In truth, Kokushibo had absolutely no understanding of those mysterious gazes.
He could merely sense them.
Watching.
Observing.
Growing in number little by little.
At first, there had only been a few scattered presences lingering around him like faint ripples in water. But recently, the sensation had intensified to an absurd degree.
It felt as though countless unseen eyes were fixed upon him at all times.
Yet strangely enough, none of them carried hostility.
That alone was what prevented Kokushibo from reacting violently.
Still…
The feeling of constantly being observed was deeply unpleasant.
Seeing the unease and fear hidden beneath Muzan Kibutsuji's composed expression, Kokushibo nearly laughed inwardly.
Since neither of them understood what these gazes truly were, he might as well seize control of the conversation first.
"Actually, Muzan-sama," Kokushibo said calmly, "those gazes may not be a bad thing."
Muzan frowned immediately.
"Not a bad thing?"
His connection with Kokushibo his most powerful and reliable subordinate had already been severed mysteriously.
If he had not personally persuaded Kokushibo to remain loyal, the Upper Rank One might have disappeared entirely.
How could that possibly be considered beneficial?
Muzan narrowed his crimson eyes.
"Explain."
Kokushibo maintained a perfectly serious expression despite improvising everything.
"Muzan-sama… have you not noticed that ever since those gazes began increasing, things around you have progressed more smoothly?"
Naturally, Kokushibo had absolutely no idea what Muzan had been doing lately.
Nor did he understand the true nature of those mysterious observers.
But deceiving Muzan required confidence, not facts.
And Kokushibo possessed confidence in abundance.
Muzan paused.
Then, surprisingly, he began considering the possibility seriously.
Recently…
Several strange coincidences had indeed occurred.
A shipment of imported medical equipment he had ordered from overseas had somehow arrived four days ahead of schedule.
Several wealthy adoptive "parents" he had manipulated over the years had suddenly begun transferring assets and revising their wills in his favor without prompting.
Even more bizarrely
For the past few nights, Muzan had experienced extraordinarily satisfying dreams.
Within those dreams, Tsugikuni Yoriichi lay defeated beneath his feet while Muzan mocked him mercilessly.
"Tell me," Dream-Muzan sneered triumphantly, "what do I think of human life now?"
Each time he awoke from those dreams, he found himself laughing aloud.
Nakime, who often remained nearby, had quietly concluded that Muzan was entering some strange emotional phase caused by stress.
Poor Muzan-sama, she thought sympathetically. He has lived for over a thousand years and still has to suffer mood swings alone.
Completely unaware of Nakime's silent judgment, Muzan returned his attention to Kokushibo.
The more he thought about it…
The more reasonable the explanation sounded.
Perhaps those gazes truly were beneficial.
And there was no actual proof connecting them to the severed curse link.
Eventually, Muzan relaxed slightly.
"Very well," he said. "If they possess no hostility, then we will ignore them for now."
Kokushibo silently celebrated his success.
In reality, convincing Muzan about the gazes had never been his true objective.
His real goal had always been securing unrestricted access to Nakime and the Infinity Castle.
Everything else was merely a bonus.
Then Kokushibo suddenly lowered his eyes toward Muzan's hands.
"Muzan-sama," he said with feigned innocence, "why are you still holding onto your subordinate so tightly?"
Muzan immediately froze.
Only then did he realize that, at some point during their discussion, he had unconsciously continued gripping Kokushibo's sleeve.
A faint flush spread across his pale face.
What was he supposed to say?
That he feared Kokushibo leaving?
That survival instinct had unconsciously driven him to keep Upper Rank One close?
Muzan valued his life above absolutely everything else.
Pride.
Dignity.
Honor.
None of those things mattered compared to survival.
If Yoriichi himself had once cornered Muzan and demanded that he wear women's clothing in exchange for mercy
Muzan would absolutely have done it without hesitation.
Living always came first.
"…I merely forgot," Muzan said coldly before immediately releasing him.
At that exact moment, Nakime quietly appeared nearby with her biwa.
Her single visible eye stared toward them silently.
The atmosphere became awkward instantly.
Kokushibo suddenly realized something.
So she had seen everything.
Nakime, meanwhile, thought calmly:
I was simply giving you privacy.
Muzan coughed lightly before adjusting his kimono and sitting properly again.
