After Hiru and Zenitsu finally had an open and honest talk, Zenitsu stopped trying to tail him. Hiru, at long last, got to enjoy a few peaceful days.
Once the craftsmen arrived and finished installing Kuwajima's prosthetic limb, Hiru left Momoyama and returned to his usual routine of capturing demons.
Rushing to meet the deadline, he managed to catch over thirty demons and shove them into Fujikasane before the next Hashira Meeting.
That workload—hardly different from normal—prompted Hiru to grab Sabito the moment he arrived at headquarters.
"What the hell have you been doing these past six months?! There's been zero progress on your demon-catching!"
Sabito shot back without hesitation. "Like I didn't want to! But those demons were way too fragile—one slip and they'd die! I'm not like you, who can just rely on a Bright Red Blade!"
"That's not an excuse! You have enough patience to rack your brain over how to teach Giyu!"
Sabito almost instantly calmed down.
"I've already started figuring out how to help others understand Giyu."
Hiru: …Damn it.
"Hiru! Sabito!"
Hiru turned toward the voice and saw Kyojuro striding over with long steps.
"Ah, Kyojuro." Hiru smiled. "You did well. I heard it was a pretty troublesome demon."
"Yes! Extremely troublesome!" Kyojuro replied at full volume. "Recovering and resting took a tremendous amount of time! I'm still not moving very smoothly!"
"Haha, isn't that just like me?" Sabito laughed. "I was stuck in bed for ages back then too!"
"Don't lump yourself in with him," Hiru clicked his tongue. "You ran into trouble right after the exam and got beaten so badly you couldn't fight back. That's why you were hospitalized."
"Haha, don't expose me like that." Sabito scratched his head, his cheerful voice filtering out from behind the mask. "Still, my luck really is good. I always seem to run into the Twelve Kizuki."
"You won't be laughing if you ever meet an Upper Rank."
"Heh. If it's Upper Five or Upper Six, I'd still have some confidence," Sabito slung an arm around Hiru's shoulder. "Of course, that's nothing compared to someone like you, who clashes head-on with Upper One and Upper Two."
"As if I want to," Hiru sighed. "Even when I don't go looking for them, they come looking for me."
"Why are demons so eager to seek out Hiru?" Kyojuro asked loudly.
"Well… there are plenty of reasons." Hiru rubbed his chin. "And honestly, just the fact that I'm still alive is enough to piss him off."
"Ah, is it because of your brother?" Sabito tilted his head. "I heard that after your brother became a demon, he ran into you again—and you talked him into betraying Muzan."
"Mm!" Kyojuro nodded vigorously. "My father mentioned that too! Hiru, you're truly amazing!"
"Right?"
Sabito added.
"That mouth of his really doesn't show mercy."
Hiru: …It's true, but something about the way that was phrased feels off.
"By the way, how's Kanroji doing?" Hiru looked at Kyojuro. "I heard she went on the mission with you."
"Mm! That's right!" Kyojuro laughed heartily.
"Thanks to Mitsuri, we were saved more than once! Kanroji is an outstanding swordsman! Even though she was afraid the whole time, she still worked incredibly hard to slay demons and protect everyone! She even led everyone in dismantling the bombs! Compared to her, I hardly did anything at all! I feel ashamed!"
Hiru: …Why is he only praising other people?
"Don't say that!" Sabito's voice rose without him realizing it. "Kyojuro, slaying Lower Two was the decisive moment! That's incredible!"
"Hahaha—being acknowledged like that is an honor!"
"No, I should be the one saying that! Let's keep doing our best together, Kyojuro!"
"Mm! I'll catch up to everyone as soon as possible!"
Hiru: …Whatever else, the two of you don't need to shout back and forth with me stuck in the middle.
"Oh, right! Hiru!"
Kyojuro turned to him.
"I already made plans with Mitsuri to go try some new sweets! Would you like to come along too?"
[That topic shift was fast.]
Hiru raised a hand and rubbed his thoroughly abused ears. "Sure, but I need to go check on the selection first. My kids are participating this year. I won't feel at ease if I don't see it myself."
"Your kids… Ah, you mean the twins you adopted?"
"That's right." Hiru nodded slightly, an unmistakable hint of pride slipping into his tone.
"Their talent is remarkable. One-on-one, they can already hold their own against Aoba. And their grasp of 'Aura' is especially fast—Yuichiro, the older brother, can already sense it and use it at a basic level."
"…You're joking, right? Those kids aren't even thirteen yet."
"Such youthful brilliance! Truly admirable!"
Kyojuro declared.
"I must work even harder!"
While chatting, the three of them arrived at the usual meeting spot.
On one side, the three female Hashira were chatting and laughing together. On the other, Obanai was trying to slip past Sanemi to stab Tomioka, while Sanemi firmly blocked his path and desperately tried to explain something.
Uzui crouched nearby, watching the spectacle with great interest, occasionally fanning the flames and reigniting Obanai's anger just as it began to subside.
Seeing this, Sabito completely forgot about marveling at the talent of the twins Hiru and Yoriichi had adopted. He strode over in a few large steps and joined Sanemi in explaining things.
"Mm! Everyone's full of energy! That's a good thing!"
"You might have a misunderstanding about what 'energy' means…"
"Not at all!"
"Amida-butsu… it seems the two of us arrived late."
"No, we just got here too." Hiru looked toward Yoriichi and Himejima walking side by side. "Did you go train with Himejima again, brother?"
"Mm… Himejima's progress is very fast. Since we arrived early, we sparred briefly at the training grounds." Yoriichi then nodded to Kyojuro. "I heard about your accomplishments. They were excellent."
"No! I'm still far, far behind Brother Yoriichi!" Kyojuro said earnestly. "After all, Brother Yoriichi is a swordsman powerful enough to defeat Father with ease!"
"Indeed," Himejima said as tears streamed down his face once more.
"Yoriichi's strength is something we will spend our entire lives chasing."
Having heard this countless times, Yoriichi could only shake his head helplessly. His gaze shifted to Ubuyashiki, who was being supported as he walked out.
"Let's go," Yoriichi said softly. "The meeting is about to begin."