Hearing this, Yuki instinctively looked up.
A sizable estate had come into view, completely surrounded by blooming wisteria, as if enveloped in a sea of flowers.
Tomioka explained, "This place is planted with a large number of wisteria flowers. Through special cultivation, they bloom throughout all four seasons."
"Planting wisteria isn't just for aesthetics; it's also to repel Demon invasions."
Hearing this, Yuki couldn't help but turn to Tomioka and ask the question he'd been wanting to ask since last night:
"So, you can actually communicate normally with people?"
Tomioka countered with utmost seriousness, "So, just blurting out whatever comes to mind is what you call 'normal communication'?"
Yuki choked, a wildly absurd thought suddenly flashing through his mind—
'So, that night on Mount Kumotori, Tomioka probably just wanted to knock on the door and ask:'
'I am Tomioka Giyu of the Demon Slayer Corps. Please open the door. I wish to know what's happening inside.'
'But someone had specifically advised him to think more carefully before speaking.'
'As a result, after much deliberation, Tomioka decided to express his thoughts succinctly:'
'Don't hide inside without a word. I know you're home.'
After Yuki pointed out that Tomioka must often be disliked, Tomioka began expressing his thoughts directly.
This actually made him seem more capable of "normal" communication.
Murata, who had been standing beside them the whole time, had no idea what the two were talking about.
From his perspective, they had simply asked each other a question and then suddenly fallen into silence.
'As expected, Pillars and those who travel with them are all eccentric individuals...'
Murata cleared his throat, breaking the silence between Yuki and Tomioka.
He said cautiously, "Should we... knock now?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the wooden door creaked open.
A small girl in a purple kimono with shoulder-length white hair appeared.
Yuki, intimately familiar with the original work, immediately recognized her as Ubuyashiki Hinaki, the eldest daughter of Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the Lord spoken of by the Demon Slayer Corps members.
'If I'm calculating correctly, she should be eight years old now?'
While Yuki was pondering this, Hinaki had already opened the door wide enough for them to pass through.
In an unusually calm voice, she said to Yuki, "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time."
Her voice was unnervaturally calm, sounding nothing like a child's.
Yuki froze, thinking, 'This is supposed to be an eight-year-old?'
Hinaki paid no attention to Yuki's surprise, continuing in her steady tone:
"Please come inside."
Murata, who had been curiously peeking inside, suddenly recoiled as if burned, taking a hasty step back.
"S-so terrifying!"
"All the other Pillars are here too! Is this a Pillar Meeting today?"
Tomioka remained silent, taking the lead as he followed Hinaki inside.
Yuki wasn't surprised and followed close behind.
After a long moment of hesitation, Murata finally mustered his courage, gritting his teeth as he crossed the threshold.
Hinaki raised her voice:
"Pillar-class Swordsman Tomioka Giyu, Mizunoe-rank swordsman Murata, and..."
At this point, Hinaki paused, a rare moment of hesitation. A childlike confusion flickered across her face:
"...and the swordsman who fights for his own interest, Yuki, has arrived."
Hearing this, Yuki wanted to bury his face in his hands, so embarrassed he wanted to dig his toes into the ground.
When he had introduced himself to Haruko of the Kakushi, he had indeed described himself as a swordsman who fights for his own interest.
Who could have imagined that Tomioka would relay that exact phrase verbatim through his Kasugai Crow?
Even more astonishing, the "Lord" had actually instructed Hinaki to introduce him that way.
"Ahem... ahem!"
Yuki cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and strode forward.
'It doesn't matter. As long as I'm not embarrassed, they'll be the ones feeling awkward!'
The moment Yuki crossed the wooden gate and stepped into the courtyard, countless eyes turned to him.
Tomioka remained unmoved, seemingly accustomed to being the center of attention.
Murata, however, froze stiffly, his gait becoming stiff and awkward.
'No wonder they're Pillars—their presence is truly overwhelming!'
Even a mere glance from them felt like an oppressive weight, making it hard to breathe.
'I wonder how Mr. Yuki is handling this...'
Yuki paid no attention to the gazes.
After openly being called a "Swordsman of Leisure," he had long since stopped caring about such things.
With perfect composure, he found an empty spot beside Tomioka and stood there with effortless grace.
Yuki even found himself curious about what the others were discussing.
A strikingly handsome man adorned with dazzling gemstone ornaments was scrutinizing him intently.
The man, looking somewhat surprised, remarked:
"He seems about my age, and he's quite tall, though a bit on the thin side."
"I was expecting someone as burly as the stone Pillar."
"But that mark on his forehead isn't bad—it's almost flashy enough."
Yuki nodded and smiled at him.
This flamboyant attire had already revealed the man's identity:
The Sound Pillar, Uzui Tengen!
Beside Tengen, a petite girl with purple hair and butterfly-shaped hairpins peeked out:
"I never imagined this 'swordsman by hobby' would look like this."
"Well, traveling with Tomioka must be quite the ordeal!"
