The meeting ends

Sanemi Shinazugawa's incredulous roar echoed through the courtyard. "You're pretending! You must be pretending, you crafty demon!"

He ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. The failure of the Marechi test had not convinced him; instead, it had stirred an even deeper killing intent and a furious sense of having been fooled.

"If the Marechi test won't expose your true nature..." Sanemi abruptly raised the gleaming Nichirin Blade in his hand.

His chest heaved. Blue-green currents of Wind Breathing began swirling violently around him, hissing shrilly.

"Then I'll tear through your disguise with my blade! Let everyone see a demon's true face!"

He darted forward, swift as the wind, and mercilessly brought his Nichirin Blade down at Nezuko's head as she huddled trembling in the corner.

That strike carried his fury as the Wind Hashira and his determination to kill. He held nothing back.

"No!!!" Tanjiro's desperate scream nearly tore his throat apart.

Every Hashira's heart leaped into their throat. Kyojuro Rengoku even took an instinctive half step forward, while Tengen Uzui's brows drew tight.

"That's enough, Sanemi."

A gentle, calm voice rang out, carrying supreme authority and a soothing power as it flowed softly but unmistakably into the murderous courtyard.

Whoosh!

Sanemi Shinazugawa's violently descending Nichirin Blade stopped dead in midair, barely an inch from Nezuko's hair.

The blue-green wind blades coiling around its edge hissed in defiance before slowly dissipating.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then, as though pulled by invisible threads, every Hashira in the courtyard instantly reined in their presence.

They turned in perfect unison toward the voice, knelt on one knee with utmost reverence, and bowed their heads deeply.

"Master!" Their voices rang out through the courtyard in unison, filled with awe.

Tanjiro and the struggling Inosuke were also stunned by the sudden change and stared blankly.

At the courtyard entrance, Kagaya Ubuyashiki slowly approached, supported by his family.

Sickly purple blotches covered his face, and his body was frail, yet his gentle bearing, as vast as the sea, made even the morning sunlight seem to cast a sacred halo around him.

Yet one figure was missing from among the kneeling Hashira.

Behind an old tree a little farther off, in the direction everyone was bowing.

Kirishima Bupai was squatting in an extremely undignified pose.

His left hand held a foam takeout container labeled "pork trotter rice," his right held chopsticks, his cheeks bulged, and a glistening grain of rice still clung to the corner of his mouth.

On the ground before him sat a glass bottle with red-and-white "Keri Cola" lettering and a gold-and-red sun printed on it.

The instant Oyakata-sama's voice rang out, he was still wolfing down his food. At the sound, he froze abruptly and blinked behind his sunglasses.

"This is awkward..."

Then, with lightning speed, he stuffed that piece of meat into his mouth, worked his bulging cheeks twice, and swallowed.

He then frantically shoved the container into the shadows beneath the tree roots behind him and quickly hid the bottle of cola as well...

Only after doing all that did Kirishima Bupai hastily wipe his mouth, lean halfway out from behind the tree, and give a token bow toward Oyakata-sama.

Rather than a bow, it was more of a lazy salute with his eyes from behind the tree.

He even smacked his lips, still savoring the savory sauce of the pork trotter rice and the cola's sharp, icy fizz.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's gentle gaze swept over the courtyard and lingered briefly on Nezuko's trembling figure, his eyes revealing deep compassion and all-seeing wisdom.

Of course, he did not overlook the figure in sunglasses peeking out from behind the tree, grease still shining at the corner of his mouth.

At this, Kagaya Ubuyashiki merely smiled indulgently and said nothing.

"Please rise, everyone." His voice remained gentle.

The Hashira rose as instructed and stood solemnly with their hands at their sides, but the air of contention had not dispersed.

"Master!"

Sanemi was the first to lose his patience. Pointing at Nezuko, he spoke with barely contained agitation. "Though this demon resisted the lure of Marechi, a demon's nature cannot change! Sparing her will surely bring great disaster! Please give the order to execute her immediately!"

"Sanemi is right!"

Kyojuro Rengoku's voice boomed, though he too was astonished by Nezuko's behavior.

Still, his deeply rooted convictions made him insist, "A demon is a demon! Even if she has moments of clarity, there is no guarantee she won't hurt people in the future! For the safety of the innocent, this demon must not be spared!"

