"Wha-what should we do!?"
Goto's hair stood on end as he stared at Tanjuro, his breathing rapidly accelerating.
It's common sense in the Demon Slayer Corps.
When a person gets attacked by a demon and they suddenly come back to life.
That person has been turned into a demon.
"Don't ask me, I don't know either!" Masao tightly grabbed Goto, screaming back in horror.
"That guy just came back to life!"
"He's turned into a demon, hasn't he!?"
Masao's hugging strength gradually increased, even turning his knuckles white. Heads shook left and right in panic, chests rising and falling rapidly.
"Goto-san! We're going to die!" Masao shouted in despair.
Masao originally trained to become a swordsman of the Corps; however, he had no talent in sword technique, thus he pivoted to become a relatively safe logistics staff member.
Under the influence of his panic-stricken co-worker, Goto seemed to transfer his own panic to his friend and composed himself.
'No matter how flustered I am, I won't be as embarrassing as this guy.' Goto proudly claimed in his heart.
Successfully calming down, Goto observed the awakened Tanjuro.
Tanjuro closed his mouth and seemed to have given up the idea of speaking to the two panicked men.
'No good. These guys are no good.'
Tanjuro decided to look at his surroundings and found Tanjiro looking straight at him.
"Father..." Tanjiro hoarsely said. "Father, are you okay?"
"Where... did everyone... go?"
Tanjuro reached out his hand and gently patted Tanjiro's head. His eyes softened hearing his son, even in his condition, still worries for their family.
"Don't worry, your mother and your siblings are in a safe place far from here." Tanjuro answered gently, in that tone only a father could use to calm his son.
"I'm afraid we can't stay here anymore, though. Once you've recovered, we'll set off to meet with Kie, Nezuko, and the others."
"I see... I understand..." Tanjiro breathed a sigh of relief and finally closed his eyes with peace of mind, as his questions were answered, to fall into a deep sleep under the warm headpats.
Meanwhile,
The two stooges finally calmed down as they saw the interactions between father and son. Masao seemed to be in disbelief.
Goto frowned. While his heart had calmed, he still held his breath and dared not to relax.
"It seems… there's no problem…?"
The two looked at each other and understood each other's meaning.
Suddenly—
~Bang!~
The front door was opened with force.
A blurred figure moving so fast to the naked eye rushed in!
The black-haired man holding a blue blade appeared in front of Tanjuro instantly, swinging his blade from its scabbard, producing a screeching sound of metal.
The man's iaido stance was perfect, as he swung his blade in full power; sharp, cold light reflected on the blade as it slashed horizontally toward Tanjuro's neck!
~CLANG!~
Tanjuro quickly moved his head and raised Kusabimaru from its sheath to block the killing slash.
~SKREEE!~
Sparks flew from the collision of the blades, illuminating both fighters' faces.
Giyu remained expressionless, as if he didn't just initiate a fast killing blow that a normal human couldn't react to.
Tanjuro just caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eyes and subconsciously flicked Kusabimaru on the path of the blade.
'What a strong young man.'
His body should be weaker, and yet he steadfastly parried the slash.
Giyu withdrew his sword and stood up from his iaido stance; his clothing finally followed the rule of gravity again.
Everything happened in a flash.
Goto and Masao just have enough time to come back to their senses.
~Click.~
Both swordsmen sheathed their blades. Tanjuro's arm was slightly numb from the sudden parry.
Fortunately, it seems after his 'resurrection,' he recovered most of his physical strength, which is what actually enabled him to react so quickly.
Although Giyu stopped the blade in time.
But if he hadn't reacted and blocked the attack, he would have a new scar on his neck now.
'He did that on purpose.'
Tanjuro frowned. In hindsight, maybe he should have let it happen.
Hmm, no.
However, he wasn't surprised by Giyu's appearance here.
After all, he did appear in the original timeline.
"Not a demon..." Giyu scrutinized him and came to that conclusion. He turned his head, his face like ice, and looked at Goto and Masao.
"What's going on?" Giyu questioned the two.
He was simply asking a question.
But to the two, his tone of voice sounded like an accusation.
"Eek!" Masao got frightened and couldn't hold his gaze against Giyu. He discreetly shrank behind Goto.
"G-Goto-san, you say it!"
Giyu turned his attention to Goto.
He was patrolling around to search for clues when he heard the screams coming from the house, so he hurriedly rushed over.
Although he had a clear view of the situation as soon as he entered the room, he still decided to 'test' Tanjuro.
As expected, the Kamado Head family is not an ordinary man.
He was able to catch the movement of his blade, and it looked like a subconscious reaction.
His strength is probably above most of the swordsmen in the Corps.
'It's just as Urokodaki-sensei predicted.'
Giyu continued to look at Goto, becoming even more intimidating in the latter's eyes, waiting for him to answer.
Goto felt increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze.
"I think... it's just a misunderstanding." Goto's eyes flickered as he stammered out.
He didn't know what he had just witnessed, nor did he have the words to explain what he had just seen. Seeing a cherry blossom merging with a man was too outrageous.
"I'll... write it in the report and submit it."
"I'll see." Giyu nodded.
Goto nodded woodenly too.
"By the way, Tomioka-sama." Goto seemed to remember something.
"I heard the kasugai crow calling out a new task... is it yours?"
"It's mine." Giyu answered.
"Then..." Goto didn't know what else to say.
'Why are you still here?' Goto couldn't bring himself to say it.
Giyu turned around and walked straight to Tanjuro; he put down his sword and sat down beside him.
The crow also brought with it a letter from his sensei, informing him of additional tasks that Urokodaki assigned to him.
—"Giyu, if Kamado-san is not injured, test out whether he has a foundation in swordsmanship skills."
—"If so, find out if he has any intentions to join the Demon Slayer Corps; it would be in our best interest to let him join."
While Urokodaki was in a conversation with Kie about Tanjuro.
He gradually realized that Tanjuro might have a strength close to a Hashira.
So he hurriedly sent a letter to Giyu.
However, he forgot to take into account Giyu's lack of social skills.
In addition, Tanjuro is also a man of few words.
Thus,
We came to a scene of two men, one young and one older, sitting in front of each other, silently staring into each other.
And staring.
Staring.
~Jiii.~