"Mmm! Such spirit! If you can pass the test, then I'll fully acknowledge you!"
Kyojuro reached out and patted Tanjiro on the shoulder.
"When the time comes, I'll draw an extra portion of blood for you!"
Tanjiro smiled brightly. "Thank you very much! But it's fine even if I don't drink blood! I can endure it!"
"Is that so! Impressive! Truly worthy of praise! But if you do get hungry, you can come find me anytime! I'll draw blood for you!"
Hiru finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Stop making things worse. I only just managed to get him to restrain his appetite, and now you're encouraging him to eat?"
"Mmm! Then I'll head back and write my report!"
Kyojuro turned to Hiru.
"We'll meet again at the Hashira Meeting! Although this caused trouble, I truly couldn't ignore it! Allow me to apologize to you first, Brother Hiru!"
Hiru merely waved his hand, urging Kyojuro to leave quickly.
Watching the now-silent Hiru, Tanjiro finally realized he might have caused trouble.
"Mr. Hiru, please don't be upset. I really can control myself! I didn't even feel hungry just now!"
Hiru slowly lifted his head. His gray eyes met Tanjiro's.
"Quiet."
Tanjiro: ...(〇X〇)
[Mr. Hiru smells really angry… Did I do something wrong?]
Tanjiro felt confused.
[I just wanted to prove that I wouldn't harm humans, to ease everyone's burden, so they wouldn't be forced into an impossible situation because of helping me. Then why is Mr. Hiru so angry? Ugh… this is really hard to understand. Is being human really this difficult?]
Time passed little by little in the heavy silence. When night had fully fallen, Tamayo finally came out with the test results.
"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
Hiru raised his head again, his eyes still gray.
"The bad news. My mood can't possibly get any worse than it already is."
Tamayo handed over the test data.
"This child's blood is still fusing with Muzan's blood. It's in an unstable state, so I can't immediately produce an antidote for him. Conservatively speaking, it may take about half a year."
"And your blood is still evolving. None of the newly developed medicines can disrupt its activity. You'd best prepare yourself in advance."
Hiru didn't take the data.
"Then can he be converted into my subordinate?"
"Preferably not. The fusion process is in a very delicate phase. Doing so could instead cost the child his life."
"Great. My mood just got even worse…" Hiru lowered his head again and sighed. "Then what's the good news?"
"This child's blood is fusing at a very fast pace. If everything goes smoothly, it should stabilize in about two months. At that point, he can come back here for another blood draw, and I can begin creating the medicine to restore him to a human.
"Additionally, I've discovered a drug that reacts with your blood. With some enhancement, it should be possible to induce a slow death after injection."
Tamayo returned to her seat and took out a slightly worn notebook.
"However, the materials are extremely difficult to obtain. From gathering them, to research, to practical application, a conservative estimate would be three to four years."
"Ah… that is indeed good news." Hiru took the notebook and looked up at Tamayo. "I'll keep an eye out for those materials. But can Tanjiro's timeline be moved up any further? Even as a demon, he can still fight using Sun Breathing. I'm worried he'll eventually run into problems there as well."
"As long as he doesn't become immune to Wisteria, it won't be an issue… In fact, please make sure you don't turn this child into your descendant."
Tamayo's expression remained calm.
"In any case, should we temporarily keep this child here?"
"No. To ensure his survival, I need to take him with me and continue special training…"
Hiru irritably ran a hand through his hair.
"Nothing has gone right lately… Did I offend the gods and Buddhas by not believing in them? But that shouldn't be the case. Muzan hasn't suffered divine punishment even now. Why am I the one paying for this?"
Tamayo's gaze was steady and gentle.
"You claim you don't want to form bonds with others, yet you've let far too many people into your heart… You've been pushing yourself too hard."
"Hah… you're right. I got everything wrong from the very beginning…"
Hiru lowered his eyes. When he raised them again, they had returned to their original black. He stood up and turned to Tanjiro.
"Let's go. And you, brat—get ready for hellish training."
"Yes! I'll work hard!"
Yushiro and Tamayo exchanged a glance, then followed after Hiru and Tanjiro.
"I'll see you out."
Hiru didn't respond and simply walked ahead. Tanjiro, however, was visibly uneasy and spoke softly.
"Um… Mr. Yushiro, do you think I made a mistake agreeing to that… um, the golden-haired gentleman's test?"
Yushiro's gaze shifted slightly, then quickly returned.
"No. You did well. Compared to being exposed passively, choosing to reveal yourself actively offers more protection."
"But… Mr. Hiru smells really angry…" Tanjiro lowered his head. "I feel like I've let him down. He was being so careful to hide everything for my sake."
"Don't worry about him. He's just sulking because a friend of his recently died."
Yushiro stared at Hiru's back.
"And he has ties to your ancestors too. You should know, those brothers were practically exactly—"
"Yushiro, stop talking."
Hiru didn't turn around.
"Or do you want to lose the ability to speak altogether?"
Yushiro snorted and looked at Tanjiro.
"If you really feel guilty, then focus on accelerating the blood fusion in your body. The sooner you turn back into a human, the sooner we can stop worrying."
Tanjiro cautiously glanced at Hiru, then asked in a small voice.
"How exactly should I do that?"
Yushiro's expression darkened, but he still answered.
"The most important thing is preserving your sanity. The blood Muzan used to infect you is a highly concentrated killing agent. The fact that you're still alive is a miracle in itself. That blood will continuously erode your mind and gradually assimilate your consciousness. The stronger your will, the more aggressively the blood will try to consume you—and the faster the fusion will proceed."
"Hmm… when you put it that way, it sounds pretty simple?"
"Simple?"
Yushiro looked at Tanjiro, then shifted his gaze to Hiru.
"That brain of yours, capable of thinking this is simple, is so simple it's almost enviable."
Tanjiro lowered his head, deep in thought.
Hiru had no interest in continuing the conversation. He gathered the medicines he'd left by the shoe cabinet, picked up the box, and left.
Because it was nighttime, Tanjiro didn't shrink down to fit inside the box. Instead, he followed closely behind Hiru. After walking for a while, he finally looked up.
"I'm sorry… Did I agree too impulsively?"
Hiru looked away.
"It's not your fault. I just didn't want to use Blood Demon Art on a junior from the Rengoku family. If I had used it, this would've been easy to deal with."
Tanjiro lowered his head.
"But I—"
"Don't think too much about it."
Hiru let out a soft sigh, reached out, and ruffled the anxious child's hair. A faint smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm here."