Chapter 77: The One Who Wins in the End is Connections (1)

Sayo burst into tears and Himejima wept quietly. Feeling Himejima's stubborn heart softening, I quietly stepped outside. It's better to let them be alone.

As if tears were contagious, I wiped my moistened eyes and waited in the shade of a tree, avoiding the sunlight, for their conversation to end.

Then, surprisingly quickly, the front door opened.

But those who came out were neither Sayo nor Himejima. Two girls I had never seen before. Were they the owners of the two pairs of straw sandals at the entrance? They looked quite similar, perhaps sisters.

I bowed my head instead of greeting when I made eye contact with the long-haired girl who seemed to be the older sister. Then, that girl approached with an unadorned smile.

"It seemed like you had a lot to talk about, so we came out to not be a disturbance."

She was a girl who suited the word "pitiable." The younger sister standing behind her was equally pitiable, but she observed me with a somewhat stiff expression. Leaving behind an awkward sense of wariness, the younger girl asked.

"……Are you also from the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"Ah, yes. I'm Tsuyuri Kōgetsu, the Moon Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."

When I revealed my name with the intent to show I was absolutely not a suspicious person, the older sister clapped her hands and said, "Wow, that's a cool name!" while the younger sister made a disbelieving sound, "Huh?"

"Himejima is a Hashira too, right? Then, you, are you as strong as Himejima?"

The girl spoke in a tone that suggested it was hard to believe. She's an honest child.

When the older sister scolded her younger sister for her honesty, she hunched her shoulders and hurriedly said, "Sorry…" That innocent appearance was lovely.

For some reason, she resembled someone, but who was it?

"It's fine. If I look weak, demons might let their guard down, so thanks. ……By the way, are you two acquaintances of Himejima?"

"Himejima-sama is our sisters' benefactor. He saved our lives from a demon."

"We want to become demon slayers, so we came to find Himejima. Because we saw our father and mother killed by a demon right before our eyes."

Saying that, the younger sister bowed her head. The older sister, who was stroking her head with a sad expression, smiled gently at me the next moment.

"Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Kanae. Kochou Kanae. This is my younger sister."

"Kochou Shinobu."

For an instant, the face of a certain boy flashed through my mind.

"……Kochou?"

I looked at the girls.

Estimating their age from their appearance, counting the years. Above all, that face.

It was a plausible imagination.

"Why are you so stiff and frozen? Are you surprised because it's a rare surname? I think Tsuyuri is quite rare too."

"Ah, no. I was surprised because I've heard it before."

"You've heard it before? Have you used father's medicine before?"

At her tilting-head question, I could neither nod nor deny. I just quietly asked.

"……Your father's name is?"

Medicine. Kochou. Their ages. It was as if the answer was already there, but I still wanted to confirm. Hoping it was my misunderstanding.

The girl who called herself Kanae whispered that name softly with lonely eyes.

"Kochou Nobuya."

──I will definitely come to pay the price someday.

The smile of the boy who once called me teacher and followed me no longer exists anywhere in this world.

Rei, Nobuya, both left the world leaving only unkept promises to each other.

Unknowingly, I bit my lip, and the nostalgic taste of pomegranate spread.

"……Thank you for crying for my father."

Kanae-chan smiled without finding it strange that I was silently shedding tears. A heavy sense of guilt washed over me at that voice filled with sincere gratitude. I didn't deserve her kindness.

If demons didn't exist, if the doctor hadn't turned Muzan into a demon, if Muzan hadn't turned someone else into a demon again, and if I had properly stopped Muzan back then── they could have lived in peaceful happiness.

Nobuya and his wife would have lived gentle lives watching their daughters grow up.

"……I'm sorry."

Feeling fortunate that they couldn't know what this apology was for, I apologized unilaterally.

Shinobu-chan made a puzzled expression, but Kanae-chan gently smiled and shook her head as if to say it's okay. She probably thought I was apologizing for suddenly bursting into tears.

She was a person with kind eyes just like Nobuya.

＊

I simply held Sayo in my arms as she cried and sobbed as if pouring out two years' worth of emotions.

Two presences quietly passed by us, muffling their footsteps. I was grateful for the sisters' considerate thought to give us space, thinking of me and Sayo.

"Th, the wisteria scent, ran out, only a little, disappears quickly. We didn't know, about the new one. Kaigaku, always did it for us, but he left, and Meichiro, disappeared."

