Oyakata-sama POV:
In the past few days, the number of demons has dropped significantly. I receive a particularly large amount of demon sightings each week, but in the past few days, that number was zero. For the first time in a long time, there was no demon report. This could be either a good thing or a bad thing.
It could be a good thing as this can be a sign that there is some internal conflict with the demons that's caused their numbers to drop, however, there is still a strong chance this is a bad thing. The bad side is it could be a signal Muzan is preparing to launch a large-scale attack. If that is the case, we must be ready to combat them effectively.
Regardless of the reason, I have called a meeting between the Hashira's to discuss new plans. We must collectively come up with a plan to attack this rare occurrence. They'll arrive tomorrow morning.
"CAW CAW!!" I suddenly heard my crow yell.
I gestured for it to land on my forearm as I held my arm out.
"MESSAGE FROM TOMIOKA GIYUU CAW CAW!!!" It announced.
A message from Tomioka? Perhaps he might know something about the decrease in demon reports.
"UPPERMOON THREE HAS BEEN DEFEATED!!!"
Narrator POV
Oyakata-sama was frozen in place. His body did not move almost as if he didn't hear the crow's announcement. His eyes slowly widened as he slowly started processing the news. The calm smile he wore grew as he was now fully grinning in shock.
"HE'S DONE IT!!!!" Oyakata-sama yelled out in excitement.
The usual composure of Oyakata-sama broke. His body immediately collapsed onto the floor from the rush of excitement. The noise alerted the attention of his children and they immediately rushed outside to his aid.
"Father! Are you alright?" One of his children asked in worry.
"Yes yes... I'm alright my child.." He assured her.
"Father you need to calm down..." his daughter advised after noticing his excited mood.
Despite his daughter's advice, he couldn't. The feeling of hope was overwhelming. A precedent was set in the past century of no one being able to kill an upper moon, however, that precedent was broken.
"He's defeated a uppermoon! I can't believe-" Oyakata-sama spoke delightedly however was cut off as he started coughing blood.
His daughter quickly held him up, supporting his fragile body. The two children looked at him in surprise as they had never seen their father behave like this before. They had known their entire lives for him to be a gentle and caring man, but at the moment his actions were almost childlike.
"A uppermoon... has been finally defeated after a hundred years..." He spoke as he started to calm down.
"This might be the hope the slayer corps needed..." He concluded as he finally calmed down.
Oyakata-sama POV:
My body is pain right now, but it doesn't even hurt. The news of an upper moon's defeat has made me feel like I was before my disease. Tomioka, he's given us hope that uppermoons are not invincible and they are being capable of defeated. He's broken the hundred-year precedent that was set.
As I start to calm down, I start to realize some aspects I overlooked due to my initial excitement. How is Tomioka doing? I know he is alive otherwise, I wouldn't have received the message from his crow, but he must have sustained some injuries fighting such a powerful enemy. I can only hope he didn't sustain a major injury to the point it would cause him to retire.
Another thing I've realized is how was Tomioka able to find the upper moon. It couldn't have been a random encounter, most twelve kizuki encounters come from reports not randomly running into them. It's a possibility, but unlikely, Tomioka must have most likely known where the uppermoon was and he went to fight it.
There's a possibility he ran into the uppermoon in the mission I assigned on the morning after the mugen train, but that's also unlikely. If it was a high-ranking demon, I would have at the very least known it was powerful and sent two hashiras. Whatever Tomioka did, he did on his behalf.
I hope you're doing alright Tomioka, it would pain me to hear if you were very injured knowing I sent one of my children alone to face such a powerful threat.
Tomioka POV:
Tanjiro has been pushing me toward headquarters for the past 6 hours without rest. I hate to be this much of a burden for Tanjiro, but there's not much I can do in this situation. I can try moving the wheelchair myself, but it would be at a much slower pace, and I would be late for the meeting.
Regarding the meeting, I know I'll receive many questions and comments about my fight. I'll have to answer them in the vaguest way possible. I cannot leak too much information, there are some details I need to leave out. Those things are my mark and abilities. Any remote mention of this will result in non-stop questioning.
One of these days I will teach the Hashira's how to utilize the red blade and transparent world, but at the moment we don't have the time yet. It takes time to master those abilities, I'll need to wait until there is a proper and formal training session.
"Tomioka-san!" I suddenly heard Tanjiro yell.
I quickly looked over my shoulder to see what was wrong.
"Gomen... you weren't responding to me when I was calling your name..." Tanjiro explained.
"I was thinking about the meeting..." I excused.
"Oh, Tomioka-san you'll be fine..." He tried to assure me.
"I know I'll be fine, but I would rather avoid the attention..." I told him.
"Why? I'm sure you would be praised for your efforts..." Tanjiro asked.
"I don't fight for attention or praise, I'm simply doing my duty, I would much rather focus on my rehabilitation than attend the meeting which is most likely going to involve me.." I answered.
Tanjiro went quiet after that.
This meeting is going to revolve around me most likely, and I would much rather avoid that attention. Personally, it would be a waste of time talking about me, they better off talking about the next steps to defeating Muzan.
"Tomioka-san, if you don't feel comfortable, I can join the meeting with you..." He offered.
"I wouldn't mind you joining me, but I don't believe everyone will agree..." I told him.
"That doesn't matter, I just want to make you feel better Tomioka-san, I can tell your nervous..." He revealed.
That nose of his. It can read everything. I do admit, I am a little nervous about how they will react.
"Alright..." I accepted his offer.
- the next day-
Shinobu POV:
I was running towards headquarters right now. Recently, we had more Hashira meetings than usual. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I'm hoping today's meeting is a positive one, but I can't get my hopes up.
"Shinobu-san!" I heard Mitsuri yell as I approached headquarters.
"Good morning, Kanroji-san " I greeted.
"Kya!! You like great today!" She complimented.
"Thank you, you like wonderful as well" I returned the compliment.
