"Mitsuri-senpai," Kazuki greeted her.
As a fellow tsuguko of Kyojuro, Mitsuri could be considered his senior sister, so he addressed her as senpai.
Kyojuro then introduced him to Mitsuri. "Mitsuri, he's my newly accepted tsuguko. His name is Kazuki—his talent and strength are both exceptional! He's already a Hashira as well!"
Kyojuro's words confirmed Shinobu's suspicion. She asked, still finding it hard to believe, "Sorry to interrupt, Rengoku-san… does this mean Yō has already slain a member of the Twelve Kizuki, or killed fifty demons?"
Kyojuro nodded toward Shinobu.
"That's right! Just a couple of days ago, Yō slew Lower Rank Two!" Kyojuro said loudly, clearly proud of him.
Though shocked, Shinobu accepted the fact and couldn't help but sigh. "Rengoku-san, you're truly remarkable at teaching tsuguko. Yō's talent is enviable as well."
"Then Yō is my junior brother now, right? That's wonderful!" Mitsuri said excitedly.
Mitsuri was cheerful and outgoing, warm to everyone and fond of making friends. Having gained a junior brother made her especially happy.
"As your senpai, I'll protect you from now on. If there's anything you want to ask or learn, you can always come to me."
She patted Kazuki on the shoulder, speaking in the tone of an adult instructing a child.
Just as Kazuki was about to respond, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him. He glanced around.
Very quickly, he found the source—an odd-eyed man with a white snake around his neck was staring daggers at him. Kazuki could practically see black resentment radiating from the man.
(;一_一)
What's going on? This should be our first meeting—why is he looking at me like that?
Kazuki was puzzled. He was certain he had never met this heterochromatic-eyed man before; there had been no prior interaction whatsoever.
Then it must be something I just did that provoked this reaction…
As the thought crossed his mind, he noticed Mitsuri's hand resting on his shoulder.
"Thank you in advance, Mitsuri-senpai," Kazuki said.
He then shifted a step to the right, gently slipping out from under Mitsuri's hand, while keeping an eye on the odd-eyed man's reaction.
Just as he had suspected, the moment he moved away from Mitsuri, the resentment around the man dissipated, and he stopped staring at him.
So… he must like Mitsuri-senpai.
Kazuki arrived at that conclusion.
"This is the Serpent Hashira—Iguro Obanai! His sword techniques are formidable," Kyojuro added, introducing Obanai to Kazuki.
Since everyone had already heard Kazuki's introduction earlier, Kyojuro didn't introduce him again to Obanai.
"Iguro-san," Kazuki greeted politely.
Obanai didn't respond at all. Instead, he turned and began speaking with Kyojuro.
"Rengoku, have you had any news about the Twelve Kizuki or Muzan lately?"
"No! There haven't been any traces of the Twelve Kizuki or Muzan in the areas I'm watching over recently!" Kyojuro replied.
"Same for my area. Hopefully my luck improves—I'd like to run into an Upper Rank someday," Obanai said.
Watching Obanai talk with Kyojuro, a thought surfaced in Kazuki's mind.
Am I… being held in a grudge?
He was confused. He hadn't done anything yet, and somehow he already seemed to have offended a Hashira. If he had to name a reason, it was probably because his senpai had patted his shoulder.
Even without much interaction, Kazuki had already mentally labeled the Serpent Hashira as jealous and narrow-minded.
Next, Kyojuro introduced Tomioka Giyu.
"He's the Water Hashira—Tomioka Giyu! A man of action, though he's a bit taciturn!"
"Tomioka-san," Kazuki greeted him.
Giyu's expression didn't change as he replied, "There's no need to greet me. I'm not the same as them."
Kazuki froze, unsure how to respond. Giyu's blank expression, coupled with his words, gave off an air of aloof arrogance.
Yet what Giyu was actually thinking was: I'm someone who only joined the Demon Slayer Corps under others' protection. I don't deserve to be compared with the other Hashira.
Seeing the scene unfold, Shinobu couldn't bear to watch any longer and said, "Tomioka-san… you really don't know how to speak. Maybe you should talk less in the future."
"Just ignore him. Let him stay alone forever."
At that moment, the Serpent Hashira—who hadn't responded to Kazuki's greeting earlier—suddenly spoke up on his behalf.
Though Kazuki's closeness with Mitsuri made him uncomfortable, Obanai disliked Giyu even more.
After hearing the remarks from the other two Hashira, Giyu said nothing. He continued standing there expressionlessly, lost in his own thoughts.
After a while, the remaining Hashira arrived.
The Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei.
The Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa Sanemi.
The Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen.
The Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro.
Among them, Kazuki was most familiar with the Wind Hashira, having learned quite a bit through his conversations with Genya. He now had a fairly clear understanding of him.
That familiarity, however, didn't particularly bring them closer. The Wind Hashira wasn't as dismissive as the Serpent Hashira, but neither was he especially warm—something Kazuki could understand.
Of the rest, Kazuki had previously heard of the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei—the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps. Meeting him in person was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
Gyomei's tendency to burst into tears at the slightest provocation made Kazuki hesitant to approach him.
The Sound Hashira was flamboyant and handsome. He praised Kazuki as being flamboyant as well, giving special commendation to the flame-like mark on his forehead.
The Mist Hashira left the impression of being forgetful—forgetting what he had just said moments earlier—and fond of staring at clouds. He was also the only Hashira younger than Kazuki.
It was also worth noting that several Hashira thought Kazuki resembled Muichiro somewhat.
After getting a basic sense of the remaining Hashira, Kazuki felt that they were all people brimming with righteousness—individuals one could trust. Though their personalities differed—some more irritable, some sharp-tongued and jealous, some simply poor with words—
There was no doubt that all of them had devoted everything they had to protecting humanity and fighting demons.
All of the current Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps had assembled.
"The Master has arrived."
Two childlike voices rang out from within the estate. Then two white-haired children, nearly identical in appearance, emerged from inside. Supporting themselves on the children's hands, a long-haired man stepped out after them.
"You've all come, my beloved children."
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