After sending Nezuko and Takeo to find Hiru with the box, Rengoku began directing the Kakushi who were continuing to arrive, organizing the evacuation of the civilians.
But just as he was assigning tasks, a thunderous boom erupted from the forest behind them. The Kakushi immediately grew restless.
"Stay calm!" Rengoku raised his voice. "Keep moving! Evacuating the civilians takes priority!"
Hearing his command, the Kakushi quickly steadied themselves.
"Yes!"
Once they had settled down, Rengoku frowned slightly and glanced toward the direction of the explosion. A moment later, however, the smile returned to his face, and he calmly resumed directing the Kakushi with his usual composure.
[He didn't listen at all!]
Zenitsu screamed internally as the chaotic noises around him rang in his ears.
[Even if you're a Hashira, there's a limit to just deciding things yourself!]
"No way I'm letting you go!" Inosuke's rough voice boomed from beneath his boar mask. "You big-eyed guy just want to hog the spotlight again! I'm going too! Let Monitsu stay here! I'm the King of the Mountains!"
"Hmm! Is that my nickname? Sounds pretty good!" Rengoku burst out laughing. "Then I'll be off! Pig-head boy, you remain here as the King of the Mountains and protect the people! After all, a king must protect his subjects!"
"Leave it to me! A hundred or two hundred, I'll protect them all!"
[Did your brain regress into an actual boar?! How is that any different from the beginning?! And you—listen when people are talking to you!]
Watching the entire exchange, Zenitsu's mouth twitched. No matter how he looked at it, among everyone present, Hiru—who was literally a demon—somehow seemed like the most normal one.
With a sigh, Zenitsu watched Rengoku leave. But his gaze soon drifted back toward the direction of the explosions.
[But for someone to be that frustrated… what exactly happened over there?]
Meanwhile, at the very place everyone's attention was fixed on, the people involved were each in very different states.
Tanjiro's body had shrunk back into that of a boy. Golden crystal growths, shaped like bones, extended from his back. Completely unconscious, he lay in a patch of sunlight, fragments of his medicine-soaked haori scattered beside his face.
Nearby, Hiru held a vial of medicine, speaking to Nezuko and Takeo with an expressionless face as he explained what had happened while administering the drug.
"…Anyway, that's the situation. When Tanjiro overcame the sunlight, his blood changed again. This vial is useless now. You can keep it as a souvenir."
"How could this happen…" Nezuko accepted the vial, pressing her lips together. "So much effort went into making this medicine… and it was even rushed here…"
"Yeah… that's true." Hiru glanced at Tanjiro lying unconscious nearby and sighed. "…But no matter what, we'll just have to draw blood again and remake the medicine. So I'll have to ask you to wait a little longer."
"No… we're the ones troubling you, Mr. Hiru."
Nezuko lowered her eyes, the hands resting on her knees slowly tightening into fists.
"And without you, Mr. Hiru… we might not even have survived tonight. We—"
"Alright." Hiru reached out and rested a hand on her head. "You're a child who's very good at enduring things. But right now, you don't have to."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Large tears finally began rolling down Nezuko's cheeks. "I'm not trying to blame you, Mr. Hiru. I just… I just can't accept it… My brother was so close to becoming human again. Just a little more… only a little more… Did my brother do something wrong? Why is he the only one who has to suffer like this?"
"We wanted to help carry his burden… but why can't we even do something that simple?"
Takeo's fists were clenched tightly as well. After a brief silence, he stood up.
"…I'll go retrieve the weapons that were left behind."
"Ah, then please grab mine too," Hiru said, lifting his head. "In the rush earlier, I have no idea where I threw them."
Takeo nodded slightly.
His worried gaze swept over Tanjiro and Nezuko before he picked up Hiru's weapon case and walked away. But after only a few steps, he noticed someone standing at the edge of the forest.
"Rengoku-san?"
"Hmm! That's me!" Rengoku strode forward. "It seems another unexpected development has occurred! My apologies for overhearing your conversation!"
"Go ahead and listen, go ahead," Hiru said as he stood and walked toward Tanjiro. "Things can't get worse than this anyway."
He grabbed the golden crystal protruding from Tanjiro's back and snapped it off with a sharp crack.
"I'm seriously getting sick of this."
Kyojuro looked at Tanjiro lying in the sunlight.
"Hmm! It seems things have become even more complicated! Truly bewildering!"
"The one bewildering me is how easily you're accepting this…" Hiru watched as the wound on Tanjiro's back rapidly healed, his brows knitting tighter. "I thought you'd have a much harder time accepting it."
"Hmm! Indeed, I find it extremely hard to accept! I never imagined there could be demons who overcome sunlight! And I even witnessed one being born with my own eyes! Just thinking about it makes no sense at all!"
Hiru couldn't help glancing at the bright, enthusiastic smile on Rengoku Kyojuro's face. His expression turned complicated.
"Then at least try looking serious. Who's going to believe you when you're grinning like that?"
"A smile is necessary! Otherwise the Kakushi and the Demon Slayer Corps members will become uneasy!"
Hiru opened his mouth several times, but in the end, seeing Kyojuro's overflowing energy, he couldn't bring himself to argue further.
Instead, he bent down, lifted Tanjiro from the ground, and slung him over his shoulder.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you. I'll take this kid to Tamayo first. The report to the Master—and the request for a Hashira Meeting—are on you."
Hiru glanced down at Tanjiro.
"I'll bring him along and attend on time."
"Very well! Leave it to me!" Rengoku folded his arms. "I also need some time to properly process everything I learned today! Writing the report should help organize my thoughts!"
Then he added eagerly:
"But I'm still curious! Brother, could you at least tell me what era you're from?"
Hiru walked toward Takeo, who had returned carrying the weapon case. After taking his belongings and slinging them over his other shoulder, he smiled.
"What era, huh…
"Well, let's just say I'm definitely not young enough for you to be calling me 'brother.'"