Chapter 41 The Meeting of the Pillars
Sakura Asai and Umi Tenkata were the last to arrive.
Looking at his lord and the others who were already waiting, Tianfang Yuhai bowed apologetically. He sat down in his seat, looked around, and realized that he was the last one.
"Mr. Yu Hai, thank you for coming to this meeting as soon as you got back."
The six-year-old lord, named Ubuyashiki Mietsu, organized this first-ever meeting, led by his mother.
"Thank you for your concern, my lord."
Tenka Ukai bowed in greeting. He was arguably the last person present to join as a Pillar, so he wasn't particularly familiar with anyone else there.
"Everyone, although my father, Yukio Ubuyashiki, has sacrificed himself, I will follow his last wishes and do my best to help the Demon Slayer Corps."
Ubuyashiki Mietsu knelt there, and after speaking solemnly, bowed deeply. To their family, everyone who joined the Demon Slayer Corps was a comrade; even if there were superiors and subordinates, that only applied during missions. On the path of fighting demons, everyone was equal.
"You flatter me."
Rengoku Shujuro smiled; he was always the one who livened up the atmosphere. Following his speech, the others also expressed their opinions one after another.
"Finally, based on what everyone has encountered and what they know, Muzan Kibutsuji began to assemble a team of powerful demons after being injured by Yoriichi."
Ubuyashiki Mietsu paused for a moment, then continued speaking.
"The Naruto Pillar and the Water Pillar, among others, also encountered demons with markings in their eyes."
"Based on what I know, I think it should be in terms of numbers. Currently, the known ones are Upper Moon One and Upper Moon Two, a girl, and Upper Moon Six who is holding an umbrella."
...
The following procedures were concise and clear. Although the arrangements were somewhat immature, a great deal of talent was evident. Right after she finished speaking, Ubuyashiki Mietsu asked a question.
"Everyone, is there anything else we need to discuss? Please feel free to elaborate."
"My lord, I would like to know your thoughts on the Moon Pillar and the Sun Pillar."
The question was directed at Tenfuu Ukai. He could actually sense the difference in how the Pillars treated the two of them, and if he didn't express his stance, it could easily cause unnecessary trouble internally.
"Ha, what are your thoughts? That's a ridiculous question."
Sanada Kitano was the first to voice his dissatisfaction. He had a short temper and resented that Muzan Kibutsuji was still alive, but he also couldn't accept that Katsumi Iwakatsu had become a demon.
"Kitano, you're probably depressed because you can't fight Muzan Kibutsuji."
Kawakami Akio and Sanada Kitano had always had friction; although they had a good relationship, they were always arguing. Asai Sakura looked left and right, somewhat embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
"Who knew Muzan Kibutsuji would suddenly split into two and escape? He's already incredibly powerful!"
Seeing the people around her staring at her, she became defiant and retorted loudly, "Did I say something wrong? Mr. Iwakatsu becoming a ghost was an accident! Why blame the victim?"
Kawakami Akio was displeased. He was closest to Tsugikuni Iwakatsu, and he immediately complained, "What are you doing? If Tsugikuni Yoriichi had paid more attention to Iwakatsu, he wouldn't have turned into a demon!"
The Shadow Hashira, Koike Kaede, who hadn't spoken, wore a black and white haori and a scarf covering half his face. When he looked at Rengoku Shujuro, the latter remained silent with a sullen face, kneeling there and watching the scene of the commotion.
"Tch, you're all helping him. Everyone knows that Tsugikuni Iwakatsu killed our lord."
Sanada Kitano got carried away and blurted out a cold laugh. After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent, the air suddenly became heavy, and he sensed that something was wrong. His voice grew softer and softer, and an awkward silence filled the air.
"You said before that Yan Sheng doesn't remember us?"
Rengoku Shujuro looked at Kawakami Akio, whose expression had softened considerably.
"I'm guessing, he doesn't seem to recognize me at all."
Kawakami Akio scratched his head in frustration. He was extremely conflicted. If it really was because of Kibutsuji Muzan, then he truly didn't know how to face Iwakatsu. Because it meant that he hadn't willingly become the Demon Slayer.
"So what? What's done is done. Don't try anything fancy."
Sanada Kitano retorted directly that he hated every demon, even his former comrades.
"Sanada Kitano, can you please shut up!"
Sakura Asai was also angry. She didn't understand why it had to be this way—a life-or-death struggle, and everything was just speculation. Kaiyu Tenka was also surprised; she had only asked a question, and was worried about causing a conflict. Well, now it had escalated into a direct confrontation.
Koike Kaede touched and tugged at the scarf that was covering half of her face, and cautiously approached Tanaka Ryuichisuke.
"Who do you think will win?"
“Qiusheng, don’t let his appearance fool you, he’s the one who created the Water Breathing technique.”
Tanaka Ryunosuke, the Rock Pillar, wore a brown haori with a diamond pattern and a dark purple kimono underneath. His eyes were closed, yet he did not appear blind. He twirled a chain of huge Buddhist prayer beads as he answered Koike Kaede.
Tanaka Ryunosuke, Rengoku Shujuro, and Kawakami Akio joined the Demon Slayer Corps at the same time, so they knew each other very well.
"Everyone, please be quiet."
Ubuyashiki Mietsu stepped forward at the crucial moment. Looking at the Pillars who had finally quieted down, he understood their feelings. Even though he had spent the last few years with the Tsugikuni brothers, it was impossible for him to say that he had no feelings for them.
Ubuyashiki Mietsu steadied herself and said with a firm gaze, "Regardless of the circumstances, if anyone can't bring themselves to harm Iwakatsu-san, we won't force you. However, I hope that none of you will get hurt. Protecting your teammates is the top priority. After all, he has become a demon, hasn't he?"
"And Mr. Yoriichi, killing Muzan Kibutsuji was not his mission alone. Such accidents are hard to avoid. Let's all be understanding of each other. Although he has left the Demon Slayer Corps, I still hope that everyone can respect each other."
He spoke at length, his small cheeks flushing slightly from speaking loudly. He was actually a little nervous, after all, he was dealing with such troublesome matters as soon as he took office.
The members of the Demon Slayer Corps looked at each other, then stood up and bowed in unison.
"Yes, I will obey your command."
And so, the meeting ended perfectly with the young lord's persuasion. Everyone composed themselves, exchanged glances, and watched the young lord leave.
After Mietsu Ubuyashiki left, Akio Kawakami got up, his usual carefree and jovial demeanor absent, and walked straight out.
"What was his attitude?!"
Sanada Kitano glared at Kawakami Akio, furious at his appearance. Asai Sakura remained silent, feeling an urge to curse at him.
"No, you know that Akio and Mr. Iwakatsu are close friends. He's definitely not happy about this."
"Huh? Just for a traitor?"
"Alright, Kitano, I don't want to talk to you right now."
Sakura Asai turned and left, not wanting to pay any attention to the stomping Sanada Kitano. Yuuto Tenka sighed and patted Sanada Kitano's shoulder reassuringly.
Sanada Kitano: "..."
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