed her stomach with an awkward smile. "Oops, how embarrassing, hehe~ Sorry... I haven't eaten all day, and I'm really..." Before she could say "hungry," a pink figure came skipping out from the village, wreathed in dusk.
"Huh?! What brings everyone here-?!" Mitsuri Kanroji emerged with the fresh, damp air of someone who had just bathed. A yukata hugged her shapely figure, and delight nearly overflowed from her face when she saw them.
"So beautiful, Swordsmith Village~ Oh, isn't that Miss Kanroji! Anyway, let's take a look at that dining hall over there, folks. I'm starving~" The Sapphire Star scratched her head sheepishly.
Kanroji immediately chimed in excitedly. "What a coincidence! I know where young Kamado and Muichiro are! They're chatting together right now! I'm hungry too, so we can invite them along and all go eat something delicious!"
Tengen Uzui had been straightening his flashy clothes. At that, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? That stone-faced brat who can barely get three sentences out? He's actually chatting with someone? That Kamado kid's got some skills! Haha!"
And so the whole group followed the skipping Kanroji through village lanes where cooking smoke was beginning to rise, finally arriving outside a somewhat secluded little house.
When they opened the door, the scene inside seemed oddly frozen.
Tanjiro was kneeling somewhat awkwardly beside the low table in the center of the room. Across from him, Muichiro Tokito's perpetually unfocused eyes reflected the dusk beyond the window, his mind seemingly miles away...
"Tanjiro! Look, everyone's here~ Would anyone like a little snack to tide them over?" Mitsuri Kanroji cheerfully broke the silence, producing delicate Sakura Mochi from inside her clothes as if by magic.
"Snacks?" The Sapphire Star immediately perked up. "Snacks aren't hearty enough! Check out the good stuff I brought!"
Before she had even finished speaking, she dragged an enormous half-rack of roasted meat out from somewhere behind her, its surface golden-brown and glossy, rich fat still dripping from it!
"Premium Roasted Herbivore Dragon ribs! Everyone, dig in, hehe~" Then she pulled a grill out of who knew where.
Fragrant fat dripped onto the grill with a sizzle, sending up an enticing aroma.
Kyojuro Rengoku was just about to raise a cup and loudly praise this unexpected feast when Gyomei Himejima, beside him, had already pressed his palms together. Tears slid silently down his compassionate face.
"Ah... this meat bears the weight of a life. In consuming it, we too bear its karmic consequences..."
"Hahahaha! Mr. Himejima is always so sentimental!"
The Sapphire Star sliced off a large piece of meat and offered it to Tengen. "Care to try some, Wind Hashira? This piece has plenty of connective tissue. Nice and chewy!"
Just then, the shadow beneath the door gave an almost imperceptible wriggle.
"Hungry... so hungry..."
A hunched old man slowly crawled in beneath the door. His cracked lips moved faintly, and an indescribable hunger glimmered in his cloudy eyes.
Upper Rank Four-Hantengu!
As he struggled to raise his head, searching for some isolated, helpless "prey"-
Their eyes met.
Then, refusing to believe it, he rubbed his eyes and looked again-
A little farther to the right, the Mist Hashira was coldly holding a teacup.
The one on the left was the Flame Hashira, still poised with his fork raised to cut into that enormous roast.
In the back, in the middle, stood the Stone Hashira, tear tracks streaking his compassionate face.
Right beside Himejima, the Wind Hashira was glaring at him with savage, vicious eyes.
The Sound Hashira stood at the door, wearing gilded jewelry and a headdress so dazzling they could blind a demon.
And beside him, holding a fork with Sakura Mochi on it, still stunned with surprise-wasn't that the Love Hashira?
At the center of everyone's attention, kneeling beside the low table... wasn't that Tanjiro Kamado, the boy with the sun-patterned hanafuda earrings Lord Muzan had warned them about time and time again?!
And that... that person enthusiastically carving dragon meat radiated a sort of... powerful predator's presence, something that did not belong to this world...
Holy shit, the Sapphire Star!
"One... two..." Hantengu instinctively began counting heads.
"Three... four... five... six... seven?!"
Seven Hashira?! Seven!! Plus that boy with the earrings, and that terrifying hunter?!
"Impossible... an illusion... it's definitely an illusion... I won't disturb you. I'll just be going..." Then Hantengu slowly crawled back out...
And very politely closed the door behind him...
Shing-!
The first blade being drawn instantly shattered the deathly silence.
It was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa. A cyclone of violent green wind blades was already shrieking around his sword!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!
Everyone else drew their weapons right after him. Short blades, broken blades-as long as they could kill a demon, they were good blades!
"Motherfucker, interrupting my dinner! Come on, guys, let's hack this washed-up old demon bastard to death!" The Sapphire Star was the first to smash her way outside.
Nine colors of fighting spirit shot out of the room at once.
"Eee-aaah!!! They're murdering a demon! Aaaaaah!!!"
This time, Hantengu truly panicked.
What kind of Hashira all get together for dinner in the Swordsmith Village?!
Before you continue