"What do you think the meeting is about?" She asked
"I'm not sure, but I think it could be regarding the few numbers of missions we've received recently..." I told her.
"Few missions?" She asked confused.
"Yeah, I don't think I received any mission these past few days, which is unordinary.." I told her.
"Huh... Now that you mention it, that makes sense! No wonder why I was able to eat dinner with Obani-san so often this week..." She spoke
"Ara? First name basis and multiple dinners? Is there something going on you haven't told me..?" I teased.
"D-don't say that!" She blushed from embarrassment.
Honestly, if it wasn't for Iguro-san's stubborn attitude and Mitsuri's shyness, the two would be together right now. I'm pretty sure most of the hashira have at least the smallest of hints of what's going on between the two, even Tomioka-san.
Speaking of Tomioka-san, I don't see him at the meeting yet. That's odd, he's usually here particularly early.
"OOO~ You're looking around for Tomioka-san aren't you.." She tried to tease me.
"Kanroji-san how many times must I say there is nothing between the two of us... I'm just worried about him..." I told her.
"Kya~ you worried!" She tried to press it further.
"I think it's reasonable to be worried about a colleague, especially since he suddenly left the mansion..." I told her.
Her face, which held a gleeful expression turned into a worried frown. I am worried. Ever since I found Tomioka-san's journal, the words "Tanjiro if you are reading this, I am dead," has been on my mind. I'm worried Tomioka-san might have done something reckless if he wrote that.
It doesn't help he left the Butterfly mansion a couple of days ago and hasn't returned or heard a word from him. Wait, could it be this meeting is about Tomioka-san? Please say you didn't something stupid.
"He left..?" She asked worried.
"He left a couple of days ago and hasn't returned," I told her.
"Oh...."
"He probably just went home, it's not like he was living here permanently, he was just staying until Tanjiro fully recovered then he left.."I explained to her.
"Good Morning Kanroji!" I heard Rengoku yell.
"Good morning Rengoku-san!" Mitsuri greeted happily.
"And good morning to you as well Kocho.."
"Hello, rengoku-san.." I responded
"I heard you two talking about Tomioka-san! So I joined you!" he told us.
"Hai... Shinobu-san explained to me Tomioka-san suddenly left the mansion and hasn't come back.." Mitsuri explained to rengoku.
"I saw him at the Mugen train!" Rengoku revealed.
"You did?" I asked.
"Yep! He was checking on young Kamado!" Rengoku answered.
That sounds like Tomioka-san alright, he cares a lot for that boy. Maybe I shouldn't be to be worried about that journal. Perhaps Tomioka-san just had a contingency in place in case he wasn't there to take care of him.
"Ara~ That sounds exactly like him.." I responded.
"Did you see him afterward?" Mitsuri asked.
"Nope! But Kamado told me he was meeting with Tomioka-san after our mission," Rengoku revealed.
"After the mission? That doesn't sound like something Tomioka-san would say.." I suspected.
"What do you mean?" Mitsuri asked.
"Knowing Tomioka-san, he would have asked Tanjiro to rest after a mission. It's uncharacteristic of Tomioka-san to ask something like that Tanjiro since he cares about him a lot.." I answered.
"That's what I suspected too! But Kamado was insisting he had to go meet him, so I let him!" Rengoku agreed.
"Maybe it was important..." Mitsuri added.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't heard back from Tanjiro.." Rengoku revealed.
That's odd. No word from either Tomioka-san or Tanjiro? Did something happen to them?
"We should-
I was interrupted as I noticed two of Oyakata-sama's daughters approach the doorstep, indicating that the meeting was about to start. I quickly kneel alongside the other Hashira and face the house.
"Oi.... where is Tomioka?" Sanemi angrily stated as he noticed he was missing.
"I'm not sure, I last saw Tomioka-san at the Mugen train," Rengoku responded to him.
"Unflamboyant of Tomioka to be late!" Uzui yelled.
"I'm sure he's let Master know he might be late..." I defended.
"What could be more important than a Hashira meeting?" Obani stated harshly.
"I'm sure Tomioka has a good reason..." Mitsuri spoke.
"It already irritates me that he disrespects us, but he's disrespecting Oyakata-sama if he isn't bothered to show up!" Sanemi angrily yelled.
"Shinazuagawa-san, please calm down. Knowing Tomioka-san, he would never miss a meeting unless of something really important..." I told Sanemi.
"Kocho, you need to step defending him! Doesn't it irritate you he ignores you and everyone all the time?" Sanemi Questioned.
"That has nothing to do with this topic..." I brushed off his comment.
"He's right you know Kocho, you're avidly defending during every Hashira meeting," Obani added.
"And you two are avidly criticizing him every meeting." I struck back.
"Rightfully so, he's got that stuck-up attitude, "I'm not like you guys...", constantly disrespecting our presence, of course, I'm going to get mad!" Sanemi argued back.
"Honestly, I don't know what you see in him, he's disrespectful, he doesn't even trust us..." Sanemi continued.
Although I like talking with Tomioka-san, he brought up good points. Why does he always say that? It's fair to call Tomioka-san, a mysterious person. Even though he acts, "disrespectful," here, his actions of the contrary. He's very caring for Tanjiro, and he even helped me with the breakdown I had.
"See you can't even argue against-
"Shinazugawa... that's enough," Gyomei spoke up.
Sanemi went quiet after hearing Gyomei and returned to his spot and knelt. Normally, all of us listen when Gyomei speaks. It's mainly due to his respective reputation, but also his terrifying presence.
"Who is Tomioka...?" Muichiro questioned.
"The meeting will now commence..." One of Oyakata-sama's children announced.
The door opened, and two of his children helped guide Oyakata-sama to the porch to speak with us. From his body language, I can tell his health was getting weaker. It pains me to see such a kind individual and our leader in a fragile state. Despite the pain, he's always smiling and optimistic around us.
"Welcome... my children.." He spoke
"How are you doing Master!" Mitsuri yelled.
