The moment those words left her mouth, even Shinobu Kocho fell silent—and Okane Kichiro was left speechless as well.
Anyone with even a shred of perception wouldn't have said something that completely lacking in awareness.
But in a way, this worked out. Giyu Tomioka had successfully redirected all of Shinobu's hostility toward himself.
"Honestly… no wonder everyone dislikes you, Tomioka-san."
"…"
A faint ripple broke across Giyu's otherwise expressionless face as he stiffly replied:
"I am not disliked."
"It seems Tomioka-san hasn't realized this about himself. I must have said something unnecessary—I apologize."
"…"
Those words struck Giyu deeply. He finally understood that trying to argue with Shinobu was nothing but walking into a trap. So he simply fell silent and stared quietly at Okane Kichiro and the others.
Say whatever you want—I, Tomioka Giyu, am absolutely not disliked.
"Tell me, Tomioka-san—haven't you noticed the real problem yet?"
"What problem?"
"That girl over there is a demon. Ming is stopping me from killing her. Don't you think you should do something?"
Tanjiro immediately jolted, his attention snapping back to the situation at hand.
Even though it was Giyu who spared Nezuko in the first place and pointed Tanjiro toward training…
That didn't necessarily mean Giyu would protect a demon in defiance of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Tanjiro's worry was entirely reasonable—his sister was the only family he had left.
Giyu slowly drew his sword and walked toward Tanjiro without a word.
"Kichiro, you can release me now. Even you can't take on two Hashira at once. I'll speak to Oyakata and ask him to pardon your offense. You just slew a Demon Moon, after all."
Shinobu's voice softened.
She truly didn't want to see Okane Kichiro expelled from the Corps over a demon.
"Is that so? Somehow, I don't think Giyu is going to lay a hand on Nezuko."
"Even if his social skills are… lacking, Tomioka-san is just as firm in his resolve to kill demons as any other Hashira."
As Shinobu spoke, Giyu reached Tanjiro, raised his blade—
but instead of cutting Nezuko, he slashed toward the bushes.
Kanao Tsuyuri, who had been hiding there, was forced out.
Giyu stepped in front of Tanjiro, sword held defensively, and spoke with his back to him.
"Run. Take your sister and run as far as you can."
Against a Hashira, Kanao didn't dare to act recklessly.
"Looks like I was right," Okane Kichiro murmured, glancing at Shinobu.
He almost smiled, but seeing the vein pulsing faintly on her pale forehead, he wisely held it back.
Not the best moment to add fuel to the fire.
To be fair, Shinobu hadn't expected things to develop this far.
If one demon's existence truly meant the Corps would lose two Hashira, she might have given up on killing Nezuko herself.
Fortunately, things hadn't reached the worst-case scenario.
A kasaigarasu finally arrived, screeching loudly as it relayed Kagaya Ubuyashiki's orders.
Just as Okane Kichiro predicted—the Master must have already known about Nezuko. Otherwise, a retrieval order wouldn't have come this swiftly.
Tanjiro stopped in his tracks, relieved at the sudden turn.
Okane Kichiro released Shinobu and offered an apology.
"…You knew something, didn't you?"
Shinobu rubbed her wrist and asked, but before he could answer, she had already turned away and left.
Clearly, he had offended her far more deeply than he initially thought.
An apology wouldn't be enough to make her forgive him.
Okane Kichiro felt a headache coming on.
"…Whatever. I'll deal with it later."
He exchanged a glance with Giyu, nodding to each other.
Soon, the Hidden Unit arrived to retrieve Tanjiro—exhausted to the point of collapse—and his severely injured companions.
Nezuko was sealed inside her wooden box and carried away as well.
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
For once, the Hashira—normally scattered across various regions—had all gathered together.
It happened to coincide with the semi-annual Hashira Meeting.
Tanjiro woke to find his arms bound behind his back, his body pressed to the stone floor.
He looked up dazedly at the group standing around him, unable to process what was happening.
"Wh-what's going on? These people…"
Before he could finish, a member of the Hidden pushed his head back down.
Nervous and trembling, Tanjiro barely heard what they were saying. He kept darting his gaze around.
"Nezuko is fine. Stay still. You're covered in injuries—don't move."
Hearing that familiar voice, Tanjiro looked up and spotted Okane Kichiro sitting not far away, alongside his senior, Giyu Tomioka.
His heart finally settled.
"You really care about these siblings, don't you? But maybe you should worry about yourself first, Kichiro."
Shinobu turned and smiled sweetly at him.
Okane Kichiro quietly shut his mouth.
Only now did the other Hashira notice him, their expressions mixed.
They had long heard of the prodigious newcomer.
And now, barely after joining the Corps, he had already slain a Demon Moon.
They were thrilled the Corps had gained such a powerful fighter—but they hadn't expected the next time they heard his name, it would be connected to a demon.
No one knew what to say.
"Kichiro's situation can wait. Let's deal with this boy first."
Shinobu shifted her gaze back to Tanjiro, her expression calm.
"Your judgment is about to begin—Kamado Tanjiro."
Tanjiro, still just a boy, had never faced anything like this.
The immense presence of the Hashira pressed on him from all sides, making him swallow nervously.
Okane Kichiro lowered his head and began counting the ants walking across the stone floor, ignoring the interrogation entirely.
Now that they were already here at headquarters, the final outcome wouldn't change.
"This is the box containing the demon?"
A deep voice rumbled.
Sanemi Shinazugawa—covered in scars—appeared without warning.
He grabbed the wooden box casually, despite the Hidden frantically trying to stop him.
"Uh—could you maybe not touch that?"
Sanemi froze.
Okane Kichiro's hand was already resting atop the box.
"Oh, I've heard about you. Another one who broke Corps rules—just like Tomioka. I hear you're strong. What now? Planning to protect this demon too?"
His hand tightened around his sword hilt, the three jagged scars on his face making him look even more vicious.
But Okane Kichiro wasn't intimidated.
He simply applied a bit more strength, preventing Sanemi from lifting the box at all.
"The Master will be here any moment. He'll make the judgment. Until then, don't cause trouble."
"You bastard! Who are you calling trouble?!"
Sanemi's fingers twitched on his hilt. Combined with his savage expression, it looked like he might draw his blade at any second.
But Okane Kichiro simply stared back without moving.
That only made things more awkward for Sanemi.
He might look terrifying, and he had no hesitation cutting down demons
but cutting a human?
Especially one who wasn't resisting at all?
That was something he couldn't do.
And as Okane Kichiro said, the Master was nearly here. Causing a scene now was something even Sanemi wanted to avoid.
But withdrawing so easily… also felt frustrating.