Sayo's confession, stumbling along.

At each truth of that day, I cried, nodded, and deeply regretted. I was angry at my foolish self who believed I had been arbitrarily betrayed and acted coldly toward Meichiro.

The tragedy began when villagers who came to the temple hearing of Meichiro's medicine reputation found Meichiro's appearance unpleasant.

When bad rumors about the temple and me spread, an angry Kenta drove Meichiro away. Kaigaku, who was angry that Meichiro, whom he followed like an older brother, received such treatment, left the temple as if chasing after him.

So, that night, neither Meichiro nor Kaigaku were at the temple. The children who remained at the temple said they planned to wait for me to fall asleep and then go look for the two.

The reason they didn't tell me about the two who disappeared was because of the children's consideration not to burden me, tired from work.

Then, if I had been a more reliable adult, wouldn't the children have confided honestly?

When I confessed this belated regret now, Sayo shook her head so hard it seemed like it would fall off.

"No, no. It's not that you're unreliable. Everyone, really likes you, teacher, that's why, they couldn't say it. Teacher, you're kind, so if you knew about Meichiro's thing, Kaigaku fighting, you might get sad, you might cry the most, so that's why…!"

About the three who didn't listen to me and ran away when the demon attacked the temple, Sayo said this too.

"They didn't run away. Everyone, always said. Teacher, your eyes aren't good, so let's help each other, let's help each other. So they didn't run away. Absolutely not. They didn't leave teacher and run away, everyone."

Sayo's tears melted away my stiff, servile self.

Outside, there were farming tools. Some child might have gone out to get a weapon. At the foot of the mountain, there was a village. Some child might have tried to go ask for help.

I was so ashamed I wanted to knock down myself, who misunderstood the children as selfish greed-monsters and distorted their actions.

After finishing all the stories, Sayo buried her face in my embrace and cried for a while.

No one released the wisteria scent.

But the demon said. That it 'made a deal with a child.'

Only those words stuck in my mind. But──

'……Am I now believing the demon's words over Meichiro?'

Meichiro's scream, who pleaded that neither he nor Kaigaku would make such deals with demons, echoed in my head.

The peaceful days at the temple, the children's laughter like sunlight filtering through leaves.

Why did I turn away from those happy memories and believe the demon's nonsense as is? Why did I doubt Meichiro's words and drive him away?

'Beyond shame, I even feel anger. ……I was the one who betrayed.'

If Sayo hadn't told me the truth, I would still be doubting Meichiro, Kaigaku, and even the dead children until now.

Thinking that, my spine tingled. I was afraid of myself, who had gone blind in heart as well.

How much must that good boy have hurt when I rejected him?

Knowing that apologizing wouldn't make it forgivable, but still wanting to apologize, I stood up from my seat.

・

・

・

"I'm sorry. Really, really ashamed. What I did is something that can never be forgiven."

When I bowed deeply, Meichiro hurriedly said, "I'm the one who should apologize," and bowed his head too.

To me, who was puzzled about what the apology was for, Meichiro said.

"I'm sorry for forcing only what I wanted to say without considering Himejima-san's feelings or circumstances."

"You did nothing wrong. I alone misunderstood and holed up in a shell, making you go through a hard time."

We exchanged apologies, bowing our heads, saying "No, I…", "No no, I…"

What ended the conversation that seemed like it would go on forever was,

"Yes, shall we stop there?"

Kanae.

Clapping her hands as if shaking off the humid air, she continued in a bright voice.

"Himejima-sama, the young lady over there, and Tsuyuri-san too. Since you've cried so much, you must be hungry, right? Lunch is already prepared."

To Kanae, who asked, "Himejima-sama, is that okay?" I nodded.

There was no need to worry about meals just because a young girl and a growing boy were added.

Because Shinobu had made a pot full of stew, anticipating that I would eat a lot when I returned from a mission. Rather, it was just right, not too much leftover.

"Let's eat."

The five of us shouted simultaneously and picked up chopsticks for the meal the sisters had prepared.

As if to smooth out the awkwardness still stuck between me and Meichiro, the sisters—especially Kanae—took care of various things and softly continued the conversation.

"Tsuyuri-san. I'll give you more rice. Could you pass your rice bowl?"

"Ah, thanks. …Hey, I'm not used to being called by my surname, so if it's okay, just call me Kōgetsu. And since there's not much age difference, you don't have to speak so formally."