"I'm doing well Kanroji, I'm very pleased to hear that cheerful attitude." Oyakata-sama chuckled.
Mitsuri squealed after hearing those words. She's wanted to be the first one to greet Oyakata-sama for a while now and finally, she's done so.
"My children... is everyone present?" He asked.
"No master, we are missing Tomioka-san.." I responded.
The smile on his face shrunk after hearing my response. I think it hurt him to see one of his children not present at the meeting.
"Forgive me for his rudeness, I'll be sure to let him know..." Obani apologized.
"No, it's alright Iguro, Tomioka has sent me a message beforehand that he will be late..." Oyakata-sama revealed.
"Ara Ara~ Looks like I was right..." I faced Sanemi
"Tch.." Sanemi ignored.
"I hope Tomioka will join us later, if he is unable to make it, Kocho would you fill him in on the details.." He asked.
"Of course, Oyakata-sama..." I responded.
"Alright, let us start the meeting. The reason I called you here today is to discuss the dramatic decrease in demon sightings..." He announced.
"Maybe some of you have already noticed, but the amount of missions given out has decreased. Across all regions, demon sightings have seemingly disappeared. In fact, for the first time in centuries, there were no demon reports yesterday." He continued.
"I believe, this is a sign of two things."
"What are those two things?" Rengoku asked.
"The first thing is a large-scale attack. Muzan might have told his demons to lay low before an all-out ambush on a certain area. The 2nd thing is Muzan might have an internal conflict with his demons that's caused them to lay low" He revealed.
"That seems likely, I don't suppose there can be another reason for this..." Iguro agreed.
"I don't know. The flamboyant drop of demons is very obvious. He could be trying to trick us into thinking he will attack..." Uzui disagreed.
"Why do you propose that?" Iguro asked.
"In my past as a shinobi. We would often lay low and pretend like we will go on the offensive when in reality we would be either sneaking past them or simply leaving the area..." Uzui explained.
"Your shinobi experience and this are two different things.." Obani bluntly stated.
"But the strategies are similar-
Uzui and Obani both went quiet as Oyakata-sama put his index finger to his lip, gesturing for them to be silent.
"Let us not argue, I want to finish saying the things I want to say, then we can collectively discuss..." Oyakata-sama spoke.
"There's another thing I want to say," Oyakata-sama revealed.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's marvelous news, for the first time in a century-
CREAK
The sound of the gate being opened caused Oyakata-sama to pause what he was going to say. I looked over towards the gate. Was it Tomioka-san? Did he arrive?
A figure emerged from the opening of the gate. To my surprise it was Tanjiro.
"I-I'm sorry if I'm interrupting the m-meeting.." He nervously spoke.
"OI! What the hell do you think you're doing here!" Sanemi angrily yelled at him.
"I brought Tomioka-san...." He revealed.
"The bastard couldn't get here himself?!" Sanemi fumed.
"Don't call him that-
"That's enough Tanjiro, settle down..." I heard Tomioka-san's voice.
"Oi you bastard, why the hell were you late-
My eyes shrunk as I saw Tomioka-san reveal himself. All the Hashira immediately went quiet as they saw Tomioka-san. He was seated in a wheelchair with bandages all over his body. What the hell happened??!
"Go get some rest Tanjiro, thank you for bringing me here..."
"Of course, Tomioka-san..." Tanjiro told him before he left.
I still couldn't believe it. He had a cast around his right arm and leg, indicating both of them were broken. He had bandages wrapped around his head, which tells me he had a deep cut on his head. There's probably more.
"OI what the f*** happened to you.." Sanemi asked. There was no longer anger in his voice, just shock.
"Tomioka-san..." I muttered.
He looked towards me, before facing his head down, avoiding eye contact with all of us. I get up and walk toward him.
"Tomioka-san... what is the meaning of this..?" I asked him.
"It was a demon Kocho..." He bluntly responded.
"These injuries look atrocious, what did you do?" I questioned him trying to stay calm.
"Tomioka-san!! Are you alright!" Mitsuri asked in worry.
"I'm fine.." Tomioka spoke.
"You're not, you look like sh**" Obani spoke.
"Agreed... You like very unflamboyant right now..." Uzui commented.
"Tomioka, I sense your heart is weak... are you alright," Gyomei asked.
All of them were now gathered around Tomioka-san.
"I'm fine Himejima-san..." He responded.
"Tomioka-san, did it have to do with the journal..." I asked in realization.
His eyes slightly widened, before nodding slowly.
"What journal?" Mitsuri questioned.
"It's nothing.." Tomioka tried to brush it off.
"OI explain to us clearly what the f*** happened with you. I have never seen a Hashira look so broken as you do!" Sanemi pressured him to speak.
"Did you fight a 12 Kizuki demon?!" Rengoku asked.
"For once put that ego aside and tell us what happened!" Obani raised his voice.
"Shhhhh...." Oyakata-sama gestured for everyone to be silent.
"Please do not pressure Tomioka-san. From what my daughters have told me, he is very injured. Allow me to explain..." Oyakata-sama spoke.
All of the Hashira returned to their seating places. I went behind the wheelchair and positioned it to face Oyakata-sama.
"Thank you Kocho..."
"I want a full explanation when this is done..." I whispered in slight anger to him.
My suspicions are true. Those words I read in his journal; he went to do something reckless. He figured there was a possibility he might die, so he wrote it down in that journal. I want a full explanation.
Tomioka POV:
That went as well as I expected.
Kocho managed to connect the two dots between my injuries and the journal. I'll have to fabricate a story to tell her. Moreover, I have never seen her so angry. She held her smile, but it wasn't a friendly one. I can hear the venom behind her gentle voice when she told me she wanted an explanation.
Sanemi and Iguro reacted the way I figured they would react: Demanded an explanation.
The others just asked if I was okay, but everyone asked me everything at once, and my head started to hurt. Luckily, Oyakata-sama told them to quiet down and told them to go back to their seating places.