Yuki noticed not only the girl's butterfly hairpins but also the magnificent haori that resembled butterfly wings.
He also caught the hint of pity beneath her smile when she realized he had been traveling with Tomiok.
Clearly, this was the Insect Pillar, Kocho Shinobu.
Before Yuki could greet Shinobu, a fiercely irritable voice cut through the air:
"This guy hasn't joined the Demon Slayer Corps, hasn't passed the selection trials, and they're calling him a 'swordsman by hobby'?"
"Let's be honest—he has absolutely no combat record!"
"The Demon Slayer Corps has no use for weaklings with no achievements."
"I'd rather drive this guy away myself than have him suddenly die to a demon!"
The voice was harsh, the hair white, and the face scarred and menacing.
Clearly, this was the Wind Pillar, Shinazugawa Sanemi.
Perhaps because he had spent time with Tomioka, Yuki found himself understanding Sanemi's true intentions—
He didn't want Yuki to be in danger due to his lack of strength.
As Sanemi spoke, he strode toward Yuki.
At the same moment, a figure leaped down from a tree.
Bandages wrapped around his mouth, a small snake coiled around his neck, and mismatched eyes.
It was the Serpent Pillar, Iguro Obanai.
His voice, cold and serpentine, was low and measured:
"I've reviewed Tomioka's report. According to him, this Yuki is quite strong."
"But I wonder if Tomioka's judgment might be flawed."
As Iguro spoke, he slowly approached Yuki as well.
Yet Yuki couldn't shake the feeling that while both Obanai and Sanemi appeared to be advancing on him, they were actually subtly surrounding Tomioka.
Yuki's eyes widened slightly at the scene before him.
This was his first time attending a Pillar Meeting, and the "Surround Giyu" tactic truly lived up to its reputation!
"Shinazugawa, Iguro!"
"Both of you, show some respect!"
Yuki turned toward the voice and saw an exceptionally tall and muscular man.
His eyes were veiled by a milky white film, clearly rendering him blind.
He wore monastic robes and held prayer beads, yet his head remained unshaven, and a long scar stretched across his forehead.
This was the Stone Pillar, Himejima Gyomei.
He spoke solemnly, "All matters will naturally be judged by the Lord."
*Clatter, clatter—*
Yuki heard the sound of small pebbles shifting.
Following the sound, he spotted a slender figure with black hair crouching behind Gyomei.
The figure was intently arranging stones on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the commotion in the courtyard.
Yuki recognized him as the Mist Pillar, Tokito Muichiro.
A thought struck him.
He had already met the Stone Pillar, Mist Pillar, Wind Pillar, Water Pillar, Insect Pillar, Sound Pillar, and Serpent Pillar.
That meant the only one remaining was—
Sensing something, Yuki turned his gaze in a particular direction, and his eyes lit up.
Yes, they literally lit up.
Golden hair with crimson tips shimmered under the sunlight.
Beneath thick, dark eyebrows, a pair of eyes that seemed to radiate vitality stared intently.
The man's entire demeanor resembled that of an owl.
"You must be Yuki! It's a great honor to meet you!"
"I'm truly looking forward to the opportunity to work with you in the future!"
His voice boomed with such intensity that each sentence seemed to end with an exclamation mark.
Who else could this be but the Flame Pillar, Rengoku Kyojuro?
Yuki smiled warmly at him, then noticed a figure with pink hair peeking out from behind Kyojuro.
"Yuki, you're even more handsome than I expected!"
Yuki instinctively lowered his head, vaguely sensing that Obanai beside him had momentarily stopped breathing.
It was understandable why Yuki reacted this way. The Love Pillar, Mitsuri Kanroji, was truly dressed with "abundance and generosity."
Yuki had never encountered such a "major shock" before.
No, perhaps the masked Kakushi, Haruko, could rival Mitsuri.
After all, even through her thick uniform, the Kakushi's astonishing proportions were still evident.
'Stop! Please stop!'
'I absolutely can't keep thinking like this!'
'If I were in a novel, readers would definitely hate reading a plotline discussing "major spoilers"... right?'
He desperately tried to think of something else to dispel the thoughts in his mind.
In his previous life, he had read many timelines of the original work. There was always debate about when the three Pillars—Mist, Love, and Flame—joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Some argued that before Muzan's night raid on Mount Kumotori, which marked the start of the main story, some of these three hadn't even joined the Demon Slayer Corps yet, while others hadn't yet become Pillars.
Of course, there were also those who claimed that all three had already become Pillars long before the main story began.
Now, it seemed he was facing the latter scenario.
*Tap, tap—*
Footsteps echoed.
Yuki looked up and saw a black-haired man slowly approaching the courtyard platform.
The man's forehead was covered in grotesque purple scars.
But compared to his first appearance in the original work, only one of his eyes was now veiled by a milky white film.
The other eye still revealed a purple pupil.
Hinaki suddenly raised her voice:
"Lord Kagaya has arrived!"
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