Chapter 104: Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen
Ink Shadow suddenly flew over to track him down, all just to deliver a single message. Uzui Tengen had been officially promoted to Hashira, and a Hashira Meeting would be convened in half a month.
Akira was somewhat surprised by the news.
They would rather postpone the official meeting than let him be absent. Was he really considered that important to the higher-ups?
Akira could not help but mentally strike a smug, tactical lean-back pose.
After a brief moment of secret pride, he realized he had no choice but to temporarily suspend his planned journey to Mount Kumotori.
Dismissing Ink Shadow back into the sky, he turned and walked back to the secluded small courtyard where Tamayo was staying.
It was highly inconvenient to inform the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps about Tamayo's existence just yet, so naturally, he could not let his Kasugai Crow spot her either.
To get the Demon Slayer Corps to eventually accept Tamayo, having Yushiro participate in saving the Kamado family would serve as an excellent starting point. Combined with Tamayo's unmatched expertise in pharmaceutical research, Akira was at least confident he could successfully persuade Kagaya.
Once Tamayo made a substantial, obvious contribution to their cause, he would then formally inform the other Hashira about her existence.
However, if Tamayo were to be deeply involved in drug research, it would be nearly impossible to bypass Shinobu. By extension, Makomo and Kanae would also find out. He just did not know how Makomo would react when that day came.
After all, among everyone currently living at the Butterfly Mansion, only Makomo harbored a direct, visceral blood feud with demons.
He could only figure out a way to gently comfort her when the time arrived.
Without Tamayo's help, the Demon Slayer Corps basically possessed no definitive way to kill Muzan. An anomalous existence like Yoriichi Tsugikuni had only appeared once in the entire thousand years since Muzan's birth.
"I won't be coming back here for nearly a month," Akira said as he approached her. "You can discuss the matter I mentioned with Yushiro."
"With that matter as a starting point, I can help you gain the recognition and protection of the Demon Slayer Corps. Otherwise, it will be incredibly troublesome for you to spend your life constantly avoiding both powerful demons and the Demon Slayer Corps."
"In addition, I have some poisons here specifically formulated for demons," he continued, setting a few vials down. "You can try researching them. If you can improve the formulas, it will also increase your bargaining chips for being accepted by the Demon Slayer Corps."
Since he had to return to headquarters anyway, there was no need for Akira to take back the medicine he had brought out earlier. It was the perfect subject for Tamayo to research.
"Alright," Tamayo agreed softly.
"By the way, remember to be careful when researching these medicines," Akira reminded her. "The medicine inside isn't very harmful to humans, but for demons below the rank of the Twelve Kizuki, a single injection is basically fatal."
Hearing his stark reminder, Tamayo's hand trembled slightly as she reached out to take the medicine bottle, but she did not refuse the research material.
On the journey back, he did not need to specifically hunt down unlucky demons to test his medicines on, so naturally, the trip did not take too long. The only reason Kagaya had given a half-month deadline was simply so Akira would not have to rush his travels.
Ten days later, just as the evening sun began to set, Akira finally stepped through the gates of the Butterfly Mansion.
"Oh? Is our busy man finally back?"
Makomo happened to pass by the front courtyard after finishing her daily training routine. The damp strands of hair on her forehead were slick with sweat, sticking closely to her skin. Her face carried a deep, healthy flush from the intense exercise, and her training uniform clung tightly to her frame, giving her a completely different kind of beauty than her usual quiet demeanor.
Scanning her up and down, Akira's eyes lit up with appreciation, except... a certain place on her chest seemed a bit too flat.
Makomo was initially quite happy to see him return, but after noticing exactly where his gaze had landed, her face, already flushed from the heavy exercise, instantly turned a brilliant shade of crimson.
"Akira! You jerk!"
They say a girl's shy blush is better than any grand love confession, but turning completely red out of sheer embarrassment and anger surely counted as a blush too, right?
Akira thought so to himself as he was ruthlessly chased around the courtyard by a furious Makomo.
