The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was bustling more than ever as Demons wreaked havoc across the nation, with nighttime attacks becoming increasingly frequent.
Just a day prior, the Wind Hashira Sanemi and Flower Hashira Kanae, who had been stationed together at headquarters, were urgently dispatched to their respective regions for support missions.
Apart from members of the Kakushi Corps, hardly any Demon slayers bearing Nichirin Blades could be seen throughout the headquarters.
Shinichi returned to headquarters alongside Shinobu Kocho, greeted by his old acquaintance Goto, who stood with crossed arms, watching Shinichi's return with a somewhat emotional gaze.
However...
"Maru-ni, you! You've mutated?" Shinichi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the "semi-truck" before him.
"Arf! Arf!" Ignoring his master's astonished look, Maru-ni excitedly barked twice before pouncing onto Shinichi in a flash.
Feeling the hefty weight of Maru-ni, Shinichi could only endure the discomfort, shooting a questioning and reproachful glance at Goto.
But with the Kakushi Corps' striped mask covering his face, Goto expression remained hidden, though his slight retreat betrayed a hint of guilt.
After playing with Maru-ni for a while, Shinichi reluctantly bid farewell to Goto and Shinobu.
Goto needed to return to the Kakushi Corps for various logistical tasks, while Shinobu had to hurry back to the Butterfly Mansion.
With her sister, the Flower Hashira Kanae away on a mission, the Butterfly Mansion now fell under her temporary leadership.
Like any other department, the Butterfly Mansion needed its pillar of strength.
Though Shinichi couldn't help but notice something odd about the way Shinobu looked at him before leaving—hard to describe, but if he had to put it into words, there was a faint, lingering tension in her gaze.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
The Master was waiting for him.
Remembering the Ubuyashiki family's curse, Shinichi immediately headed towards the Ubuyashiki estate.
Upon arrival, Shinichi spotted several nearly identical children playing with a red ball in the courtyard.
Their similar attire, differing hair colors and accessories distinguished each one.
Aside from the familiar Ubuyashiki Hinaki and Ubuyashiki Nichika, the other three were their younger siblings.
The one with a purple flower in her hair was Ubuyashiki Kanata, the one with a red sash around her waist was Ubuyashiki Kuina and the little one with strikingly black hair was particularly interesting.
With an adorable face and outfit matching his sisters, this was unmistakably a boy—Ubuyashiki Kiriya, the only son of Master Ubuyashiki Kagaya and one of the two male descendants of the Ubuyashiki family.
Not wanting to disrupt the rare moment of relaxation for the Ubuyashiki children, Shinichi quietly skirted the courtyard and headed straight for the rear garden.
There, Ubuyashiki Kagaya dressed in a simple flowing robe, awaited him.
A gentle breeze brushed past the Master's face as he smiled warmly.
Though his cursed eyes could only perceive faint shadows, it didn't hinder his awareness of Shinichi's presence.
"Welcome back, Shinichi."
There were no stirring words nor exaggerated praises, just a simple, gentle welcome.
Yet, this made Shinichi's heart ache.
For a moment, a thousand words seemed to choke in his throat and in the end, he could only softly reply.
"Oyakata-sama, I'm back."
Then, Shinichi took a light breath and began recounting everything he had experienced during this time.
This included the story of the birth of Muzan, the progenitor of demons and his brother—possibly the world's second demon, Shokyu.
He also spoke of how Shokyu and Maito (The Martial Demon) had aided him during this period.
Shinichi knew this wasn't much.
He was fairly certain Shokyu and Maito wouldn't mind him revealing their identities to the Demon Slayer Corps.
In fact, during his interactions with them, Shinichi had vaguely sensed that they seemed willing to cooperate with the Corps.
After all, compared to Muzan, their strength likely paled in comparison.
Moreover, Shinichi trusted Kagaya Ubuyashiki deeply.
He was a great and selfless leader, yet never rigid.
Otherwise, Kagaya wouldn't have kept Shinichi's secret for so long and chosen to trust him unconditionally.
With all these factors in mind, Shinichi felt at ease sharing his experiences with Kagaya.
As expected, after hearing these stories, Kagaya's expression showed surprise, but also the contemplative look Shinichi had anticipated.
Clearly, Kagaya was considering whether Shokyu and Maito truly wished to cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps—and if so, how such an alliance could proceed.
"Forest Breathing, Ninth Form: Eternal Cycle!"
Though he no longer had his Nichirin Blade, Shinichi could still perform many supportive techniques of the Forest Breathing Technique using just his physical strength.
Under Shinichi's control and guidance, vast surges of life energy rapidly flowed into Kagaya body.
A faint, verdant glow seemed to pulse beneath his skin, almost visible to the naked eye.
For a moment, Kagaya Ubuyashiki felt his body lighten.
An involuntary sigh of relief escaped him as the pain that had plagued him seemed to vanish instantly.
Even the festering purple scars on his forehead showed slight signs of improvement.
Of course, the Ubuyashiki family's curse couldn't be lifted by Shinichi's enhanced Ninth Form: Eternal Cycle.
Still, it granted Lord Oyakata some temporary relief.
After a while, Kagaya's vision suddenly sharpened.
Realizing what had happened, he bowed solemnly to Shinichi.
"Thank you, Shinichi. I'm truly sorry for always making you and the other Hashira worry about me."
"It's my duty, Oyakata-sama."
As the two continued speaking, Lady Amane dressed for travel and carrying her belongings, entered the room to bid farewell to Kagaya.
"Ah, The Forest Hashira is here too? Welcome back!" Amane bowed deeply in greeting.
"Lady Amane!" Shinichi quickly returned the gesture with equal respect.
"By the way, Lady Amane, you seem in a hurry. Are you going somewhere? A long journey?" Shinichi asked curiously, recalling that Amane didn't seem to know any Breathing Techniques or combat skills.
"Yes, my goal this time is to invite two young children from Ishikawa Prefecture to join our Demon Slayer Corps."
"Those two children are descendants of the inventor of Breathing Styles. To be honest, it was our Demon Slayer Corps' oversight, letting down those swordsmen who once fought bloody battles against the Demons." Kagaya added at the appropriate moment.
"Descendants of the Inventor of Breathing Style?" Shinichi frowned, as if he had heard the term somewhere before, and pressed further.
"What are the brothers' names?"
"The elder brother is called Tokito Yuichiro and the younger brother is Tokito Muichiro."
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