Tanjirou looked at the surrounding Pillars, slowly stood up, and enduring the pain in his body, he spoke, "My... my sister... cough cough..."
Before he could finish a complete sentence, Tanjirou began to cough violently.
Seeing this, Kochou Shinobu took out a gourd, opened it, and handed it to Tanjirou.
"It's better to drink some water. I put pain relievers in it, which can relieve your pain, but your wounds haven't healed, so don't push yourself too hard," Kochou Shinobu said softly to Tanjirou.
Tanjirou took the gourd and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, and his physical condition improved slightly.
After a few breaths, Tanjirou raised his head and continued to speak.
"That demon is my sister. My home was attacked when I left, and everyone was dead when I returned. Although my sister became a demon, she has never eaten a human, not now, and not ever. She will absolutely never harm humans."
Phew—
So that's how it is?
After hearing Tanjirou's words, Chiba Yo breathed a sigh of relief. He chose to believe Tanjirou's words. During the Final Selection, he had noticed that Tanjirou was someone who was extremely bad at lying, preferring to say nothing rather than fabricate words. However, the other Pillars did not seem convinced by Tanjirou.
"Don't spout such boring nonsense. At the end of the day, it's only natural to protect your family. What you're saying is completely unbelievable. I won't believe it," Obanai, who was in the tree, said, pointing his finger in front of him.
Gyoumei also did not believe Tanjirou's words. He clasped his hands together and, shedding tears, lamented regretfully, "Ah, ah, he's possessed by a demon. Quickly kill this poor child and give him release."
Gyoumei disliked children. In his eyes, children were all liars and utterly untrustworthy. Similarly, he did not believe what Tanjirou was saying now.
However, in his youth, Gyoumei was not like this. At that time, as a monk in the Temple, he often took in some orphaned and helpless children and treated them as his own family.
But an incident that happened later completely changed his view of children, altering both his circumstances and his personality.
One night at the Temple, a child named Kaigaku violated Gyoumei's rule about not returning late. Encountering a demon, he even extinguished the wisteria incense Gyoumei had lit in the Temple to save his own life, leading the demon into the Temple.
The children in the Temple immediately fell into chaos, panicking.
Gyoumei, who could not see anything, instructed the children to stay by his side and not run around, because he knew his body was very strong, and he could protect them if they stayed by his side.
However, except for a four-year-old girl named Sayo, all the other children ran out. As a result, all the children who went outside were killed by the demon. Gyoumei, who was blind and ate very little each day, was simply unable to save them.
All he could do was protect the little girl who stayed by his side. For this, Gyoumei fought the demon bare-handed, risking his life. With a body different from ordinary people, he, as a human, smashed the demon's head.
At dawn, the demon turned to ash and dispersed. What Gyoumei, exhausted, received was not the gratitude of the little girl, Sayo, whom he had risked his life to protect, but her direct accusation, in a state of extreme fright, that Gyoumei was the murderer of the other children.
The demon had long since turned to ash, and all evidence was erased. Gyoumei was consequently thrown into prison. If it weren't for Master Kagaya's rescue, he might have been executed as a murderer.
From then on, Gyoumei completely lost hope in children and human nature, becoming suspicious.
Listening to Tanjirou's words in front of him, Gyoumei believed he was no different from those lying children. Demons must be slain, and those who harbor demons must be treated the same.
Tanjirou felt anxious after hearing Obanai and Gyoumei's words. Nezuko's continued disappearance made him very worried.
"Please listen to me! I became a swordsman to cure Nezuko. It's been over two years since Nezuko became a demon, and during this time, Nezuko has never eaten a human!" Tanjirou said urgently, trying his best to make the Pillars believe what he was saying.
However, what he anxiously said was merely a repetition of what he had said before, and it could not change the Pillars who already did not believe him.
"Your words are just going in circles, you idiot. Never eaten a human, and won't eat one in the future, don't just say these things. Prove it flamboyantly!" Tengen also noticed this and said to Tanjirou.
At this moment, Mitsuri thought of something and looked at the Pillars around her, whispering, "Um, but I have a question. I don't think Master wouldn't know about this. Can we really punish them on our own? Shouldn't we wait for Master to arrive first...?"
Chiba Yo also understood that Master must know about this. Judging from the Kasugai Crow's order not to directly execute Nezuko, Chiba Yo believed that Master should approve of Tanjirou taking his demon sister to carry out missions. Therefore, he was not in a hurry to say anything, planning to wait until Master arrived before speaking.
Of course, if the other Pillars were to forcibly execute Tanjirou before that, he would also intervene to stop them.
Tanjirou now also knew that merely repeating what he had just said would not convince the other Pillars, so he changed his approach.
"My sister...! My sister can fight with me! She can be a Demon Slayer Corps member and fight to protect humans! So..."
Tanjirou shouted loudly, but his words were cut off by another voice before he could finish.
"Hey, hey, something interesting seems to be happening." Sanemi Shinazugawa had entered the courtyard at some point, his body covered in scars, making him look extremely fierce. He held a wooden box in his hand.
"Is that the idiot member who brought a demon? What's the plan, exactly?" Sanemi said with a slight smirk, his voice a bit hoarse.
A Hidden member chased after him, wanting the box back, and spoke to Sanemi, "This will make things difficult for me, Shinazugawa-sama, please put down that box."
Because his attention had been on Tanjirou, Chiba Yo hadn't noticed the Wind Pillar arriving.
Is that Tanjirou's demon sister inside?
Chiba Yo thought, his gaze fixed on the box.
"Shinazugawa-san, wouldn't it be better to handle this matter after Master arrives?" Chiba Yo felt that Sanemi's emotions seemed a bit unstable, so he spoke to him.
However, Sanemi ignored them and continued to look at Tanjirou, saying, "What did you say, demon? Little guy. Can fight as a Demon Slayer Corps member to protect humans? That kind of thing..."
As Sanemi spoke, he placed his right hand on his nichirin blade's hilt.
"How is that possible, you idiot!"
The nichirin blade was drawn, and the green blade thrust towards the box in his other hand.
However, in the next moment, the box in Sanemi's hand disappeared, and his blade struck empty air.
"Chiba Yo, what is the meaning of this? Are you going to harbor a demon with this idiot?"
Sanemi slowly turned around. Chiba Yo, who had been by Kochou Shinobu's side, was now standing behind Sanemi. In his hand was the box containing Nezuko.
"I just think we should wait for Master to judge this matter," Chiba Yo said, simultaneously handing the box to the Hidden member.
"Thank... thank you..." The Hidden member took the box somewhat flustered and thanked Chiba Yo.
Sanemi still wanted to say something, but at that moment, two childish voices made him stop.
"Master has arrived."