Sanemi Shinazugawa forcefully pinned Kazama Aoi to the ground as he knelt on one knee, lowering his head in respectful obeisance.
Aoi glanced sideways, discovering that the other Hashira present—from Shinobu Kocho, who always wore a gentle smile, to the towering Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima—were all kneeling on one knee, heads deeply bowed in reverent salute.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to rise.
A gentle smile remained on his face, as if the earlier tension, where swords were nearly drawn, had never occurred. His gaze slowly swept over the assembly, finally resting on the battered and bruised Tanjiro and the blood-stained box in his arms.
Sanemi spoke respectfully, "Forgive my bluntness, Master, but before we begin the Hashira Meeting, would you kindly provide an explanation regarding Kamado Tanjiro, a corps member traveling with a demon?"
Kazama Aoi stared at Sanemi in shock. She never imagined that someone with such an explosive temper could speak so coherently.
Sanemi felt thoroughly uncomfortable under her gaze, and a flicker of inexplicable rage surged within him. What did this little brat mean by that look? It was like she was staring at some rare, exotic species! If the Master weren't present, he would undoubtedly dig those eyes right out of her head!
"I have sanctioned the presence of Tanjiro and Nezuko, and it is my hope that you all will accept them as well," Kagaya's gentle voice resonated through the courtyard, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Shock registered on everyone's faces.
Gyomei Himejima pressed his hands together. "Even at the Master's request, I find this difficult to comprehend."
Tengen Uzui chimed in, "I must also flamboyantly oppose this. I cannot accept a Demon Slayer traveling with a demon."
In contrast, Mitsuri Kanroji offered her support. "I shall abide by the Master's wishes in all things."
The Hashira were divided, their opinions varied, but the consensus was a reluctance to accept the situation.
"Enough!" Sanemi Shinazugawa impatiently interrupted the discussion. "Master, I know you are compassionate, but a demon is a demon! We cannot gamble the safety of the entire world on this!"
The Master had anticipated this. He signaled his daughter, who read aloud the letter sent by Sakonji Urokodaki.
A deathly silence fell over the courtyard.
Kuina's crisp voice finished reading the letter, the decisive pledge upon the paper seeming to resonate in the cool air.
"...Should Kamado Nezuko ever harm a human being, Urokodaki Sakonji, as well as Giyu Tomioka, will commit seppuku as atonement."
This was not merely a guarantee; it was a pledge backed by two lives, endorsing a demon's future.
"Furthermore, Tanjiro Kamado has personally encountered Muzan Kibutsuji," Kagaya's gentle voice sounded again, but this time it struck like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.
"What did you say?!" Sanemi snapped his head up, his crimson eyes wide with unbelievable shock. "He... he has seen Muzan?! Where?!"
Kibutsuji Muzan—the ultimate quarry they had pursued for centuries—had actually appeared before a mere rookie just a short while ago!
"Is... is this true? Young Kamado!" Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, also took an excited step forward, asking loudly, "You truly encountered the Progenitor of Demons?!"
Aoi listened as the atmosphere shifted from shock to excitement, and then to a noisy clamor of discussion, feeling mentally exhausted by it all.
In the next second, she saw Sanemi beside her violently slash his own arm with his blade. Blood instantly spurted forth, and the intense scent of blood diffused rapidly through the air.
"Master, allow me to prove just how ugly a creature a demon truly is." He carried the box into the shade. Then, holding his bleeding arm high, he permitted the blood to drip onto the container.
Aoi stared at him with an expression reserved for an absolute lunatic. Did this guy just enjoy self-mutilation? The behavior she understood the least was this kind of solving issues by intentionally harming one's own body. Could they not just sit down and talk things over properly?
Just as she was wildy criticizing him internally, a mutation occurred.
A small, blood-stained hand reached out, and Nezuko weakly crawled out of the box. Smelling the Marechi blood, Nezuko's eyes instantly turned a deep crimson, and her body trembled violently from instinctive longing.
Here it comes!
A bloodthirsty grin tugged at the corner of Sanemi's mouth. He was fully prepared; the instant this demon made any move to harm a human, his blade would pierce her head!
However, Nezuko simply stared fixedly at the wound on Sanemi's arm, her body trembling with increasing violence. She did not pounce. Instead, she appeared to be engaged in a desperate internal struggle.
In the next second, she snapped her head away, closing her eyes and refusing to look at him.
Kocho Shinobu's smile remained sweet, but her gaze became incredibly serious. She looked at Nezuko and murmured softly, "What an interesting little sister. It appears our understanding of demons is still far from sufficient."
Gyomei Himejima was already covered in tears, his hands pressed together as he softly recited a Buddhist chant. "Namu Amida Butsu... What a good child..."
Conversely, Sanemi's expression was dark to the extreme.
This demon... actually resisted?!
How was this possible!
At that moment, Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, who had remained silent throughout, spoke up. His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried to everyone's ears. "I believe in her as well."
This farce had finally drawn to a close in a manner Sanemi Shinazugawa least desired.
Nezuko's decisive turn of her head was like a silent, brutal slap across his face.
Aoi looked at his constipated expression, forcefully suppressing herself to keep from laughing out loud.
Sanemi stared at her, the rage in his eyes nearly tangible.
He had just been publicly "humiliated" by a demon and was in a state of extreme irritability and frustration. Aoi's expression, as she tried her best to stifle a laugh, was undoubtedly throwing salt on his wound.
This woman! She was definitely mocking him!
"How could I be?" Aoi blinked her large, clear eyes, a perfectly 'pure and innocent' smile gracing her face, as if she were truly confused by Sanemi's anger.
Sanemi stared at her mouth as it opened and closed, and he couldn't help but remember the fateful scene on the training grounds when she had forcefully kissed him.
Those soft lips, carrying a faint, non-existent fragrance, the feeling of them pressed against his own mouth...
BOOM!
Sanemi's brain instantly went blank, and an unprecedented, searing heat rushed from his neck up to his earroots.
He actually... at a time like this, was thinking about that damned kiss!
This woman! What kind of spell has she cast on me?!
Aoi looked at his expression, which had suddenly turn somewhat bizarre, and his slightly reddened earroots, feeling quite confused. What was wrong with this guy?
Had he gone stupid? Or did his wound get infected, causing a fever? Why was his face so red?
She reached out, lightly brushing the back of her hand against his forehead.
"Eh? Not hot," Aoi tilted her head, a look of sincere confusion on her face. "Sanemi-sama, are you really okay? Do you want me to call the Demon Slayer medic? I think you look slightly out of your mind."
"!!!"
Sanemi's pupils violently contracted!
He could distinctly feel that cool, soft hand resting on his forehead.
A jolt of electricity instantly arced from the point of contact through his entire body, causing every hair on his skin to stand on end.
This woman! She actually dared to touch him intimately right in front of all these people!
"Get the fuck away from me!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Sanemi Shinazugawa violently shoved Kazama Aoi away.