The two of them, who had not seen each other for a long time, played around the yard for a good while. The chase finally ended with Akira firmly catching Makomo and holding her in his arms while she weakly pounded his chest with her small fists. During all this commotion, the other residents of the Butterfly Mansion were drawn outside by the noise.
Kanae stood exactly as she always did, occupying a spot that was not the most conspicuous but could never be ignored, watching Akira with deep, tender affection. Shinobu held Kanao's hand and leaned slightly against her older sister, though her expression seemed a bit huffy and thoroughly unimpressed by his antics.
When Akira made eye contact with Shinobu, he only received a soft, dismissive huff in return. However, she gracefully released Kanao's hand. The young girl, who was already growing incredibly impatient, immediately threw herself forward into the warm embrace she had been longing for.
Sensing the shift, Makomo took the initiative to pull away from Akira's arms, giving the younger girl some space.
"Brother! Kanao missed you so much!"
"I missed Kanao too, and everyone else at the Butterfly Mansion," Akira smiled, patting her head. "So, has Kanao been well-behaved during this time?"
"Yes, Kanao has been very good."
"Kanao has indeed been well-behaved," Kanae chimed in with a gentle smile, "though she occasionally sneaks into your room to daze off."
"Is that so?"
Kanae's words left Akira momentarily stunned. He seemed to have severely underestimated just how much Kanao cared about him. It was even bordering on a bit unusual.
She is still just a child, he reminded himself.
"It was only a few times," Kanao mumbled into his shirt. "Because I missed Brother so much, I went to Brother's room to stay for a little while."
'There is Brother's scent in there.' Kanao did not say this sentence out loud. She inherently knew that this kind of mentality was a bit strange, but she was genuinely happy doing it. She just could not let her brother know the full extent of it, otherwise, he would definitely be troubled.
This brother of hers had already found several sisters for her, so why couldn't he...
Kanao buried her face deeper into Akira's chest, her mind wandering with random thoughts as she breathed in his familiar, comforting scent. In a hidden angle where Akira could not see her face, Kanao's eyes turned a bit dark and strange for a fleeting moment, but in an instant, they returned to their usual pure and clear state, filled only with her deep attachment to him.
Akira was completely unaware of the complex storm of thoughts brewing in Kanao's mind. He was merely pondering whether he should try to find her some playmates of her own age. But given the grim reality of the Demon Slayer Corps, finding a normal ten-year-old child to accompany Kanao seemed like a difficult task.
The children currently living in the Corps shelters were basically all orphans carrying heavy blood feuds against demons. They were either completely immersed in the crippling sadness of losing their loved ones or focused solely on training to kill demons for revenge when they grew up. None of them were suitable candidates for a normal childhood friendship.
After thinking it over carefully, Akira realized that Kamado Nezuko seemed like a rather good fit.
Alright, that was reason plus one for saving the Kamado family.
After Akira spent some tender, quiet moments catching up with the girls, Hanako eventually came out to call them all into the dining room for dinner.
Because Akira had returned to headquarters a few days early, the official Hashira Meeting was moved up slightly and scheduled to be held two days later.
After all, with the exception of Akira, the other Hashira were currently stationed at their respective regional residences, which were only a two-day journey from the Ubuyashiki Estate even at a casual walking pace.
On the morning of the meeting, Akira took Kanae and Makomo with him to the Ubuyashiki Estate, where they met up with Sabito, Giyu, Shinjuro, and Gyomei. After exchanging some pleasant small talk in the courtyard, they finally waited for the true protagonist of this particular gathering to arrive. Uzui Tengen.
Ever since he had recommended the man to Kuwajima Jigoro, Akira had not seen the tall, flashy shinobi again.
Although Akira had returned to Mount Momoyama midway through his own travels, Tengen had already finished learning the core essentials of Thunder Breathing by then. Having already planned to smoothly combine the new Breathing Technique with his original shinobi fighting style, Tengen had naturally bid his farewells to the mountain early, causing the two of them to miss each other.
After a brief round of mutual introductions in the garden, they all stepped inside and entered the routine process of the Hashira Meeting.
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