"Then we shall leave the matter there," he declared. "There is no need to concern ourselves further."
Kokushibo nodded obediently.
After leaving the Infinity Castle, Kokushibo immediately contacted one of the demons under his direct control.
Saito Arashi.
Some time ago, Kokushibo had ordered his subordinates to search for a charcoal-burning family carrying the surname Kamado.
Now, at last, there were results.
The moment Arashi received the summons, he immediately stormed into the office of another subordinate, causing absolute chaos.
The businessman nearly leapt out of his chair in terror.
Even the woman sitting beside him screamed in shock.
Arashi ignored them both completely.
"Did you locate the Kamado family?"
"Yes! Yes, we found them!"
The man hurried toward his desk so quickly that he nearly forgot to pull up his trousers properly.
Frantically gathering documents together, he handed them over respectfully.
Arashi accepted the papers expressionlessly before leaving the room without another word.
The stunned woman blinked several times.
"…Wait," she asked in confusion, "which one of you is actually the boss?"
Using his connection with Arashi, Kokushibo viewed the documents remotely through the demon's eyes.
Unfortunately
The image was blurry.
Kokushibo stared silently for several seconds.
"…Are you unable to see properly?"
Arashi immediately panicked.
"Forgive me, Master!"
He hurriedly reached into his pocket and put on a pair of glasses.
The image instantly became clear.
"…Much better."
After reviewing the information carefully, Kokushibo finally spoke again.
"And next time, tell him to hire someone else to write reports."
"The handwriting is atrocious."
"Yes, Master!"
Now possessing the Kamado family's location, Kokushibo could easily travel there.
However, dawn was already approaching.
Even with his speed, reaching the mountains before sunrise would be troublesome.
"I'll go tomorrow night instead."
The following morning, the Demon Slayer Corps estate once again became lively.
Rengoku Kyojuro greeted everyone energetically as usual.
Despite recently learning that his adoptive father was none other than Upper Rank One, Kyojuro himself remained remarkably unchanged.
His straightforward and sincere personality prevented the others from directing suspicion toward him.
After all
Kocho Kanae herself was now technically a demon and still resided openly within the Butterfly Mansion.
Compared to that, Kyojuro's situation no longer felt entirely shocking.
Meanwhile, Tomioka Giyu quietly walked toward the training grounds without greeting anyone.
As always.
Watching him leave, Kanroji Mitsuri blushed faintly.
"Tomioka-san really is cool…"
Iguro Obanai immediately frowned.
"That gloomy man is irritating."
For once, Shinazugawa Sanemi actually agreed.
"That bastard always acts like he's better than everyone else."
A short while later, Uzui Tengen arrived at the dojo where Giyu was training alone.
"Well?" Tengen asked casually. "Did the apology work?"
Unlike most people, Tengen actually understood Giyu fairly well after several past interactions.
He knew Giyu wasn't arrogant.
Just catastrophically bad at social interaction.
Giyu nodded seriously.
"I gave the gift to Kanae."
"Good," Tengen replied confidently. "Then everything should've been resolved."
At that exact moment
The dojo doors slammed open violently.
Kocho Shinobu stormed inside.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Giyu by the collar.
Smiling beautifully.
Terrifyingly beautifully.
"Tomioka-san," she asked sweetly, "what exactly did you say to my sister yesterday?"
Even Tengen instinctively stepped backward.
The pressure radiating from Shinobu was horrifying.
Giyu, however, looked genuinely confused.
"Did you receive the hairpin?"
Shinobu's face instantly turned red.
"Why did you give me something like that?!"
"I thought you needed it."
"How did you know I needed one?!"
"…Because you didn't have one."
"Then why didn't you give one to someone else?!"
"Why would I?"
"W-Why are you saying it like that?!"
Tengen listened nearby with growing confusion.
Wait.
Wasn't it just a hairpin?
Why did this conversation sound dangerously close to a confession?
Meanwhile, inside the Butterfly Mansion
Kanae carefully hid the hairpin Giyu had originally entrusted to her.
She smiled mischievously to herself.
"Honestly, Tomioka-san…"
"If I hand this over too early, your relationship will never progress properly."
Satisfied with her decision, Kanae tucked the gift away safely.
"I'll return it once the two of you finally become a couple."