>> Intermission
Murata's mentor is said to be Tsuyuri Yūgo. He was a former high-ranking member and a Water Breathing user.
After losing his family to demons, Murata aspired to become a demon hunter, but his first mentor abandoned him with a blunt dismissal: "Your Breathing is too weak; you're unfit to be a swordsman, so give up." Tsuyuri Yūgo was the second master who took him in.
He was also a benefactor who patiently trained Murata as a swordsman without giving up on him, despite his low affinity for Breathing.
The master's catchphrase was always the same.
"Don't hate demons too much."
Every time the master said those words, Murata heard the same story.
It was a tale of members who went berserk with hatred for demons, falling right into a man's scheme and driving out an innocent member as a demon spy.
He might have heard it dozens, even hundreds of times, but the master said he would repeat it until Murata memorized it completely.
"Murata. It's good that you're shallow."
"What do you mean? My Breathing?"
"Idiot, I mean your hatred for demons."
Murata hated demons because he lost his family to them. Yet, the master said that Murata's hatred was right. He said it wasn't twisted.
He didn't quite understand the meaning, and it didn't seem like he could grasp it by listening, so he left it as unknown.
──The swordsman driven out of the Demon Slayer Corps by the members' hatred was said to be a young man with white hair and red eyes.
So when a boy with the same colors entered as a disciple, Murata was surprised but could interact with him without fear.
Then, that white-haired, red-eyed boy opened his heart to Murata at an astonishing speed. Honestly, he was like a puppy, which was somewhat heartwarming.
But that white-haired, red-eyed boy, Kōgetsu, was an outrageous guy. The legendary boy who easily knocked the master away during sparring and was expelled just 30 minutes after becoming a disciple, shouting, "You're too strong, you idiot!!"
Now he lives with the master's senior at the foot of the mountain, but Murata and Kōgetsu's connection has continued since then.
"Murata, your hair is flowing."
"I take care of it. Want to try some camellia oil?"
"Huh? Is that okay?! Please!"
It wasn't that he had no thoughts about Kōgetsu, who was younger but stronger than him. When he hadn't even received permission to participate in the Final Selection yet, and Kōgetsu got permission right away, he wasn't not jealous.
But he thought it was a bit wrong to change his attitude towards him because of that.
"Murata, you're a genius."
One day, the master said that. It was when Murata had left his bed in the middle of the night and was swinging his sword alone.
Murata couldn't understand the meaning of those words. He had no idea why the master was smiling at him, who wasn't excellent in Breathing techniques and had less talent with the sword than others.
"Even when facing the difference in ability with others right before your eyes, you don't run away, don't degenerate, don't complain…… and still keep holding the sword. Be proud. You're a genius of effort."
──I'll probably continue to shudder at my own weakness in the future. I'll compare my skills with others, only looking at someone's back, and sometimes be overtaken.
But as the master said, I won't let go of the sword. I'll walk the path of a demon hunter.
"Murata, you know, you resemble someone I respect a little. Just a tiny bit."
"That's not a compliment. 'Just a tiny bit,' you say."
"It's a huge compliment. I think the way you really try hard is similar."
"……You're the same, though."
Kōgetsu, who had white hair and red eyes, changed his eye and hair color. It's said that his enrollment in the Demon Slayer Corps is already confirmed, and he'll go on missions as soon as his sword arrives.
As a member, Kōgetsu will be Murata's senior. Murata's enrollment will be at the earliest next year.
──Please watch over this disciple who uses Moon Breathing, the master bowed deeply.
Kōgetsu is dozens of times stronger than Murata, making the word "watch" seem meaningless. I thought there was no need to worry, but the meaning of "watch" the master spoke of was clearly not that.
"Kōgetsu. If something difficult happens in the Demon Slayer Corps, send a letter right away. Consult me."
"Okay, got it! ……Can I write letters even if nothing happens?"
"Yes."
"Yay! Thank you, Murata!"
May he always show that bright, unwrinkled smile.
