Tanjiro stared at the half-finished casualty report. His brush hovered over the inkwell like a sword frozen mid-strike.
The numbers blurred as yesterday's demonstration replayed in his mind—twenty-three wounded, four dead, and one demon that had sat docile as a house cat after Akira's breathing technique.
"Something was wrong with that demon's eyes." He set the brush aside. "Empty. Like looking into a well at midnight."
His scar gave a warning tingle. Tanjiro touched the faded mark, the phantom pain as familiar as his own heartbeat.
During the war against Muzan, that sensation had saved his life countless times. Now it whispered warnings about things he couldn't name.
"Or maybe I'm losing my edge." He rubbed his temples where a headache threatened. "Maybe peace has made me paranoid."
The morning light streaming through his window felt too bright. Too cheerful for the darkness growing in his thoughts.
Six months of administrative duties had dulled his reflexes but sharpened his capacity for doubt. Every decision carried weight now—not just his own survival, but the lives of Corps members who looked to him for guidance.
Koji burst through the door without knocking. His chest heaved like he'd run from the mountain's base to its peak.
"Kamado-san! Master Kiriya—"
"Koji, what's wrong?" Tanjiro sprang to his feet, hand instinctively moving toward his sword hilt. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Master Kiriya requests your immediate presence. Alone." Koji's hands twisted together, knuckles white with tension. "In his private study, not the main hall."
Tanjiro's eyebrows rose. Private audiences were rare—most Corps business happened in open forums where decisions could be witnessed and questioned.
"That's unusual. What's this about?"
"The new Hashira." Koji's voice dropped to a whisper that barely carried across the small room. "Shiranui-san is already there. Has been for an hour."
"An hour?" Tanjiro's scar tingled again, more insistent now. "For what?"
"I don't know, sir. But Master Kiriya's been asking strange questions about yesterday. About what people really saw during the demonstration."
---
The corridor outside his quarters stretched longer than usual as Tanjiro made his way to Kiriya's private study.
Other Corps members nodded respectfully as he passed. But he caught fragments of hushed conversations that died when they noticed his approach.
"—never seen anything like it—"
"—can't stop thinking about those eyes—"
"—wonder if she's really—"
Each partial sentence added weight to the unease settling between his shoulder blades. The demonstration had affected more people than he'd realized.
Or maybe others shared his instinctive distrust of solutions that seemed too perfect.
Kiriya looked up from a desk covered in mission reports when Tanjiro entered. His young face was creased with worry lines that belonged on someone three times his age.
The weight of leading the Corps had aged him rapidly. Responsibility was a burden that didn't respect childhood.
"Sit, Kamado-san. We need to talk."
Tanjiro knelt across from him. He noted how Kiriya's fingers drummed against the wooden surface—a nervous habit the young master had developed since taking leadership.
"Of course, Master. Is this about the demonstration?"
"What did your senses tell you yesterday?" Kiriya's directness caught Tanjiro off-guard. "Not what you saw with your eyes—what you felt in your gut."
The question pierced straight to the heart of his concerns. "Something felt... hollow. Like the demon became an empty shell instead of finding peace."
"Hollow." Kiriya's fingers stilled. "That's an interesting choice of words."
"Master, do you suspect—"
"I suspect nothing. But I investigate everything." Kiriya pulled out a scroll from beneath the mission reports. Its official seals caught the morning light. "Which is why you're going on an extended mission."
---
Tanjiro's stomach tightened. Extended missions meant weeks away from headquarters. Weeks of uncertainty and danger in remote territories where backup might be days away.
"How extended?"
"Three weeks in the mountain territories," Kiriya continued, unrolling the scroll to reveal detailed maps. "Partnered with Shiranui-san."
"Three weeks?" Tanjiro couldn't keep the surprise from his voice. "Most missions are three days, maybe a week for complex situations."
"This isn't most missions." Kiriya's voice carried authority that made it easy to forget he was still a child. "I need someone I trust to evaluate her methods thoroughly."
"Evaluate how?"
"Use those enhanced senses of yours. Tell me if what she's doing is salvation..." Kiriya paused, meeting Tanjiro's eyes directly. "Or something else entirely."
