Where is this?
Upon waking, Yoizumi found himself in an unfamiliar room, his gaze surveying the surroundings.
Where are Tanjirou and Nezuko?
He stood up, preparing to push open the door and investigate, when two white-haired little girls at the entrance bowed slightly to Yoizumi.
"Please wait a moment."
Strangers.
Yoizumi cautiously examined the room's structure; if there was any danger, he would prioritize leaving immediately.
"The Master is here."
Master… what is that?
A man with black hair and pale purple eyes, looking sickly all over, was helped in. Yoizumi noticed the deep purple scars on his face.
He's sick… but it doesn't seem like a normal illness.
The man sat on a cushion, looking at Yoizumi with a gentle tone.
"You must be Yoizumi, the special demon."
"Shinobu has told me about you."
Shinobu… Is this man the supreme leader of the Demon Slayer Corps?
Shinobu actually told him about himself. Would she really not be implicated?
As if sensing Yoizumi's thoughts, the man revealed a faint smile.
"I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
"Don't worry, Shinobu is fine. Or rather, I am very happy that a demon like you has contact with the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Shinobu told me about your uniqueness. A demon who can suppress hunger and help humans has appeared for the first time in a thousand years."
"And two of them appeared at once."
Yoizumi knelt on the cushion, looking at the man before him. Despite being the leader of a powerful organization, he exuded a gentle and sickly aura, and his unique voice possessed a convincing quality.
"Are you sick?" Yoizumi finally spoke his first words after a long pause.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki hadn't expected the other party's first words to be about his health. He slowly shook his head and explained:
"This is not an illness; it's a curse."
"As long as Kibutsuji is not dead, this curse will not disappear."
A curse?
He wondered if his Blood Demon Art could help him.
"Once I recover, I can try to help you with your treatment."
"Thank you, Yoizumi."
"Where are my family members?" Yoizumi asked.
"Tanjirou and Nezuko will be fine, don't worry."
"I believe my children will accept you all."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki beckoned to the girl beside him. The girl nodded and left, returning shortly with a plate of sweets, which she placed before Yoizumi.
"Shinobu said you can eat human food and prefer sweet things. Try some."
Looking at the round, plump dumplings made of three colors strung together, he reached out and took one. Kagaya Ubuyashiki reminded him:
"It tastes even better with a little brown sugar syrup."
He poured some of the brown sugar syrup from the porcelain bowl onto the dumplings. The soft, chewy texture, combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar and the inherent sweetness of the dumplings, was delightful.
So sweet… Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled gently. After returning from Mt. Natagumo, Shinobu came to him and explained about the demon, Yoizumi. Long before that, through the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence network, they had learned of a golden-haired, blue-eyed demon who was hunting evil demons.
He had also successfully killed Lower Moon Four in Kakuru Village. After some investigation, the situation was confirmed to be true, and at that time, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had wanted to meet him.
Initially, the villagers of Kakuru Village were tight-lipped about the matter, but it wasn't until they saw the nichirin blade that a woman named Komatsuse voluntarily came forward to explain.
Although she initially concealed the fact that Yoizumi was a demon, all evidence pointed to Yoizumi, a demon who had protected the lives of hundreds of villagers.
Finally, she explained the situation, her emotions agitated, and everything she said ultimately was:
"Mr. Yoizumi would never harm anyone."
This led all the villagers of Kakuru Village to vouch for Yoizumi.
Meeting him today, he was indeed extraordinary, different from other demons.
Even though Kagaya Ubuyashiki couldn't see, he could sense it through the description.
Yoizumi was calm and gentle. When he met those clear, bright sapphire eyes, it was like falling into a clear spring.
He lacked the brutality and recklessness of a demon, always remaining conscious and rational, practically indistinguishable from a human.
Or rather, if a person is a blank canvas, anyone can add a stroke of color during their growth, and all the colors form a person's character and temperament.
Then a demon is black and chaotic, but for Yoizumi, someone had first drawn a full heart for him, filled with vibrant red, waiting for someone to make it beat.
This was Kagaya Ubuyashiki's impression of Yoizumi.
"Yoizumi." Kagaya Ubuyashiki's sightless gaze looked at him, a sincere expression appearing on his face.
"I would like to invite you to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Are you willing?"
A demon joining the Demon Slayer Corps?
Yoizumi's calm, small face showed a hint of surprise. Most people in the Demon Slayer Corps harbored deep hatred for demons. Was it really okay to let a demon join?
Kagaya Ubuyashiki understood Yoizumi's concerns and extended a hand towards him. That hand was excessively thin, seeming as if it would break with a slight force, yet it carried an unimaginable weight.
"I believe my children are discerning individuals. As long as there is a convincing reason, they will understand and accept."
"To kill Kibutsuji, we need you, and we need Tanjirou and Nezuko."
"Are you willing to join?"
Looking at that hand, Yoizumi's eyes flickered, as if someone had once extended a hand to him in the same way.
He placed his small hand on the other's palm, feeling a cold touch.
Is his body really okay?
"Thank you, Yoizumi."
"The Pillar Meeting will be held shortly. I want to tell them about this then. Some things might happen, so you'll have to endure it."
Endure?
Perhaps endurance was what he was best at… "Move your foot." A cold gaze fixed on Sanemi Shinazugawa's foot, which was on the wooden box.
Well, he couldn't endure it at all.
"A demon?" Sanemi Shinazugawa cautiously retreated to the Master's side, holding his nichirin blade. This demon had gotten so close without him noticing!
The other Pillars also tensed up, drawing their nichirin blades.
"Protect the Master!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki raised a hand to stop them.
"He is Yoizumi."
"Yoizumi-nii!" Tanjirou only then realized that Yoizumi wasn't in the wooden box. He had been too nervous to notice.
Feeling many scrutinizing gazes on him, Yoizumi ignored them and looked at Kagaya Ubuyashiki:
"I broke the door, I apologize."
"It's fine, it's on our side."
"Sanemi was impulsive just now."
"Master!" Sanemi Shinazugawa said unwillingly, "I still can't believe a demon can resist my blood!"
"Sanemi, you…" Kagaya Ubuyashiki hadn't finished speaking when Yoizumi interrupted him.
"It's fine, let him continue."
Although the enticing scent of blood still lured him, and the copious saliva in his mouth was undeniable, it wasn't enough to make him lose his reason.
Yoizumi also trusted Nezuko.
"Hmph!" Sanemi Shinazugawa used his nichirin blade to cut his arm again, widening the wound. He refused to believe that these two demons would remain indifferent in the face of so much rare blood. As long as they showed even a hint of their true nature, he would personally hack off their heads!
Blood dripped from his arm onto the tatami. The tip of his blade hooked open the wooden box door. Hearing the demon's restless breathing, Sanemi Shinazugawa's distorted face twisted even further.
"Reveal your true nature, demons!"
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