"Now I suppose you want an explanation as to why Tomioka is so injured..." He told them.
"Yes..." Kocho responded.
"It is because of a uppermoon..." He revealed.
I heard gasps of surprise as once again the attention was back towards me. All of them looked at me, it felt almost as if their widened eyes were piercing through my body.
"You fought an uppermoon?!" Sanemi yelled.
I nodded in confirmation.
"No wonder why you look so unflamboyant!" Uzui yelled.
"What rank was it?" Obani asked.
"Three.." I responded.
"Three?!" Rengoku yelled in shock.
"Such a high-ranking uppermoon!" Mitsuri shouted in shock.
The Hashira's were constantly asking me questions about the upper moon, but I couldn't help noticing a glare from the corner of my eye. Kocho stood there silent, I figured she would ask a lot of questions, but she didn't. Instead, she was just staring at me with her purple eyes that seemed darker than usual.
"Well, it's flamboyant to see you survived!" Uzui commented.
"Indeed! I'm glad you ok Tomioka-san" Rengoku added.
"Tch... a rare upper moon encounter, wasted..." Obani spoke.
Do they not believe in me to defeat the upper moon? Then again, it was upper moon three and an upper moon hasn't been defeated in the past century.
"Don't be like that Obani-San, Tomioka-san tried..." Mitsuri defended me.
"You did ok..." Obani quickly changed his initial comment.
" I never said I lost..." I spoke.
The Hashira immediately went quiet after I said that.
"Tomioka.... did you..."
"For the first time in a century, an upper moon has been defeated..." Oyakata-sama announced.
"WHAT!!" The Hashira's seemingly simultaneously yelled.
"Tomioka-san! You beat uppermoon three!" Mitsuri yelled in excitement.
I nodded.
"Wow, I take back everything I said about your unflamboyant appearance right now..." Uzui spoke
"Amazing Tomioka-san!" Rengoku praised
"It's unbelievable... did you defeat him.?" Obani asked.
I once again nodded.
"I have to give credit where it's due, good work..." Obani silently spoke.
"Not bad, your tougher than you look..." Sanemi also silently praised me.
"Well done, Tomioka." Gyomei also praised.
"Ara ara~ Tomioka-san, good job..." Kocho commented.
I did not expect this level of praise. I admit, it feels good to be praised by your colleagues, just gives you more confidence in the next thing you want to do.
"This is a turning point for us, Tomioka has proven an upper moon does not mean invincibility..." Oyakata-sama spoke.
"Now I understand, you have a lot of questions you want to ask Tomioka-san. He is already very injured, so please don't stress him out..." Oyakata-sama asked of them.
"Now Tomioka, I have a question I want to ask you myself," Oyakata-sama told me.
"What is it?"
"How did you encounter the upper moon?" He asked.
I got to be careful with how I answer these questions, I can't reveal too much, or otherwise, I'll dig myself into a hole.
"I received a small hint from a demon I previously killed.." I answered.
"A small hint? How so?"
"While I was killing it, it accidentally slipped up some information. It said there was something important by a train..." I elaborated.
"Something important by a train... did you know it was going to be a uppermoon?"
"No... I did not." I respond.
"That's very reckless of you Tomioka-san, if you knew this information you could have brought one of us with you..." rengoku spoke.
"No that would have been wasting time..." I responded.
"What do you mean "wasting time" it's an upper moon, it's worth time," Obani spoke.
"At the time I didn't know it was an upper moon, if I brought one of you with me and it ended up being a random demon, it would have wasted time.." I reply.
"That's very considerate of you Tomioka, but dangerous. If you receive information like that, please report it to me..." Oyakata-sama asked.
"Of course..."
"How did you manage to kill a uppermoon alone?" Uzui asked.
"Now that you mention it, isn't it common knowledge an upper moon equates to two three Hashira?" Kocho questioned.
"I simply held it till sunrise where it eventually died to the sun..." I respond.
"So the sun killed it, not you.." Sanemi snarled.
"Ara~ even if the sun killed it, it would have required a lot of strength to keep him in the sun right?" Kocho asked.
"It was a struggle..." I confirmed.
"Tomioka-san, you mentioned the demon said, "important by a train", does the train happen to be the Mugen train," Rengoku asked.
I nod.
"So lower moon one and uppermoon three were targeting the train?" Rengoku asked confused.
"That does seem counterintuitive, why would you have two powerful demons targeting one train?" Uzui questioned.
"Maybe the bastard was targeting the train due to a large number of people," Sanemi suggested.
"What do you think master?" Mitsuri asked.
"I cannot say for sure, it is indeed odd why two powerful demons both were targetting the train. From assumption, it is most likely the two demons were targetting Tanjiro." He answered.
"Tanjiro? That Kamado kid?" Obani asked confused.
"I believe so, after all, he is the only person in recent memory to have spotted Muzan. He most likely wants him dead.." Oyakata-sama concluded.
"What do you think Tomioka-san?" Kocho asked me.
"It was Muzan's plan..." I spoke.
"Muzan's plan?" Rengoku questioned.
"I believe you are right master, the intended target was Tanjiro, but the lower moon was nothing but a distraction..." I continued.
"A distraction?" Uzui asked.
"The lower moon was nothing but a tool. Its main purpose was to stall your squad Rengoku-san. While you guys fought it, the upper moon was approaching the train." I revealed.
"By making you fight the lower moon, it drained your stamina and wore you down. The uppermoon was then sent to finish the job." I concluded.
"What a coward!" Sanemi yelled in frustration.
"That's truly a horrible plan..." Mitsuri muttered.
"I intercepted the upper moon and fought it, so the plan failed," I reassured them.
"Then I must thank you Tomioka-san! If you didn't intercept the upper moon, it might have gotten to me and my squad!" Rengoku thanked.
"Tomioka-san..." I heard Kocho call out to me.
"Yes?"
"How did you manage to hold your own against the upper moon?" She asked.