"Then, as you say. Kōgetsu-kun, is this much rice enough?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Seeing the rice bowl filled to the brim passed between the two, Shinobu exclaimed in a surprised voice.

"Kōgetsu-san, you really eat a lot! It seems like you eat as much as Himejima-san!"

"For demon slayers, the body is an asset. And if possible, I want to grow as big as Himejima-san."

"Kōgetsu-san with a body like Himejima-san's…"

Shinobu sank into thought for a moment, then burst into a small laugh. She probably imagined a bizarre sight of Meichiro's head on my body. The trembling of her shoulders from holding back laughter reached even here.

"Eek, why did you laugh just now?"

"It's nothing."

"Your voice is trembling a lot though?"

"It's really nothing."

Ignoring the noisy two, Sayo, who had been eating quietly, suddenly cheered.

"This, it's delicious!"

"It's spinach namul. Shinobu made it."

"Different, from home's. This is more delicious. How, do you make it?"

So Sayo asked Shinobu.

"There's a trick. It's very simple, so I'll tell you later."

When Shinobu, who had found an excuse to escape the conversation with Meichiro, said that, Sayo smiled brightly and shouted.

"I'll, make it for, dad, mom!"

"……!"

"Yes. Then let's make it with lots of love."

Instead of Shinobu, whose voice choked as if remembering her own parents, Kanae gently answered.

That warm, kind voice was as if entrusting love to the girl on behalf of themselves, who had lost their family.

・

・

・

After the meal, the sisters and Sayo went into the kitchen. Only me and Meichiro remained in the living room.

I apologized to him once again, and then told him the story Sayo had conveyed exactly as it was.

"I see. So Kaigaku followed me and left the temple…"

"Yes. Didn't you meet?"

"No……"

Thinking of Kaigaku, who must have wandered alone without joining his brother, we sank into silence for a moment.

We hoped he was alive somewhere, but the world wasn't easy enough for a child not even ten years old to survive alone.

Wanting to lighten the heavy atmosphere even a little, I changed the topic.

"You said you changed your name to Tsuyuri Kōgetsu. From now on, I'll call you that too."

To avoid accidentally calling you Meichiro and confusing others.

"But if it's Tsuyuri, are you related to Tsuyuri Yūgo-san, the cultivator of Water Breathing?"

"Yes, he was my teacher. Since the master-disciple relationship ended in just a few dozen minutes, he's now my former teacher."

I was very curious what he did to end the master-disciple relationship in just a few dozen minutes, but since it seemed like a long story, I decided to ask later.

"He is the cultivator who will be in charge of Kanae."

"That means… Shinobu-chan will go to a different cultivator?"

"Yes."

──The sisters are scheduled to leave for their respective cultivators tomorrow morning.

'They want to protect the happiness of someone not yet destroyed. They don't want anyone to suffer the same pain as them.'

Though harboring the same vow, the paths the sisters will take are so different.

The older sister, Kanae, holds compassion for demons in her heart,

The younger sister, Shinobu, engraves hatred for demons in her mind.

That too-kind heart will someday destroy herself,

That too-fervent anger will someday burn herself out.

The path of a demon slayer is thorny. Walking that path is an extremely harsh thing.

The older sister's heart is too kind to slay demons, and the younger sister's body is too small. But both were sincere in their resolve to become demon slayers.

Pressed by that passion, I decided to introduce cultivators to the sisters, but if possible, I wished they would live ordinary lives.

If Shinobu found out about such hidden feelings, what would happen? She'd probably shout that there's no way she can live normally after her father and mother were killed. I had already heard such words once before.

"Do you know their Breathing aptitudes?"

"Not yet. But since both had no缘分 with swords. I thought it would be good to have them learn Water Breathing first."

"Ah, it's common to teach Water Breathing first to beginners. It has many derivatives, so it's good for application too."

As Kōgetsu said, Water Breathing is a Breathing style easy for beginners to learn. A sword style that's good for those holding a sword for the first time, especially for girls.

But even that has its limits.

"Kōgetsu, what do you think of Shinobu?"

"She's cute."

"Don't pretend not to know. That's not what I mean."

"……She's on the small side, I suppose."

"Yes, it would be hard for her to survive as a swordsman."

Compared to Kanae, who is relatively tall, Shinobu is small. If she stood side by side with Sayo, who is six years old, her small frame would stand out even more. Shinobu's height was only about half a head taller than Sayo's.

