After discussing Muzan's recent situation with Tamayo, Hiru left and continued roaming the area, hunting demons.
He didn't mind that the Ubuyashiki family had been assigning him separate missions to gradually distance him from the others. If anything, that was exactly what he wanted.
He knew that, in the end, he was bound to bid everyone farewell. The fewer bonds he formed, the better.
While lingering nearby and waiting for Tamayo's message so he could deliver the medicine, Hiru eventually noticed that the mark representing Kokushibo had been drawing closer night after night.
Taking his condition into account, Hiru thought it over briefly before deciding to seek him out himself. As if sensing that intention, Kokushibo stopped moving and waited in the mountains.
When Hiru finally caught sight of him, he felt that rare, measuring gaze linger on him. Instinctively, he glanced down at himself, checking whether anything about his attire was out of place.
Seeing Kokushibo hesitate, as though unsure how to begin, Hiru spoke first.
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly looking for me?"
"Hiru… does Yoriichi know that you… like Doma?"
Hiru blinked, then nodded.
"Brother knows. But how did you find out? Did Doma and the others go to you?"
Kokushibo gave a slight nod. This time, however, he remained silent for a long while before finally asking,
"After Muzan is killed… do you and Yoriichi intend to keep him by your side?"
Hiru: …?
A flicker of alarm stirred in his chest.
"…Why would I stay with him?"
Kokushibo opened his mouth, then closed it again. Instead, he reached out and seized Hiru's wrist. His sharp nails pierced the skin, and through their mingled blood, he conveyed his conversation with Doma.
When the memories finished transferring, Hiru stood there blankly for several seconds before exploding.
"What nonsense is he talking about?!
When I said I liked him, I meant I liked the purity of his heart—human or demon, it's the same. I like that pure white core of his—untouched at the center, yet so easily stained. And fine, his face isn't bad. I like his eyes too—
But! Who ever said anything about being with him?!"
"And what about the name 'Akiwa'?"
"That was just my colleagues in the Demon Slayer Corps treating it like a joke and having fun at my expense! I don't have that kind of hobby! Yes, demons can change form—it's convenient, and I've used it for a long time—but that doesn't mean I'm into that sort of thing!"
"…"
Kokushibo still looked as though he had more to say, and that only made Hiru's temper flare higher.
"Big brother, you'd rather believe outsiders than me?! And why did you give your blood to Doma?!"
"They were no match for Yoriichi. And I did not pass my memories to him. You may rest easy."
Kokushibo lowered his head slightly.
"But as for you and Doma…"
"I already said there's nothing between us!! If you need an analogy, it's like a painter's love for white pigment! Do you have any idea how painful it is for a demon obsessed with painting to have no white paint?!"
Hiru slammed his fist against a nearby tree, his expression fierce.
"If I'd known he'd go around spreading nonsense, I would've turned him to ashes back then!"
"If…"
"No 'ifs'!"
"Then, Hiru… is there someone you truly like?"
"…"
Meeting Kokushibo's lingering, doubtful gaze, Hiru felt a surge of exasperation.
He was a demon who had lived for centuries, yet here he was, being questioned about his own inclinations.
He was utterly fed up.
"Anyway! If that's all you came to say, then hurry back! I've got things to do!"
Kokushibo's expression wavered between worry and hesitation.
"You… take care of yourself."
"I told you, there's nothing going on!"
…
The whole incident left Hiru simmering for days. Half a month later, when Tamayo summoned him to collect the medicine, she even slipped him an extra packet of calming herbal tea and advised him not to get so worked up.
He didn't take it immediately. Instead, he recounted everything—what had happened with Doma and his exchange with Kokushibo—and asked her to judge.
Tamayo: …
"So why did you agree to dress as a woman?"
"Because Makomo and the others said the cult favors women. If I disguised myself, I could approach that cult leader more quickly. At the time, we weren't even certain demons were involved. We wanted to handle it quietly."
"…Couldn't you have infiltrated alone?" Tamayo pressed a hand to her forehead. ""In the end, you just thought it sounded interesting and wanted to try it, didn't you?"
He couldn't deny it.
Seeing the conflict on his face, Tamayo shook her head.
"Just accept it. It is, after all, a family matter. More importantly, deliver this to the child. It only lasts half a month. There isn't much time. If you still wish to talk, come back after he recovers."
Hiru knew what mattered most. He stood and left, still muttering under his breath,
"Damn Doma… I'll scatter you one of these days."
However, when he arrived at the Kocho sisters' estate, Shinobu informed him that Nezuko and the others had long since recovered and gone back out on missions.
"…He recovered that quickly?"
Shinobu was sorting through books filled with prescriptions.
"Yes. His recovery speed is quite remarkable. What do you need them for? Don't tell me you came all this way just to chat out of boredom."
"Of course not. I came to deliver medicine. Hah… I thought injuries like that—muscles torn throughout the body—would require at least a month of rest."
He scratched his head and sighed.
"And yet he recovered so quickly… What a headache."
"If you're trying to find them, it won't be difficult. They left with Rengoku."
Shinobu set the sorted books down in front of him one by one.
"There's a demon preying on passengers aboard a train. Dozens have already been killed. It should be somewhere to the west. Have your crow look into that direction. A mission with that many casualties—and involving a Hashira—won't be hard to track."
"A train?" Hiru picked up the books and followed her, nudging Kitaro on the shoulder. "Uzui mentioned something like that before. A newly introduced mode of transportation that moves very fast?"
"If Uzui told you, then it should be the same thing," Shinobu replied with a slight nod as she returned the books to their shelves. "But can your medicine truly turn him back into a human?"
"…What's that supposed to mean? Are you doubting your poison arts instructor?"
"You did say poison arts instructor," Shinobu replied flatly, her gaze sharpening with skepticism. "If you told me you'd brewed something that would let him pass on peacefully after drinking it, I might find that more believable."
…Well, thank you very much for your confidence.