"Good question, what strategies or tactics did you use to fight him," Uzui asked.
"That's kind of hard to explain.." I respond.
"Try your best to explain it to us then Tomioka-san. If you tell us how you did, we can fight them more effectively, if anyone we run into one." Mitsuri pleaded.
I don't know how to answer that question. Everything I did in that fight was just in the moment. I can hardly remember much of it, other than the fact I was fighting for my life.
"I suppose patience." I try and answer.
"Patience?" Mitsuri questioned.
"The first thing that comes into one's mind when fighting is finding a way to attack the demon's neck. While it might work against lower-level demons, it won't against upper moons. Attacking the uppermoon head one immediately is a fatal mistake, they are much older and experienced than you, and the chances are they know your breathing style, but you don't know their blood demon art." I start.
I looked over at the other Hashira, who was listening intently to my surprise. Even Sanemi and Obani were carefully listening.
"So attacking immediately is not the way to go. I fought upper moon three by strictly defending and analyzing its blood demon art. Once I found a weakness, only then I started attacking." I continue.
"Although the upper moons might know your breathing style, it does not mean they know your way of combat. Once you start attacking, you'll gain an advantage for just a couple of moments before they adapt. The upper moons will rarely make mistakes, and when they do, that's when you strike. There's no point in attacking if you don't know what you're up against. I would recommend, being defensive and looking for a weakness initially, before trying anything on the offensive end. It will reserve stamina while also hiding your true power" I conclude.
I was expecting a response, but I just got silent. Did I say something wrong?
"Did I say something wrong?" I asked.
"No.. no not at all Tomioka-san. We're just surprised you spoke for so long..." Rengoku-san answered.
"You never speak for that long, that was flamboyant!" Uzui commented.
"KYA!!!! that was so cool!" Mitsuri yelled.
"Oi... Tomioka, what would you do if your breathing style lacks defense?" Sanemi questioned.
Was he asking me for advice? Sanemi's wind breathing is mainly offensive, his defense comes from just his reflexes.
"Go on the defense by using your offense. Met the upper moon's offense with your offense." I advised him.
He nodded at my answer.
"What about me Tomioka-san? How would I combat the upper moon?" Kocho asked.
Kocho's breathing style mainly relies on poison. Poison alone won't finish the job. Kocho isn't strong enough to decapitate a demon's head, but that's not necessarily true. Though she can't cleanly cut a demon's head off, she can pierce through the demon with her speed. If she rapidly stabs the demon's neck multiple times before it can regenerate, the head might come off.
"Your raw speed and agility are already your defense, once you discover a weakness, attack its most vital areas with your poison," I tell her.
"What about-
"As much as you guys want to ask Tomioka more questions, we need to progress in the meeting, you may ask him more questions after the meeting is over" Oyakata-sama spoke.
Our attention immediately turned toward him.
"The other part of the meeting we need to discuss is the disappearing demons. I believe upper moon three's defeat played a major role in the drop of demons." Oyakata-sama started.
Lady Tamayo informed the demons have dropped due to Muzan's cowardice. He's lost a valuable piece and it needs to get replaced quickly. In fear, more upper moons/demons will die, he must have told them to stay low until he finds a valid upper moon replacement.
"I know why, Oyakata-sama" I spoke up.
"What is it Tomioka?" He asked.
"Muzan must have told his demons to stay low to find a replacement uppermoon," I revealed.
"A replacement..." Oyakata-sama muttered.
"Yes, he's lost a valuable asset on his side, he's desperately trying to replace it. In fear of losing more pieces, he's told them all to stay low to swiftly replace the position.." I explain.
"I see, that would make sense." Oyakata-sama agreed.
"So the coward is just going to replace the position immediately?!" Sanemi yelled.
"He has enough demons to do so..." I tell
"Great! if he's going to replace the uppermoon, then there's no progress!" Sanemi yelled again.
Shinazugawa is a genius when it comes to combat, but outside of that, is questionable.
"Shinazugawa-san, even if he replaces the uppermoon, he can't replace the uppermoon.." I tell him.
"What the f*** do you mean, you just said he'll easily replace the uppermoon," Sanemi argued.
"Tomioka-san is right. Logically speaking, Uppermoon Three held that position for at least a century, so when a new upper moon is added, it won't have much experience as the previous one, thus making it weaker..." Kocho explained to him.
"Indeed, although Muzan can easily replace the upper moon, he can't replicate the power that specific upper moon brought for at least years," I add.
"Tomioka, I hate to keep asking you questions, but you seem to know the most about this. How long do you think it would take for him to replace the uppermoon.." Oyakata-sama asked.
That's a tough question. I would imagine it would take at least a week, but I don't have an exact answer. For all I know, the upper moon could have been already replaced and Muzan is planning his next offensive. Despite that, Tamayo said Muzan is most likely going to lay low for a while.
"I'm not sure exactly how long, but I think it's reasonable to say there won't be much demon activity for the next week," I conclude.
"Why do you suggest that?" Obani asked.
"Muzan most likely needs time to see who is the strongest outside his upper moons and pick a candidate for the spot. There could be 10s of 100s of demons Muzan has out there he needs to select from, it would take time." I deduce.
"That makes sense Tomioka, your deductions skills are Flamboyant!" Uzui commented.
"If we have a week available to us, I want all of you to take time off duties and train amongst yourselves..." Oyakata-sama spoke.
"Are you sure Oyakata-sama?" Obani asked.
"Of course, you all deserve some rest after working so hard, and especially you Tomioka, please rest well" He kindly responded.
"Thank you..." I reply
"Now with that being said, I still want to ask you a couple more questions before we end this meeting," Oyakata-sama told me.
"What are they?"
"You defeated the upper moon on the morning of the Mugen train right?" Oyakata-sama asked.
I nod.
"On the same day, I assigned you a mission, I never got a response declining a mission. Tomioka.... tell me... did you do the mission in this condition?" He asked in a worried tone.
