"Senior Mitsuri," Chiba Yo greeted Mitsuri. As Kyoujurou's fellow successor, Mitsuri should be considered his senior, so he addressed her as such.
Then, Kyoujurou introduced her to Mitsuri, "Mitsuri, this is my new successor, Chiba Yo. His talent and strength are both incredibly powerful! He is already a Pillar!"
Kyoujurou's words confirmed Kochou Shinobu's suspicions. She asked Kyoujurou with some disbelief, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but is Mr. Rengoku saying that Xiao Yang has already slain a member of the Twelve Kizuki or killed fifty demons?"
Kyoujurou nodded at Kochou Shinobu upon hearing her question.
"That's right! Xiao Yang just slew Lower Moon Two two days ago!" Kyoujurou said loudly, proud of Chiba Yo.
Though shocked, Kochou Shinobu accepted the fact, sighing, "Mr. Rengoku's ability to teach successors is truly remarkable, and Xiao Yang's talent is enviable."
"Then Xiao Yang is my junior! How wonderful!" Mitsuri exclaimed excitedly after hearing Kyoujurou's words.
Mitsuri is lively and cheerful, very enthusiastic towards everyone, and loves to make friends, so she was naturally very happy to have a new junior.
"As your senior, I will protect you from now on. If you have any questions you want to ask, you can come to me."
Mitsuri patted Chiba Yo's shoulder and spoke in the tone of an adult instructing a child.
Just as Chiba Yo was about to speak, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him, so he looked around.
He quickly found the source of the gaze: a man with a white snake wrapped around his neck and heterochromatic eyes was glaring fiercely at him. Chiba Yo could almost see the black resentment emanating from him.
(;one_one)
What's going on? This should be our first meeting, so why is he looking at me like that?
Chiba Yo was a bit confused. He was sure this was the first time he had seen this man with different colored eyes; they had no prior interaction whatsoever.
Then it must be something I just did that caused this reaction.
Chiba Yo thought, then noticed Mitsuri's hand on his shoulder.
"Then I'll thank Senior Mitsuri in advance."
Chiba Yo thanked Mitsuri, then took a step to the right to remove Mitsuri's hand, while also observing the heterochromatic man's reaction.
As Chiba Yo expected, when he took a step to the right and removed Mitsuri's hand, the resentment around the heterochromatic man dissipated, and he no longer glared at him.
...
He must like Senior Mitsuri...
Chiba Yo came to a conclusion.
"This is the Serpent Pillar! His name is ObanaiIguro! His swordsmanship is very powerful!" Kyoujurou then introduced Obanai to Chiba Yo.
Since everyone had heard the introduction of Chiba Yo earlier, he did not reintroduce Chiba Yo to Obanai.
"Hello, Mr. Iguro," Chiba Yo greeted Obanai.
However, Obanai ignored him and instead started chatting with Kyoujurou.
"Rengoku, have you gotten any news of the Twelve Kizuki or Muzan recently?"
"No! There have been no traces of the Twelve Kizuki or Muzan in the area I'm guarding recently!" Kyoujurou replied.
"My area is the same. I hope my luck will be better in the future so I can encounter an Upper Moon," Obanai said.
Chiba Yo watched Obanai conversing with Kyoujurou from the side, a thought rising in his mind.
Am I... being resented...?
Chiba Yo was a bit confused. He hadn't done anything yet, but it seemed he was already resented by a Pillar. If he had to pinpoint a reason, it was simply that his senior had patted his shoulder.
Although he hadn't interacted much with him, Chiba Yo had already labeled the Serpent Pillar as a jealous and petty person in his mind.
Next, Kyoujurou introduced GiyuuTomioka to Chiba Yo.
"He is the Water Pillar, GiyuuTomioka! He's a man of action, just a bit taciturn!"
"Hello, Mr. Tomioka."
Chiba Yo greeted Giyuu.
Giyuu's expression remained unchanged, and then he said, "You don't need to greet me. I'm not like them."
"Uh..."
Chiba Yo was stunned, unsure how to respond. Giyuu's expressionless face combined with his words gave Chiba Yo a feeling of arrogance and haughtiness.
However, what Giyuu was thinking at this moment was: I am just someone who was protected and then joined the Demon Slayer Corps; I am not worthy of being compared to the other Pillars.
Kochou Shinobu found the scene before her unbearable to watch and couldn't help but say, "Mr. Tomioka... you really don't know how to speak. You should talk less in the future."
"Don't mind that guy; just let him stay alone forever."
At this moment, the Serpent Pillar, who had not responded to Chiba Yo's greeting earlier, suddenly spoke to him.
Although Chiba Yo's relationship with Mitsuri made him uncomfortable, he disliked Giyuu even more.
Giyuu said nothing after hearing the words of the other two Pillars, remaining expressionless, standing there, lost in thought.
After a while, the other Pillars also arrived.
Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima
Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa
Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui
Mist Pillar, Tokito Muichiro
Among these Pillars, Chiba Yo was most familiar with the Wind Pillar because he had talked a lot with Genya, and now he had a clearer understanding of the Wind Pillar.
However, this did not bring him closer to the Wind Pillar. Although the Wind Pillar did not ignore him like the Serpent Pillar, he was not overly enthusiastic, but Chiba Yo could understand him.
He had heard of the remaining Pillars before, specifically the Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima, the strongest person in the Demon Slayer Corps. After meeting him, his image was still somewhat different from what he had imagined.
His tendency to cry at the drop of a hat made Chiba Yo somewhat hesitant to approach him.
The Sound Pillar was a flamboyant and handsome person who affirmed Chiba Yo, saying he was also a flamboyant person, especially praising the flame pattern on his forehead.
The Mist Pillar gave Chiba Yo the impression of having a poor memory, forgetting what he had just said in an instant, and he also liked to look at clouds. He was also the only Pillar who was a year younger than Chiba Yo.
It is also worth mentioning that several Pillars thought Chiba Yo and Muichiro looked somewhat alike.
After getting to know the remaining Pillars, Chiba Yo could feel that they were all trustworthy people filled with integrity, even though their personalities differed; some might be a bit irritable, some might be a bit sharp-tongued and prone to jealousy, and some might not be good at speaking.
But what was certain was that they had all dedicated everything to protecting humanity against demons.
All the current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps had gathered.
"The Master has arrived."
Two childlike voices rang out from inside the mansion, and then two children, almost identical in appearance with white hair, emerged from the mansion. Following them, a long-haired man walked out of the mansion, supported by the two children's hands.
"You've arrived, my beloved children."