Tanjiro explained his sister's situation to Tamayo. After hearing the full story, everyone present couldn't help but sigh in sympathy, praising Tanjiro's resilience and courage.
"Although I haven't yet developed a drug that can turn demons back into humans," Tamayo said gently, glancing at Kurosaki Rei, "I believe I'm not far from that goal. Mr. Rei has already collected quite a bit of blood from the Twelve Kizuki. With that, my research should see a breakthrough soon."
Tanjiro was overjoyed. He bowed deeply to Kurosaki Rei once more. "Thank you so much, Rei-ge."
Kurosaki Rei waved it off. "Don't thank me. I just want to help Lady Tamayo research demons so we'll be better prepared for the decisive battle with Muzan."
Before coming down the mountain, he had also used Tamayo's blood-sampling tools to collect samples from Upper Rank Five and Lower Rank One. He hadn't spared the explorers who'd turned into demons either—no matter how small, every sample was useful for Tamayo's research.
Tamayo smiled warmly and reassured Tanjiro. "Don't rush things. Protect your sister well, and continue to grow stronger. I'll need more blood samples—preferably from the Twelve Kizuki. Let's work hard together from now on."
She had already drawn blood from Nezuko earlier. As a demon who could suppress her urge to eat humans and had broken free of Muzan's control, Nezuko was immensely valuable to her research.
"Um… Lady Tamayo, could you help treat us as well?"
Once the main conversation died down, the explorer Hinata finally approached timidly with Xiao Whirlwind, asking softly.
During the battle earlier, Xiao Whirlwind had been put to sleep by Enmu's Blood Demon Art. She was the one who'd carried him down the mountain.
They hadn't known each other before entering this world, but after surviving life-and-death together, a sense of trust had formed between them.
Because they hadn't been the enemy's primary targets, their injuries were surprisingly light—but still serious enough to need treatment. Earlier, everyone had crowded around the Sound Hashira after descending the mountain. Aside from Tanjiro showing them some concern and giving them basic first aid, no one had really paid attention to them.
"Of course. Please come over."
Tamayo naturally didn't refuse. In her eyes, members of the Demon Slayer Corps were mostly good people—and future comrades.
After giving them anti-inflammatory medicine and re-dressing their wounds, the two thanked her. Then, somewhat hesitantly, they walked toward Kurosaki Rei, who was standing at the edge of the forest.
"Lord Thunder Hashira, we'll follow your instructions from now on."
Hinata spoke first.
"Oh? Weren't you doing pretty well acting on your own?"
Kurosaki Rei was clearly displeased. He was still annoyed that they had tricked the protagonists into coming out and nearly getting themselves killed.
On the mountain, when he told Zenitsu and Tanjiro to go train, he hadn't been quiet about it. These two should have heard him, yet they'd disrupted his plans.
If he hadn't happened to pass by Natagumo Mountain that night, Zenitsu and the others would have been doomed.
"Lord Thunder Hashira, we know we were wrong. From now on, we'll listen to you."
Xiao Whirlwind hurriedly declared his loyalty as well. After tonight, they finally understood just how dangerous this world was. Wandering around without clinging to a true powerhouse was basically a death sentence.
"Yeah! Can we be your adopted kids?"
Hinata chimed in eagerly.
Kurosaki Rei rubbed his chin, his expression strange. Had he somehow gained a pair of children out of nowhere?
Besides… being someone's adoptive father didn't sound very auspicious.
"You can follow me," Kurosaki Rei said calmly, "but I won't go out of my way to protect you. In exchange, you'll help me take care of one thing."
"Iyifu, please say the word!"
Hinata responded lightning-fast, almost making Kurosaki Rei choke on the title.
"Don't—just call me the Thunder Hashira. What I need you to do isn't difficult…"
As he spoke, he handed them a slip of paper. They were standing some distance away from the main group, and their voices were low, but he was still careful with his wording—Zenitsu's hearing was far too sharp.
Hinata and Xiao Whirlwind took the paper and read it. Their eyes widened in surprise, then they nodded vigorously.
"We'll definitely get it done!"
Written on the paper was a single sentence:
Kill Kaigaku.
At present, Kaigaku was only a Heinoe-rank Demon Slayer, not even as strong as Zenitsu when asleep. For two explorers with high base attributes like Hinata and Xiao Whirlwind, killing Kaigaku would be effortless.
Kurosaki Rei had planned this for a long time.
Several days had already passed since entering this world. Muzan wouldn't keep all his high-end combat power tied to himself forever. The enemy's truly powerful explorers would soon start moving.
They would hunt Hashira—and recruit strong assets.
Kaigaku, despite being mocked in the original story as the weakest Upper Rank, was still a high-end combatant and more than capable of causing serious trouble for the Demon Slayer Corps. The explorers on Muzan's side would never pass him up.
Kurosaki Rei had no intention of letting the original tragedy repeat itself. He planned to eliminate that white-eyed traitor early, sparing old Master Jigoro Kuuwajima from being dragged into it.
Now that Kurosaki Rei was a Hashira, all eyes were on him. Between dealing with Muzan's faction and other threats, he couldn't spare the time to personally hunt down a small fry like Kaigaku.
This was exactly the kind of task suited for them.
Their strength was sufficient to kill Kaigaku, and even if the deed was exposed, it wouldn't trace back to Kurosaki Rei.
After all, Hinata and her companion weren't stupid. If things went south, they would distance themselves from him immediately. They were explorers—survival was all that mattered. Once the world ended, they'd be gone.
"Once it's done, lie low and wait for orders," Kurosaki Rei said. "Leave the rest to me."
