Shinazugawa Sanemi was still speechless, Ubuyashiki Kagaya's loving gaze reminded him of his own mother.
"I apologize for summoning you so soon after Kyo's passing."
"You two have always been like brothers, so I imagine this is even harder for you."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's words continued, but this time Shinazugawa Sanemi finally reacted, saying in shock, "Name..."
Kochou Kanae, standing beside Shinazugawa Sanemi, answered his confusion.
"Mr. Shinazugawa, ever since the Master ascended, he has remembered the name and life story of every fallen Demon Slayer Corps member."
Shinazugawa Sanemi's eyes widened involuntarily, his face full of disbelief, because even he couldn't remember all the names of the fallen Demon Slayer Corps members.
"Sanemi, the children of the Demon Slayer Corps all write wills, don't they?"
"It's incredible, but the contents of their wills are almost all the same, and Kyo is no exception."
"I plan to give it to Sanemi."
Hearing about the will, Tomioka Giyu, who was nearby, suddenly remembered that he had also written one two years ago, but the content wasn't very serious.
"Don't say Water Breathing is weak, you're the one who's weak~"
Recalling the content of his will, Tomioka Giyu felt a wave of embarrassment; he had written it in a moment of impulse.
On the other side, Ubuyashiki Kagaya took an envelope from his pocket, slowly walked in front of Shinazugawa Sanemi, and handed him the letter.
"Kyo saw the shadow of his deceased brother in Sanemi."
At the same time, Shinazugawa Sanemi opened the envelope, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya continued speaking.
"His dream was to see a bright future, just like my dream."
"I hope that those important to me can live happily with smiles until the day they reach old age."
"I hope their lives are never threatened unreasonably."
"Even if I can't be by that person's side when that day comes, I hope he can live, and live happily."
As Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke softly, Shinazugawa Sanemi was already in tears.
A few minutes later, Shinazugawa Sanemi came back to his senses and immediately knelt on one knee, his voice firm:
"I apologize for offending you earlier, Master. From now on, I will obey your instructions and fulfill my duties!"
"Thank you, Sanemi." Ubuyashiki Kagaya was as gentle as ever; he had not blamed Shinazugawa Sanemi at all.
Beside them, the expressionless Tomioka Giyu looked at the harmonious scene and thought to himself, "Successfully tamed the alpha Wind Hashira~"
Afterward, the Hashira Meeting proceeded normally, though there wasn't much important to discuss, as the main story hadn't even begun yet.
After the meeting, Tomioka Giyu immediately went to the Butterfly Mansion, ostensibly to visit Kochou Kanae, but actually to chat with Kochou Shinobu for a while.
Simply put, he wanted Kochou Shinobu to keep an eye on Kanae's movements, especially if any missions mentioned a church or similar.
As for why he was doing this, Tomioka Giyu gave a very sufficient reason:
"Your sister's ideas are very dangerous, I'm sure you know that. Normally it might be fine, but now her heart is wavering."
"It's very likely to put her in a deadly situation, so whenever she has a mission, you should follow her as much as possible."
"And have the Kasugai Crow notify me; I will come to support immediately!"
Although Kochou Shinobu was half-skeptical, since it concerned her sister, she still chose to trust Tomioka Giyu.
After all, the person in front of her was a Hashira; there was no reason for him to lie to her.
With Kochou Shinobu on board, Tomioka Giyu felt much more at ease; her involvement was the most crucial link!
As for why he didn't speak directly to Kanae herself, Tomioka Giyu stated that it would be useless.
Given Kanae's personality, she would surely smile, nod in agreement, and then change her mind later.
Leaving the Butterfly Mansion, Tomioka Giyu rushed non-stop to the area Shinazugawa Sanemi was guarding.
It wasn't easy to get Shinazugawa Sanemi to do anything, so Tomioka Giyu chose the simplest method.
"You are Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyu? What do you want from me?" Shinazugawa Sanemi scrutinized Tomioka Giyu.
Honestly, at the Hashira Meeting that morning, if Tomioka Giyu hadn't spoken a few words at the end, he would have thought the guy was mute.
"I need your help, but I'm afraid you won't agree if I just ask, so let's have a duel."
"If I win, you help me. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. How about it?"
Even Shinazugawa Sanemi's brain completely froze at Tomioka Giyu's two sentences.
"You, do you have a problem?!"
Tomioka Giyu's expression remained unchanged as he walked to a nearby rack, picked up two wooden swords, and tossed one to Shinazugawa Sanemi.
"Scared? If you're scared, I'll leave now. You can pretend I was never here~"
It's worth mentioning that the place Shinazugawa Sanemi was in happened to be a dojo, with an open space waiting for the two to "spar."
Shinazugawa Sanemi's expression gradually turned fierce, his knuckles cracking loudly. "Very well, your provocation worked."
"Soon you'll find out who's really scared!"
"Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
The sudden attack did not surprise Tomioka Giyu; he immediately gripped his sword with both hands and slammed it heavily into the ground.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin."
Shinazugawa Sanemi, whose attack was blocked, didn't stop for a moment, gripping his sword with both hands and delivering an upward slash.
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
Unfortunately, at this time, Shinazugawa Sanemi was not as strong as he would be in the future.
Tomioka Giyu calmly said as he immediately leaned back to dodge the blow:
"Remember to keep your wager. Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" With the blade inches away, Shinazugawa Sanemi forcefully twisted.
He dodged Tomioka Giyu's sword tip with an extremely awkward posture!
Immediately, Shinazugawa Sanemi launched an attack; he had to create distance from Tomioka Giyu.
Otherwise, if Tomioka Giyu simply swung his sword downwards, he would undoubtedly lose.
"Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Tomioka Giyu hadn't expected this guy's flexibility to be so good.
However, he didn't panic; using the gentleness of water to push himself away, he simultaneously twisted his body.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool!"
With a "bang," the collision between the whirlpools clearly put Shinazugawa Sanemi at a disadvantage, pushing him back several steps.
Cracks appeared in his wooden sword, looking like it could break at any moment.
"Damn it!" Shinazugawa Sanemi gritted his teeth, exhaled heavily, adjusted the angle of his blade, and angrily declared:
"One last strike to decide the winner!"
"Wind Breathing, Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!!"
Facing this move, Tomioka Giyu also didn't dare to be careless, using his final form.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
The fierce wind swept through, and under this attack, both the floor and the roof of the dojo were torn to shreds.
But the water surface remained calm, and not even a corner of Tomioka Giyu's clothes was torn.
Shinazugawa Sanemi stood frozen, seemingly still trying to comprehend what had just happened.