Chapter Text
The Student Council of Kimetsu Academy—better known as the Pillars—was a circle of elite students who excelled in everything from high-level academics to national-level sports. Every member belonged to the prestigious "Special S", a Class reserved for the best of the best.
In the serene office of the principal, Gyomei Himejima, a third-year and the Student Council President, stood with a stoic presence. He bowed respectfully to the man behind the desk.
"Good morning, Principal Kagaya," Gyomei’s deep voice resonated through the room.
"Good morning, Gyomei," Kagaya replied with a tranquil smile. "I’ve called you here to help assist a new transfer student from Kyoto. He will be joining the Special S Class and, more importantly, he will be filling the vacant position among the Pillars."
Gyomei tilted his head, visibly surprised. "A new Pillar? So suddenly?"
"Yes," Kagaya confirmed. "His grades are exceptional—well beyond what is required. Will you assist him and announce his arrival to the others?"
Gyomei nodded, though he felt a heavy sense of anticipation. Most Pillars were Lifers…elite students who had been groomed within the school’s prestigious walls since they were children. For an outsider to move from the province and immediately take a seat on the Council was unheard of. It would certainly cause a stir or maybe…. There is something special about the new comer…
"Ms. Tamayo," Kagaya signaled to the S-Class instructor. "Please give the file on Tomioka to Gyomei."
Tamayo bowed gracefully and handed over the folder. Gyomei opened it, scanning the details of the boy who was about to disrupt their world: Tomioka Giyuu.
Meanwhile, across the sprawling campus, Giyuu was already regretting the move. He clutched his registrar paperwork, glancing between a confusing map and the massive, identical buildings.
"The registrar said the dorms were on the left side of the Mathematics building..." Giyuu muttered, the straps of his heavy bags digging into his shoulders. "Why are there so many buildings? I’ve been walking for ten minutes and I’m still lost."
He stopped for a moment, a wave of melancholy hitting him. If only Sabito were here... he was always the one who knew where we were going.
Lost in his thoughts, Giyuu didn't notice the group of students rounding the corner until he collided hard with a solid, muscular chest. The impact sent a jolt through his frame, nearly knocking him off balance.
"Watch out, fucker!" a harsh, jagged voice barked.
Giyuu blinked, looking up at a man with wild white hair and a face marked by scars. Did he just curse at me? Giyuu wondered, his face remaining a perfect mask of indifference. How rude.
"Apologize, fucker!" the man demanded, stepping into Giyuu’s personal space.
Giyuu stared at him for a beat, his expression never changing. What a waste of time, he thought. Without a word, he adjusted his grip on his luggage and tried to walk past the confrontation.
A hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, gripping Giyuu’s wrist in a vice-like hold.
"I said apologize," the man—Sanemi Shinazugawa—hissed, his violet eyes Narrowing with a volatile, dangerous heat.
From behind the white-haired man, a small girl with violet-tipped hair stepped forward.
Shinobu Kochou wore a sugary, deceptive smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Ara, ara... a newcomer. What’s your name?"
Giyuu remained silent. He didn't see the point in answering someone who looked like they were dissecting him with their eyes.
"I THINK HE IS MUTE!" Rengoku Kyojuro shouted, his voice echoing off the surrounding walls like a cannon blast. "AS A PILLAR, WE SHOULD WELCOME THE NEWCOMER WITH ENTHUSIASM!"
"Not until he says sorry!" Sanemi snarled, his temper reaching its limit.
Giyuu finally looked the man in the eye. He didn't look intimidated; he looked bored. He scanned the group—the shouting boy, the smiling girl, and the scarred ruffian—and reached a simple, logical conclusion.
I see. This school is run by a bunch of clowns.
"You’re a loud fellow," Giyuu said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
The silence following Giyuu’s comment was deafening. Sanemi looked like he was about to blow a fuse, his grip on Giyuu’s wrist tightening. Giyuu just tilted his head, mentally calculating if his duffel bag was heavy enough to serve as a shield if the man actually swung at him.
"You...!!!" Obanai Iguro, the short man with mismatched eyes and a snake-shaped necklace, stepped forward. "How dare you speak to him like that? Do you have any idea who we are?!"