His words were vague, but the two of them understood perfectly.
In other words: once they finished this job, they could hide and coast. Kurosaki Rei would handle smashing Muzan's entire faction himself.
With the agreement settled, both sides were in good spirits. Kurosaki Rei returned to the group, helped the Sound Hashira into the car, and drove him part of the way. After dropping him off at a location marked with the wisteria crest for treatment, they would head straight to the Master.
A gentle breeze swept through the wisteria trees. The courtyard was full of spring vitality, bamboo fountains chiming softly, adding to the tranquility.
At the moment, only a single youth stood in the courtyard, tightly bound with ropes. He looked around nervously, watched by a member of the Kakushi, unable to move freely.
This was Tanjiro, newly arrived at headquarters.
Before he even understood what was happening, he'd been tied up by the Demon Slayer Corps. Zenitsu had been extremely worried, and if not for Kurosaki Rei's guarantee, he might have tried to stop them.
Uncertain of what fate awaited him and his sister, Tanjiro felt immense pressure. As he pondered, footsteps sounded at the courtyard entrance.
Turning his head, he saw a group of people dressed in vastly different styles entering the courtyard. When they noticed him, their gazes were unfriendly, making Tanjiro's heart sink.
Although Rei-ge wasn't among them, Tanjiro knew that today was the Hashira Meeting. He guessed that these must be the current Hashira.
Just as his anxiety peaked, he spotted a familiar figure—his senior, Giyu Tomioka. Giyu's expression was cold as ever. He didn't even glance at Tanjiro, walking straight to his position in the corridor.
Not long after Giyu arrived, the final Hashira of the meeting entered the courtyard—the late-arriving Kurosaki Rei.
Among the group, the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, with her pink wavy hair, secretly glanced at Kurosaki Rei and thought to herself:
So this is the newly appointed Thunder Hashira… He looks so cool and powerful—so amazing~
"Hahaha! So this is the new Thunder Hashira? You look strong! Excellent! Let's slay demons together from now on!"
The speaker had long yellow hair with red tips, thick black eyebrows, and bright, spirited eyes. His voice was booming and full of energy.
It was the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro.
"He may be a powerful swordsman… but he's brought along some rather unpleasant company."
The one speaking was a petite woman wearing a haori patterned like butterfly wings. She smiled gently at Kurosaki Rei, though her eyes lacked any warmth.
It was the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.
She respected Kurosaki Rei's accomplishments—feats unseen in hundreds of years, including slaying Upper Rank Six. She'd also heard that just last night, he'd fought a fierce battle on Natagumo Mountain, saving the Sound Hashira and killing Upper Rank Five.
Such achievements naturally inspired awe.
However, she'd also heard that Kurosaki Rei had proposed bringing demons here for drug research.
There was no doubt—this matter would eventually land on her desk, forcing her to work alongside the demons she despised most.
"Only Upper Rank Six and Five, but for a newly appointed Hashira… I suppose that's decent."
The speaker lounged halfway on a tree branch, his face wrapped in bandages, a snake coiled around his neck, giving off an eerie and uncomfortable impression.
It was the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro.
"Huh? Why do you get to kill two Upper Ranks? How come I never run into any?"
A white-haired, scar-faced young man strode up to Kurosaki Rei, glaring directly into his eyes—yet finding nothing there.
He was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The last to greet Kurosaki Rei stood at the center of the group.
A towering monk-like man with a massive frame, a long scar across his forehead, and completely blind eyes. Over his Demon Slayer uniform, he wore a brown monk's robe inscribed with Namu Amida Butsu.
Tears streamed down his face as he clasped his hands toward Kurosaki Rei's direction.
"How pitiful… Even someone as strong as you still ended up joining the Demon Slayer Corps."
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, made his meaning clear.
He was genuinely sorrowful. He believed Kurosaki Rei was the same kind of man as himself—someone born with extraordinary strength. Unlike Gyomei, Kurosaki Rei wasn't even blind.
Yet even someone like Kurosaki Rei had joined the Corps.
That could only mean Kurosaki Rei, too, had failed to protect someone important in the past. And that thought filled Gyomei with grief.
"So that fewer people will suffer, we join the Demon Slayer Corps. Isn't that right?"
Kurosaki Rei spoke for the first time, responding only to Gyomei, ignoring Sanemi's provocation and the others' comments.
All nine Hashira had greeted him in one way or another—through words or glances—except for two.
One was the ever aloof Giyu Tomioka.
The other was the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito. He wasn't ignoring Kurosaki Rei or rejecting him—he was simply spaced out, staring at the sky, lost in thought.
"Giyu-kun, there's a new companion, you know. Won't you greet him?"
Standing beside Giyu, Shinobu Kocho asked with a mischievous smile.
Giyu's face remained expressionless. He looked at Kurosaki Rei and spoke coolly.
"Thunder Hashira. Hello."
A perfectly ordinary greeting—yet somehow distant.
"The Water Hashira, huh. Hello. I'm Kurosaki Rei."
Kurosaki Rei nodded calmly, then turned around and grabbed the wrist of the Wind Hashira, who was heading toward Nezuko's box.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
Sanemi snapped, his tone hostile. He struggled violently—but Kurosaki Rei's grip didn't budge in the slightest.
"That's what I should be asking," Kurosaki Rei said coolly, his gaze flicking toward Nezuko's box. Brother, could you not do villainous things while wearing such a villain face?
"What do you mean what am I doing? There's a demon in there. You can sense that, can't you? Of course I'm going to kill it."
Sanemi struggled again, activating his Breathing Technique—but to his embarrassment, he still couldn't break free.
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