It seems my efforts today were not in vain.
Musashi felt a great sense of accomplishment and got up to follow Giyuu to the residence where the Hashiras were gathered.
A week gradually passed, and this Hashira Meeting drew to a close.
Inside the residence, ten Hashiras knelt on one knee before Kagaya.
Kagaya smiled and said in a gentle voice, "This Hashira Meeting concludes here. Thank you for attending. I will gradually implement the issues you raised and the solutions you provided.
Finally, I wish you all eternal peace."
His unhurried voice contained the most sincere emotions.
"We wish Master Kagaya eternal health!" The ten Hashiras bowed slightly and wished in unison.
"Thank you for your wishes. You may all return," Kagaya said with a smile to the Hashiras. Then he turned his gaze to Musashi and said to him, "Musashi, stay for a moment. I have something to say to you."
"Yes," the Hashiras replied in unison after hearing their Master's words.
Subsequently, except for Musashi, the other Hashiras successively left the residence, and only Musashi remained.
Musashi himself was also bewildered, not understanding why Master Kagaya wanted to keep him behind alone.
After the other Hashiras had all left, Kagaya spoke.
"Now that it's just the two of us, you can confide any worries or pain to me. Keeping it bottled up will only make it worse."
His voice was steady and gentle, and his eyes seemed to contain a power that could see through people's hearts.
Kagaya continued, "Every Demon Slayer Corps member carries a lot of pain in their heart. Those who join the Demon Slayer Corps are all good children, kind and gentle.
But precisely because of this, the sorrows of others make them empathize, and some unavoidable things make them feel immensely guilty.
Kind people are always more easily hurt.
You, like Kyojuro, are someone who likes to think of others. I already know the details of the mission from my Kasugai Crow. You must be feeling very bad, aren't you?"
Kagaya looked at Musashi. Although half of his face was disfigured, it did not make people feel scared at all. Instead, there was a kind of kindness that made people want to approach him.
Kagaya's words completely hit Musashi. The two living people who died right before him had been lingering in his mind. Although his strength could easily slay the demon, he couldn't save them.
After a moment of silence, Musashi spoke.
"Master Kagaya… can I truly protect others? They were right before my eyes, but I could only watch them die. Can someone like me truly protect others like Teacher Rengoku and the others?
Did that demon's brother die because of me? Did I kill him?"
Musashi looked at the floor and said with some pain.
Musashi asked several questions in a row. Although the past few days had been pleasant and happy, whenever he lay down, these questions would flood his mind, forcing him to ponder them.
Originally, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps to avenge demons, but under Kyojuro's guidance, his thoughts had shifted to protecting others.
However, these two consecutive missions made him feel like he hadn't protected anyone. He had immense power but couldn't do anything.
"Slaying man-eating demons is inherently protecting others; you have already achieved that.
As for the matter of that brother and sister, it is difficult for humans to retain their consciousness after becoming demons. They ceased to be their former selves the moment they became demons. Since it had already eaten a human, your act of slaying it was not wrong.
All these tragedies were created by Kibutsuji Muzan. You do not need to blame yourself for this," Kagaya said, comforting him.
Upon hearing Kagaya's words, Musashi felt much better. He bowed to Kagaya in gratitude and said, "Thank you for your concern, Master Kagaya."
"While it's not wrong to often reflect on yourself, in the future, be a little less harsh on yourself," Kagaya smiled and finally said to Musashi.
"I understand," Musashi nodded.
Then he also left the residence.
The Hashira Meeting officially ended, but Hashiras who had not yet received missions temporarily remained at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, using this time for training. Hashiras with Tsuguko also took this opportunity to instruct their Tsuguko.
At the same time, someone unexpected came to find Musashi.
"Eh? Why would Tetsuimaru-san come here?"
Musashi looked at Tetsuimaru, who was wearing a Hyottoko mask, and asked with some confusion.
"You're still asking me? I don't know how someone as clumsy as you became a Hashira. Of course, I'm here to engrave the four characters 'Demon Slayer' on your Nichirin Sword, which only Hashira-level swordsmen's Nichirin Swords have. At the same time, I'm checking if you've been taking good care of the blade I forged," Tetsuimaru said, looking at Musashi with her arms crossed.
Although her words were somewhat impatient, her tone still conveyed that she was very happy. After all, forging a Nichirin Sword for a Hashira was also an honor for a swordsmith.
"I see. Then I'll trouble Tetsuimaru-san. But I wanted to ask, will Tetsuimaru-san be taking the Nichirin Sword back to her village?" Musashi understood and then asked Tetsuimaru.
He was a little afraid that if his Nichirin Sword was taken away, it might delay his missions.
"Of course not. I've already brought the necessary tools here. I can finish this work in less than a day," Tetsuimaru said, waving her hand.
Hearing this, Musashi felt relieved and took out his Nichirin Sword. As he handed the Nichirin Sword to Tetsuimaru, Musashi suddenly thought of something and didn't immediately hand over the blade. He said to her happily, "Oh, right, I recently discovered that this Nichirin Sword turns red when I'm fighting. Would Tetsuimaru-san like to see?"
Thinking of Tetsuimaru's previous obsession with seeing a Nichirin Sword turn red, Musashi asked her.
Hearing Musashi say this, Tetsuimaru couldn't sit still and excitedly grabbed Musashi's hand, pulling him out of the house.
"Of course, I want to see! What are you hesitating for, you idiot? Hurry up and let me see the Nichirin Sword turn red!" Tetsuimaru said, pulling Musashi as she walked.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Musashi said helplessly from behind.
Soon, the two arrived at a training ground at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry…"
Tetsuimaru was constantly urging Musashi from the side, her excitement evident.
Tetsuimaru-san's temper is still so impatient.
Musashi turned his head to look at Tetsuimaru, feeling a little helpless.
Then he turned his head, took a deep breath, and then exhaled a white rainbow from his mouth, while tightening his grip on the Nichirin Sword in his hand.
The next moment, something strange happened. The originally pitch-black Nichirin Sword gradually began to glow with a crimson color in Musashi's hand. This crimson color gradually stained the entire blade of the Nichirin Sword, causing a drastic change in the blade's color.
"Bright Red Nichirin… It really is a Bright Red Nichirin… The records… are true…"
Tetsuimaru, who was standing nearby, muttered to herself after seeing the change in the Nichirin Sword.