That's probably what the master wished for.
"Urokodaki, I'm back!"
Only my disciple Sabito was shocked enough for his eyes to pop out when he saw me return before even a week had passed.
Though his expression was hidden behind the tengu mask, Urokodaki welcomed me with his usual voice, saying, "Welcome back."
This calm atmosphere, perhaps the Demon Slayer Corps might have contacted him in advance.
"I heard the news about this Final Selection. It's said the demons were wiped out in three days."
"Yeah, and no one died. Not a single one. Amazing, right?"
While eating the dinner Urokodaki carefully prepared, I talked about what happened during the Final Selection. Since I only ate salty food during the selection, the simmered dish soaked in broth seemed to seep into my stomach.
"No casualties…… Hmm, it's been over 20 years."
Over 20 years. At those words, I brought up the question I wanted to ask when I returned.
"Urokodaki, do you know about Moon Breathing?"
There was no answer. Instead, a dull sound rang out. The teacup Urokodaki dropped spilled its contents and rolled on the floor.
Before Sabito and I could frantically search for something to wipe it, Urokodaki's hands grabbed my shoulders strongly.
"Makomo, where…… where did you hear that word."
This voice of Urokodaki, a squeezed, desperate voice, was a first.
What to do. Was it something I shouldn't have asked? Should I not have asked? Now regretting it, but I couldn't take back the words already spoken.
I spoke honestly. About the boy I met during the Final Selection, Kōgetsu. About the Moon Breathing he uses, and that a user of that Breathing existed 20 years ago.
Urokodaki seemed curious about where Kōgetsu learned Moon Breathing, but when I told him as I heard, he soon said "I see" and slumped his shoulders.
"Tsuyuri Kōgetsu…… Tsuyuri…… Ah, surely the surname of the child Kuwajima wanted as his tsuguko was that. I see…… If it's that child, it's not strange for him to remember Rei's swordsmanship."
"……Urokodaki. What kind of person was this Rei?"
Sabito was the one who brought up the question I was hesitating to ask. Urokodaki didn't answer immediately.
As if to calm his mind, he took a breath for a moment, then slowly turned the tip of the tengu mask to look at one side. At the end of that gaze was a black fox mask hanging on the wall.
"……Rei was a child I picked up. A child with white hair and red eyes, who wore that mask to hide his appearance."
Only then could I understand. Why Urokodaki had such a disappointed expression when I said Kōgetsu's appearance was black hair and reddish-brown eyes.
"He was a strong swordsman. Overflowing with pride in his sword and master, and pitifully kind. He was a skilled fighter called a future Pillar…… but one day, he was expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps."
We held our breath. But even when asked why, Urokodaki never told the reason until the end. He only spat out one sentence, "Rei had no responsibility," and quietly dropped his shoulders.
I couldn't bring myself to ask Urokodaki what happened to Rei after he was expelled.
"……If not for Rei, perhaps Makomo might have died in the Final Selection."
After a long silence, Urokodaki suddenly muttered.
My heart jumped at the sudden mention of "might have died," but Urokodaki doesn't like that kind of joke. So, this statement isn't a laughable joke or pessimistic delusion but likely a fact.
I straightened my back with tension and waited for Urokodaki's next words.
"It's said that when Rei participated in the Final Selection, he faced a deformed demon that held a grudge against me. That demon had survived on Mt. Fujikasane for nearly ten years and wasn't an enemy an immature swordsman could handle."
"Huh, but on Mt. Fujikasane, there are only demons that have lived for 2 or 3 years…… Don't they regularly inspect?"
"It's said the member in charge of inspection at the time intentionally let it go. He had the intention of reducing competitors to become a Pillar himself."
"What, that bastard!! I can't forgive him!!"
Sabito, who can't stand seeing wrongs, raised his voice. With a sharp glare, he looked ready to punch that bastard down if he were here.
"If Rei hadn't exterminated it, that demon would still be on Mt. Fujikasane. Clearly, it would have grown its grudge against me and hunted and eaten those wearing masks like this one with wood grain patterns. ……If that had happened, perhaps not one of my disciples would have returned."
