The Butterfly Mansion's infirmary was filled with the mixed scent of medicine and faint blood.
Rengoku Kyojuro lay on the innermost bed, his chest tightly wrapped in thick bandages. His breathing was steady but still weak—Akaza's punch had shattered three ribs and damaged his internal organs. He would need at least a month of rest before he could even get out of bed.
Kamado Tanjiro sat on the bed beside him, his left arm in a splint, a strip of gauze across his cheek. His eyes were full of guilt. "It's all my fault. I was too weak. I couldn't even block one attack from Akaza, and I almost got Rengoku-san hurt because of me..."
He couldn't stop thinking about how Akaza had smashed him into the wall, and how Kyojuro had stood alone against Upper Moon Three to protect them. That crushing helplessness still weighed on him.
Tomioka Tō sat across from him, chest also wrapped in bandages, silently staring out the window. His fingers brushed unconsciously over the bedsheet. He had used all his strength, unleashing Storm Breathing, but Akaza had still kicked him aside like nothing. He hadn't even been able to resist.
That feeling of powerlessness was stronger now than when he'd fought Giyu.
The most defeated of them all was Zenitsu. Curled in the corner of his bed, hugging his knees, head buried in his arms, he hadn't said a word.
During the fight at North Village Street, not only had he failed to help, but Akaza had nearly crushed his shoulder. He had watched helplessly as Kyojuro was seriously injured and the Stone Hashira fought alone.
He thought he was useless—unable to protect anyone. His Thunder Breathing felt meaningless before that kind of overwhelming strength.
Inosuke, on the other hand, couldn't stay still. He paced the room restlessly, his boar-head helmet tossed on the nightstand, his face twisted in frustration. "Damn it! That pink-haired bastard was too strong! I couldn't even touch his fist! Next time I see him, I'll cut his head clean off!"
His fists clenched tight, knuckles cracking as he grew more worked up. No one answered. Everyone knew—they were still far too weak compared to the Upper Moons.
"Don't be too discouraged."
Kocho Kanae opened the door and stepped inside, holding several bowls of medicine, with Kocho Shinobu following behind her.
"You faced Upper Moon Three. His strength is far beyond any normal demon's. The fact that you survived is already remarkable."
Shinobu handed each of them a bowl, her calm tone carrying a quiet warmth of encouragement. "Rengoku-san said you all showed great potential in battle. You just lack experience and control over your power. If you keep training, you'll catch up—and maybe even surpass the Hashira one day."
Zenitsu lifted his head, his eyes red. "Really? You think we can actually become as strong as the Hashira?"
"Of course."
Shinobu nodded, a faint smile curving her lips. "Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura carries the power of Sun Breathing. Tō's Storm Breathing is a unique fusion technique. Inosuke's Beast Breathing is raw and wild, and Zenitsu—your Thunder Breathing speed is top-tier. As long as you find your own path, you'll become the pillars that hold up the Demon Slayer Corps."
As she spoke, light slowly returned to their eyes.
Tanjiro clenched his fists. "I'll work harder! Next time we face an Upper Moon, I won't drag everyone down again!"
Inosuke slapped Zenitsu's shoulder. "Hey, crybaby! Stop sniffling! We'll train together and beat that pink-haired freak into the ground next time!"
Zenitsu sniffed hard and nodded firmly.
…
Meanwhile, in Ubuyashiki Kagaya's study, Himejima Gyomei stood before the desk, reporting the details of the battle at North Village Street.
"…In the end, Tomioka suddenly appeared and interrupted my strike against Akaza. The two of them retreated right after. Rengoku-san, Tanjiro, and the others were taken by the Kakushi to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment. Their lives are not in danger."
Kagaya nodded, a trace of approval in his tone. "You did well, Gyomei. To fight Upper Moon Three for over an hour and nearly take his head—that's enough to make any Upper Moon tremble."
Gyomei bowed slightly. "You overpraise me, Oyakata-sama. If Tomioka hadn't appeared so suddenly, I might have killed Akaza. But... Tomioka's current position truly worries me."
Kagaya gazed toward the courtyard, where green leaves drifted slowly in the breeze. His voice was gentle but resolute. "I believe in Giyu. The signal he sent from the Entertainment District, the way he held back during his fight with the Hashira, and the fact that he only interrupted your battle instead of striking at you—all of it shows he hasn't forgotten who he is. He's merely under Muzan's control, unable to act freely."