The smaller the frame, the less muscle mass that can be accumulated. I was worried if she could gain enough strength to behead a demon.

"It's okay."

As if blowing away that concern, Kōgetsu smiled brightly. It was by no means a light voice.

"The way to defeat demons differs from person to person. If physical strength is lacking, you can compensate with other methods. Among my juniors, there's a child with a small frame too, and that child trains speed to behead necks. Especially the Droplet Thrust is really amazing… even Himejima-san would find it hard to dodge. Be careful."

"……Huh? Be careful?"

"There's one called Makomo-chan, if you meet her, turn around and run immediately. No, I'm not joking, I'm serious."

This was the first time I heard Kōgetsu's voice so serious. Pressured by that momentum, I nodded without understanding why.

Suddenly, the giggling sound of three girls leaked from the kitchen.

"……Thank you. For bringing Sayo."

"No, I should thank you."

Even knowing this was a momentary peace, the lovely voices of the children softly melted my heart, just like back in the temple days.

＊

"So, you see, I cleared up the misunderstanding and made up with that person I talked about!"

Bowing my head with an apology for causing trouble, Makomo-chan and Masachika-kun tousled my head vigorously.

Stop it! The hair dye will come off! Why do these two always stroke my head like that whenever they get a chance?

"That's great! Ah~ I'm relieved, I was so worried I thought I'd die."

"Yeah, sorry, Masachika-kun."

"Makomo's Droplet Thrust has been getting sharper day by day, I didn't know what to do."

"That side?!"

"Fufu. I've trained it to a level where it might not work even on Hashira, so it's a relief I didn't have to use it."

From Makomo-chan's smile as she thrust her fist sharply into the air, a creepiness was felt, and Masachika-kun and I flinched simultaneously. What kind of training did Urokodaki give her?

Ah, right, speaking of the Urokodaki school──

"I heard Sabito-kun opened his eyes."

"Yes. His body hasn't fully recovered yet, but."

"…It was said to take a year for complete recovery."

Sabito-kun, who was critically injured and unconscious in the last Lower Rank 2 subjugation, opened his eyes a few days ago.

His consciousness is clear, and the movement of his limbs is fine. There's no major damage to his internal organs, but because he was severely tortured, his whole body is covered in wounds.

If I had gone to rescue him sooner, his injuries would have been less. While regretting that, Masachika-kun slapped my head.

"Don't make that face. The one at fault is the demon, not you."

"…Yeah."

"That kind, gentle point is Kōgetsu's strong point, but don't try to shoulder too much."

"……Yeah."

Even if you say that, regret doesn't easily disappear, and what bothers you eventually bothers you. I'm just sorry for the rare comfort.

"……Somehow, Kōgetsu looking gloomy resembles Giyu."

Suddenly, Makomo-chan brought up such a thing.

"Giyu too, when there's something difficult, his thoughts quickly turn negative. But the difference with Kōgetsu is that Giyu has Sabito. Since Sabito leads him saying 'This way!', Giyu can avoid looking back."

Saying that, Makomo-chan looked at me with uneasy eyes.

"Who is Kōgetsu's Sabito?"

What came to mind was flame-colored hair. Eyes that seemed to burn. Bright flames leading through darkness.

A swordsman who died long ago. A comrade I killed.

"Can't we lead Kōgetsu?"

Makomo-chan took my hand. On top of that, Masachika-kun also placed his hand.

In front of the two making anxious expressions, I could neither nod nor deny, so I just bowed my head.

A stifling, lonely silence continued, but.

"………Alright! Let's eat, eat!"

What broke that silence was Masachika-kun's bright voice. Pulling my and Makomo-chan's hands, he strode somewhere.

"Let's go to that set meal place over there. It's cheap and delicious there, and the waitress is super cute. Just looking at her feels healing."

"Huh, huh?"

"She's so cute that I ordered three bowls of tendon. For my stomach, three bowls was the limit, but Kōgetsu can eat more, right? Then you can order many times from the waitress, great!"

"Ma, Masachika-kun, why suddenly like this?"

"We can't lead Kōgetsu's heart!"

To me, who was flustered, Masachika-kun shouted. Facing forward, while tightly holding mine and Makomo-chan's hands.

"But I can't just leave it like that, so instead, I'll drag you around everywhere! Be prepared!"

