The lingering night was like ink dissolving in water; as the sky faintly brightened at the moment between light and dark, a pitch-black Kasugai Crow streaked across the sky at extreme speed.
At the headquarters,
"Kiyokawa Izumi has successfully defeated Lower Rank Five at Natagumo Mountain!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, supported by Lady Amane, slowly sat up.
"That is truly good news. Is that child proving himself? How is he now? Is he injured?"
The Master, who had just woken up, still spoke with a peaceful voice.
Compared to Lower Rank Five, he was actually more concerned about whether Kiyokawa Izumi was injured.
Successfully defeating a Lower Rank might greatly boost the morale of ordinary Team Members.
But The Master knew well that for Muzan, Lower Rank could be replaced at any time—the Demon Slayer Corps had defeated quite a few Lower Rank over the years.
Also this year, Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyojuro successfully defeated Lower Rank Two, Hairo.
Killing a lower five wasn't actually that shocking.
"No injuries!"
A sharp voice came; the Kasugai Crow, tilting its head, answered very simply.
This not-so-bright appearance was clearly identifiable as belonging to Kiyokawa Izumi's household.
"That is what I wanted to hear most. That child's strength has clearly improved again."
A sincere smile appeared on his severely disfigured face.
He had always believed that Kiyokawa Izumi had great potential.
His talent might not be inferior to Tokito Muichiro's.
No injuries meant he won quite easily.
Last time he barely won against lower rank six, but now he can win so easily; it seems his strength has truly improved a lot.
If Kiyokawa Izumi knew how this person viewed him, he would surely cry foul.
The strength improvement wasn't actually that big, it was just an information advantage... "Truly monster-like talent. When I saw him last time, he hadn't mastered Total Concentration Breathing: Constant yet, right?"
Uzui Tengen, sitting on the eaves, had a much more serious expression; upon hearing the news, he was simply marveling at Kiyokawa Izumi's growth speed.
After this battle, there will likely be no more voices of doubt; even the other Hashira will no longer doubt Kiyokawa Izumi's strength.
During the last Hashira Meeting, the Wind Hashira, for instance, had unspoken words, seemingly wanting to question Kiyokawa Izumi's strength, believing he wasn't yet qualified to be a Hashira.
Perhaps out of respect for The Master's decision, he could only suppress his doubts for the time being.
If Kiyokawa Izumi were a demon, even with The Master vouching for him, the Wind Hashira would not hesitate to state his opinion.
Without a doubt, he would have strongly opposed it.
Vile demons should all be slain!
But since Kiyokawa Izumi is not a demon and has the achievement of slaying lower rank six, although there were doubts, they hadn't reached the level of strong opposition... "A junior working so hard truly makes one feel ashamed!"
Rengoku Kyojuro let out a hearty laugh after hearing the news; his thoughts weren't so complicated, he was simply happy for his junior's achievement.
He also felt a faint sense of shame.
Kiyokawa Izumi, who was younger than him, had already killed two Lower Rank.
He himself hadn't made much of a contribution during this time, not even encountering any of the Twelve Kizuki.
I must continue to work hard!
In contrast, Tomioka Giyu's reaction was the most indifferent.
"Oh!"
There was no change of expression on his cool face; if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't even see his slight nodding motion.
There was no emotion like joy, as if he had heard something trivial—for instance, that Kiyokawa Izumi found a cat when going out today or ate Ise Udon.
Senior Brother is as cold as ever.
Perhaps this was also an acknowledgment of Kiyokawa Izumi's strength... Butterfly Mansion,
"Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi is truly reckless. Do I need to go there?"
When she heard the news from the Kasugai Crow, Kochou Shinobu's first reaction was: do I need to go there?
After all, that guy is quite reckless.
He's probably quite badly injured, right?
Upon hearing that Kiyokawa Izumi was uninjured, Kochou Shinobu couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
She held an indescribable, vague expectation for him.
It wasn't that she hoped Kiyokawa Izumi could get along well with demons and inherit the wish she couldn't fulfill—Kiyokawa Izumi was not someone who would get along with demons; although his attitude toward them wasn't extreme, he didn't hesitate when it came to fighting.
This expectation might be the feeling that he could become stronger and achieve more things that she couldn't.
Or perhaps she was expecting him to make a different decision than her own.
When her older sister died before her eyes, she made up her mind to seek revenge.
So she hadn't left the Demon Slayer Corps, and she never would.
But when she looked at Kanao, she didn't really want her to join the Demon Slayer Corps like herself; she hoped she could live like an ordinary girl, just as her sister had hoped for her.
The hatred she bore didn't need to be forced upon others.
What Shinobu didn't know was that Kiyokawa Izumi didn't hold the attitude of slaying all demons either.
This guy knew about Tanjirou's younger sister.
By not reporting it, in a way, he was also violating the corps' rules.
Giyuu let a demon go and was suspected of harboring it.
And he, who knew but didn't report it, wasn't entirely without responsibility.
But Kiyokawa Izumi clearly didn't care.
Still wandering around Natagumo Mountain, he didn't forget to collect Rui's blood, thinking that he could go find Lady Tamayo when he had time.
_________
Four additional comments for the bonus chapter
1000 Energy Stones, New Extra Chapter