──Is the Moon Hashira colluding with demons.
That statement first arose right after the Hashira meeting had just begun.
"This is a story I heard from my master──"
According to the Sound Hashira, who opened his mouth like that, a Moon Breathing user existed not in this generation but about twenty years ago.
He was an excellent swordsman, but it was revealed that he learned breathing techniques and swordsmanship from a demon, leading to his expulsion from the Demon Slayer Corps, and he later died.
If so, Moon Breathing is practically extinct. Yet, the Moon Hashira who wields Moon Breathing must have inherited swordsmanship from the same demon──the Sound Hashira harbored such suspicions.
"……I learned this breathing from a person named Tsuyuri Sousuke. I heard he was acquainted with the Moon Breathing user of that time and remembered the techniques. The one who taught me breathing and swordsmanship was a human. Not a demon."
Amidst the murmuring of the other Hashira, the Moon Hashira, suddenly suspected of colluding with demons, answered calmly with an expression as if to say "the inevitable has finally come," showing no sign of surprise.
However, the dark cloud over the Sound Hashira's face did not disappear. Instead, he furrowed his brow and spoke in a bitter voice.
"Tracing back to the roots, it's no different from learning from a demon, isn't it?"
How much he hated demons—the Sound Hashira's voice was tinged with undeniable anger.
"What's strange isn't just the breathing. I heard the Moon Hashira dislikes the sun, how do you explain that?"
"Surely you're not suspecting the Moon Hashira of being a demon, Sound Hashira?"
A woman's voice in her mid-thirties interjected into the conversation. It was the Flame Hashira.
"I don't know what your master drilled into you, but don't spout such foolish nonsense."
Human physical abilities begin to gradually decline from the late twenties onward.
Yet, at the words of this female warrior who honed her skills and maintained her Hashira position despite weaker muscle strength than men, the Sound Hashira fell silent. But that silence did not last long.
"What else would you call someone who prefers shade, wears a hat to avoid sunlight, and always covers their skin, if not a demon?"
"If they were a demon, they wouldn't even have been able to participate in the selection at Mt. Fujikasane. Think a little before speaking."
"My master said that the Moon Hashira might be a mix of human and demon blood. Then everything is explained. The inability to step into sunlight, the disregard for wisteria flowers, the eerily excellent physical abilities.
To begin with, a demon hunter wielding a demon's swordsmanship so casually—the Moon Hashira's character is suspicious──"
In an instant, the air cracked. The dry, resonating sound that seemed to shake the heart came from the Stone Hashira's clapped hands.
"……Has Kōgetsu ever acted in a way that benefited demons until now."
A calm voice. No, that voice pretending to be composed was low and heavy as if crawling on the ground, carrying pressure that made it hard to believe it belonged to a youth not yet twenty.
"I'm asking if there has been."
With an unpleasant cracking sound, the prayer beads in the Stone Hashira's hands shattered. Under the momentum that suggested the next would be his turn if he answered wrong, the Sound Hashira could say nothing.
"If not, let's move to the next agenda. Please, Lord Kagaya."
The Stone Hashira acted as if nothing had happened, taking the lack of response as fortunate.
Himejima Gyomei, who would later be called the strongest swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The glimpse of that strength was already showing from this time.
Moon Breathing is a demon's breathing.
The Moon Hashira is a being mixed with demon and human.
Such rumors began to spread a few days after the Hashira meeting ended.
A subtle discord spread among the members swayed by the rumors, and an uneasy atmosphere thickened around the Moon Hashira.
Unlike Kōgetsu, who calmly brushed it off saying, "Well, it was expected since I use Moon Breathing," there was a man who raged in anger at this situation.
It was the boy Murata.
In his position as a disciple, how could he stand by and allow unfair slander against his master? No, he absolutely could not.
But Murata was a low-ranking member. He might be able to beat up one or two guys spreading rumors for fun, but he didn't have the power to stop the flow of rumors.
"Grr… I need… power…!"
"What's wrong, Mr. Murata? Suddenly spouting lines like you're on the verge of dark transformation?"
"I'm lamenting my situation! This isn't the time to be so calm!"
"Sorry for making you worry. Ah, want to have lunch? Is chicken stew okay?"
"Don't tell me that bloody chicken is the ingredient? Where did you get it from?"
