"Hey! Wake up! Come on, get up already!"
"How long are you planning to sleep?!"
To the shouts of the Kakushi member Goto, the unconscious Tanjiro jolted awake from his injury-induced sleep.
"You're standing before the Hashira!"
Tanjiro's instincts made him look up—
and he found himself surrounded before he even realized it.
Hashira?
As in… the highest-ranking swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps?
Still dazed, Tanjiro looked around at them, mind stuck on the moment he'd barely managed to behead Lower Rank Five, Rui.
"Kamado Tanjiro, this is the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. You're currently undergoing judgment."
Shinobu observed the young boy quietly.
Yuko's protégé…
Only fifteen, she'd heard.
A genius like Muichiro?
But… judging from how everyone reacted, none of them seemed aware he had slain a Lower Rank.
Shinobu maintained her serene expression.
The Master clearly wanted everyone to accept both Yuko and this boy.
Rengoku folded his arms across his chest, speaking boldly:
"There's no need for a trial! Sheltering a demon violates Corps regulations. Let us handle it—just behead the demon."
"Indeed! Let's swiftly and flamboyantly remove its head and show you the most dazzling spray of blood!"
…
Their voices rose one after another, leaving Tanjiro—freshly awakened—half-dizzy. Instinctively, he began searching for his sister.
Nezuko… where's Nezuko?!
"More importantly, how should we deal with Tomioka?"
A voice from above snapped Tanjiro's attention upward.
On a tree branch lounged a man with bandaged eyes, wearing black-and-white striped clothing. A white snake was coiled around his neck.
His bandages resembled those that Yuko wore.
"Looks like you all didn't restrain him. Just looking at it gives me a headache."
"This guy violated Corps rules too, didn't he? What punishment should he bear? How should he take responsibility?"
He was clearly enjoying this.
Shinobu glanced away.
Well… Tomioka-san wasn't exactly popular.
"…"
Giyu silently stood aside, saying nothing.
Kanae stepped in as mediator.
"Now, now, let's leave Tomioka-san's issues for later. Shinobu, give the child some water first."
Shinobu smiled softly, crouched beside Tanjiro, and offered him a gourd.
"Tanjiro, your injuries haven't been treated yet. Please drink slowly."
"Then tell us the truth."
"There's a pain reliever mixed in—this way it won't hurt."
Tanjiro drank and hurried to speak:
"My little sister turned into a demon, but she has never eaten a human!"
"Not before, and not now—she will never hurt anyone!"
Kanae's expression softened slightly.
But his words certainly did not sway the others.
"Quit spouting nonsense. You're only protecting her because she's your family."
"Yes, yes—he's already been corrupted by a demon. Better to kill him now and release him from his suffering."
"Please listen! I became a swordsman precisely to cure Nezuko! She turned into a demon two years ago—and through all this time, she has never eaten a human!"
He pleaded desperately, but aside from the Kocho sisters, no one seemed to believe him.
"Stop repeating those empty words. Saying 'she won't eat humans' means nothing…"
Tanjiro clenched his jaw.
These people… they weren't listening at all.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A dull impact echoed through the courtyard.
Everyone turned to see a white figure fly backward, awkwardly adjusting midair before landing.
The Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, sat up slightly, heterochromic eyes lowered.
"Sanemi? What are you doing?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi didn't respond to anyone. He only grinned viciously, staring toward the walkway.
"Not bad."
"You—can you let people finish talking?"
Yuko stepped out of the room, rubbing her forehead in annoyance as she looked down at Sanemi.
Behind her, the Kakushi who had wanted to act as mediator took one look at the situation, trembled, and retreated back inside.
"Yuko-san!" Tanjiro called out in relief.
The Hashira turned their attention toward her.
This was the woman from earlier—had she clashed with Sanemi?
And…
It seemed Sanemi had lost that exchange.
"You plan to protect that demon, woman?" Sanemi sneered, his expression feral.
Yuko felt her temples throb.
She disliked dealing with this type of hot-headed brute.
And this guy's whole design… felt out of sync with the rest.
"I don't care who you are," Sanemi growled. "Anyone who shelters a demon is guilty by association."
He drew his Nichirin blade.
"Wait, Sanemi—" Kanae recognized Yuko and reached out to stop him, but Shinobu gently held her sister back.
Kanae blinked in confusion.
Shinobu smiled sweetly.
"Sanemi-san is… probably going to suffer for this."
Everyone stared at her in shock, then shifted their gaze to the confrontation.
Sanemi charged without hesitation, blade flashing.
What kind of bizarre development was this?
Yuko sighed, half-exasperated, half-amused, and lifted her hand—
casually catching his blade.
Iguro's pupils constricted sharply. He sat upright at once.
The other Hashira looked on, stunned.
"She stopped it with her bare hand…"
Sanemi stared in disbelief at his trapped blade. But he was still a Hashira—he twisted his wrist, shaking Yuko's grip loose, and swung in a wide arc.
Yuko dodged with mild surprise.
This guy might actually be stronger than Giyu.
Shame he wasn't nearly as cute or agreeable.
Her brows furrowed. Veins rose along her pale arm as she reached for the blade again.
Sanemi almost laughed.
She wanted to use the same trick twice?
He brought his sword down toward her arm—
Yuko flicked her fingers lightly.
His blade deflected off course by a fraction.
Before Sanemi could process it, she stepped in and brought her foot down on the back of his sword, forcing it to the floor.
"You—!"
The veins on Sanemi's forehead bulged as he glared upward—
only to suddenly freeze.
"Checkmate."
Yuko's gaze was calm, steady.
Her Nichirin blade—no one even saw when she drew it—was already pressed against the tip of Shinazugawa Sanemi's nose.
---
Currently at chapter 423 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08