"Sanemi-kun, be gentle to Tom." Just as Sanemi was about to teach Tom a lesson, Kanae, the Flower Hashira, suddenly interrupted him. As soon as Kanae spoke, the Wind Hashira, who was initially quite irritable, instantly froze in place. He quickly put away his fierce expression and bowed respectfully to her.
"Sorry, Kanae-chan, I'll be more careful next time," Sanemi muttered, clearly flustered.
"Don't worry about it. I know Sanemi-kun is actually a very kind person," Kanae replied, smiling like a goddess. Sanemi, who stole a glance at Kanae, felt his heart skip a beat, and his face flushed red. In an attempt to hide his feelings, he turned away and quickly changed the subject.
"We said we would hold a meeting of the Hashira. Why are those guys so slow? This is disrespectful to the lord!" Sanemi snapped, trying to sound tough.
"Sanemi! You can't say that! If you're going to see the lord, you should at least dress up!" A booming voice interrupted from outside the courtyard. In strode a very tall man, standing at 1.98 meters, with white hair, a diamond forehead protector, and a single ponytail. This man was the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, a former ninja. The most enviable thing about him was that he had three beautiful kunoichi wives!
Behind Uzui Tengen walked a dull-faced boy with black hair in twin ponytails—Tokito Muichiro. Despite being only twelve years old and joining the Demon Slayer Corps last year, he had already risen to become one of the Hashira, the Mist Hashira, making him the youngest member of the corps.
"Muichiro, come here." Kanae, noticing the boy's arrival, immediately called him over to her side. She always took special care of him, understanding that he had been forced to join the Demon Slayer Corps at such a young age.
Normally, Tokito Muichiro was unresponsive to the outside world, often lost in thought. However, when Kanae called him, he obediently listened and walked over.
"It seems everyone is here." A cold voice suddenly came from above Tom's head. Looking up, Tom found himself staring at a man with heterochromatic eyes lying on a branch. The man had black, medium-length hair like seaweed, and his mouth was covered with gauze. It was the Snake Hashira, Iguro Obanai. However, it wasn't Obanai who drew Tom's attention—it was the white snake wrapped around his neck.
Animals always have a way of drawing each other's attention, and Tom couldn't help but stare at the snake. Sensing Tom's gaze, the white snake raised its head, its red vertical pupils locking onto Tom. It trembled slightly, showing its wariness.
Obanai, however, hadn't noticed the odd behavior of his beloved snake just yet, as he was distracted by the appearance of three more Hashira in the courtyard.
"Hello, everyone. I'm not late, am I?" A gentle voice called out. The Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri, with her long, cherry pink braids, whispered a greeting to the group. She nervously tapped her index fingers together and glanced around, her large eyes taking in everyone present. When her gaze landed on Tom, sitting on Tomioka Giyuu's shoulder, her eyes sparkled with adoration.
"Aww, what a cute kitten!" she squealed internally, her heart melting at the sight of him.
"Well! I don't know why the lord has called for this sudden meeting of the Hashira, but whatever it is, we will handle it with excellence!" The Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, declared confidently, crossing his arms. His large eyes were ablaze with enthusiasm, and every word he spoke seemed to come out in a triumphant shout.
"Namo Amitabha," Gyomei, the two-meter-tall Rock Hashira, softly intoned, his hands clasped together as he held his Buddhist beads, silently chanting a prayer.
The current Demon Slayer Corps had a total of ten Hashira, and now, they were all present.
In the original story, there were only nine Hashira at this time, and the Flower Hashira, Kanae, had been killed by the Upper Rank Two demon, Douma, two years ago. However, due to Tom's time travel, the plot had changed.
"The lord is here!" Sanemi, who was always keeping an eye on the mansion, suddenly announced. The Hashira immediately stood in a row, facing the mansion respectfully. When they saw a man being supported by two white-haired girls, they all knelt on one knee and bowed their heads to show their respect.