"I saw it dropped in front of the entrance just now."
"That's harassment!"
"Really, I wish they'd at least prepare it properly."
"That's not the issue!"
Ignoring Murata's screams echoing through the Moon Hashira estate, Kōgetsu entered the kitchen.
Murata sometimes doubted his master's mental structure. The very idea of accepting a chicken thrown as harassment like a gift and cooking it to eat was incomprehensible.
If it happened to him, it would be enough to bring tears to his eyes, but this master said, "It's better than setting the house on fire," and showed no agitation at all.
If Murata got injured during a mission, he would be more agitated than anyone, yet when it came to his own affairs, he passed them off too indifferently.
"Lord Sound Hashira is really, what he did is cheap. Spreading such rumors."
After deliciously sharing the chicken sacrificed to petty harassment, Murata complained like that, to which Kōgetsu made a puzzled expression.
"No, the source of the rumor isn't Mr. Sound Hashira, is it?"
"Huh? But the first to bring it up was Lord Sound Hashira, wasn't it?"
"Well, it's true he said that at the Hashira meeting, but that person has a somewhat rigid side. He wouldn't do such a cowardly thing."
"……Then who?"
"Mr. Sound Hashira caught onto me because he heard such talk from his mentor. Just my guess, but perhaps that mentor leaked information to other disciples, and from there the rumor spread."
"………"
"Huh? What's wrong, Mr. Murata? Why are you suddenly silent?"
Murata had believed until now that the source of the rumor was naturally the Sound Hashira.
So, how to put it… he had written a letter. To his master. 'Because of the rumor spread by the Sound Hashira, Kōgetsu is in big trouble.'
The reply came not from his master, but from that senior.
The reply from Tsuyuri Sousuke, Kōgetsu's legal guardian, was just one word.
——'Extermination'
It was calligraphy so full of vigor that you'd want to frame and display it.
It was a sincere letter. A letter that wrote 'handle it' but read 'kill.'
"U-um… by the way, when did you send the letter?"
When Kōgetsu asked in a trembling voice, Murata answered in a similarly trembling voice.
"I-I think it was about three days ago."
"W-w-wait, I'll go to Mr. Sound Hashira's estate!!"
"M-m-me too!!"
And so, the two people simultaneously dashed out of the Moon Hashira estate. At the Sound Hashira estate they headed towards──
There was Tsuyuri Sousuke, swinging his arms and enthusiastically cheering, "Go! There! Show the former Wind Hashira's determination, Okama Hashira—!" and a burly man with half-tears running away from the Sound Hashira, sticking out his lips saying, "Is that the mouth that badmouthed Moon Breathing?!"
Unlike Murata, who bubbled with regret, wailing "Waaaaah!" at the tragedy caused by the misinformation he leaked, the disciple who charged at the apparition without hesitation to save the Sound Hashira was strong to the end.
While Murata explained the whole story to Sousuke and another man (said to be the former Wind Hashira), the Sound Hashira clung to the much younger Moon Hashira and continued to wail, "I'm truly ashamed for saying such harsh things, you are my benefactor!!"
Incidentally, the mentor who had the malicious rumor about Moon Breathing spread to his disciple was separately sought out by Tsuyuri (the younger brother side) and 'handled.' Thanks to that, the rumors soon calmed down.
What you need is connections.
The moment she heard her father's name from her older sister, a thick tear dropped from Tsuyuri's reddish-brown eyes.
I'm sorry. As Tsuyuri apologized with one word and wiped her tears, her older sister gently stroked Tsuyuri's arm.
My older sister was always someone who could naturally empathize with others' sorrows. Just like Father. She was so different from me, who froze in surprise at Tsuyuri suddenly bursting into tears.
I don't know what relationship Tsuyuri—Mr. Kōgetsu and Father had.
But Father was someone who couldn't just pass by people in trouble. Since he would give medicine for free to people crouching on the roadside clutching their stomachs, perhaps Mr. Kōgetsu met Father through such a connection.
Father was always a kind person. His skills were also excellent, to the point that patients came from far away seeking Father's medicine.
Among them were poor people who couldn't afford the medicine price, but Father didn't treat them coldly, saying, "It's okay to pay after you get healthy," and gave them medicine.
Some people came back diligently to repay, and some lost contact, but Father's attitude was always consistent.
