In the days that followed, Hiru spent his time hunting demons without pause. As a demon himself, he had little sense of time passing.
It wasn't until Kitaro reminded him that Hiru finally remembered he needed to attend the Hashira Meeting.
When he arrived, however, he saw an unexpected familiar face.
"Sabito?" Hiru raised an eyebrow at the youth before him. "What brings you here?"
Sabito's face was still completely hidden behind his mask. After greeting the Kakushi, he walked over to Hiru, his voice tinged with a smile. "Got lucky. Ran into a Twelve Kizuki."
"Judging by the fact you're standing here, it must've been a Lower Moon. If it were an Upper Moon, I wouldn't be seeing you right now."
"Hahaha, true enough. I'm still injured," Sabito said cheerfully. "How about you? Still hunting demons?"
"Yeah. Makomo and Sanemi killed a ton last year. I'm drowning in the workload. I'll probably be stuck doing this for another six months."
"If I remember right, even before becoming a Hashira, you were hunting demons nonstop. You might be the Hashira who's slain the most demons in the entire Corps." Sabito laughed heartily.
"But I can tell you've gotten more dependable, Hiru."
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"Even though you're older than me, when we first met, I honestly thought you were a kid. I couldn't help wanting to look after you. People really do grow once they leave their crutches behind. I bet Yoriichi would be relieved."
"Seriously."
"Hm?"
"With that attitude of yours, are you sure you can teach Giyu properly?" Hiru said, face full of disapproval. "You'll probably corrupt him."
Sabito stepped forward, draping an arm over Hiru's shoulder. A playful grin—utterly out of place on her usually gentle features—spread across her face. "Sounds like someone's embarrassed because I hit a sore spot."
"I'm not embarrassed." Hiru pouted. "Who wants to work hard when they've got a safety net?"
"Whoa! You just admitted that?!"
"He's my brother. It's fine if I rely on him, right?"
Sabito covered her mouth. "I never imagined you could be this straightforward…"
"…Hey!"
They continued chatting as they approached the meeting grounds. As usual, Ubuyashiki Kagaya was already there ahead of time, speaking with the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjuro. When he noticed the two arriving, he simply smiled and nodded.
Hiru and Sabito had no intention of interrupting their conversation. After bowing, they stepped aside and continued updating each other on recent events.
Before long, Himejima Gyomei and Uzui Tengen arrived one after another. Unlike Himejima, who stood quietly with his usual calm, Uzui Tengen immediately drew attention the moment he appeared, greeting everyone in his signature flamboyant manner.
Hiru watched Sabito's expression freeze, then shift rapidly into confusion.
"Don't be too shocked. Everyone in the Corps has their quirks. That guy just has the worst case."
Sabito's expression turned even more complicated. "What do you mean?"
"At the beginning, the one standing beside the Lord is the most senior Hashira here—Rengoku Shinjuro, the Flame Hashira. He always speaks with this booming vigor.
"The one with the eye-searing clothes and behavior is the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen. Supposedly a shinobi, he has weird verbal tics and says incredibly embarrassing things.
"The one holding the prayer beads is the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei. A very good person, but his tear ducts are… overly active." Hiru introduced them one by one.
"Besides us, there are two more. My brother—you know him. And the Wind Hashira, Yukinashi Aoba. We're not close, so I don't know much, but he seems easy to get along with."
"Hmm… Then what's my trait?" Sabito asked.
"…The fact you're asking already means you've blended in perfectly."
"Hahaha, really? That's good to hear." Sabito stroked her chin. "But looking at this, there sure are a lot of Hashira."
"Not really. The year before my brother joined, only the Flame Hashira was left. The Corps was practically reduced to a lone commander."
"Well, good thing we're here now, hahaha."
"You're way too optimistic."
"Am I? Tell me more about the duties of a Hashira."
Before long, Yukinashi Aoba and Yoriichi arrived, and the Hashira Meeting formally began.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya first announced the new Water Hashira: Urokodaki Sabito.
Afterward, each Hashira reported on their territories according to workload, followed by the redistribution for the coming year.
Rengoku Shinjuro requested to reduce his territory due to his wife's severe illness, and the neighboring Yukinashi Aoba took over the area. Yoriichi, having already purged more than seventy percent of the demons in Kanto, also requested a territorial adjustment.
Recognizing Yoriichi's abilities, Kagaya discussed with several Hashira before restructuring Yoriichi's jurisdiction into a long corridor running through others' territories.
This would allow him to swiftly eliminate demons fleeing from neighboring regions.
Uzui announced that his intelligence network was now complete and took on another territory to patrol.
Hiru remained in his roaming support role, though Kagaya assigned him a designated range this time, requiring him to operate only within other Hashira's territories.
Sabito was assigned Himejima's original territory, while Himejima was sent to patrol the Kanto region Yoriichi had previously purged, helping maintain its cleared status.
"Does anyone have objections to these assignments?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Kagaya nodded. "Then, does anyone have additional matters to report?"
"Amida-butsu… Oyakata-sama, there is something weighing on my mind."
"Please speak."
Himejima turned toward Rengoku Shinjuro. "I have heard rumors of samurai in ancient garb appearing at night in Yamagata. Mr. Rengoku, have you encountered such a thing?"
Hiru and Yoriichi immediately turned their attention to Rengoku.
"Yamagata, hmm…" Shinjuro rubbed his chin, thinking. "I always left immediately after slaying demons, so I didn't pay much attention to rumors."
"That's the territory Senior Rengoku transferred to me, right?" Yukinashi Aoba asked Himejima. "I'll investigate it carefully."
"The oversight is partly mine as well. I'll join you in the investigation!"
"Eh? Wouldn't that trouble you too much, Senior?"
"Not at all! Honestly, it's embarrassing!" Shinjuro laughed. "To think I know less about rumors in my own territory than someone as young as Gyomei! How incompetent of me!"
"Amida-butsu… I only hear more because I cannot see. My abilities are far inferior to Mr. Rengoku's." Himejima rolled his prayer beads. "This rumor concerns me as well. Shall we patrol together?"
"I'll handle it." Hiru exchanged a glance with Yoriichi before looking at Himejima. "Your workload in Kanto is already enormous."
"Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. Roaming is my duty anyway. I'll head to Yamagata after the meeting."
"Then I entrust it to you, Hiru." Himejima pressed his palms together in a Buddhist chant. "Being blind, I might not notice anything even if I encountered it."
"Seems I should pay more attention to rumors within my territory as well," Yoriichi murmured, lowering his eyes. "Only burying myself in slaying demons is rather inadequate."
"Yoriichi, you should treat yourself a little better." Shinjuro's expression tightened. "Seeing you work so hard makes me feel guilty."
"Precisely!" Uzui Tengen burst in. "Though you and I share the same flashy white hair and overwhelming strength, your behavior is a direct challenge to me, the God of Festivals! In trying to match you, I've even cut down on intimate time with my three lovely wives!"
Yoriichi paused, tilting his head. "But I'm just doing my assigned duties. I haven't interfered with Uzui or Uzui's wives being intimate, have I?"
Uzui Tengen: …