Urokodaki's disciples aren't just us. The number of fox-masked seniors exceeds ten. They all like Urokodaki so much that they come to Mt. Sagiri to play on their days off.
I too, Sabito too, sometimes trained together with them. To me, who lost my family to demons, they were like true siblings, and the Urokodaki school was a new family. A hope to live.
If Rei were alive, would he have come here too?
"Actually, when Makomo returned, I faintly smelled Rei's scent. That pumpkin-like scent. I thought maybe he was alive……"
It seems it was just my misconception.
Urokodaki, who slumped his shoulders like that, looked lonely as if left alone in the world. But soon, he returned to his usual self and called my name in a firm voice.
"Over 20 years have passed since then, but due to circumstances, those who dislike Moon Breathing still remain. ……Would you mind keeping an eye on that boy Kōgetsu?"
"Yes, I will!"
As I nodded vigorously, the gaze inside Urokodaki's mask softened gently.
"……But even if Urokodaki didn't say it, I've already decided to be on Kōgetsu's side."
"Oh, you got that close in just three days together?"
"Yeah, actually……"
I explained to Sabito and Urokodaki what happened before the Final Selection.
"Before the Final Selection started, I was laughed at by other participants. Probably because I'm a girl, right?"
Since he always gets hit by me during training and rolls on the ground, please take it as affection when I punch Sabito's side for making a dubious expression saying, "Gi, rl……?" If he weren't my disciple, I would have used Droplet Thrust.
"Plus, I'm small, so I expected to hear that I look weak. But Kōgetsu told me, 'This child is strong.' He said, 'Fast and strong.' Before the Final Selection even started, right from the beginning. I was so happy!"
There are female swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps too, but their number is overwhelmingly small compared to men. Because they're weaker than men. Because muscles don't attach well. Because their physical condition can fluctuate due to menstruation.
Especially me, I have a small frame with few places for muscles to attach. I trained to cut demons' necks with speed instead of strength, but in the eyes of sturdy boys, I must have looked weak.
I was grateful to Kōgetsu for not judging me by my small, slender, female outward appearance but seeing through and acknowledging my own strength. More than that, I also thought he was amazing.
"Kōgetsu's eyes are fake, but they see through the truth."
"Eyes are fake? What does that mean?"
In response to Sabito's question, I only smiled instead of answering.
Kōgetsu's eye color was somewhat unnatural. No basis, but I vaguely felt a sense of incongruity. Even if I explained, it would be obvious he'd tilt his head in confusion.
The two say my words are too vague.
"His real eyes must be very pretty. I wonder if he'll show them someday."
*
My mentor was a former Wind Hashira. I heard he was active just a few weeks before taking me as his disciple. If he hadn't lost one eye to a demon, he might still be at the peak of the Demon Slayer Corps as a Pillar.
Usually gentle, but when it came to the sword, he was sharp and energetic like a cutting wind.
"……Master, I'm back!"
"Oh, welcome back. I read the letter from the Demon Slayer Corps. They say this Final Selection was amazing?"
The master smiling warmly at the entrance was my benefactor.
He was the one who accepted me, who turned my back on my family and chose a thorny path to join the Demon Slayer Corps out of hatred for demons after losing my younger brother.
"I thought you'd return with your cheeks sunken, but surprisingly, you're fine. I was worried if you could camp in the mountains, but I'm glad you returned safely."
In response to the master tapping my cheeks, I answered with a wry smile. That I only picked a bunch of poisonous mushrooms during the selection is a secret.
During my training here, I clung to training using my anger towards demons as motivation, and insisted to the master that I only needed swordsmanship training.
I didn't even think to ask about camping methods like Makomo mentioned, thinking they weren't necessary for cutting demons.
"Congratulations on passing the Final Selection. We should celebrate grandly tonight. Want to eat? Or bathe first? Either way, I'll go chop some firewood."
