Chapter 29: This is Simply Nonsense!
"Shut up! You vile demon!"
"Don't act like a good person here; I won't believe you,"
"you despicable, filthy Man-eating Demon!"
Masashi suddenly thought of something,
and leaned forward abruptly, nearly falling over as he lost his balance.
Ignoring the searing pain in his wounds, he roared with all his might,
"Lady Flower Hashira, please wake up!"
"What do you mean he doesn't eat people?"
"This is simply nonsense!"
"This must be his Blood Demon Art, a trick he's using to deceive people!"
Masashi gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently:
"He's acting submissive now just to make you lower your guard."
"This vile demon is definitely waiting for an opportunity, waiting for when you're at your weakest,"
"or when you're completely off-guard, to launch a sneak attack."
"And then... and then he'll devour you, skin and bone."
"Just like that Green-skinned Demon ate my brother!"
Mentioning his brother, Masashi's tears burst forth again,
but he couldn't wipe them away, only letting them stream down his cheeks.
The image of his brother being torn and bitten by that Green-skinned Demon haunted his mind,
the sickening sound of chewing seemingly echoing in his ears.
"Kill him! Kill him now!"
Masashi roared hysterically, spittle flying,
"Otherwise... otherwise you'll be the next to die!"
"Even... even the entire Demon Slayer Corps will pay a terrible price for your mercy!"
Masashi's words were like sharp knives,
stabbing not only at Tatsu but also at the softest part of Kanae's heart.
But he didn't stop; instead, he intensified his insults toward Tatsu.
"You filthy bug!"
"Don't think I can't see your true face just because you're wearing that skin!"
Masashi glared at Tatsu, his eyes filled with loathing,
"You must be very proud of yourself, right?"
"Deceiving the kind Lady Flower Hashira and making her treat you as a companion?"
"You must be laughing at our human stupidity in your heart, aren't you?"
"Just you wait. Once I return to headquarters, I will expose your true face!"
"Even if I have no hands, I'll use my teeth to tear your throat out!"
"I'll hang your head on Mt. Fujikasane!"
Tatsu had been standing quietly in the shadows by the window, listening to Masashi's insults expressionlessly.
His gaze was terrifyingly calm, like a bottomless pool of stagnant water.
Tatsu was no saint.
Although he didn't eat people, he was still a demon.
While Masashi's words were harsh, he didn't care about these so-called insults.
What he cared about was the information revealed in Masashi's words—'return to headquarters,' 'expose your true face.'
This Demon Slayer Corps member was a massive hidden threat.
Tatsu narrowed his eyes slightly, his blood-red pupils flickering with a dangerous light in the darkness.
His mind raced, analyzing the situation before him.
If he let this man named Masashi leave,
he would definitely rush back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters at the first opportunity,
and report to Kagaya Ubuyashiki about Kanae Kocho harboring a demon.
At that time, not only himself but even Kanae would be in huge trouble.
The rules of the Demon Slayer Corps were absolute; harboring a demon was a grave crime.
Although Kanae was a Hashira, she would not escape punishment in the face of the ironclad rules.
Worse still, the Demon Slayer Corps might send other Hashira to hunt him down,
and even implicate Kanae, leading to her title being stripped and her being ostracized and blamed by her peers.
Tatsu made a decision in an instant.
In that moment, the way he looked at Masashi changed.
The original indifference vanished, replaced by a coldness as if he were looking at a dead man.
If I just kill him here...
Tatsu's fingers rested lightly on the window frame, the wooden lattice making a faint 'crack' under his fingertips,
the sound of wood splintering under his terrifying grip.
As long as it's done cleanly, disguised as him dying from his injuries,
or encountering another demon on the way back to headquarters...
No one would know the truth.
Dead people are the best at keeping secrets.
Although this killing intent was subtle, to Kanae Kocho, who was a Hashira,
it was as glaring as a torch in the night.
She keenly caught the fleeting dangerous aura emanating from Tatsu,
the instinct of a demon, the fangs revealed by a predator when facing a threat.
"Member Masashi."
Kanae's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Masashi's roar,
and also interrupting the plan brewing in Tatsu's heart.
She walked slowly to the tatami, standing between Masashi and Tatsu.
She looked at Masashi, her eyes full of compassion and tolerance.
"You're too emotional right now; this won't help your recovery at all,"
Kanae said softly,
"I know you've lost your brother and your arms, and your heart is filled with pain and anger."
"I also understand your hatred for demons."
"But please trust me. As the Flower Hashira, I have my own judgment."
Masashi wanted to argue further, but Kanae shook her head gently and held a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
"Get some rest first."
"Enough has happened tonight; you need to calm down."
Kanae said with a smile,
"Whatever you have to say, we'll talk once you've rested and calmed down, alright?"
After speaking, she didn't give Masashi a chance to speak again and turned to look at Tatsu standing in the shadows.
"Tatsu, let's step outside first,"
Kanae said softly, reaching out and gently taking hold of Tatsu's sleeve,
"let Member Masashi have some peace and quiet."
Tatsu looked into Kanae's clear purple eyes, where his own reflection was mirrored.
He knew that Kanae had seen through his thoughts.
He was silent for a moment, and the killing intent in his eyes receded.
"Alright."
Tatsu replied in a low voice.
Kanae led Tatsu out of the room, gently closing the sliding door behind them.
The room returned to a deathly silence.
Masashi lay on the tatami, staring at the closed sliding door,
the anger in his heart not extinguished by Kanae's departure, but instead burning even more fiercely.
"Lady Flower Hashira... you're being too foolish!"
Masashi gritted his teeth,
"How can you trust a demon?"
"That guy named Tatsu, the way he looked at me just now..."
"He wanted to kill me!"
"That's a look only a demon can have."