"...Hiru?"
"Yes, the 'day' in 'the rising and setting of the sun, the boundary between night and day,'" Hiru gestured. "Simply put, it's the fleeting moment where night and day converge."
Kokushibo froze for a moment, his aristocratic tone slipping entirely. "Then what about your surname?! What is it?"
"Ah, that," Hiru turned his head, the smile fading from his lips. "After most of my family was killed by demons, I stopped using it. Or rather, there was no need to use it anymore."
Kokushibo tightened his grip on the scabbard, falling silent.
[His family killed by demons... That hatred drove him to join the Demon Slayer Corps. If I asked him, he'd likely refuse... But if I forced him to become a demon, how would he see me then?]
Kokushibo stared at the familiar face before him, realizing he couldn't make a decision in this moment. Or rather, he couldn't bear to see the look of resentment on that face.
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop talking?" Hiru turned back toward Kokushibo, reaching to pull off the black cloth covering his eyes. "Did something happen—uh?"
Kokushibo seized Hiru's wrist, halting his movement.
"My name... is Katsuragi."
"Oh..." Hiru frowned at Kokushibo's interruption. "But why did you stop me from removing the blindfold?"
Kokushibo found himself at a loss for words, falling silent once more.
"If it's about your appearance, I wouldn't mind," Hiru smiled. "Though your speech patterns are a bit peculiar, with your talent, I'm sure after spending time with you, no one would refuse to be your friend."
"No, let's not meet."
"What? You can speak perfectly fine!" Hiru frowned. "So was that earlier just you trying to be cool?"
"No... that's not it."
"Katsuragi seems a bit peculiar... Is he the type to care about appearances? Or is he just plain shy and introverted?"
Kokushibo didn't know how to explain this and remained silent.
"Alright, if you insist." Hiru shrugged slightly. "Then until Katsu opens up to me, we'll just communicate through the Kasugai Crow."
"...No. We won't... meet again."
"Then shouldn't you let me see you?" Hiru tilted his head, pulling his hand back from Kokushibo's grasp. "Besides, saying something like that in the Demon Slayer Corps is incredibly unlucky! We're supposed to kill Muzan Kibutsuji and live long, fulfilling lives!"
"That... is not the case." Kokushibo reverted to his aristocratic, measured tone. "It... would be better... if we didn't meet."
Hiru fell silent, facing Kokushibo, who remained quiet as well.
Finally, Hirui broke the stillness between them. "Ah, so... Katsuragi, are you a demon?"
"...Yes."
"What a pity. It's rare to meet someone I can actually talk to... But what can I do? I'm part of the Demon Slayer Corps. It's my duty."
"You... will die." Kokushibo gazed down at the man before him. "...Leave."
Hiru smiled. "Sorry, it's my duty."
Hiru gently stroked the black cloth over his eyes, then pulled it down. This time, Kokushibo made no move to stop him, and Hiru finally saw the demon's face.
He wore his long black hair in a high ponytail, clad in a purple snake-patterned kimono and black hakama. Flame-like Slayer Mark adorned his forehead and neck, yet his face bore six eyes.
The central eye bore the inscription: [Upper Moon · One].
This was the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki.
Hiru froze, staring dumbstruck at the demon towering before him.
"...Let's go." Kokushibo assumed Hiru was merely frightened, lowering his gaze slightly. "Before I... change... my mind."
"So... when you asked about my views on demons earlier... you wanted to turn me into one?" Hiru didn't reach for the Nichirin Blade at his waist, only fixed his gaze on the demon before him. "And Katsuragi probably isn't your real name, is it?"
Kokushibo was taken aback by Hiru's response, but he didn't deny it—or rather, he couldn't be bothered to.
"Yes... I considered... turning you... into a demon.
Michikatsu.. was my... name... when I was... human."
"Ha..." Hiru lowered his head. "Then you might be disappointed."
"You... cannot... defeat... me."
"This isn't about battle." Hiru looked at Kokushibo, his expression turning cold. "It's that one who has already become a demon cannot become one again. So you will be disappointed."
Kokushibo froze, all six eyes fixated on the figure before him. For the first time, he activated the Transparent World technique he'd learned from Yoriichi.
Hiru's bodily structure gradually sharpened in his vision, revealing the organs within—six hearts, four brains.
This was not the organ configuration of a human.
Kokushibo's pupils contracted sharply.
"You—"
"Tsugikuni Hiru." Hiru watched the stunned Kokushibo, his tone indifferent, yet a faint smile touched his lips. "A demon whose entire family was slaughtered by Kokushibo."
"Impossible!" Kokushibo gripped his sword hilt tightly. "You should have—"
"Ah, I know. You think I should be dead—isn't that what you're thinking?" Hiru chuckled softly. "But sorry, because on the day I intended to die at sunrise, I overcame the sunlight. And my brother refused to kill me. So I survived."
"Overcame... sunlight?" Kokushibo stared intently at the figure before him—the demon. He never imagined this Swordsman with identical features could truly be his younger brother, much less hear the words "overcame sunlight" from his mouth.
But what he found hardest to believe was that this younger brother, whom he'd always seen as needing protection, had achieved something Muzan himself couldn't.
"Yeah, I guess it's because I never wanted you to carry the guilt of killing me, so I must've accidentally ingested something I shouldn't have while mixing potions. Ended up not dying at all. Kind of a shame, really." Hiru shrugged.
"Then, Yoriichi—"
"What does that have to do with you?" Hiru regarded Kokushibo calmly. "You know the answer yourself. The moment you chose to become a demon to survive, you lost the ability to surpass him."
Kokushibo's expression remained unreadable, yet his voice carried a thread of anger.
"Are you... trying to provoke... me?"
"Merely stating a fact." Hiru propped his chin in his hand. "Ah, right—you're still working for that pathetic loser who fled in disgrace before my brother, aren't you? Could you even beat him? Or rather, if you can't defeat my brother's defeated foe, what gives you the right to compare yourself to him?"
"Disrespectful... to elders."
"Eh—that's not right, is it? I'm his enemy." His eyes turned gray as traces of demon transformation appeared across his body. "As for you... sorry, I told you before—the moment you stepped out that door, I stopped recognizing you as my brother."
"No... sense of hierarchy." Kokushibo lowered his gaze, slowly drawing the blade at his waist. "You deserve... a lesson."
"Well then—" Hiru crouched low, his eyes locked on Kokushibo. "I couldn't ask for more!"