"It's Muzan Kibutsuji!"
"How is this possible? No... it should be said, of course it's like this..."
Tomioka Giyū, standing beside Hayashi, turned his head sharply. His normally calm face was filled with disbelief—yet also a trace of relief:
"You actually survived a battle with that monster!"
On the other side, Rengoku Kyōjurō had already recovered from his shock. His booming voice rang out, brimming with admiration:
"Yoriichi san! To endure an encounter with that fiend and still protect your entire family—what remarkable fortitude!"
His voice was so loud that Hayashi's eardrums buzzed.
Subconsciously, he lifted his head to look toward Rengoku, but instead met the gentle, enigmatic smile of Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Hayashi's heart suddenly stirred.
Hayashi's Thoughts
So that's it.
When I first entered this courtyard and saw a gathering taking place, I thought Ubuyashiki Kagaya intended to "show me the strength" of the Hashira.
But in truth... Kagaya had arranged it so that I would display my strength before them.
I must admit—this arrangement is truly ingenious... and undeniably impressive.
Yet one question gnaws at me—
How did Kagaya determine that I had faced Muzan Kibutsuji?
Could it be a hereditary intuition passed down in the Ubuyashiki bloodline?
The Hashira's Reaction
Suddenly, Himejima Gyōmei placed a heavy hand on Uzui Tengen's shoulder, halting him as he tried to rush forward.
"Calm yourself," Gyōmei rumbled softly.
But Tengen's jeweled headband rattled as he shook with excitement:
"Calm? How could I possibly be calm?!"
"That was Muzan Kibutsuji! For centuries we've fought demons—countless comrades have fallen—and yet we didn't even know his face!"
"Now, finally, someone has encountered him and lived!"
His voice cracked with fervor as he leaned toward Hayashi, heedless of the ornaments slipping from his hair.
"Tell me—what does that monster look like?"
"What powers does he wield?"
Gyōmei tightened his grip, restraining him. Yet tears still rolled down his cheeks as he murmured a prayer:
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
For nearly a century, the Demon Slayer Corps had no knowledge of Muzan's whereabouts. Only sacrifice after sacrifice, swordsmen perishing in the shadows.
Now, at last, there was a survivor—a witness.
This revelation was not merely information.
It was hope.
The endless night might finally give way to dawn.
The Invitation
As the Hashira grew increasingly restless, Ubuyashiki Kagaya's calm voice cut through the tension:
"Yoriichi san, may I speak with you in private?"
Hayashi inclined his head. Together they entered a quiet inner room.
There, a "young girl" awaited—dressed much like Ubuyashiki Hinaki, and bearing striking resemblance, save for her long, jet-black hair. She gracefully set down a tea set and arranged sweets on the table.
Hayashi recognized her immediately.
This was Ubuyashiki Kiriya—though outwardly appearing as a girl, in truth he was the son of Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Yes... a son.
It was said that the entire Ubuyashiki family had been cursed ever since a man named Kibutsuji Muzan appeared among their ancestors.
Even though the family had married priests for generations in an attempt to suppress the curse, no male heir had ever lived past the age of thirty.
Such was the fate of Ubuyashiki Kagaya. Though still young, a purple scar already spread across his forehead. His son, Ubuyashiki Kiriya, was also born frail and weak. For this reason, before Kiriya turned thirteen, he could only be raised as a daughter.
After Hayashi took his seat, Ubuyashiki Kagaya suddenly asked:
"Should I continue to call you Yuichirō… or should I call you Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
Hayashi froze in shock. Of course, he had expected Kagaya to harbor curiosity about his identity. But he had not expected the head of the family to point so directly at the connection between himself and Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
As if sensing his doubt, Kagaya spoke calmly:
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi was once a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps. Though he was later expelled for reasons lost to time, his portrait remains."
"Unfortunately, most of his deeds, as well as the Breathing Style he used, have been lost."
Kagaya's gaze softened, but his voice was steady:
"So there are things I know, and things I do not. But I am not one to pry. You owe me no explanation. All I wish to know is this—can Muzan Kibutsuji be defeated in my generation? And if so, how can I cooperate with you?"
Hayashi's breath caught. Before meeting Kagaya, he had devised countless ways to persuade the family head—to send him to the Swordsmith Village, to reveal hidden knowledge, to prepare for a future clash against Muzan and Kokushibō.
Yet Kagaya's quiet trust and willingness to believe in him rendered all those schemes meaningless.
This was beyond Hayashi's expectations, and yet—upon reflection—perfectly reasonable. For the Ubuyashiki family, whose entire existence was bound to the mission of eradicating Muzan, trust in any possible savior was not a gamble but a duty.
Even if Hayashi were not "suspected to be the rebirth of Tsugikuni Yoriichi," but instead a traveler from some distant world seeking a lost vessel, Kagaya would still help him, so long as his purpose aligned with destroying Muzan.
A faint laugh rose in Hayashi's throat, though it would not escape his lips. For a moment, the Kagaya before him and the frail but resolute family head he remembered from the original tale merged into one—the same man of unyielding spirit, prepared to stake everything against Muzan.
Hayashi straightened, his voice solemn:
"Muzan Kibutsuji will be ended in this generation."
Having spoken those words, the hesitation in his heart dissolved.
"I will need your help with two things. The first is urgent: I must find the grave of Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Muzan will surely wonder if I am an imposter or if Yoriichi has truly returned. I must appear there first—laying a trap for anyone who dares investigate.
Secondly, I must go to the Swordsmith Village to retrieve the blade that once belonged to Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
Hearing this, guilt flashed across Kagaya's face.
"The Swordsmith Village… that I can promise you. But as for Yoriichi's final resting place, I fear we failed. After his expulsion from the Corps, our family left no records of his whereabouts."
His voice faltered slightly. "This is a shameful dereliction on the part of the Ubuyashiki family."
He paused, then added quietly:
"However… perhaps you may find some answers in Asakusa. There are still those who may remember…"