Our family was well-off, so a little loss was okay, but still, Father was always excessively kind.
Once, I asked Father.
"How can you be so kind to people?"
Then Father smiled and said.
"Surely Master Rei would have done so."
Master Rei was a mentor-like existence who taught the basics of pharmacology to Father when he was a boy. It's said he taught Father generously, saying, "You can repay later," even though Father had no money.
"Master Rei was like the moon."
"He was a man with white hair, red eyes, and skin as white as snow."
"He was always smiling and kind, but only about medicine was he strict."
Whenever talking about Master Rei, Father always looked happy but also made a somewhat lonely expression.
"……Kanae, Shinobu. Can you write 'demon' in kanji?"
Surely it was around the time I had just started learning kanji.
In front of Father, who suddenly asked like that, my older sister wrote it smoothly, and I hesitated for a moment before writing the character. Then Father shook his head with a smile.
"Demons that don't eat humans don't have horns."
Saying that, he covered the protruding horn part of the 'demon' character that my older sister and I had written with his hand.
"Master Rei was a demon. A demon without horns, who didn't eat people."
Father's whispering voice was serious. There was no hint of the creepy feeling like when telling scary stories on summer nights.
Then it's the truth. Master Rei, whom Father respected endlessly, was truly a demon.
"……Are there demons that eat people?"
Whether it was me or my older sister who asked that, my memory is faint now.
But I clearly remember that Father nodded. And the words that followed, and that sad face.
"……Master Rei was misunderstood as such a cannibalistic demon. People who didn't view demons well set fire to his house──"
Father never said more than that. But neither my older sister nor I were fools, so we could guess what Master Rei's end must have been like.
My older sister, with a face more pitiful than Father's, quietly placed her hand on Father's knee. When I followed suit, Father stroked our sisters' heads. Gently, as if combing our hair.
"Actually, you know. Dad still hasn't found the repayment Master Rei mentioned. I promised to repay for sure."
That day, we were in the mountains.
My older sister had musical instrument practice, and bored with nothing to do, I stubbornly insisted and forced myself to follow Father's mountain climbing.
Even amidst busy work, Father would occasionally visit nearby mountains like this. I thought he was going to gather medicinal herbs, but it seems the real purpose was elsewhere.
"Dad, what are you looking for?"
"A flower."
"What kind of flower?"
"A blue flower, I think."
Even if found now, there's no place to repay, yet Father still searched for the flower.
Father was not only kind but also sincere and stubborn, so even if the other party was no longer in this world, he didn't use it as a reason to break a promise.
Wanting to give strength to Father, who slumped his shoulders having failed to keep the promise with Master Rei, I went into the mountains whenever I had free days without classes.
Even though scolded to stop because it's dangerous for a girl to go alone, I secretly slipped out of the house avoiding family eyes. After such incidents repeated several times, my parents finally gave up and reluctantly allowed my stubbornness.
My older sister's kindness resembled Father, but my stubbornness resembled Mother. They must have realized it's useless no matter what they say.
Forget-me-not. Iris. Forget-me-not.
Bellflower. Aster. Clove pink.
How about this. How about this.
Like that, I successively gathered flowers I thought were blue and showed them to Father. But all those carefully dug up with roots were not the flower Father was looking for.
As disappointment repeated, Father comforted me, saying, "It's a rare flower, so it can't be helped," but I didn't give up.
Ending with failure was not allowed by my young pride. By this point, stubbornness arose.
Countless times climbing mountains, over long years searching every nook and cranny—from the foothills to the summit.
Repeated that task. Over and over, and over, and over. Without getting bored, circling the same mountain again and again.
Then one day, finally──
"Shinobu?"
At the sound of my name being called from behind, I snapped to attention.
"What is it, older sister. You surprised me by calling suddenly."
To me, who pouted my lips half in panic because I almost dropped what I was holding, my older sister smiled softly and sat beside me.
"You were spacing out, so I wondered if you'd packed everything."
"……Not yet."
"You really, tomorrow morning you have to go to your mentor… Oh my."
My older sister, who turned her gaze to my hands, suddenly closed her mouth.
She realized why I hadn't finished packing.
When we decided to become demon hunters together, we sorted all the household items.