He paused, adding softly, "And Giyu is a kind person at heart. Someone like him would never truly betray the Corps. He'd never become a demon who harms humans."
Gyomei was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "If you believe in him, Oyakata-sama, then I'll also watch over his movements—and wait for the day he returns to us."
…
The scene shifted to a small village in the countryside.
As the sun set, the village was eerily silent. Several burly men in black surrounded an old woman, wooden clubs in hand, shouting curses.
"Old hag! Still not paying up? Believe it or not, we'll burn your house down!"
The old woman trembled, clutching a cloth bundle tightly to her chest. Inside were her last bits of food. "I really have no money left… please, I beg you, spare me…"
"Spare you?"
The leader sneered and raised his club to strike her.
Just then, a faint blue water blade shot out from the nearby forest, slicing clean through the man's wrist.
"Ah—!"
The man screamed, clutching his bleeding arm as he fell to the ground.
The others froze in shock, turning toward the woods—where a dark figure slowly stepped into view.
It was Tomioka Giyu.
His narrow blue eyes swept coldly over the men, as indifferent as if he were looking at weeds by the roadside.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of the men shouted, voice shaking. "You dare meddle in our business?"
Giyu didn't answer. He simply raised his hand. Several more water blades shot out with a whisper.
With wet slicing sounds, the men who rushed forward collapsed one after another, their heads rolling across the ground as blood painted the dirt red.
The last two tried to flee, but the water blades caught them from behind, dropping them where they stood.
The old woman sank to the ground, staring at Giyu in horror, her whole body trembling.
Giyu didn't look at her. He turned instead toward the forest. These men had been local thugs—terrorizing villagers, stealing money, even kidnapping women. Their acts were no different from demons devouring humans.
Once, as the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had no authority to interfere with human affairs. All he could do was hand such scum to the officials.
But now, as a demon, Muzan's blood had already begun to change his nature. The lives of such wicked humans meant nothing to him anymore.
Killing them felt no different from snapping weeds beneath his feet.
"I'm becoming more and more like a demon…"
Giyu walked into the forest, leaning against a large tree, eyes closing slowly.
For the past year since his transformation, he had lived suppressing the constant hunger for human flesh.
Whenever he passed through a village, the scent of human blood made his throat itch unbearably. When he saw children running by, thoughts he dared not have would flicker in his mind.
He knew that if he ever took a single bite, there would be no going back.
He survived only on the demon blood Muzan had once given him, and sometimes, in secret, he bought small amounts of human blood. It didn't satisfy like feeding directly, but it was enough to keep him from crossing that final line.
Every day of his existence had become torture.
When night fell, Giyu returned to the Entertainment District's Kyogoku House.
The moment he stepped into the back courtyard, he frowned. Alongside the familiar scent of powder and perfume, another aura lingered in the air—a faint but steady surge of fighting spirit. It was the unmistakable energy of a Demon Slayer swordsman.
Since training under Kokushibo, he had learned not only Moon Breathing but also begun to sense the threshold of the so-called "Supreme Realm," able to detect the flow of energy around him.
Still, he was far from mastering the Transparent World as Kokushibo had—where one could hide one's own energy completely and perceive the very essence of all things.
Following the source of the energy, Giyu looked up—and froze.
On the rooftop sat a slender figure clad in a light-purple butterfly haori, holding a specially forged Nichirin Sword that glowed faint blue—the blade clearly coated in wisteria poison.
At the sound of his footsteps, the figure turned. A gentle face appeared beneath the moonlight, smiling faintly.
It was Kocho Shinobu.
She spoke in playful tone, "Hello? Are you alright?"
Giyu stood frozen, eyes fixed on her haori—the same one Kanae had once worn. Now, on Shinobu, she looked almost exactly as she had in his memories.
His heart clenched painfully, countless memories flashing through his mind. He wanted to say something—anything—but in the end, no words came.
Only a faint, fleeting smile.
Why was she here? How had she found the Kyogoku House? Did she know what he had become?
Questions filled his head—but in the next moment, none of them mattered anymore.
Shinobu jumped lightly down from the roof, landing in front of him. Her smile was gentle, but her eyes carried a quiet, complex emotion.
"Tomioka-san," she said softly, "we finally meet again."