The implication hit like cold water. "Master, are you asking me to spy on a fellow Hashira?"
"I'm asking you to protect the Corps. There's a difference."
Before Tanjiro could respond, Akira's voice drifted from the doorway. Perfect timing that sent another warning tingle through his scar.
"Master Kiriya? You wanted to see me?"
---
Tanjiro turned to find her framed in the entrance. Amber eyes flicked between them with sharp intelligence that cataloged every detail in seconds.
Her Corps uniform remained immaculate despite the early hour. Her nichirin blade hung at her side with that same pristine gleam that had bothered him yesterday.
"Perfect timing, Shiranui-san," Kiriya said smoothly, his expression shifting to neutral politeness. "Please, join us."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." Akira's smile radiated warmth as she entered, settling gracefully beside Tanjiro.
"Just discussing your new assignment," Tanjiro replied, watching her reaction carefully.
"Assignment?" Interest sparkled in her eyes like sunlight on water. "How exciting. I was beginning to think headquarters life might be too peaceful for my tastes."
Her enthusiasm struck him as genuine. But something underneath felt calculated—like an actor who'd rehearsed spontaneity until it appeared natural.
Kiriya spread a map across his desk. Red circles marked seven locations scattered across mountainous terrain. The ink looked fresh, suggesting recent intelligence.
"Seven demon sightings in the past month. All within this mountain region."
"Coordinated attacks?" Akira leaned forward to study the pattern. Her hair caught morning light that turned auburn strands almost copper.
"That's what we need to determine," Kiriya said. "The timing suggests organization."
"Interesting." Akira traced the marked villages with her finger. The gesture was oddly possessive. "Remote locations. Fewer... complications."
Tanjiro frowned. "What kind of complications?"
"Witnesses who might misunderstand peaceful solutions," Akira replied without hesitation. "People tend to expect blood when they see demon slayers arrive."
---
The casualness of her response made his skin crawl. She spoke about public expectations like marketing considerations rather than matters of life and death.
"This is perfect territory for testing my methods," Akira continued. Genuine excitement crept into her voice. "Away from skeptical eyes, we can really explore alternatives to violence."
"Alternative solutions are always welcome," Kiriya said carefully. His diplomatic tone masked whatever thoughts moved behind his young eyes. "As long as they protect human life."
"Of course. That's the goal—protecting life rather than taking it."
Tanjiro caught something in her phrasing that made his scar throb. "Rather than taking demon life, you mean?"
"All life has value, doesn't it?" Akira's amber eyes met his with unwavering confidence. "Even corrupted life might be redeemed."
"Demons exist to consume humans," Tanjiro said quietly, testing her reaction. "That's not corruption—that's their nature."
"Is it? Or is that simply what we've been taught to believe?" Her smile never wavered. Patient as a teacher addressing a stubborn student. "Sometimes unexamined assumptions become accepted truths."
The philosophical challenge annoyed him more than outright disagreement would have.
"My sister was a demon once. She fought her nature every day to avoid hurting people."
"Exactly!" Akira's excitement seemed genuine. Her amber eyes brightened with what looked like vindication. "She proved demons can choose differently. My techniques simply... help them make that choice."
"Help them how?"
"By showing them peace is possible. That rage doesn't have to control them." She gestured gracefully, hands moving like she was conducting invisible music. "Sometimes all they need is someone to offer an alternative."
Kiriya shifted forward. His young face was intense with concentration. "And this pacification is permanent?"
"In my experience, yes. Though I admit my sample size remains limited."
"Where exactly did these samples come from?" Tanjiro pressed, his investigative instincts sharpening.
"Remote villages. Places where people were grateful for any solution that ended their suffering." Akira's tone remained warm, but something cooler flickered behind her eyes—there and gone so quickly he might have imagined it. "When your family is being terrorized by demons, you don't question the methods that save them."
The answer sounded reasonable. Even compassionate. But it sidestepped his actual question with the skill of someone experienced in misdirection.
As their meeting concluded and plans solidified, Tanjiro found himself committed to three weeks in the mountains with a woman whose every answer raised new questions. The mission parameters seemed straightforward enough, but the undercurrents of tension in the room suggested this assignment would test far more than their demon-slaying abilities.