Actually, there wasn't much luggage to take time packing. But this alone, this promise of Father's, I simply couldn't leave behind. Even though there's no one to give it to, I just brought it with memories.
"Older sister. You should keep this. You're better at flower arranging, aren't you?"
"But this isn't a flower for decoration."
"But if I take care of it, I might ruin it. I might not be able to do it like Father."
"That's not true."
To me, who bowed my head in anxiety, my older sister approached kindly.
"It's okay. Plants and flowers, Shinobu takes good care of them."
"……Really? Truly?"
My older sister's hand gently enveloped my hand holding the pot.
The flower inside was already wilted. Now it just waits to dry up.
"Yes, truly. Don't worry. It will bloom beautifully next year too."
"………Okay."
At my older sister's smiling words, I finally nodded after a long time.
The blue flower that seemed to have dropped its head, wilted in the pot, resembled my clumsy nod.
>> An interlude featuring only original characters.
*
For Kuze Tamaki, the Flame Hashira of this generation, Urokodaki Rei was like a second father.
Of course, Rei himself probably doesn't remember Tamaki. At that time, there were many female members who cried upon receiving the shameless uniform, so surely to him, Tamaki was just one of them.
But that was okay. From the back of Urokodaki Rei, who fiercely scolded the sewing staff on behalf of Tamaki swallowing tears and unable to help crying, Tamaki saw her deceased father and began secretly calling him 'Father' from then on. It was thoroughly Tamaki's self-satisfaction.
Tamaki respected, trusted, and admired that Moon Breathing swordsman.
So now, over twenty years later, seeing a boy using the same Moon Breathing entangled in malicious rumors, she felt heartache——.
"But isn't it a bit much to charge at the Sound Hashira like that, both of you?"
"Tsuyuri was the one to speak first. I'm innocent."
"Hey you bastard, betraying me?"
Two middle-aged men sitting formally at Tamaki's feet.
The one with a prosthetic leg was Tsuyuri Sousuke, and the man with feminine speech was Uraga Ichirota. They were once swordsmen who were Tamaki's comrades and likewise respected Urokodaki Rei.
What happened is unclear, but the two, misunderstanding the source of the malicious rumors surrounding the Moon Hashira as the Sound Hashira, attacked the Sound Hashira estate.
After leaving immense psychological trauma on the Sound Hashira, just over twenty, they were caught by Tamaki who heard the news and taken to the Flame Hashira estate.
"No matter what, if a member and Hashira cause such a foolish commotion, Lord Kagaya will lament. Really."
"I'm not a Hashira anymore~"
"I quit being a member twenty years ago~"
"You two, usually act like sworn enemies, why do you become accomplices only at times like this? Grown adults acting like delinquents."
"It's fine. Master Rei said to keep the heart always like a boy."
"Huh? Don't make me laugh. I never heard such a thing? Bragging? Are you bragging, you bastard?"
These two were always like this since their member days. Tamaki furrowed her brow as if having a headache.
But well, the Sound Hashira, who almost had his lips stolen by a middle-aged man despite having no female experience yet, was truly pitiful, but in a sense, this commotion should be thankful for since the Moon Hashira seems to have become closer. Like the ground hardening after rain.
"I hope criticism of the Moon Hashira subsides a bit with this."
"Sorry for causing trouble. If anything happens, I'll ask."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
To Sousuke bowing his head, Tamaki said proudly, tapping her chest.
"Thanks, Tamaki. That kid is excellent, but sometimes too carefree, so it's worrying."
How long has it been since I saw Sousuke making such a face while smiling.
After losing one leg and retiring as a member, upon hearing the news of Urokodaki Rei's expulsion, he was like a dead man, but hasn't he regained quite some vitality now.
"By the way, the Moon Hashira, Kōgetsu-chan? That kid is really nice~ The atmosphere somehow resembles Master Rei."
Beside Sousuke, who nodded with a relaxed expression saying 'that's right,' Ichirota placed his hand on his flushed cheek and uttered very seriously.
"If I had borne Master Rei's child, it would surely have been a kid like that."
"Don't say such horrifying things, you okama bastard."
"Who are you calling okama, you hag Hashira!"
"I'm the Flame Hashira, you okama Hashira!"
"Yeah yeah, let's call both of you fool Hashira together."
""We'll blow you away, Tsuyuri!""
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