Over his shoulder, Masachika-kun's lips curved playfully. At that smile, Makomo-chan laughed out loud.

"Agreed! Let's do it, let's do it! After eating, let's take a walk, and then at the dojo, let's spar for the first time in a while!"

"Great! Let's show the Moon Hashira directly how strong Makomo's Droplet Thrust has become! How about it!"

"Huh, did I just naturally get a death sentence?"

Forgetting the gloomy mood, when I retorted, the two laughed with wide-open mouths.

Surrounded by that laughter, I, we had unknowingly returned to our usual selves.

"But Masachika, between that 'healing set meal place waitress' and me, who's cuter?"

"Ugh, um… let Kōgetsu decide!!"

"What?! Wait, I, I don't know well, but isn't she as cute as Makomo-chan?!"

"Kōgetsu is kind. Masachika, later, Droplet Thrust."

"Please avoid vital points!!"

After such a noisy conversation, we arrived at the set meal place. The waitress was really cute, just as Masachika-kun said.

Ah, as cute as Makomo-chan. Without saying which is cuter, like how castella and tendon are both delicious, both are cute. I mean it! No lie!

First of all, I think it's impolite to evaluate women's appearances by comparing and discussing like this!! Well, that's enough on this topic!!

The inside of the shop was quite crowded, and with the words "You'll have to share a table," the seat we were guided to had a familiar face.

"Huh? Giyu?"

"Giyu-kun came to eat too… no, what's that around your mouth?!"

"Giyu, if I recall, was Makomo's disciple… did you stick your face in your rice bowl or something?!"

In the corner seat, munching on rice, was Giyu-kun. However, there was an unbelievable amount of rice grains stuck all around his mouth. How do you even eat to end up like that.

"Makomo nee-san, Moon Hashira-sama, and… who?"

"Kumeno Masachika! Your senior's comrade. Nice to meet you!"

"Tomiyoka Giyu. I'm Makomo nee-san's disciple."

"Uh, uh-huh."

Giyu-kun, who seemed to be trying to maintain his senior's dignity by straightening his posture, had no effect at all due to the massive amount of rice grains stuck to his face. To the point where even the bright Masachika-kun's face stiffened—an unprecedented sight.

When he was with Sabito-kun, he had a smiling impression, but now he has almost no change in expression. Whether he's nervous, or if he becomes less talkative with people he's not close to due to being shy.

"I told you before to stop eating while thinking?"

Makomo-chan's attitude, offering a tissue, seemed familiar. Does this happen often? Huh, Giyu-kun is the same age as me, right? He's not younger, is he??

Holding back the urge to retort in various ways, we sat down. Makomo-chan next to Giyu-kun, me across from Giyu-kun, and Masachika-kun next to me in that order.

After ordering food, I asked Giyu-kun about something I was curious about.

"What happened to that haori?"

The last time I saw him, Giyu-kun was wearing a red haori. But now, the haori he has on is half red and half patterned cloth. That pattern mixed with green and orange was familiar.

"That half is from what Sabito-kun wore, right?"

"This is……"

It seemed to be a difficult question to answer, as Giyu-kun bit his lip tightly. But soon, he raised his head and said with intense eyes.

"It's a keepsake."

"Wait, when did Sabito-kun die??"

"He means it's a keepsake from Sabito's father, right, Giyu?"

I was grateful to Makomo-chan, who corrected it immediately. I almost misunderstood badly.

Listening in detail, it seems that Sabito-kun, who is recuperating, gave Giyu-kun his father's keepsake haori, saying, "I entrust my heart to you!"

As a pledge to fight even Sabito-kun's share until his body recovers and he can return to the front lines, Giyu-kun seems to have tailored and worn the haori he received from Sabito-kun combined with his sister's keepsake, the red kimono.

"Sorry, our Giyu is a bit clumsy with people. He has a knack for expressions that can cause misunderstandings."

"Can you call that a knack?"

"At this point, it seems like a kind of talent."

"Isn't there a limit to everything? How did he end up like this?"

"Urokodaki can understand people's hearts by smell, Sabito is so close to Giyu that they communicate without words, and our school spoils the youngest disciple endlessly… maybe that's why."

Giyu-kun, who grew up as the pampered youngest, didn't mind being the center of attention and focused only on eating.

So stop getting rice grains all over. Were you a rice paddle in your past life?

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