Without the slightest hesitation, Tanjiro rushed straight toward the twins. Although he caught two unfamiliar scents in the air, they carried shock rather than hostility.
Dealing with those who clearly bore killing intent took priority.
Tanjiro's sudden charge made the twins visibly relax. After exchanging a glance, both tightened their grips on their swords and rushed to meet him head-on.
He still remembered what Hiru had told him before leaving—the medicine pouch would react violently with blood.
[If I suddenly feel excruciating pain throughout my body, I'll lose my ability to fight instantly. If that happens, my family will be in danger. I can't get hurt… and I can't let them get wounded either. Does that mean I can't even cut them?]
Tanjiro gathered every ounce of focus, lowering his center of gravity.
[I have to make them lose their weapons first.]
Decision made, he twisted his body and narrowly avoided the long blades slashing toward him in succession. His footwork shifted, and his right hand snapped upward, smashing hard against the flat of one blade.
The immense force traveling through the sword dragged Yuichiro forward, but he reacted instantly. Kicking off the ground, he leapt into the air, the blade that had nearly pierced the earth instead sweeping out in a wide arc.
At the same time, Muichiro slashed horizontally, the two blades converging to trap Tanjiro between them.
Tanjiro spun and drove a side kick straight into Muichiro's sword guard. Using the brief moment of deflection, he withdrew from the clash, his expression turning grave.
[Their reactions are incredibly fast. Their coordination is flawless… And is it just my imagination? Why do they carry Mr. Yoriichi's scent…?]
That fleeting doubt made him hesitate—but the twins, lacking Tanjiro's keen sense of smell, felt no such uncertainty.
"Muichiro, be careful! This demon knows swordsmanship—and he's fast!"
"Yeah." Muichiro's mint-colored eyes sharpened with caution as he surged forward. "Don't give him a chance to catch his breath!"
Watching them charge again, Tanjiro's confusion only deepened.
A demon's vision wasn't hindered by darkness, and he could clearly see what lay beneath their black-and-white cloud-patterned haori—Demon Slayer Corps uniforms of the exact same style worn by Yoriichi and Hiru.
[That uniform… So they attacked because they sensed my presence?]
Realizing this, the hostility he felt toward them faded considerably. He slipped past another attack and raised his voice.
"Wait! I—"
"We don't listen to anything a demon says!" Muichiro brought his sword down fiercely. "Stop dodging around! You looked pretty confident earlier—fight us head-on!"
"No, I—"
"If you don't want to die, show us what you've really got!" Yuichiro followed close behind, his expression vicious, cutting Tanjiro off once again. "You dare attack my friend's home? Prepare yourself to die ten thousand times over!"
Tanjiro arched sharply backward, barely avoiding the blade aimed at his throat. Yet despite their taunts and relentless attacks, he felt no sense of offense—if anything, there was a faint sense of relief.
Because just like him, they were fighting to [protect].
[This has to be a misunderstanding…]
He focused entirely on evasion, unable to create any distance to speak.
[They won't give me a chance at all. What should I do… Just drag this out until they're exhausted?
Ah—right! I could use a headbutt! No, no, that'd give them concussions… Ugh—if only Mr. Hiru were here.]
Just as Tanjiro was agonizing over it, a figure suddenly rushed between them.
"Wait! Stop! Everyone, stop!"
Tanjiro's pupils shrank. His retreating steps reversed in an instant as he surged forward. One hand swept back, shoving the intruder behind him, while the other seized the long sword at the person's waist. His arm muscles tensed violently as he raised the blade and brought it down.
Crimson flames flared with the motion.
The strike cleanly blocked both incoming attacks, even forcing the twins to stumble back several steps. Tanjiro didn't pursue. Instead, he turned sharply, anxiety written across his face as he looked at the boy behind him.
"What were you thinking?! How could you rush out at a time like this?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"
The boy answered by choking back sobs and throwing his arms around him.
"Brother… thank goodness, thank goodness… you're back! You're really back!"
Tanjiro let out a long breath, the tension draining from his shoulders. He lifted a hand and gently rubbed the boy's deep red hair—identical to his own.
"Yeah. I'm back."
Yuichiro and Muichiro stood frozen, stunned by the scene before them. Yuichiro fell into thoughtful silence, while Muichiro couldn't help blurting out,
"Takeo, what are you saying? He's a demon!"
Tanjiro helped Takeo steady his breathing with one hand and smiled at Muichiro.
"There's a lot going on here—it's not something I can explain all at once. Honestly, I wanted to explain earlier, when I saw you wearing the same clothes as Mr. Hiru, but I never found an opening. Sorry… I didn't hurt either of you just now, did I?"
"That was nothing," Yuichiro said, staring at the Nichirin Blade in Tanjiro's hand. "For now, let's all put our swords away."
"Ah, you're right."
Tanjiro patted Takeo's back, signaling him to loosen his grip, then returned the Nichirin Blade to its scabbard at his waist. Still, he couldn't help adding a firm word of admonishment.
"I heard from Mom—you want to become a swordsman, right, Takeo? If you want to walk that path, you can't let your sword be taken so easily. Without it, how are you supposed to protect yourself? Or anyone else? And what you did just now was far too reckless. Mr. Yoriichi said it himself—the most important things for a swordsman are observation and composure. Don't make that mistake again."
"Mm…" Takeo sniffled. "Sorry… I was just… too anxious…"
"Brother!"
Tanjiro looked up as a girl ran toward him. He opened his arms and caught her.
"You must be Nezuko. You've been through a lot."
"I'm not tired," Nezuko said, burying her face against his shoulder, her voice trembling. "You're the one who's suffered the most… Brother, you're finally back…"
Only after truly understanding what demons were did she realize just how naive her earlier words had been.
She also came to understand the crushing pressure Mr. Hiru and Mr. Yoriichi must have endured to hide the truth—and to promise they would one day turn Tanjiro back into a human.
"So you already knew…" Yuichiro sighed, sheathing his Nichirin Blade. "No wonder you always acted strange whenever your brother's illness came up."
"I still don't get it…" Muichiro frowned in confusion. "Hiru hated demons. How could he have let you live?"
"At first, Mr. Hiru really did intend to kill… to put an end to our eldest brother," Takeo said quietly, now fully composed. "He only agreed after we begged him…"
At last, Kie, who had been tense with worry the entire time, let out a breath of relief and walked over slowly.
"Let's all go inside," she said gently. "We can sit down and talk everything through properly."