When Rengoku arrived, Chika immediately sensed his presence.
As she turned toward him, she just happened to catch his booming exclamation—
"Chika! You truly are… you've created another miracle!"
Chika froze, several question marks practically popping out above her head.
Another miracle?
Wait—what do you mean "again," Rengoku?! Hold on a second, this time I swear I had nothing to do with it! Nezuko did this on her own!
As she looked his way, the others soon noticed Rengoku too.
Except for Zenitsu—who was still in his "human thunderbolt" mode—everyone else quickly gathered around.
"Rengoku-san, what brings you here?" Chika asked cautiously, a little on edge.
Her mind raced. Don't tell me… it's already time for the Mugen Train arc?!
If possible, she wanted to postpone that ordeal a bit longer.
Sure, she had achieved the Red Blade, which gave her a better chance against Upper Rank Three—but even so, she preferred to play it safe.
Even with a supposed ninety-percent chance of victory, Chika wanted to wait until it was one hundred percent.
And right now? She didn't even have ninety.
Rengoku's expression softened. "It's about your unique Breathing Style. I'm not too familiar with it myself, but I believe my family archives may hold records related to it. My father, in particular, might know something. If it's urgent, I can take you to my home right away."
Before Chika could respond, Tanjiro's eyes lit up.
"Can I come too?!" he blurted, nearly jumping forward.
"Oh?" Rengoku laughed heartily. "You're Chika's younger brother, aren't you? You've inherited her special Breathing as well? Excellent! Then you'll come too!"
Rengoku spoke with that usual flame-like confidence of his—
and to him, bringing one person, two people, or even a person and a demon didn't seem to make much difference.
At that, Nezuko eagerly raised her hand high, standing on her tiptoes, her face glowing with determination.
They agreed to depart the next morning.
If all went smoothly, they could reach the Rengoku residence by evening and return to headquarters the following morning.
Technically, they could have left immediately—but seeing Nezuko casually standing in sunlight, Rengoku insisted they report this phenomenon to headquarters first.
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters – the Master's Chamber
That familiar heavy atmosphere filled the room.
It had only been half a month, yet this was already the third emergency Pillar meeting—each one dealing with matters far from ordinary.
This one, though, was on another level entirely.
"A demon… that's not afraid of sunlight?!" boomed Uzui Tengen, the flamboyant Sound Hashira. "That's insane! Nezuko, you're way too flashy even for me!"
The reactions were mixed.
A demon that doesn't eat humans—good news.
A demon that can walk under sunlight—also good news… in theory.
But logically, if one demon could do this, didn't that mean others might as well?
And that second possibility… was terrifying.
The room fell into a tense silence. Even the usually serene Master, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, looked troubled.
This atmosphere… not good, Chika thought grimly.
The momentum and morale the Red Blade discovery had brought were starting to wane.
She couldn't let that happen.
"Ahem." Chika stood up slightly. "I don't think we need to panic. Nezuko is likely a special case. If other demons could act during the day, there would've already been reports of daytime attacks. Given the Corps' intelligence network, we can be confident this hasn't happened. Still, we shouldn't ignore the possibility."
Her voice grew firm.
"Master, I understand our manpower is limited, but I recommend increasing daytime patrols. Even if it's just a small unit, we should be prepared."
Her suggestion silenced the room again—but this time, out of surprise.
Ubuyashiki smiled faintly, a soft laugh escaping him—not mocking, but almost self-reflective.
"You're right," he said warmly. "We've let our mood sink too low. I'll arrange additional patrols and strengthen daytime surveillance. If it costs more, so be it. Money is meaningless compared to the cause of defeating Muzan."
He said it lightly, but his words carried weight.
After all, this was a man who would later attempt to destroy Muzan with himself in a blaze of black powder. To him, wealth was nothing more than a resource for the war.
The meeting concluded swiftly, but its impact lingered.
The Pillars left with newfound caution—and newfound respect for Nezuko.
A demon who had overcome both bloodlust and sunlight…
She had completely shattered their understanding of what demons were.
From that day on, no one would ever again take a demon lightly.
If one could evolve beyond its limitations—who could say what else was possible?
After the meeting, Rengoku gathered Chika, Tanjiro, and Nezuko. They packed their things quickly.
They'd planned to leave the next morning, but with the meeting ending early, there was no need to wait.
Thus, their small group set out—headed for the Rengoku Family Estate.
The Rengoku Clan—the hereditary line of Flame Hashira.
One of the five great Breathing-origin families, inheritors of Flame Breathing.
Every generation's Flame Hashira had come from this bloodline.
Within their home were tomes on the mastery of Flame Breathing and countless historical records—including documents referencing the Hinokami Kagura, the Dance of the Fire God…
which was, in truth, the legendary origin of all styles—Sun Breathing.
In the original timeline, Tanjiro only learned of this place after the Mugen Train battle—through Rengoku's dying words.
But this time, things were different.
Chika and her group were going early.