A sharp tension dominated the courtyard like a tightly drawn bowstring.
Tanjiro gasped for breath as he looked up at the eight Hashira surrounding him and Nezuko, who was inside the box.
Their overwhelming presence. Not a single one looked easy to deal with.
At that moment, the sliding door of the mansion opened, and a man emerged, supported by two children.
Half of his face was covered in scar-like disease, but the gentle and noble aura emanating from him instantly quelled the Hashira's killing intent.
It was Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Welcome, everyone. The weather is wonderful today. The sky is blue, isn't it? I'm truly happy to welcome you to the Hashira meeting, which happens once every six months, with all members unchanged."
Kagaya's voice was soft as a spring breeze.
The Hashira, who had been growling at each other moments before, all knelt and bowed their heads in unison. The courtyard, once filled with a murderous atmosphere, was now steeped in reverent silence.
"It's good to see you well, Master. May you continue to be at peace."
Sanemi was the first to speak. His rough tone had surprisingly turned polite.
"Thank you, Sanemi. I'm glad you all could gather like this."
Kagaya smiled toward the sky with his unseen eyes.
"Today, before the Hashira meeting, we've gathered to decide the fate of Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado. I wish to accept these siblings. So, I hope you will acknowledge them as well."
""...!!""
The Hashira's heads shot up. Even if it was the Master's will, accepting a demon was hard to swallow.
"With all due respect, Master, I cannot accept this!"
Starting with Kyojuro, Hashira began voicing their opposition.
Gyomei shook his head, tears streaming down his face.
"Ah, no matter the Master's wish. I cannot be convinced."
Tengen agreed in turn.
"I'm fabulously opposed as well. With a demon?"
Obanai and Sanemi felt the same.
"Can't trust it, no way. Demons are disgusting from the start."
"The Demon Slayer Corps exists to exterminate demons. I petition for the punishment of Kamado and Tomioka, who protected him."
On the other hand, other Hashira differed.
First, Muichiro, who seemed to have no thoughts on the matter.
"I don't care. I'll forget it soon anyway."
And Kanao followed his decision, while Okita followed Kanao's.
"If that is the Master's will."
"If Kanao-sama agrees, then I agree as well."
Giyu, who had been silent, was naturally in favor, making the opinions almost evenly split.
Since Kagaya could not see, he asked his daughter to read the letter sent by Urokodaki on his behalf.
It contained Urokodaki's guarantee and a declaration that if Nezuko harmed a human, not only Tanjiro but Urokodaki himself and Giyu would commit seppuku.
But Sanemi and Kyojuro protested.
"What good is seppuku? If you want to die, go die on your own! That's no guarantee at all!"
"Shinazugawa is right! Once a person is eaten, there's no turning back! The dead do not return!"
And to their words, Kanao voiced her opinion.
"While I follow the Master's will, even so, it's excessively inefficient to stake the lives of a current Hashira and a former Hashira and cultivator for the sake of a low-ranking member and his sister, let alone a Tsuguko. Essentially, for one member's family matter, two Hashira would die."
Excessively inefficient. That too was a valid point.
To that, Kagaya rebutted that while there was no guarantee Nezuko wouldn't eat humans, conversely, there was no guarantee she would.
Kanao thought it was sophistry, but it was logic enough to silence the Hashira.
Moreover, Kagaya mentioned that Tanjiro had made contact with Muzan, increasing the value of his life.
The Hashira all questioned Tanjiro for information on Muzan, but knowing it was mostly useless, Kanao and Okita remained still.
At least, Tanjiro's life was secured for now due to the information.
But Nezuko was not.
Tanjiro could be overlooked since he was human, but Nezuko, as a demon, could not.
Sanemi drew his Nichirin Sword.
"I'll prove it to you. The ugliness of demons!"
Sanemi roughly snatched the box and threw it onto the shaded veranda. Then, he cut his forearm again and thrust his bleeding arm toward the box's entrance.
"Come on out, demon! Human blood! The food you love so much!"
The thick scent of blood spread on the wind.
Sanemi's blood had a supreme fragrance among rare blood types, one that drove demons mad.
Tanjiro shouted toward Nezuko.
"Nezuko!! You have to resist!!"
