At the very center of the mansion, where the faint scent of rain and incense lingered, breathing stirred low beyond the white paper doors.
The Hashira meeting.
Five seats had been arranged on the circular tatami. The seat that should have remained empty was filled today.
The Flame Hashira sat with his arms crossed, his fiery gaze fixed straight ahead. The Wind Hashira tapped the floor in a steady rhythm with his heel. The Stone Hashira remained silent like a boulder, while the Mist Hashira traced the faces of the Flame Hashira and the Wind Hashira in turn with slender fingers.
And at the last seat, a young man in a neatly fastened blue haori knelt facing forward.
Haigara Katane.
The Corps leader, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, sat quietly as though he were a gentle breeze scattering the edges of his collar. As always, not even the slightest ripple touched his face. Yet his eyes never lost their warm light.
"Thank you for coming, Katane."
Kagaya's voice was like moonlight spreading across the surface of a cup of water.
"I know the road you took to get here."
Katane pressed his forehead silently to the floor. His heart gave a heavy thud. It almost felt as if the empty seat where his master should have been was swaying somewhere above the meeting room ceiling, soundlessly.
The Wind Hashira was the first to speak.
"Master, everyone here confirmed it with their own eyes. After Upper Rank One left, we found Kotaro's body collapsed beside the stone lantern."
His voice was sharp and torn, but grief could not be hidden within it.
"Kotaro never put his sword away until the very end. I still remember the current that shook the entire mountain that day."
He crossed his arms tighter.
"Because he threw away his life to stop Upper Rank One, none of us came back injured."
The Stone Hashira spoke slowly. His heavy voice, like a boulder, reverberated across the floor of the meeting room.
"I saw it with my own eyes. Kotaro's sword was broken, but his gaze was not. Even after Upper Rank One's blade pierced his chest, he seemed to be trying to pass something on to his disciple until the very last moment."
The Mist Hashira lowered his head and said quietly, "At that time, I saw a small trace among the rubble. The path of water left by a palm. It was probably the final lesson he wanted to leave behind for his disciple. The one who received it most closely is standing here now."
The air in the meeting room sank heavily. That weight was a mixture of mourning, anger, and a strange anticipation.
Kagaya turned his gaze to Katane.
"You heard them, Katane. Your master never broke in the end. It would be the kindest thing to think that he left behind the road you must walk."
Katane lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, but they did not waver.
"Yes, Master. I... respect my master's choice. Inheriting his spirit, I will definitely cut down Upper Rank One."
The Wind Hashira said in a low voice, "Easy to say. But Upper Rank One is a wall even your master could not overcome. He's a monster the owner of the Demon Slayer Corps and the rest of us might not be able to beat even if we all attacked together. No matter how much you've grown into a Water Hashira now, do you really think training alone can break that wall?"
Katane's gaze did not shake.
"That's why I threw myself into Sagiri Mountain. Every day, among the mist and rubble, I keep reweaving Water Breathing anew. I will carry on where my master's sword could not reach."
The Flame Hashira gritted his teeth and muttered, "...That stubbornness does remind me a lot of Kotaro."
The Stone Hashira gave a short nod.
"Indeed. But... that path will surely be arduous and harsh. Katane, you're the same rank as us now, but you know well that you lack talent as a swordsman."
At the Stone Hashira's indifferent words, Katane slowly nodded. His face was calm, but he also looked frustrated.
"I know, Arakane Mokuro-san."
The Mist Hashira smiled faintly.
"Above all, he's still young. A stream that never breaks will flow farther."
Kagaya quietly raised a hand and brought the meeting to a close.
"Very well. I recognize Haigara Katane as the new Water Hashira. Now that the five pillars have gathered again, the resolve of the Demon Slayer Corps will continue even more deeply."
His voice was as gentle as ever, but it rang like lightning in the hearts of everyone seated on the tatami.
Katane once again pressed his forehead deeply to the floor.
Master. You are watching over the path I walk today as well, aren't you?
At that moment, a presence like falling rain brushed briefly from beyond the meeting room.
It felt like the echo of the last current Kotaro had left behind.
§§§
After the Hashira meeting ended, the Hashira dispersed in silence, each like their own breathing.
The corridor of the mansion, where the scent of the rain-soaked garden seeped in coolly, was as quiet as a deep fog.
Only two people remained alone on the tatami.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and Haigara Katane.
Kagaya dimmed even the lantern light and looked at Katane from within the darkness. His face was as pale as a wound, but his eyes spread warmth.
"Katane."
His voice was as still as raindrops brushing against a paper window.
"Today, you carried on your master's absence. But... I know how heavy that burden is."
Katane bowed deeply.
"Master... I am still lacking. Even if I inherited my master's sword, I am still far from reaching his depth. At times, it is so heavy I can barely breathe properly."
Silence fell for a moment.
Beyond the paper window, the wind stirred, and the dying lantern stretched a faint shadow.
Kagaya wore a calm smile on his lips.
"That is why you exist. If it were not heavy, it would never be the master's path. To protect people is always to endure pain."
Katane's eyes trembled.
But soon he clenched both fists and, as if steadying his breath, said, "I will definitely cut down Upper Rank One. The blood my master shed before the stone lantern that day――I heard about it through Danzo. His figure..."
Kagaya slowly nodded.
"Revenge alone will not sustain you in the end."
The words were gentle, yet they dug deeper into his chest than any blade.
Katane's lips pressed tightly together.
Kagaya soon lifted a hand and rested it on his shoulder.
"What you must protect is not your master's death. It is the life he held onto until the end. The tomorrow in which humans can live—that is where your sword should be aimed."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Katane could not lift his head, his fingers trembling on his knees. In his vision, the blood-red night and the news that his master had fallen remained etched there.
But Kagaya's hand settled warmly over him like the wind.
"...Katane."
"Yes, Master."
"You are a Water Hashira now. Your sword must be more than simple resentment; it must be a bridge that connects people. That was likely the path your master wished for most in the end."
Katane let out a long breath. Then he raised his head and looked straight at Kagaya.
His eyes were still red, but a new light was rising within them.
"I understand. I will not swing my sword for revenge alone. For the sake of humans, and for the path my master wished for... I will definitely become stronger."
Kagaya smiled slowly.
"Good. This answer you gave me today will one day save countless lives. I believe that."
A breeze passed through the mansion garden.
The scent of rain still lingered, but for the first time, a little warmth rose in Katane's chest.
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