The current head of the Demon Slayer Corps was Ubuyashiki Kagaya, 21 years old. Due to the curse on the Ubuyashiki clan, Kagaya was weak and gravely ill, and the skin around his eyes appeared as if it had been burned, leaving him disfigured. This curse also caused him to lose his eyesight. Supported by his two daughters, Ubuyashiki Kagaya came to the balcony. Feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps smiled softly and said:
"Good morning, everyone. The weather is wonderful today. I imagine the sky is very blue, yes? I'm so pleased to see all the familiar faces."
"My lord, I'm so glad to see you in good health. I sincerely wish you the best for the future." Sanemi, normally brimming with hostility, had completely set aside his temper when addressing Ubuyashiki Kagaya. His demeanor was utterly respectful and reverent, a stark contrast to his usual self.
"Thank you, Sanemi," Ubuyashiki Kagaya responded with a warm smile, then continued, "The reason I've called everyone together today is to inform you of a very important matter. Just half a month ago, Muzan Kibutsuji appeared and crossed paths with one of our members from the Demon Slayer Corps."
"What! Muzan Kibutsuji appeared?"
"Where did this happen? Is that member still alive?"
"Do we have any more detailed information?"
"How is this possible? Even the Hashira have never made contact with Muzan!"
As soon as the Hashira heard this news, they erupted in shock and disbelief. They all raised their heads, loudly asking questions, their previous composure forgotten in their excitement.
"What we are here to discuss today relates directly to this matter. Not only did that member come into contact with Muzan, but they also repelled him and protected the family from his attack." Kagaya paused briefly. "After hearing a detailed account of the battle, I've made the decision to propose this person as the new Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Do any of you have objections?"
Hearing this, Sanemi said, "Since the Lord has said so, of course, I have no problem!"
"Although the requirement to become a Hashira is to kill fifty demons or defeat one of the Twelve Kizuki, if he can repel the Demon King, his strength must have already reached Hashira level. I can agree with that."
Sanemi, though strict about the rules of the Demon Slayer Corps, agreed since the master had proposed it.
"I didn't expect that such a powerful individual was hidden in our Demon Slayer Corps. Who is he? Is he perhaps the stepson of one of the Hashira?" Gyomei clasped his hands together, his eyes closed as he wept. As the strongest swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, he was curious about this mysterious person.
"This person was brought into the Demon Slayer Corps by Kanae two years ago. He has been staying at the Butterfly Mansion most of the time, so you may not have noticed him. However, this person's existence might surprise you. When I first received this news, I found it hard to believe..." Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke, raising the curiosity of all the Hashira to the extreme.
At this point, they were all dying to know who could be described in such a way by their lord. Ubuyashiki Kagaya was not the type to make exaggerated statements, so after a brief pause, he smiled and said:
"Tom has arrived, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he's right over there," Kanae responded with a smile, raising her hand to point toward the back of the courtyard.
All the Hashira turned in the direction of Kanae's finger, and in an instant, they were stunned, standing frozen in place.
"How is this possible! Are you kidding me?! The swordsman who defeated the Demon King is... that cat?!" Sanemi was the first to jump up and shout.
Except for Kanae and a few others who already knew, everyone else had the same reaction as Sanemi. It was simply unimaginable that a cat could possess the strength of a Hashira.
They had noticed Tom before, but they merely assumed he was someone's pet. Now that their leader and Kanae had named him, they were all in shock as if their worldview had shattered.
Tom, meanwhile, had already jumped off Tomioka Giyu's shoulders and was now lounging on a smooth rock, basking in the warm winter sun. Despite the shouts and commotion around him, he didn't even bother to open his eyes. His ears twitched slightly, he stretched luxuriously, chirped twice, and then shifted his position, continuing to sleep.
The weather was just too pleasant, making it hard for Tom to resist falling asleep.
"Hey Cat We're talking to you" Sanemi's temper flared up once more. He rolled up his sleeves and strode angrily toward the sleeping Tom.
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