Obanai had always been grateful to Rengoku Shinjuro for saving his life, and he deeply respected Ubuyashiki, who, despite his frail body, managed to single-handedly support the Demon Slayer Corps' finances through sheer management and acumen.
Even so, Iguro found the Hashira Meetings unbearably tedious.
He disliked interacting with the outside world and loathed crowded places. Or rather, compared to dealing with people, he far preferred investigating demon traces alone—tracking them down one by one and killing them at his own pace.
As a Hashira, he only needed to glare a little to scare off any lower-ranking members who tried to get friendly with him. Unfortunately, that tactic didn't work on fellow Hashira.
He was still a newcomer, with little accumulated prestige. And among the Hashira were people like Uzui, a social monster who seemingly didn't know the meaning of embarrassment, as well as Sabito and Kyojuro—natural-born social butterflies who radiated approachability wherever they went.
Oh, and then there was Tomioka, who wore an expression of perpetual misery and spoke in an equally unpleasant manner, along with Yoriichi and Himejima, whose overwhelming strength left others with no choice but to admire and chase after them from afar.
Because of his childhood experiences, Iguro had no idea how to interact with the three female Hashira in the Corps. Worse still, two and a half of them were also part-time physicians who constantly came by to check on him, leaving him even more at a loss.
As for Hiru—another half-time physician—Iguro wanted nothing more than to stay as far away as possible after a certain past teaching incident. And recently, he had even heard rumors that Hiru was sheltering demons.
That last point irritated Obanai to no end.
All things considered, having Shinazugawa as his only friend was more than enough for him. Even if that friend had a strangely motherly personality that didn't match his appearance, it already satisfied all of Iguro's social needs.
[Why do the Hashira have to report in person anyway? Sending a Kasugai Crow would be so much easier…]
"Um…"
[And that Hiru guy actually let rumors spread about sheltering demons? Did he get bewitched while hunting? Or is this some kind of adolescent phase?]
"Um, excuse me… could you wait a moment?"
Only then did Iguro Obanai realize the voice was addressing him.
He turned around—and instantly flushed red. His eyes snapped shut at once.
Standing in front of him was a girl with braided hair. Her hair color was a striking cherry pink, fading into a pale grassy green at the tips. Her features were delicate and adorable.
But what made Iguro close his eyes wasn't her face—it was her clothing.
She appeared to have received a uniform one size too small. The buttons over her chest couldn't be fastened properly, exposing a great deal of pale skin. Her skirt was extremely short, and her long, slender legs were blindingly white.
[H-how can someone dress like this? Isn't that way too revealing?!]
The girl seemed a little embarrassed herself.
"Um… I wanted to ask a question…"
Obanai steadied himself, though he still didn't dare look at her.
"…What is it?"
"Hello! I wanted to ask if you know where the Hashira Meeting is held."
"The Hashira Meeting?"
"Yes! I recently defeated one of the Twelve Kizuki, and my Kasugai Crow told me to attend the Hashira Meeting…" She paused, then smiled. "Ah! I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kanroji Mitsuri!"
"…Iguro Obanai."
"Hehe~ Then may I call you Iguro-san?"
"…Mm."
"Really, it's such a relief to meet you! Everyone I ran into before just turned and ran away when they saw me… I wonder if my hair looks too scary…"
Obanai tilted his head slightly toward her, then quickly looked away again, his face burning.
"It's not your hair. Your hair is very beautiful."
"Huh?" Kanroji Mitsuri tilted her head. After a brief moment of surprise, her smile became even brighter. "Iguro-san, you're such a nice person~ I'm really glad I met you~ It feels like all my nervousness just disappeared!"
"…Come with me. I'm heading there anyway."
"Hehe~ Iguro-san is so considerate and helpful! If only everyone were like you!"
[Everyone like me?]
Even though he still didn't dare look at the girl beside him, Iguro couldn't help the corner of his mouth twitching.
[If everyone were like me, the Kakushi would be in tears.]
Along the way, Mitsuri kept chatting happily, while Iguro nodded from time to time. After she explained the characteristics of her Breathing Style, he shared quite a few practical demon-slaying techniques with her.
"Iguro-san, you know so much!"
Mitsuri looked at him with admiration.
"You look so slender, but you give off this really strong, reassuring feeling! And you're so knowledgeable too—amazing!"
Iguro simply lowered his head.
"We're here."
"Oh! So it's behind that building…" Mitsuri smiled sweetly. "I didn't notice at all! Thank goodness you brought me here, Iguro-san!"
But as her gaze fell on the gathering ahead, her voice unconsciously dropped.
"Ah… everyone looks so serious. U-um… what should I do? I feel like I'm getting nervous again, Iguro-san."
"It's not usually like this. Something happened this time," Iguro said as he scanned the scene. "But the main person hasn't arrived yet."
"E-eh…" Mitsuri followed behind him nervously. "Then what should I do now?"
"Obviously, we go in."
"Wuuah!"
The sudden voice from behind startled Mitsuri so badly that she instinctively grabbed Obanai's haori. Only after turning around did she relax slightly.
"Seriously, Hiru-san, don't scare people like that!"
"You're the ones blocking the entrance…" Hiru sighed, looking thoroughly exhausted. "Why are you just standing there? Get inside."
"I heard you're sheltering a demon," Obanai said, glancing at the box behind Hiru. "Why would you do that?"
"I don't feel like explaining it over and over. Once the meeting starts—"
"That won't do! You need to explain it clearly right now!"
Hiru turned his gaze toward Sanemi, who was walking over. His expression didn't change, but Sanemi clearly had no intention of staying calm.
"You bastard!" Sanemi grabbed Hiru by the collar. "Weren't you always the one shouting that all demons should be exterminated?! Then why are you protecting one now?!"
"You're a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps! If the lower-ranked members find out, what do you think they'll feel?!"
Sanemi's words echoed the doubts in the hearts of the other Hashira as well. Aside from Yoriichi, the rest all turned their attention toward Hiru, waiting for an answer.
Feeling their gazes converge on him, Hiru let out a soft sigh. A trace of irritation finally appeared on his face as he raised a hand and brushed Sanemi's grip aside.
"I did it because I wanted to," he said flatly. "Why should I care what those people think?"