"Ah, I'll help too."
The master, who shouldered an axe that looked heavy just by seeing it, widened his eyes at my words.
No wonder. Until now, I swung my sword whenever I had a chance. I only did household chores minimally and rarely followed the master out like this.
……After my enrollment was decided and I looked back on the past with a sigh, I seemed like an incredibly rude brat. Reflection. From now on, I'll be filial.
The firewood split continuously with high, dry sounds. As I bundled them for easy carrying, I talked about what happened during the selection one by one. The master listened to my story with a kind face while swinging the axe as if chiming in.
However.
"Moon Breathing?!"
"Eek!"
As soon as Kōgetsu's story came up, the master changed. The bodhisattva-like face instantly turned into a demon's. Because he happened to be holding an axe, I unconsciously felt a threat to my life and flinched.
"From who, from who did he learn that Breathing?! Rei-senpai?!"
"F, from someone named Tsuyuri! Kōgetsu said that person respected the Moon Breathing user from 20 years ago and memorized the techniques to teach him……"
"Tsuyuri?! The older brother or the younger brother?!"
"I, I don't know! Ah, but his name is Sōsuke……"
"The older brother?!"
Thwack!
The axe swung down with full force split the firewood and dug deep into the stump below.
"That bastard, he got all cocky just because he had a bit more joint missions! If I had missions with Rei-senpai too, I would have memorized Moon Breathing! I would have engraved every move in my eyes! I would have deeply engraved those memories in my heart!!"
Thwack! Crack! Bang!
"M, Master! The stump! The stump is tearing! It's dug up to the roots!"
After that, I sweated profusely trying to calm the fiercely angry master. If you have enough strength, you can dig a hole with an axe too. I didn't want to know.
"Master, um, the person who used Moon Breathing, Rei……"
"Add -senpai, you damn brat."
"Yes! What kind of person was Rei-senpai?"
The person called Rei-senpai who made the master change like this, what in the world is his identity.
When asked, the master skillfully sat on the stump (split in two), crossed his legs elegantly, and gazed into the distance.
"Rei-senpai was a beautiful moon, a sun that shines equally on everyone, the earth that embraces all."
"Please explain a bit more clearly."
"In short, he was the father in the hearts of female members at the time."
"Father……?"
Ah, I shouldn't have asked.
Ignoring my regret, the master, completely immersed in his own world, began to speak passionately alone.
·
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In those days, there was a man named Maeda in the Demon Slayer Corps. To be precise, not a member but a Kakushi, a bespectacled man in charge of sewing duties.
That Maeda was an outrageous pervert, and every time a female member newly enrolled, he would make and distribute lewd uniforms that exploded his sexual preferences.
"I wasn't victimized, but all the other girls received those clothes. Some even burst into tears."
Among the girls joining the Demon Slayer Corps, there are those who dislike their own gender. The more they were seen as the weakest in the family and survived alone under parental protection, the more they hate their gender.
To such a girl who abandoned her female gender and entered the path of demon hunting, sending a uniform that symbolizes femininity is no different from an insult.
"Hearing that story, Rei-senpai got angry, grabbed Maeda by the collar, and shouted. That appearance was like a father dealing with a man harassing his daughter, so the nickname 'father' stuck."
All the female members called him that behind his back, it's said.
"……Rei-senpai was, you know, my first love."
The master sighed with moist eyes. ……I didn't ask. No, no one asked. I don't want to know.
"I'm tall and have a build, right? I've never been protected by anyone until then. But during one mission, when I was in danger, Rei-senpai saved me splendidly. He held injured me…… Kyah!"
The master, now completely a girl's face, covered her blushing cheeks with both hands and twisted her body.
I only asked about Rei-senpai, but how did the sparks of the master's first love story fly? I couldn't understand, so I just blankly stared at the moth sitting on the stump.
"I wanted to keep chasing after him. But I couldn't achieve it. Because Rei-senpai was expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps."
"……Why was he expelled? Did a demon appear among his relatives?"