"Amitabha..." Gyomei Himejima shed tears. "This demon indeed lacks the malice of ordinary demons... yet humans and demons walk different paths. Her very existence is a source of calamity... please reconsider, Master."

Mitsuri Kanroji watched Tanjiro and Nezuko worriedly, wanting to speak but stopping short.

Leaning against the railing with his arms folded, Tengen Uzui frowned deeply, but he had already expressed his views.

Obanai Iguro's gaze remained cold above his bandages, but now he looked toward Giyu Tomioka. He was actually quite curious to know what he thought.

Yet when his gaze swept over him, Giyu Tomioka was silently staring at the ground. No one knew what he was thinking.

Shinobu Kocho wore a gentle smile, but her eyes were like deep pools, revealing no emotion.

Opinions varied on whether Nezuko should be killed, but almost every voice pointed toward one outcome-death.

Tanjiro's heart sank to rock bottom. Immense despair and sorrow nearly engulfed him.

As though she too sensed the murderous intent filling the courtyard, Nezuko whimpered and curled up even tighter.

Amid this powder-keg atmosphere, Kagaya Ubuyashiki simply listened quietly, the compassionate, accepting smile never leaving his face.

"..."

Only when their voices gradually subsided did he slowly speak. His voice was quiet, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly. "I believe in her."

"I believe that Nezuko Kamado will not eat humans now, nor will she ever eat humans in the future." Those gentle words struck like thunder in the Hashira's hearts.

"Master?!" Sanemi Shinazugawa cried out involuntarily, his eyes full of disbelief.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's gaze passed over every shocked, puzzled, or worried face before finally settling on the figure behind the tree.

"Bupai," he called gently, a barely perceptible note of encouragement in his voice. "What are your thoughts on this?"

Swish!

Every gaze instantly converged on the old tree.

Kirishima Bupai was quietly shoveling the last bit of rice into his mouth. Being called on by Oyakata-sama caught him so awkwardly off guard that he nearly choked.

He hurriedly swallowed hard, then instinctively reached for the cola bottle, only to remember halfway through that he had just hidden it.

With a dry cough, Kirishima Bupai stepped fully out from behind the tree, adjusted his sunglasses, and tried to make his voice sound a little more serious. "Ahem... well, your judgment is sound, Master."

He cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the tense Tanjiro and the cowering Nezuko, and his tone grew firm. "I agree with the Master."

"Everyone saw the result of the Marechi test. That was no act. Nezuko Kamado's willpower far surpasses that of ordinary demons. You could even call it a miracle."

"Her brother Tanjiro's conviction and sacrifices are the pillars supporting her resistance to her instincts."

"I believe in their bond as siblings, and I believe Nezuko can make it possible for a demon not to eat humans."

His words were clear and strong, echoing Oyakata-sama's trust.

A gratified smile appeared on Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face, as though Kirishima Bupai's words were exactly what he had wanted to say.

"Everyone..."

His voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable resolve. "This matter ends here. Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado will be placed under observation as special members of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"I believe time will prove everything, and I also believe that you will all eventually understand and accept them."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned his gentle, soothing gaze toward Sanemi Shinazugawa and the others who remained unwilling to accept it. "Set aside your preconceptions and offer a little patience and trust. Perhaps we may witness a light of hope unlike anything before."

Finally, a trace of fatigue entered his voice, but his exhortation remained firm. "Muzan Kibutsuji is our true enemy."

"I ask all of you Hashira not to forget your original purpose. Work together wholeheartedly, and continue striving to end this thousand-year curse."

"Yes, Master!" This time, every Hashira, including Sanemi Shinazugawa, suppressed the turmoil in their hearts and answered respectfully in unison.

Oyakata-sama's will was the highest principle of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"That will be all. Thank you for your efforts, everyone. You may leave." Supported by his family, Kagaya Ubuyashiki slowly turned and departed.

Only after Oyakata-sama left did the suffocating tension in the courtyard gradually dissipate.

Only then did the Kakushi members dare approach, carefully untying Tanjiro's ropes and trying to soothe Inosuke, who was still trussed up like a rice dumpling.

Sanemi Shinazugawa's face was livid. He glared fiercely at Nezuko's wooden box and Kirishima Bupai, then turned and strode away without a word, his anger undiminished.

The other Hashira also dispersed one after another, wearing various expressions.