Pushing open the ward door, Kazuki saw Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and the boar-headed boy inside. Zenitsu was already asleep. Tanjiro lay on the bed, tilting his head and smiling gently at the other two.
When he noticed Kazuki, Tanjiro called out in surprise.
Kazuki raised a finger to his lips, signaling him to keep his voice down, then pointed toward Zenitsu. Tanjiro immediately understood, nodded, and said no more.
"Is your sister all right?"
Walking to Tanjiro's bedside, Kazuki asked quietly.
"She's fine. She's already asleep," Tanjiro replied with a smile. "Whenever she gets hurt, she recovers by sleeping."
Kanzaki Aoi saw that they had begun talking and gently stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
"That's good, then."
Kazuki said only that, then fell silent for a moment before continuing,
"Don't resent the Hashira for their attitudes. The belief that demons who eat people must be slain has long been carved into their hearts.
All they've ever seen are demons who massacre humans, witnessing countless tragedies born from demons. That's why they reacted the way they did to you and your sister.
"After all, aside from your sister, no one has ever seen a demon who doesn't eat people.
"They are all people who have sacrificed everything to slay demons and protect humanity. Countless lives have survived under their protection—that's why they're so deeply respected.
"The man who speaks very loudly and looks bright and enthusiastic is my teacher—the Flame Hashira. After my village was attacked by demons, he took me in as his tsuguko and taught me everything he knew without holding anything back. He looks after me, and after everyone.
"He wanted to execute you and your sister simply because he didn't believe your words. Now, he's already willing to acknowledge you for the time being."
Kazuki spoke at length. He explained all this because he didn't want Tanjiro to misunderstand the other Hashira after what had happened. In his eyes, every one of them was worthy of deep respect.
Tanjiro didn't interrupt. He listened quietly, and when Kazuki finished, he smiled and said,
"Of course I don't resent them. Nezuko's situation really is special. It's only natural for them to react that way when they didn't know."
Hearing this, Kazuki smiled and finally felt at ease.
Then Tanjiro continued,
"But that guy covered in scars stabbing Nezuko so many times still made me really angry. It's not enough to hate him, but I really want to give him two headbutts!
"By the way, using a headbutt shouldn't violate the Corps rules, right?"
Thinking back to the scene, Tanjiro puffed out his cheeks in anger, steam almost rising from his head—an expression remarkably similar to Nezuko's earlier.
Seeing him like that, Kazuki couldn't help but laugh softly. Then he said,
"It's normal to feel that way. But Sanemi-san is much stronger than you. Even if the rules allowed it, you probably wouldn't land two headbutts on him.
"And… Sanemi-san is also a very pitiful person…"
Kazuki didn't continue. That matter involved Genya and Sanemi, and without Genya's permission, he didn't want to speak of it lightly.
I wonder how Genya's doing now… Did he manage to become Gyomei-san's disciple? With Sanemi-san there at the time, I didn't dare ask…
Lost in thought for a moment, Kazuki then asked Tanjiro,
"Master said you encountered Kibutsuji Muzan. Can you tell me what you know about him?"
That was the other reason he'd come to visit Tanjiro and Zenitsu. Muzan was the one Kazuki hated most—the architect of all this tragedy. Knowing Tanjiro had met him, Kazuki naturally wanted the details.
Tanjiro organized his thoughts, then replied,
"I met him at a marketplace. He was disguising himself as a human, living among humans. He was holding a human girl, and the woman beside him—who called him her husband—was also human."
Even now, recalling the scene made Tanjiro's heart race.
"He looked exactly like a human young man—tall, pale-skinned, with plum-red eyes. I hate to admit it, but his features were actually quite refined. He looked completely human.
"If it weren't for his scent, I wouldn't have recognized him as a demon at all.
"When I found him, I was so angry that I wanted to kill him on the spot to avenge my family. But seeing him living completely among humans left me in disbelief, and my body froze. That's when he suddenly attacked a nearby human and turned them into a demon.
"I had no choice but to protect the people around me, and Muzan used the chaos to escape."
After hearing Tanjiro's account, Kazuki gained a clearer understanding of Muzan. The most valuable information to him was that Muzan could disguise himself and live as a human.
At the same time, hearing Tanjiro describe the situation made Kazuki feel chilled. He also thought Tanjiro's actions had been reckless.
With humans all around, if Muzan had fully unleashed his power, very few would have survived. Tanjiro's encounter could only be described as extraordinarily fortunate.
"You were reckless, Tanjiro."
Even though he knew saying it outright would make Tanjiro feel bad, Kazuki still felt it was necessary to be clear.
Otherwise, if Tanjiro mishandled a similar situation in the future, not only could many humans die, but Tanjiro himself would likely be left with deep scars in his heart.
Tanjiro lowered his head. He had already realized his recklessness afterward. When that human was turned into a demon, he had felt deeply guilty—though fortunately, Tamayo later saved that person.
"I understand now. If I encounter a situation like that again, I'll act more carefully," Tanjiro said.
"Then there's nothing more for me to say. Thank you for telling me all this."
Seeing that Tanjiro already understood, Kazuki didn't press further and thanked him with a smile.
"If you need help in the future, come find me. When I'm not on a mission, I can also give you some guidance—but that'll have to wait until you've recovered. For now, just focus on healing."
"Mm," Tanjiro replied with a smile.
After exchanging farewells, Kazuki left the ward. Zenitsu was still asleep, and Kazuki didn't disturb him.
On the way back to his assigned residence, Kazuki thought about what he would do if he ever found himself in Tanjiro's situation—how to slay a demon without endangering nearby humans.
In the end, he could only think of two options: either avoid the humans and instantly kill the demon in a single strike, or find a way to lure the demon to an uninhabited area before fighting.
The second method seemed more reliable. The first would cause massive panic, and if the demon wasn't killed instantly, the surrounding humans would still be at grave risk.
So… how should one lure a demon to a deserted place?
After pondering for a while, Kazuki still couldn't think of a good solution.
My experience hunting demons is still lacking… I'll ask Sensei tomorrow.
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