The box door creaked open, and Nezuko slowly rose. In the shadows, Nezuko's pupils were slit vertically like a beast's.
Drooling and breathing heavily, she looked every bit a demon.
"See! This ugly sight! This is the true nature of demons!"
Sanemi cried out triumphantly. The Hashira's gazes turned cold.
Even Kanao placed her hand on her sword hilt. If Nezuko attacked here, she could no longer protect her.
Nezuko glared at Sanemi's arm, dripping with blood.
An intense thirst. Her instincts whispered. Drink that, and you'll feel better. You want to taste that sweet blood, even a drop.
But then. Fragments of memory flashed through Nezuko's mind.
The faces of her family. Her brother's voice calling her name as he cried. And Urokodaki Sakonji's hypnosis. Humans are family. You must protect them. You must not harm them.
"Grrrugh…!"
Nezuko twisted her body and turned her head away. She rejected Sanemi's arm, swinging her head to the side with a sharp sound.
"...?!"
Silence fell. Sanemi's eyes widened. Astonishment spread across the Hashira's faces. A starving demon had refused rare blood right before her eyes.
This was a miracle that defied a demon's biological instincts.
Kagaya asked his daughter what the situation was, and she relayed it truthfully.
"...It has been proven."
His gentle voice rang out.
"Nezuko does not attack humans. With this, the proof is complete."
Tanjiro shed tears of relief and prostrated himself on the ground.
"Thank you… Thank you…."
After the meeting ended, custody of Tanjiro and Nezuko was decided to be at the Butterfly Mansion, to treat and manage his injuries.
"Move out!"
The Kakushi members lifted Tanjiro and moved swiftly.
Kanao watched Tanjiro and Nezuko recede with a peculiar smile.
'Certainly, they're interesting children. Perhaps, they might be of use to Father.'
After the Kamado siblings left, the Hashira meeting proceeded.
For the report on Mount Natagumo, Murata, who had been deployed earlier than Tanjiro's group and survived, was called.
The topic of this Hashira meeting was.
"So, another demon of the Twelve Kizuki, an Upper Rank at that, appeared without numbers?"
"Yes! I-I'm sure there were no numbers in its eyes! But its power was definitely that of the Twelve Kizuki!"
"As Murata said, when I faced that demon, the sensation surpassed that of a Lower Moon. It didn't seem to be Muzan, but it appeared unquestionably to be an Upper Moon. However, there were no characters in its eyes."
Following Murata's testimony, his comrade Giyu continued the explanation.
A demon with Twelve Kizuki-level power, specifically Upper Rank strength, but without numbers. Especially.
"According to Giyu's testimony, Tanjiro beheaded that demon. With Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, flames that burn demons, he cut off the demon's head, but it regenerated."
"What!?"
Kagaya relayed the report he heard from Giyu, and at his words, the Hashira were shocked. Kanao and Okita pretended to be surprised as well.
"Is that, perhaps, the same as the demon I encountered in the past?"
Tengen recalled his past encounter with Shuten. But Giyu shook his head.
"No, its appearance was completely different from what you described. Especially that ice-manipulating Blood Demon Art, it seemed of a different type."
"Hmm. Then is it the same kind as that demon Father met?"
Kyojuro's expression hardened as he recalled information about the numberless demon that defeated Shinjuro.
"A new demon group? Different from Muzan's demons?"
As Gyomei wondered and speculated.
"Yes. That seems certain. Though detailed information couldn't be obtained, we saw the appearance of a demon group that eliminated the assassins Muzan sent to Tanjiro. But whether it was a Blood Demon Art or not, it blocked the Kasugai crows' ears and vision, so we couldn't get specifics."
Kagaya told of the time when Ubume's group attacked Tamayo. However, due to Tamamo's talismans, only part of it could be confirmed.
Therefore, while it was confirmed that there was definitely a demon group separate from Muzan's demons, its identity as the Akatsuki Trading Company remained unknown.
At that moment, Tanjiro and Nezuko were transferred to the Butterfly Mansion.
"Are they patients?"
"Hmm, must be that member Kanao-sama mentioned."
At the Butterfly Mansion, Aoi and Ushiwakamaru welcomed them.