Yushiro glared at the person standing in front of him, the good mood he had built up over days of being alone with Lady Tamayo instantly cut in half.
"Can't you ever learn to knock?"
"It's daytime. If I don't open the door myself, are you expecting a useless little thing like you to do it for me?" Hiru shut the door and set down the box. "Besides, when have I ever come without something important?"
"Hm?" Yushiro's gaze dropped to the box. "What is it? Some rare research material for Blood Demon Art?"
"No. A patient." Hiru tapped the box. "Hey, get out. We're here."
Yushiro folded his arms and stared at the silent box, his expression growing more irritated.
"Are you sure there's someone inside who can actually communicate? Our neighbor's in a bad mood lately—don't come crying to us if you get chopped up."
"Hah? I personally trained this kid for over two months. Are you questioning me?"
Hiru opened the box and hauled out the soundly sleeping Tanjiro.
"Hey. Stop sleeping. Get up and tidy yourself."
"Oh, so you're turning this brat back into a human?" Yushiro looked down at the groggy Tanjiro. "A demon transformed by Muzan?"
"Yeah. And he's the junior of an old acquaintance, so I care a little."
Hiru patted Tanjiro's head again.
"Honestly… I was rushing the whole way here and you still managed to sleep? Wake up already."
Tanjiro finally came fully to his senses.
"It's because Mr. Hiru smells like so many kinds of medicine. I got sleepy without realizing it."
"I don't think I carry any sedatives. And aside from the demon-attracting agent, everything has Wisteria in it."
Tanjiro straightened his clothes and smiled.
"There's a lot of Wisteria scent, but once it all mixes together, it actually becomes very gentle and comforting!"
Hiru & Yushiro: …
"Gentle, you say?" Yushiro frowned. "That might be fine for a human, but if you're a demon… Did you drug this kid so badly that you fried his brain? We don't treat heads here. Idiocy isn't curable."
Hiru fell into a suspicious silence.
Standing by the shoe cabinet, he pulled out every packet and bottle of medicine to check them one by one before speaking uncertainly.
"They're all properly sealed, nothing's gone bad. Maybe the smells just mixed together. A bit of ventilation should fix it, right?"
Yushiro clicked his tongue and turned to lead the way.
"Believe whatever you want. Hurry up. Seriously, why do I have to personally come out to greet someone who breaks in every time and ruins the door lock…"
Hearing that, Tanjiro immediately turned to Hiru.
"Mr. Hiru, do you always—"
"I always come during the day. Do you expect them to open the door for me?"
"But the lock…" Tanjiro frowned slightly. "That's not right, is it? I respect you a lot, Mr. Hiru, but in this matter, you're in the wrong. You should apologize. If you make a mistake, you should correct it."
Hiru: …
"Mr. Hiru, are you listening? I'm being very serious about this. You really should apologize!"
[Kids with morals that are too upright aren't necessarily a good thing.]
Hiru shot a look at the openly mocking Yushiro, then raised a hand to signal Tanjiro to be quiet.
"This is just how we've always interacted. I wouldn't do this to strangers."
Tanjiro looked doubtful.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. That's how it is." Hiru's expression was solemn. [Except in special cases.]
Tanjiro nodded.
"If it's just a joke between friends, then I guess there's nothing to be done…"
"Ha…" Yushiro glanced back. "This kid really does have something wrong with his head, doesn't he? I've never seen someone so rigid."['Too rigid'—a Japanese expression meaning someone who doesn't know how to adapt.]
"So what? Society needs more people like him."
"You can actually say that?" Yushiro stopped in front of the door. "Did you lose your brain while raising kids?"
Hiru replied flatly.
"I have six. Losing one doesn't matter."
Yushiro: …Tch.
"Why does Mr. Hiru have six brains?" Tanjiro asked curiously.
"That's something only a demon who's transcended boundaries can do. You don't need to know. Stop asking."
"I see… But haven't I transcended boundaries too?"
"That's a restraint, not a boundary. And I already told you that knowledge is useless to you. Stop talking."
Hiru sighed, then shot Yushiro an unfriendly look.
"Open the door already. Do you think I have time to waste?"
"Hmph. Still have the energy to worry about this? That just proves you're idle."
Hiru's expression darkened.
"Say one more word and I'll hit you. I was planning to restock my pigments anyway."
"Tch—"
Only then did Yushiro turn around and knock on the door.
"Lady Tamayo, we're coming in."
At last, Tanjiro met the physician said to be capable of turning him back into a human—Tamayo.
However, after hearing Hiru explain the reason for their visit, she didn't seem particularly pleased.