"Everyone, please! Let's all just calm down," Kanroji Mitsuri pleaded, her pink-and-green braids swaying as she rushed into the fray. She turned to Giyuu with a warm, genuine smile. "Hello! I’m Kanroji, one of the Pillars. You look a bit lost—do you need any help?"
Giyuu stared at her, his expression as flat as a board. "No," he replied bluntly. 😐
"Be grateful!" Obanai snapped, his eyes flashing with protective rage. "My Kanroji is trying to be nice to you, you ungrateful brat!"
"Welcome to our flamboyant school!" Uzui Tengen shouted. The towering, muscular figure struck a dramatic pose that made Giyuu’s eyes ache. "You should appreciate the dazzling welcome we are giving you!"
Giyuu looked at the group—this collection of eccentric, high-energy students—and felt a migraine forming. What a bunch of weirdos, he thought.
The tension was suddenly shattered by the sound of running footsteps. Four younger students burst onto the scene. Two of them were familiar faces: his distant relatives, Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Before Sanemi could growl another threat, Giyuu was tackled by a dual hug. The sheer momentum forced Sanemi to let go of Giyuu’s wrist just to avoid being knocked over himself just like the bags.
"Yuu-nii!!!!!" Tanjiro cried out, beaming. "You’re here already! You didn’t tell us—we could have fetched you from the station!"
"Yuu-nii!" Nezuko added, clinging to his arm. "Tsutako-nee said you weren't coming until tomorrow!"
Giyuu felt the tension in his shoulders drop slightly at the sight of family. "Well, Urokodaki-san had to drop Sabito off at the airport today. He figured he might as well drop me off here, too."
A yellow-haired boy, Zenitsu, stood trembling a few feet away. He frantically tugged on Tanjiro’s sleeve, his voice a panicked, loud whisper. "Tanjiro... the Pillars! The bullies! We have to go before they kill us!"
"Well, well!" a boy wearing a tattered hoodie and a boisterous grin—Inosuke—shouted, pointing a finger at Giyuu. "Is this your cousin, Gonpachiro?!"
"It's Tanjiro!" Nezuko corrected him for the hundredth time.
"Oi, kids!" Sanemi barked, his face twisting as he realized he had been completely sidelined.
Giyuu ignored the roar of the "Angered white haired man" entirely. He looked down at his cousins. "Tanjiro, Nezuko... can you help me find my dorm? I’ve been walking in circles."
"Oi, fucker! Are you seriously ignoring me?" Sanemi stepped forward, his shadow looming over the group.
Giyuu stopped. He turned his head slowly, meeting Sanemi’s violet eyes with a gaze that was cold and clinical.
"Look," Giyuu started, his voice calm but sharp. "I won’t apologize just because you told me to. If you think it's my fault for not looking where I was going, then the same applies to you. Why didn't you avoid me? It means you weren't looking either. Or maybe..." Giyuu paused, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. "...your ego thinks everyone should adjust their path just because they’re in your way."
The rest of the Pillars gasped. No one—especially not a freshman or a transfer—spoke to Sanemi Shinazugawa like that.
Sanemi’s eye twitched.
Sanemi’s face turned a shade of red that matched Rengoku’s hair. His knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists.
"You... little... brat..." Sanemi hissed.
"AHHHH! IDIOT! STOP TALKING!"
Zenitsu’s scream pierced the air as he lunged forward. In a fit of pure, life-preserving panic, the yellow-haired boy grabbed Giyuu by the shoulders. With a strength fueled entirely by cowardice, Zenitsu forced Giyu’s upper body down into a deep, ninety-degree bow.
"WE ARE SO SORRY!" Zenitsu wailed, his tears flowing like twin waterfalls as he held Giyuu’s head down. "He’s from the province! He’s touched in the head! He doesn't know any better! Please don't kill us! Please don't make us disappear into the school's basement!"
Giyuu, now forced into a bow and staring at the tips of his own shoes, looked completely lost. His luggage was still clutched in his hands, and his hair fell over his eyes.
Giyuu’s muffled voice came from below. "What are you doing? My spine isn't meant to bend this way."
"SHUT UP, COUSIN OF MY BELOVED NEZUKO! I'M SAVING OUR LIVES!" Zenitsu sobbed, pushing down harder.
The other Pillars watched in various states of amusement and annoyance. Kanjori covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter while Kyojuro and Uzui openly laughed and teased Sanemi