Chapitre 11

  After the intense battle that the Hashira and Jack fought on the Infinity Train against Akaza, the Upper Moon Three, there were severe injuries, especially for Rengoku, who was extremely exhausted and had used all his strength to confront Akaza before the arrival of the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. They returned to the Corps headquarters with the sunrise. Birds were chirping, but no one felt a complete victory. Kyojuro Rengoku was lying down to have his wounds dressed; the bleeding had stopped, but the exhaustion was evident, yet he was still smiling as if nothing had happened. Outside the room, Jack stood silently in front of the morning light streaming through the window. He did not feel victorious, he did not feel at ease, and a phrase kept repeating in his mind:

  “If the sunrise had been deyed by just a few minutes, Rengoku would have met his death.”

  It was a phrase said by one of the healers while dressing Rengoku’s wounds. During Jack’s quiet reflection on these words, the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, appeared behind him with calm steps and said:

  “I was confident of the sunrise, Tanjiro. Are you hiding something? You knew, didn’t you?”

  Jack replied calmly:

  “If I knew everything, I would have prevented the battle from the start.”

  They exchanged long gnces. Giyu did not seem angry, but he was not fully reassured either, then he said:

  “If you are hiding something, let it be for the Corps’ benefit.”

  Then he turned and left. The doubt did not disappear but only began, because Giyu was responsible for Jack in all his future actions. So he was suspicious of the boy Jack, yet at the same time, a calmness filled him internally because, despite his doubts, this time it was in the Corps’ favor, which made him feel relieved.

  Elsewhere, away from the light, a dark hall was filled with heavy silence. Akaza was kneeling, his head lowered, his body fully regenerated, yet the memory of the pain had not disappeared. In front of him stood Muzan Kibutsuji. His presence alone was enough to suffocate the air, then he said:

  “Your head was almost severed.”

  Muzan’s voice was cold, not raised, but it carried a silent threat. Akaza’s fist clenched, then he said:

  “The Hashira, and that boy.”

  “Silence, I did not ask you to speak.”

  Muzan said this angrily, then looked at Akaza, his eyes full of apparent anger, and said again:

  “Who is that boy who was present in the battle?”

  Akaza replied calmly:

  “That boy disrupted the bance of the battle. His actions were strange, and the presence of the second Hashira was through him. He was the one who sent a message via the crow, as if he had anticipated something.”

  Muzan responded with interest and said:

  “This is intriguing. A boy who is not even a Hashira fights with you and confronts you? How weak you are.”

  Akaza then said:

  “Next time, I swear I will kill them. There will be no sunrise to save them.”

  Muzan was angry, staring at Akaza. Then a single strike towards him made Akaza’s blood scatter in the air. Muzan said angrily:

  “You had one mission, you wretch: to kill that Hashira, yet you failed. You are useless.”

  The Upper Moon Two, Doma, csped his hands happily, then said with a calm smile:

  “Muzan-sama, allow me to go and kill this boy and the Hashira for you.”

  The hall froze. Akaza felt extreme anger, then turned to Doma and said:

  “That boy is mine; no one else will kill him.”

  Doma’s smile widened, his shining eyes hiding something dark:

  “Oh? Have you been struck by pride, Akaza-dono? I am merely offering assistance.”

  An invisible pressure swept through the pce. Muzan did not look at either of them, but he said coldly and lethally:

  “Only results matter to me. If any of you fail next time, I won’t need an enemy to kill them.”

  A moment of silence swept the pce. Doma bowed slightly, and his smile did not fade:

  “As you command, Muzan-sama.”

  Akaza clenched his hand tightly, his veins bulging. His anger was not only directed at humans this time. Evening returned to the headquarters; the sky was painted with gentle shades of orange. Jack sat atop the building’s roof, looking at the horizon. The light was beautiful, yet he remembered how he had almost been te and caused Rengoku’s death once more, when a voice sounded behind him:

  “You do not look happy, boy.”

  A bright voice pierced his thoughts. Jack turned quickly. Rengoku was standing behind him, the bandages clear on his chest and shoulder, yet upright as usual. Jack stood quickly and said:

  “You should rest, Hashira.”

  Rengoku ughed heartily, then said:

  “I have had my fill of rest, boy. We are the Corps; we must not rest while innocent people die outside. We must defend them—that is our foremost duty.”

  Jack looked into the Fme Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku’s eyes, then said:

  “I just don’t want you to suffer again and face death.”

  Rengoku’s smile changed slightly, becoming calmer, then he said:

  “Death is not what we fear; what we fear is dying without protecting anyone.”

  Then he pced his hand on Jack’s shoulder:

  “But today you saved me. And that is something I will not forget.”

  Then he turned and left. A gentle breeze passed over the roof. Jack looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and night began casting its shadows. Jack remained sitting on the roof, looking at the moon. He was not thinking about victory but about the mistake that almost happened. Then the sound of fast footsteps approached from behind:

  “I found you.”

  Jack did not turn.

  A familiar voice, always nervous, but this time it was not trembling—it was Zenitsu Agatsuma. He stood behind Jack, his breaths short as if he had climbed rapidly, then said seriously:

  “Why?”

  Jack raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

  “What do you mean?”

  Zenitsu clenched his fists:

  “Why do you consider us weak—me and Inosuke? Why do you only ask us to protect the passengers and stay away from the battle as if we are a burden to you, acting alone, pnning alone, deciding alone, pushing us away as if everything depends on you and does not concern us?”

  His voice was not a scream of fear this time but suppressed anger. Jack looked at him, finding no words to say, then Zenitsu added:

  “I know I scream a lot and tremble a lot, but when the time comes, I fight. You did not wait for us. You did not tell us the pn. You did not trust us.”

  Jack looked at him long, then said calmly:

  “If I told you that there was a high chance one of us might die, would you have backed down?”

  Zenitsu froze for a moment.

  “No.”

  “And if I told you that we might not all survive?”

  Zenitsu swallowed, then clenched his fists tighter.

  “I would not run.”

  The wind passed over the roof, moving their hair together. Jack looked at the moon, then said quietly:

  “I do not see you as weak; I just do not want to lose anyone again.”

  Zenitsu suddenly sat beside him without asking, then said:

  “So next time, do not decide alone, Tanjiro. We are not Hashira… but we are not a burden either.”

  Jack replied calmly:

  “Alright, I promise you that I will not fight alone next time.”

  Below, Giyu Tomioka passed through the courtyard. He paused for a moment and looked up at the roof, seeing two shadows sitting together, then said quietly, doubt still present:

  “They are interesting children.”

  Not far away, someone was watching them with an even colder smile. It was Doma, the Upper Moon Two. He slowly opened his eyes, then said:

  “I wonder how long you will st when I decide to visit you, boy, hahaha.”

  Jack smelled a strange demon scent, then turned quickly toward the direction where Doma was, but he had already disappeared. He then said to Zenitsu seriously:

  “Fate has changed, and we do not know what will happen in the future, but be careful from now on, for things will only become more dangerous.”