"Mr. Hiru really is good at ordering people around…" Tamayo smiled, though her brows were slightly furrowed. "But forgive my bluntness—have you ever considered what would happen if the Demon Slayer Corps learned that demons could be turned back into humans? Wouldn't that only place more pressure on those swordsmen? How would they continue to fight demons under that burden?"
"As long as it isn't discovered—"
"Hiru."
Tamayo's smile didn't waver in the slightest.
"Although it looks like we're on good terms with the Rengoku family, we're actually living under surveillance. You understand that, don't you?
Do you really think Mr. Rengoku lacks that level of insight? And now that Kyojuro is a Hashira and visits frequently, do you truly believe we could hide all of this?
Or do you think Yushiro's Blood Demon Art is enough to deceive a Hashira-level swordsman? I didn't realize you trusted Yushiro that much—or has your relationship with him finally improved?
Most importantly, now that you are a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, can't you think a little more about the Corps itself? Do you know how much Ubuyashiki has gone through to help cover for you? Could I ask you, just occasionally, not to act solely according to your own feelings?"
Hiru: "…"
He couldn't get a word in at all. Watching Hiru hang his head without daring to talk back, Tanjiro was deeply shocked.
"Lady Tamayo is incredible…"
"You little brat, show some respect. Call her Lady Tamayo."
"Lady Tamayo is really amazing!" Tanjiro's eyes sparkled as he lowered his voice. "Even Yoriichi's lectures never left Mr. Hiru completely speechless!"
"Hmph." Yushiro crossed his arms. "That's because he needs her help and feels guilty."
"That's not it! Mr. Hiru stayed quiet because he respects Lady Tamayo!"
"Hah? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Tanjiro laughed.
"Just like how Mr. Yushiro always seems irritated, but still gives off a relieved feeling when he sees Mr. Hiru—you actually welcome his visits, don't you? And Lady Tamayo feels like an elder who's very forgiving!"
Yushiro: Who welcomes that guy?! (▼皿▼)
[This kid really is thick-headed, isn't he? No—wait, is he implying Lady Tamayo is old? How dare he use that kind of roundabout insult on Lady Tamayo… I'll never forgive you, you brat!]
Yushiro's gaze toward Tanjiro gradually turned hostile.
"Huh? W-what's wrong? Wait, Mr. Yushiro?!"
Bang!
Tamayo shifted her eyes slightly. Watching Tanjiro pin Yushiro firmly to the ground while still wearing a completely bewildered expression, she couldn't help raising a hand to her forehead.
"This child… has he trained in combat?"
Hiru glanced over as well.
"Ah, yeah. My brother taught him. That aside, you really should keep an eye on Yushiro. Sometimes even I don't understand why that kid suddenly goes berserk."
"Haa…" Tamayo sighed softly. "I'll be more mindful of it in the future."
She looked at Tanjiro, who had just released Yushiro and was now shrinking back into himself under Yushiro's glare.
"For now, let's draw some blood from this child first. Um… what's your name?"
"Ah, yes! My name is Kamado Tanjiro!"
Tamayo took out a syringe from a nearby drawer, her smile gentle and reassuring.
"Tanjiro, come over here."
Tanjiro stood up, but instinctively glanced toward Hiru.
"Mr. Hiru?"
"Hm? Why are you looking at me?" Hiru tilted his chin toward Tamayo. "Go on. Don't tell me you're afraid of having blood drawn when you weren't even scared of Muzan."
Only then did Tanjiro hurry over and sit down in front of Tamayo, obediently rolling up his sleeve and extending his arm.
"Hiru, let's draw a few more tubes from you as well," Tamayo said as she carefully disinfected the instruments with alcohol. "I happen to have several new medicines that need testing."
She inserted the needle into Tanjiro's arm.
"Yushiro, draw blood from Hiru."
Hiru rolled up his own sleeve and extended his arm toward Yushiro.
"Oh? Does this mean you've finally made a medicine that can kill me?"
"We're only halfway there," Tamayo replied calmly. "And this drug needs to be adjusted based on the target's blood."
She withdrew the syringe, then turned and headed toward the inner room.
"The analysis will take some time. Please wait here."
"So… Mr. Hiru asked Lady Tamayo to make medicine that could kill you?" Tanjiro looked visibly worried. "Why would you do that? Isn't there a way to turn back into a human? Like how you brought me here to see Lady Tamayo?"
