"Tanjiro, you..."
Shinichi's raised Nichirin Blade couldn't bring itself to fall as Tanjiro's sobs reached his ears.
He understood the boy's heart—no one had suffered more than Tanjiro this night.
Yet no matter what, Nezuko had become a Demon.
That fact couldn't be changed.
If he wasn't mistaken, the mastermind behind this was that bastard Muzan.
"Tch!" Shinichi sighed, sheathing his Nichirin Blade once more.
He didn't know how to handle Nezuko's situation, but a certain figure had already surfaced in his mind.
Shokyu!
As a Demon as old as Muzan himself, and with years of research under his belt, he'd reportedly achieved promising results recently.
Perhaps Nezuko could receive some help from him.
Just as Shinichi was considering this, Tanjiro—who was holding Nezuko—suddenly cried out in joy.
"Nezuko!"
The struggling Nezuko, whose arm Shinichi had been gripping, abruptly stilled.
Shinichi froze momentarily before hearing faint, suppressed sobs.
"Uuuu~"
Looking over, Shinichi witnessed an unbelievable scene.
Nezuko, whose eyes had been blood-red and devoid of reason, now had them brimming with tears.
Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks one after another.
Nezuko... was crying?
Her crimson eyes quickly softened into a gentle pink.
Her cries grew louder, filled with unmistakable anguish.
Then, to the amazement of both Shinichi and Giyu watching from nearby, Nezuko suddenly broke free from Shinichi's grasp and threw herself into Tanjiro's arms, wailing uncontrollably.
There was no bloodshed—just the heartrending sight of a younger sister clinging to her brother.
As Tanjiro held his sister, he felt warmth he hadn't known in so long, along with indescribable joy.
Had Nezuko regained her emotions? He was certain of it.
Not only had he recognized familiar emotions in her eyes moments ago, but he could also smell her familiar scent again—nothing like the cold, bloody stench from before.
"You're back! Nezuko, you're back!" Tanjiro's vision blurred with fresh tears.
Giyu, having regained some strength, limped over to the siblings.
"What... is this?"
Utterly bewildered yet profoundly moved, he turned to Shinichi.
Could a Demon truly regain its humanity?
But Shinichi was equally shocked.
Studying Nezuko, Shinichi confirmed her scent—she was still a Demon.
Yet there wasn't a trace of the savage aura typical of Demons, all of her killing intent had vanished.
This state reminded him of someone.
His hand moved towards his own pink right eye but stopped midair.
Yes, Nezuko's current condition unconsciously made Shinichi recall himself—that night when he'd become a Demon yet regained his sanity.
How similar their experiences were!
Crack!
A sudden, sharp pain shot through Shinichi's temple as half-familiar images flashed through his mind, drawing a quiet grunt from him.
"What's wrong?" Giyu noticed Shinichi's odd behavior, but Shinichi shook his head.
"It's nothing, Tomioka. As you can see... this is Nezuko's condition now."
Giyu cast an extremely complicated glance at Nezuko nestled in Tanjiro's arms.
For some reason, Nezuko had fallen asleep in Tanjiro's embrace and her body was visibly shrinking at a rapid pace, soon becoming the size of a five-year-old child.
"I've never seen anything like this before. I think this should be reported to Oyakata-sama. But I truly never imagined that someone who has turned into a Demon could regain their sanity one day," Giyu said calmly.
Hearing this, Shinichi's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
A Demon regaining sanity—wasn't that exactly what he was?
Many times, while carrying out missions, leading Demon Slayer Corps members to slay Demon after Demon, and using Breathing Techniques repeatedly, Shinichi fulfilled his duties as The Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps exceptionally well.
But as time passed, Shinichi would sometimes forget that his true identity was, after all, he was not just a human.
Just as Giyu had said— he was a demon who had regained his sanity.
Could someone like him really continue to stay in the Demon Slayer Corps without issue?
If one day his identity were exposed in front of everyone, how would they view him?
The issue of his identity was something Shinichi had deliberately avoided thinking about.
Within the entire Demon Slayer Corps, aside from Oyakata-sama and Shinobu, no one else knew his true nature.
And nearly every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, every Hashira, bore deep-seated hatred towards Demons.
Could they truly accept a Demon as a comrade or even a fellow warrior?
Just as his thoughts began to spiral, Giyu's voice abruptly interrupted Shinichi's musings.
"If you want to protect your sister, you must first attain the strength necessary to do so. Go to Mount Sagiri. Seek out an old man named Urokodaki Sakonji. There, you can learn much and gain the power to protect your sister."
Supporting his injured arm with one hand, Giyu spoke these words calmly to Tanjiro, and his advice also cleared Shinichi's thoughts.
Sure enough, upon hearing Giyu's words, Tanjiro—who was holding the sleeping Nezuko—immediately turned his gaze towards Shinichi.
Was this about having Tanjiro join the Demon Slayer Corps? Shinichi pondered.
But for Tanjiro, who had lost almost his entire family and whose sister had turned into a Demon, this seemed like the only viable choice left.
So Shinichi nodded in response to Tanjiro's questioning look.
However, Tanjiro's next question left both Giyu and Shinichi at a loss for words.
"Giyu-san, Shinichi-senpai... if humans can turn into Demons, then there must be a way for Demons to become human again, right?"
Giyu: "That..."
Shinichi looked at the hope shining in Tanjiro's eyes, hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"There must be. But such a method... perhaps only those Demons themselves know. So, Tanjiro, you must become strong enough to have any hope of turning Nezuko back into a human."
"I understand! I—I will definitely turn Nezuko back into a human!"
The boy who had endured a night of cruel despair now burned with renewed hope.
Demons cannot be exposed to sunlight.
With Shinichi's help, Tanjiro sorrowfully buried his family's remains and gently placed his sister Nezuko into a bamboo basket padded with cotton.
After bidding a solemn farewell to Giyu and Shinichi, Tanjiro officially set off on the road to Mount Sagiri.
Shinichi and Giyu remained on the mountain, awaiting reinforcements from the Demon Slayer Corps.
*****
"Hurry, hurry! Get the Water Hashira back immediately!" Without hesitation, the Kakushi Corps members bundled the severely injured Giyu Tomioka like a rice dumpling and hastily loaded him onto a stretcher, rushing to return to headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Wind Hashira Shinazugawa Sanemi and the Wave Hashira Sabito stood beside Shinichi, watching.
Sanemi, scowling, grumbled in frustration, "Upper moon demons—why do I never run into them? I'd love to see just how strong these so-called Upper moons really are!"
Sabito cautioned, "Sanemi, don't underestimate the Upper moon. I know Giyu's strength well. If an Upper moon could injure him this badly, their power is nothing to scoff at."
Sanemi said nothing, merely snorting before turning his gaze to Shinichi's back.
"Just how strong is Muzan, then?" he pondered silently.
Within the entire Demon Slayer Corps, Shinichi was the only one who had truly faced Muzan.
Heterochromatic eyes fixed on the distance, Shinichi tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.
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