"No. ……Because the existence who taught Rei-senpai Moon Breathing was a demon."
It's said that Rei-senpai himself didn't know that the one who taught him Breathing was a demon.
However, the upper ranks didn't believe his claim, suspected him of being a demon spy, and handed down an expulsion decision.
"I only heard it as a rumor, but Rei-senpai had white hair and red eyes, they say. After that appearance became known to the members due to some incident, everyone looked at Rei-senpai with cold eyes, saying he was ominous or a monster."
"That's……"
"Not even trying to see that person's beautiful heart, it's really a foolish thing."
The master spat that out with tears in her eyes.
"……Masachika. Please take good care of that child Kōgetsu who uses Moon Breathing. It's been 20 years, so there probably aren't many who know, but if there are guys who treat Moon Breathing as betrayal, blast them away without mercy, okay?"
"Yes!"
Even without saying, I would. Judging a person by just one Breathing, how foolish is that.
When I answered with a booming voice from deep in my stomach, the master smiled with her usual gentle face and softly stroked my injured cheek.
"You've come back from the Final Selection with a good face, Masachika."
"……Is that so?"
"Yes. Until just a while ago, you had a face that just hated demons unbearably. It seemed like you breathed only with anger towards demons."
That might certainly have been the case. Remembering that time when I had no leisure due to hating demons, I felt somewhat awkward for some reason.
The three days of the Final Selection were enjoyable. Kōgetsu didn't resemble my younger brother at all, but being with him made my heart at ease, and Makomo was quiet and fluffy, so thanks to the two, perhaps the bad poison inside me drained away.
"Enjoy life, Masachika."
The master said that. With a serious face I'd never seen before.
"It's foolish to burn everything with hatred for demons."
Those words resonated deeply in my heart, surprisingly so. If it were me before the Final Selection, I would have surely resisted, but now, those words seeped right into my chest.
"Rei-senpai always enjoyed life. One day, when I asked what his dream was, he answered like this. 'I want to get a cute wife, live long, talk about memories on the veranda with friends, and face my end surrounded by grandchildren.'"
The Demon Slayer Corps is an organization living in touch with death. To hunt demons, to protect someone's life, one must abandon themselves.
After losing my younger brother to a demon that day, I thought I no longer had the right to dream of a happy future.
"I don't deny dedicating your life to killing demons. But that's a way of life that has given up."
I couldn't protect my younger brother, but no one in my family blamed me. My kind younger brother surely wouldn't have resented me either.
Only I continued to blame myself.
"We can't let demons take our lives too. So we must straighten our chests and enjoy. Because we're human. To the fullest of our lifespan, stuffing in memories as much as we can."
I am forgiven by no one. I didn't want to be forgiven either.
So I believed that I could only live a life unforgiven, that throwing myself into bloody fights was the only way I could live, and was binding myself. But──
"……Can I live too? Is it okay to enjoy?"
"Of course. If the story to tell in the afterlife is 'I just cut a bunch of demons,' it wouldn't even be a laughing matter!"
At my mumbling voice hard to understand, the master bared her teeth and laughed brightly.
Thank goodness. That I'm this person's disciple. With genuine respect, I nodded while crying.
·
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Oh my, we're out of miso. Masachika, go buy it quickly! Following the master's instruction, when I went down to the village, the miso shop uncle spoke to me.
"Kid, did you come over that mountain?"
"Ah, yes."
More like living there, but since I was in a hurry, I answered vaguely, and the miso shop uncle lowered his voice and said this.
"Then be careful on your way back. They say a monster has appeared on that mountain."
"Monster?!"
"Yeah. A huge fellow like an eight-foot demon, speaking in a thick, rough man's voice like a woman, they say."
"Wow, that's a scary monster! Thank you, I'll be careful not to meet it!"
I was in a hurry.
Because I was in a hurry, I couldn't bring myself to say, "Ah, that's my master."
Even if I weren't in a hurry, I probably couldn't have said it.
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