Crap. I forgot about the events that took place after the Akaza fight. I didn't think this one out. I looked over at the Hashira's who were anticipating a response. I can't exactly decline it, because I did accept the mission after all.
"Tomioka-san... please say that isn't true.." Kocho spoke. I can hear the tint of anger in her voice.
"Answer the question Tomioka..." Obani urged me.
The Hashira was waiting for me to answer the question.
"Hai... I did." I admit.
"Tomioka-san..." Mitsuri muttered in disbelief.
"Tomioka-san! Why would you do such a thing?" Rengoku yelled in worry.
"I had to, if I didn't the family I saved would have died.." I responded.
"Tomioka-san, you were in no condition to be fighting, what is wrong with you?" Kocho raised her voice, surprising me.
I looked over at the other Hashira who were also taken it back.
"How many times have I told you to take care of yourself? What made you think fighting like that was a good idea?" Kocho argued.
"I know it wasn't good for my body, but I did what I felt was right. If I had declined the mission, it would have taken hours to find a replacement and if that happened, more people would have died.." I defend myself.
"Why would it take hours to find a replacement, Oyakata-sama can easily give the mission to someone else," Kocho questioned.
"Kocho, when you decline a mission, the crow needs to deliver the message back to Oyakata-sama, then he needs to find a group of slayers that are not occupied. Once he figures out which group is free, then he would send the crow to them. That would process would at the very least take two hours. I saved a family of three barely in time. If those two hours had passed, they would have died." I gave a long explanation.
Kocho was left speechless at my explanation, she didn't know how to respond. I made those choices and I'm going to defend them.
"But... what about yourself? What if your body gave out?" Kocho asked.
"Then I failed. At that moment, I had to make a decision and I decided to go do the mission." I firmly tell her.
"Tomioka-san, although you have a point, It's important to take care of yourself first so you can be able to save people in the future," Rengoku-san spoke.
"I agree. It was very selfless of you to go on that mission, but if you had died to your wounds, it would be very difficult for us." Oyakata-sama agreed.
"I know, I understand it wasn't the smartest of ideas..." I admit.
"It was blatantly stupid," Obani commented.
I looked back at Kocho, she was still smiling as always, but behind that smile, I can tell she was upset.
"Oyakata-sama, I want to ask Tomioka-san one question," she asked.
"Go ahead.." He responded.
"Tomioka-san, who treated your wounds?" She asked.
"What?"
"I was inspecting you earlier, I can see stitches along your arms. You're also wearing a very secure cast on your leg and arm. I know you're not capable of treating yourself much less doing surgery, so who was it that treated you?" She asked again.
So that's why she was glaring at me earlier. She was inspecting my wounds, I'm not surprised, she is a doctor after all.
"An acquaintance of mine.." I vaguely respond.
"Is it the same friend you told me about last time?" Kocho asked.
I nod.
"Didn't I tell you to stop going to her since she's not a part of the demon slayer corps?" She asked.
She did, but I don't get why though?
"Who is she talking about Tomioka?" Oyakata-sama asked.
"I have an acquaintance called Tamayo, she's a doctor with plenty of experience" I respond.
"Oh~ a personal female doctor, how flamboyant Tomioka" Uzui spoke in a rather suspecting voice.
"Kya~ I didn't know Tomioka had secret friends!" Mitsuri squealed.
I looked back over at Kocho who now had a vein pop visible on the side of her head. Why is she so angry?
"Oyakata-sama, may I have permission to check Tomioka-san? I'm sure she did a good job treating Tomioka-san, but she's not a part of the demon slayer corps after all..." Kocho asked.
"You may, I have to agree with this one Tomioka. I'm sure Tamayo is a good doctor, but these are injuries involving a demon, so I would want Kocho to double-check..." Oyakata-sama spoke.
"Okay..."
"Tomioka, I do have to ask you, why did you go to Tamayo instead of the butterfly mansion for treatment?" Oyakata-sama asked.
"It's because Tamayo is closer to me," I respond.
Uzui-san and Kanroji-san let out a gasp to my response. Did I say something wrong?
"Oyakata-sama, on second thought, Tomioka-san can go back to her since he's so much closer to her," Kocho spoke almost in a mocking way.
Kocho's anger was getting bigger by the minute. She tried to hold her smile, but what is she getting mad for? All I said was Tamayo's clinic was closer to me at the time of the injury than Kocho's was.
"Why the sudden change Shinobu? You were the one that suggested the idea?" Oyakata-sama asked.
"I realized I have something planned," Kocho stated.
"I see, in that case, you can check on Tomioka tomorrow, I still want someone from the demon slayer corps to check on him for potential infections Tamayo didn't spot." He told her.
"Hai..."
"That concludes our meeting for today. Tomioka, I want to thank you again for giving us hope that the upper moons are vulnerable. Please enjoy the week off, if anything happens, I'll make sure to inform all of you..." Oyakata-sama concluded.
I expected the Hashira's to leave after he said that, but instead almost all of them approached me.
Uzui suddenly wrapped his hand around my shoulder.
"Tomioka~ I did not think you were that type of person..." Uzui strangely commented.
"Kya~ I feel so bad for Kocho, did you see how jealous she was!" Mitsuri added.
"Jealous?" I questioned.
"That was certainly interesting to listen to.." Rengoku commented.
"So~ How is she Tomioka?" Uzui asked.
"Who?"
"You know who I'm talking about Tamayo," Uzui asked again.
"She's doing well?" I respond confused.
"What made you choose her over Kocho?" Mitsuri asked.
"Like I said she was closer to me," I respond.
"How close~," Uzui asked.
"Well... her clinic was only an hour away while Kocho's would have taken half a day.." I respond.
"Huh," Uzui and Mitsuri both look at me.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Wait you meant, "close" as in location, not as a person?" Uzui asked.
"I went to Tamayo's clinic because it was closer to me?" I say again.
