15 minutes later~
Tanjiro and the others finally arrived at their destination.
From quite some distance, he had already sensed several powerful life signatures inside the manor. Each one was many times stronger than an ordinary person.
There were only six of them. One in particular stood out as far more imposing than the rest.
'Stone Hashira, huh. That guy's a freaking giant. Hercules gene, likely?'
His battle urge ignited instantly, sending a tingling thrill through his entire body.
He had been bored out of his mind these past few days. He was far too strong for ordinary demons to pose even the tiniest challenge.
Now he craved a real fight.
All the strongest members were gathered here today, and Tanjiro had already decided: he wasn't leaving until he had firmly established himself as number one in the organization.
"Let's move in," Shinobu said softly, stepping forward. "I'll introduce you to everyone."
He nodded and followed.
Kanao walked silently behind Shinobu.
Kanae, being Kanae, hovered in the air, muttering excitedly to herself.
Once inside, two Kakushi members stationed at the entrance bowed deeply the moment they recognized the arrivals.
Their role was simple: greet the Hashira and offer tea or anything else they might desire.
All three politely declined.
....
"Ah, is that an owl or a hawk? I don't really remember…" muttered a young boy with pale skin and cyan eyes. His expression was blank, gaze fixed only on the sky. With long black hair that faded into cyan at the tips, he was the slenderest and shortest person in the garden.
This boy was the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, the youngest sword prodigy and Hashira.
Beside him, Sanemi clicked his tongue sharply. "Who cares what it is? It's just a damn bird. Hah!"
Iguro, still lounging on the boulder, let out a snort. "Look at it again, moron. It's a Stellar's sea eagle."
Being called a moron, Sanemi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Looks like you really wanna die today, huh, you half-and-half eyed freak…!"
Rising to his feet, Iguro touched the hilt of his unique serpent-like sword and replied with a glare. "Threatening me won't make you look strong. Why don't you come at me with those quick techniques of yours? Let me see how fast you actually are."
Leaning against the tall tree, a fairly tall man with an athletic build and flashy appearance looked down and chuckled loudly. "Ha! Go on, kill each other in a flashy fight! Put on a good show for us, Hora!"
This man was Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira.
As everyone heard his loud, amused voice, heads turned toward him.
"Oi, why are you up there, huh!? Think you're above all of us?!" Sanemi growled, his temper flaring as always.
Iguro frowned deeply. He hadn't sensed Uzui's presence until now, feeling irritated. 'Well, he's a former shinobi for a reason…'
Tengen flashed a wide grin and patted his chest proudly. "Correct answer! Though there's no reward for you! Haha!"
Tokito, as apathetic as ever, mumbled. "That was funny… but why didn't I laugh?" He tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.
Sanemi gritted his teeth in rage but fell silent, forcing down his anger.
Suddenly, Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, joined his hands and spoke deeply. "Everyone… We have guests."
Instantly, Sanemi, Iguro, Tengen, and Giyu—who had been standing alone in the corner—turned toward the entrance.
Three people had just stepped into the garden.
Giyu's blue gaze locked onto Tanjiro. A shock ran through his spine as his pupils twitched uncontrollably. 'Wait… was he that tall when we met? And his hair… how?!'
....
The moment the trio entered the garden, everyone's gaze turned toward them.
Behind Shinobu and Tanjiro, Kanao quietly separated herself and walked to an isolated spot near the small pond, waiting patiently.
Once they stopped moving, Shinobu put on her usual fake smile and declared playfully, "Ara~ It looks like we're late. Everyone's already here." She glanced at all six figures before adding softly, "Happy New Year, you guys. I hope everyone stays safe and doesn't die like last year."
"..."
Next to her, Tanjiro's mouth twitched at her words. 'Are both sisters programmed this way?' he thought.
On the other side, Sanemi groaned with displeasure. "There is no good year when demons are still around."
Iguro agreed with a nod, choosing to stay silent.
Tengen, unlike them, flashed a bright smile and waved. "Let's kill a bunch of demons this year too, poison girl!" As someone of shinobi lineage, he held no dislike for poison. In fact, he liked them to a certain degree.
Standing tall like a mountain, Gyomei joined his hands and said with tears in his eyes. "How agonizing... Yet another year has passed, but our mission to eliminate Kibutsuji Muzan remains incomplete..."
With a serious expression, he continued. "That man, Muzan, turns out to be a spineless coward, hiding behind his subordinates all this time. Let alone finding him, we currently have no knowledge of the Upper Rank demons, his closest pawns... Haah, Namu Amida Butsu."
Everyone fell quiet after his speech, complex looks on their faces.
Tanjiro wore a strange expression as he saw them turn speechless. 'They have their own share of suffering, hmm...' he thought.
Though not all of them were like that.
For instance, Giyu and Tokito had been staring daggers at him since earlier, showing bizarre expressions.
"Yo, Giyu-san! What are you doing over there all alone? Come this side." With a faint, friendly smile, he called out loudly, waving.
Hearing his voice, Giyu flinched and averted his stoic face, ignoring him. His indifferent demeanor overpowered his extreme curiosity—he was that simple.
"...Is he embarrassed or something? Weird..." Tanjiro mumbled, though laughing inwardly.
Beside him, Shinobu explained. "Don't mind him. He's a bit unsocial. I'm sure he's fine by himself."
He gave a slight nod. "Well, if you say so."
Only at this point did the others start to notice Tanjiro's presence.
They stared at him with sharp eyes full of curiosity.
Fairly tall height, pale complexion, toned physique, black-to-red long hair, crimson eyes, a flame-like scar on his forehead, hanafuda earrings, Nichirin Sword strapped to his belt... And he wore a plain red haori over black clothes.
No matter how one looked at him, he didn't seem like an ordinary person.
Even blind Gyomei, who relied on people's aura and sharpened senses to locate others, couldn't detect any clue about Tanjiro's strength. Though he was certain the boy was definitely abnormal.
Kaburamaru, coiled around Iguro's neck, hissed sharply when its gaze locked onto Tanjiro for a split second. Iguro's pupils narrowed as a frown appeared on his covered face. 'He's dangerous, you're saying?'
Tengen and Tokito felt a weird feeling since his arrival. Their intuitions screamed at them to be careful of this person.
As for Sanemi, he didn't give a damn about the others and simply waited. However, his sharp perception was going crazy for some reason.
Tanjiro, noticing that his time to introduce himself had finally come, decided to release his concealed presence that he had been holding back for a very long time.
'Heh... Here it goes...'
....
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