"You really think turning back into a human is that easy?" Yushiro pulled out a fresh syringe, sat beside Hiru, and jabbed it in with conspicuous roughness. "He's the original demon. The so-called human-restoring medicine just strips the demonic elements from the blood. But this guy doesn't fear sunlight and isn't affected by Wisteria. How could it possibly be that simple?"
"Wow… that's amazing."
"…You're seriously impressed?!"
"But it really is amazing! Just seeing sunlight now makes me terrified!"
Hiru lowered his gaze to the needle embedded in his arm, then looked at Yushiro, who had somehow ended up arguing one-sidedly with Tanjiro. In the end, Hiru quietly finished drawing his own blood.
[If they're this noisy every day, someone's bound to notice… Hm?]
"Hey, Yushiro. Do you have plans today?"
"What? Other than dealing with you—" Yushiro turned around with a fierce expression, but abruptly cut himself off, tilting his head upward. "Ah. It's probably Kyojuro. That guy always comes by to donate blood for Lady Tamayo and me… Tch. This is your fault. I forgot to reinforce the surveillance Blood Demon Art."
"Of all times…" Hiru listened to the approaching footsteps and covered his face in resignation. "Am I cursed with bad luck lately or something? Why does nothing ever go smoothly?"
Yushiro glanced at Tanjiro.
"What do we do about this kid?"
Hiru slumped back in his chair, completely unwilling to think.
"He's already this close. What else can we do? Just deal with it."
"Since there were no Blood Demon Arts or barriers restricting entry, I came straight in!" A booming voice rang out from outside. "Excuse me! Is now a good time to enter?!"
"The door isn't locked. Come in yourself," Yushiro replied.
He picked up several filled syringes beside Hiru, glanced at the figure pushing the door open, then turned and walked toward the inner room.
"A whole group of people who never know how to pick their timing… I'm going to help Lady Tamayo. Whatever happens with the Demon Slayer Corps is your problem."
Kyojuro looked at Hiru, who was slumped in the chair with his eyes closed.
"It's been quite some time! Hiru, my elder brother!"
"Ah… yeah. It has…" Hiru didn't change posture, only opening his eyes to look at the ever-energetic Rengoku Kyojuro. "I won't bother making excuses, so… could you just pretend you didn't see this kid?"
"That won't do!" Kyojuro's smile dipped slightly as he turned to Tanjiro. "Both of my eyes clearly saw a demon present!"
He paused, then continued in a firm but measured tone.
"However, since he is someone you wish to protect, Hiru, and Lady Tamayo is involved, I am willing to hear your explanation before making a decision!"
Hiru pinched the corner of his eye.
"This is really troublesome… Kyojuro, why don't you just treat him the same way you treat Lady Tamayo and turn a blind eye?"
"Mmm! In that case, then please explain to me," Kyojuro withdrew his gaze and stepped in front of Hiru, "why you know so many demons and even regard them as friends. As a Hashira, it is my duty to investigate this matter!"
"Then I'll keep it brief." Hiru looked up at him. "This kid is my brother's disciple. He ended up like this after fighting Muzan. He hasn't eaten anyone. My brother and I want to save him. That's it."
Kyojuro froze, then turned to look at Kamado Tanjiro, who was sitting quietly to the side.
"Yoriichi's disciple?!"
Kamado Tanjiro nodded slightly.
"Ah… yes. I did receive guidance from Yoriichi."
"Mmm… then there's no helping it!" Kyojuro crossed his arms. "We should report this to the master! The Hashira Meeting is coming up anyway! Since you are a demon protected by two Hashira, you must prove that you pose no threat to the Demon Slayer Corps! Otherwise, the sacrifices of Hiru and Yoriichi would be in vain!"
"Um, I have a question!" Tanjiro raised his hand and looked up at Kyojuro. "What exactly do you mean by 'in vain'?"
"Mmm! A good question!" Kyojuro answered loudly. "According to the Demon Slayer Corps' rules, if a demon under protection ends up harming a human, the guarantor must pay with their life!"
Hiru couldn't take it anymore.
"Kyojuro, just pretend—"
"No!" Kyojuro interrupted firmly. "Rules are rules, and rules must be enforced! That is exactly what you taught me! And Lady Tamayo's case was also approved by the master himself!"
"But—"
"It's fine, Mr. Hiru!" Tanjiro suddenly stood up. "I'm willing to undergo the test! I can't let you and Yoriichi bear the risk for me!"
He clenched his fists, eyes full of determination.
"As long as I control my appetite and don't hurt anyone, it'll be fine! I'm confident I can pass!"
Hiru: …(—_—)
[Damn it. You Rengoku family and the Kamado family really exist just to be my natural enemies, don't you?]