Mitsuri and Uzui both looked at me as if they were disappointed.
"Tomioka-san... I think you should tell Shinobu-san that you meant location" Mitsuri suggested.
"Did she not think it was the location?" I asked her.
"She thought you meant, you were closer to her as a person, like a relationship," Mitsuri explained.
oh.
"Well, no, Kocho is closer to me as a person than she is." I clarify.
"I think you should tell that to Kocho, not us," Uzui told me.
"Is that why she is upset?" I ask them.
"Tomioka, you told her you prefer Tamayo over her as a person and a doctor. She's been treating you for so long, so of course she got upset." Uzui explained.
"Not to mention, you basically ignored her advice to take care of yourself," Mitsuri added.
" I see... I'll apologize to her when I get to the butterfly mansion," I respond.
"I wish you good luck with that! Rengoku! Shall we go somewhere to eat my friend!" Uzui asked.
"Yes Of course! Let's go!" Rengoku replied.
With that, the two of them left.
"Tomioka" I heard Gyomei's voice call to me.
"Yes?" I asked him.
"I can sense your heart is weak, did you suffer an injury to your heart?" He asked me.
My heart, it wasn't an injury. It was the dead calm move I used against Akaza, I had to stop my heart multiple times in that fight.
"No, I think my body is just tired," I tell him.
"Please cherish yourself Tomioka, you are a good person, I wouldn't want to lose a comrade because they were unaware of themselves..." Gyomei advised.
"I will."
Gyomei then left along with Muichiro. Muichiro didn't talk during the entire meeting, I guess he was distracted or looking at the clouds.
"Well Tomioka-san, I hope she accepts your apology, let's go Obani-san!" Kanroji told me.
"Oi... Tomioka, you did well, but don't think I'll respect you yet as long as you keep that attitude..." Obani sort of complimented me.
With that the two of them left, possibly to eat dinner.
The only one that remained was Sanemi.
"Shinazaugawa-san do you need something?" I asked.
"I want you to tell me in detail how you defeated the upper moon." He asked.
That caught me off guard. I figured he would leave as soon as the meeting was over, but he waited to ask me this.
"I did explain it to you," I told him.
"You kept it short; I want every detail in that fight..." Sanemi asked again.
This was an odd request from him. Why does he want to know the details of my battle? Is he trying to get stronger?
"Before I answer you, can you tell me why you are asking me..." I ask him.
"It's none of your business." He responded.
"Then I'm not obliged to say anything..." I reply.
He suddenly grabbed my collar.
"Just tell me, you idiot!" He yelled.
"I want to know your reason first," I replied calmly.
"I lost against an upper moon before! I don't want to again!" He finally revealed his reason.
I don't recall him losing against an upper moon before this, unless he's referring to upper moon two, specifically: Kanae Kocho. She died holding him off till the sun rise, Sanemi arrived late during the battle and desperately tried to kill him but failed. In the end, Kanae died and both Kocho and him were devastated. Now I understand, he wants to be powerful enough to face the upper moons, he doesn't want to lose again.
"Sure, I can explain it to you," I tell him.
"Do you want me to talk about the demon itself or just the battle in particular?" I asked him.
"Just tell me how you beat him... how you find his weakness." He asked.
This was a rare side of Sanemi, he's putting his loud nature aside and asking me questions. It's almost creepy.
"When the battle first started, I quickly realized my opponent was a hand-to-hand fighter." I start.
"This meant my sword was going to make contact with his skin because he needs to use his hands," I tell him.
"So, when you fight an upper moon, I would first start with analyzing the basics, their height, reach, combat style," I continue.
"In my case, Akaza was rather short, but muscular all around. His wingspan wasn't as big as mine, so it meant I had an advantage when it came to range." I tell him.
"Once you figure those out, you play defensively. The upper moon in front of you is most likely to start attacking you first, you want to be able to analyze their moves."
"In my case, Akaza had an ability called compass needle, that can detect your battle spirit..." I tell him.
"Battle spirit?" He asked.
"Yes. Once you see some of his moves, you need to carefully look for openings and weaknesses." I tell him.
"Akaza's weakness was if you lowered your presence, he was less likely to react. So, I erased my battle spirit by pretending to be dead then striking quickly." I explain.
"But you didn't cut that dang thing's head off..." Sanemi pointed out.
"Cutting a demon's head off isn't the only way to win. I figured the best way to win in that situation was to hold him and use the sun to kill him." I elaborate.
"Shinazugawa, the best thing is patience. I know you just want to attack and cut's head off, but if your patient and smart, you'll have a higher chance." I advise him.
"What good is patience if the demon is stronger than you." He asked.
"Even if the demon is stronger, being patient will give you a far higher chance than attacking without knowing what your opponent can do."
"I said this before, these demons are 100-200 years old, they've seen water users, wind users, stone users, but you don't know what they can do," I tell him again.
"Tch..." Sanemi grunted in irritation.
I guess he wasn't satisfied with the explanation. As I was thinking, I suddenly felt my wheelchair move.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"What do you think dumb***" Sanemi responded while pushing the wheelchair.
"I overheard your conversation with Kanroji, properly apologize to her or I'll beat you a**..." He warned.
How ironic. The one to push the wheelchair back to the mansion was the Hashira that hated me the most.
"I will, it was just a misunderstanding," I tell him.
"I still don't understand what she sees in you..." He spoke.
-sometime later-
"Now go apologize," Sanemi said.
"You know Shinzaguawa, you want to be friends?" I tried asking him.
"Go to hell..." He responded before leaving.
With that I headed inside to find Kocho, slowly moving the wheels on my wheelchair.
"Kocho?" I call out to.
"Ah! Water-pillar sama- What happened to you...?" Aoi questioned.
"Just a minor accident, do you know where Kocho is?" I asked her.
"Minor accident...? Umm... she's in her room," she told me.
"Thank you."
I roll my chair towards the door of her room where I stop.
knock, knock
I knock on the door. I learned previously I should knock on the door before entering or it might lead to unnecessary scenes.
"Who is it?" I heard her voice.
"Tomioka" I responded.
She didn't say anything back. Was she ignoring? me?
I opened the door slowly and entered inside. She was sitting on her desk, reading something.
"Kocho... I want to apologize for earlier." I started.
"Apologize for what? Ara Ara~ why don't you go back to that woman of yours." She stated.
"Kocho, I meant she was closer to me in terms of location. When I was wounded, her clinic was closer to me than yours was..." I clarify.
She stopped reading and immediately turned towards me.
"Kocho, you mean a lot more to me than she does, she's simply a person I work with," I explain.
She didn't say anything, but small tints of red appeared on her. face.
"You still didn't listen to my advice, actually you ignored every single one of them!" She yelled.
"I told you not to go to her because she wasn't a demon slayer member, but you went anyway..." she started. listing.
"I told you to take care of yourself more, and you proceed to do a mission while having a broken leg and an arm." She continued.
"And you lied about the journal! You said you wrote it hypothetically; it seems like now you wrote because you thought you were about to die..." She finished.
All of these are unfortunately true.
"Why did you ignore all my advice?" Kocho demanded.
"I just did what was appropriate for the situation," I told her.
"Tomioka, I can tell you have at least 10 broken bones from just observing you. What kind of thought process did you have running with a broken leg." She questioned.
"I already explained it to you at the meeting." I remind her.
"What if you had died?" She asked.
"I had the journal-
"Tomioka-san, do you think you're that replaceable, do you think a Meer journal can replace your presence." She asked me.
I didn't say anything.
"If you had died, Tanjiro would have lost someone close to him. A book can't replicate your presence in his life Tomioka-san.." She continued.
"even if your reasons were good to be that reckless, it doesn't excuse the fact you almost threw away your life because of it..." She added on.
"Tomioka-san, do you not trust me? Do you not trust the others around you? At times when you are injured like this, the one's around you step up to help."
"When you went on that mission with all these injuries you broke the trust..." She revealed.
I didn't think about it that way.
"I'm sorry Kocho.." I apologized again.
"Stop apologizing and leave my room." She bluntly stated.
I have never seen her act like this. She wasn't even smiling at me anymore. She wore a bland expression. Did I make her that upset?
"Please Kocho-
"I don't want to listen to your excuses Tomioka-san please leave my room." She stated again.
"I'll listen to your advice," I spoke up.
"You said that before..." she replied.
"You want the full truth right," I spoke, catching her attention.
"I'll tell you everything, everything you ask of me," I tell her.
Kocho POV:
Words can't describe how frustrated I am at Tomioka-san right now. Not only did he ignore all the advice I gave him when he was at the mansion for the last couple of weeks, but he went back to her again. I don't understand, does he not trust me?
Tomioka just offered to tell me the "full truth" but will it be the truth? He's lied a lot; he lied about the journal. I don't even know why I am upset, it's his business what he does, so why does it irritate me so much when he said he went to her clinic?
I face him.
"What did she tell you about your injuries.." I ask him.
"I had 22 broken bones across my arm, torso, and leg.." he responded.
"22.." I muttered in shock.
22 broken bones?! And this idiot still decided to go on a mission. I don't understand you Tomioka-san, you make the most illogical decisions.
"What was the recovery time she gave you.." I questioned.
"She said 3-4 months but add an extra month for physical trauma.." He replied
I hate to admit it, but this woman Tomioka knows what she is talking about it. It would normally be 6-8 months for a normal human, but she took into factor she is a demon slayer and said 3-4 months. 22 broken bones also probably caused trauma to his body, so that extra month is also accurate.
"Why did you lie to me about the journal?" I ask him.
"If I told you the truth, would you have let me leave to go fight the upper moon.." he asked back a question.
"No..."
"That's why I lied," he replied.
"Did you lie to Tanjiro too?" I asked him.
"No... I told him to come find me in the forest where I fought him..." He told me.
"Tomioka-san who is she to you, Tamayo," I asked.
"She's simply a person I work with." He responded.
"Like myself?"
Tomioka-san went quiet after I said that. I can't understand you Tomioka-san. One moment, you are very intelligent and logical, but the next moment you are illogical and stupid.
For some reason, I got upset whenever that woman is mentioned. Tomioka-san has known me longer yet chooses to go to her clinic over me.
"Tomioka-san, please leave my room, we'll discuss more when I inspect you tomorrow," I tell him before facing away from him.
I'll eventually get over this mood I'm in right now.
I suddenly felt two arms wrap around my waist.
"T-Tomioka-san..." I muttered.
"Kocho, please don't be upset. I'm sorry, I didn't realize my actions would have on you." Tomioka spoke as he hugged me from behind.
"I'll listen to your advice starting from now. I never considered your advice earlier because I felt I didn't need to, but now I understand." Tomioka continued.
"I don't like seeing you upset Kocho.." Tomioka softly commented.
I could feel my heartbeat rise as I felt my cheeks heat up. Luckily, I was facing away from him so he wouldn't see.
He sounds genuine with his words right now. Should I forgive him? I was planning on holding a grudge for a couple of days to send a message to him, but I never have heard Tomioka-san's voice so soft and sincere before.
"O-okay... please let me go," I tell him.
He let me go and leaned back against his wheelchair.
"I'll forgive you on one condition," I ask him.
"What is it?" He asked.
"During your recovery, you listen to me and follow my instructions," I tell him.
"I will kocho.." He gave his word.
"Ara Ara! Tomioka-san I have never heard your voice be so soft before" I chuckled.
"Do you perhaps like me?" I teased.
Tomioka-san didn't say anything.
"Well Tomioka-san, let me tell you this, no training, no fighting during your entire rehabilitation, ok?" I ask of him.
He nodded.
"Good, now please leave my room, I need to get something done," I ask of him.
-the next day-
"Tomioka-san-
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY YESTERDAY!"