Steam drifted softly through the air, curling like pale ribbons above the surface of the hot spring. Erika sank deeper into the warm water, letting the heat soak into her tired limbs. Even so, her mind refused to settle, thoughts tangled and knotted, refusing to quiet down.
Nearby, Mitsuri floated on her back, her pink-and-green hair drifting like flower petals spreading across the water. Smol Nezuko paddled in circles, happily splashing around like a tiny otter.
Erika cleared her throat. She needed a distraction.
"Hey… Mitsuri-san, can I ask you something?" she said suddenly.
Mitsuri turned toward her, eyes sparkling. "Hm? What is it, Erika-chan?"
Erika hesitated for a moment, then asked, "…Why did you join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Mitsuri blinked. "Eh? That's sudden."
"I was just curious," Erika said softly. "You're really strong… but also really kind. I wondered what made you choose such a dangerous life."
Mitsuri placed her hands on her cheeks, shaking her head as if embarrassed.
"You want to know? This is embarrassing… oh dear, what should I do? Well… It's to find the gentleman with whom I'll be spending eternity."
"Huh?" Erika stared, genuinely surprised.
Mitsuri nodded earnestly. "I mean, any girl would prefer someone stronger than herself, right? Because we want to be protected. You know what I mean?"
Erika tilted her head. "No, I mean, that's the reason you joined the Demon Slayer Corps? And even became a Hashira?"
"See, Hashira are powerful, right?" Mitsuri said, leaning forward. "But it's not like you can just meet one normally. So I knew I'd have to become a Hashira myself. I worked really, really hard to become one!"
Erika blinked. "Wait… why do you even want to marry someone stronger than you?"
Mitsuri looked upward as if digging through old memories. Then, with a small sigh, she said, "You see… I'm different from normal girls, right? I'm strong, I eat a lot, and I have pink hair. Because of that, no one wanted to marry me. All the men I met rejected me."
"Really?" Erika asked in disbelief. Who wouldn't want to marry Mitsuri?
"Yes," Mitsuri said with a small, sad smile. "Most men want a 'normal' girl as a wife. And I'm not normal at all. So… I joined the Demon Slayer Corps to find someone strong, someone who could accept me for who I am."
Erika fell silent.
She understood that feeling of being different, being afraid of rejection. The fear of being unwanted simply for who you were.
Mitsuri sank lower into the water, her smile soft but hopeful. "But! Things are better now. I have friends, comrades… and maybe one day, someone will love everything about me."
Mitsuri suddenly beamed, her smile bright enough to outshine the steam.
Then she leaned closer to Erika and said with complete sincerity,
"Erika-chan is really, really lucky, right?"
"Eh? Lucky?" Erika blinked, confused.
"Of course!" Mitsuri declared, practically glowing. "You already have someone like Akira-kun with you! Who loves you for who you are!"
Erika froze.
Then her entire face went bright scarlet.
She said in panic, "W–We're not like that!! N-Not yet…I mean, not at all!! Why would you assume that!?"
"EHHHH!?" Mitsuri shot upright in the water, splashing everywhere as she rushed over. She grabbed Erika's shoulders, eyes wide.
"What do you MEAN you're not like that!? There is no way that's true with how close you two are!"
"What do you MEAN you're not like that!? There is no way that's true with how close you two are!"
"T-That's… that's different!" Erika squeaked, voice cracking. "We're just close because we grew up together!"
"No childhood friends act that close if they're just friends," Mitsuri insisted with total seriousness. "Everyone already thinks you two are married or something!"
"W-WHATTTT?!" Erika nearly jumped out of the spring. "No way! T-That's what everyone thinks of us!?"
Mitsuri nodded rapidly. "Yeah! You always stay in a single room, even when there are plenty of empty ones. You're always together. And there are rumors saying people have seen you hugging or something! And the way you interact is like a newlywed couple!"
Erika's mind overheated on the spot.
"T-That's not true! I-I don't think newlyweds look like that…!"
"Rumors? Hugging? Newlyweds?! The hell?" She had never even considered how other people saw them. To her, staying in the same room was simply so she could drink his blood easily. Aoi had seen that once, so it probably looked like hugging from afar.
And they were always close, even as children.
Then they were separated for years.
Then reunited.
Of course, she didn't want to stay far from him now.
But hearing that everyone thought they were a couple made her head spin.
But she never thought others would assume that.
Mitsuri leaned closer, eyes warm.
"So… you do love him."
"Huh?" Erika stared blankly.
"You love him, right?"
Erika opened her mouth, then closed it again.
"I… I don't know," she admitted honestly.
Mitsuri tilted her head. "You don't know?"
"Yes…" Erika's voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't know what I feel about him."
Mitsuri tapped her lips thoughtfully, then gave a decisive nod.
"As the Love Hashira," she said proudly, "it's my job to help with things like this. So let me give you some advice, Erika-chan."
Erika looked up a bit tense.
Mitsuri leaned in with gentle eyes. "First… think about what Akira-kun means to you. Then ask yourself: Can you imagine a future without him? If you can't… your answer will come naturally."
Erika went silent.
She lowered her gaze into the shimmering water and began to think.
She thought about the day they first met.
How Akira had become her first friend.
The countless moments of their childhood, laughing, playing.
She remembered the werewolf attack.
How Akira had almost sacrificed himself to protect her.
How terrified she had been at the thought of losing him forever.
Then their painful separation…
The hollow loneliness she felt when he was gone.
And the overwhelming happiness she felt upon reuniting with him, not just relief, but something deeper.
Something warm.
Something she had never quite put words to.
Now, here in this world… every day she spent with him only intensified that warmth.
The more she thought, the clearer it became.
She could not imagine a future without him.
She didn't want to imagine one.
"…I can't think of a future without him," Erika whispered, voice trembling. "I… don't want to."
Mitsuri's eyes sparkled with joy as she leaned forward. "See? Those are your true feelings, Erika-chan."
But Erika's expression quickly twisted with worry.
"But… I don't know how he feels about me."
Mitsuri blinked. "Then why don't you just ask him?"
"It's not that simple," Erika said softly.
She knew very well that Akira's emotions were… different. Complicated.
He struggled to understand things like love.
She still didn't know if he could even feel it the way others did.
How could she ask something so heavy?
How could she potentially confuse or pressure him?
Seeing Erika's anxious expression, Mitsuri gently reached out and touched her hand.
"Erika-chan," she said softly. "Nothing will change if you're too scared to ask. If you already understand your own feelings… then eventually, you should make the first move."
Erika swallowed hard, heart pounding.
"…Alright," she whispered. "I'll ask him. When we return home… after we kill Muzan."
If Selena had been listening, she definitely would have screamed,
'Erika-chan, why the hell are you raising a death flag!?'
But Selena was currently busy bothering her brother in the men's bath, so no divine sisterly intervention came.
On the other side of the springs, in the men's bath, Akira rested with his arms spread along the rocky edge, steam drifting around him like mist. The warmth seeped into his muscles, easing every last bit of tension. Hot springs always made him relax, almost too much.
That was when his sister's voice echoed clearly through his mind.
"Dear brother, can I ask you something?"
"What is it, dear sister?" Akira replied without opening his eyes.
"You've been teasing Erika-chan a lot recently. Why is that?" Selena asked in a tone that was half-teasing and half curious.
Akira thought back. "Why? Is that bad?"
"No", Selena said. "Just… unusual. You never tease anyone like that. So I'm curious what caused this new development".
"I don't know either," Akira replied. "I just felt like doing it at the time. And it's fun to see her reactions. Was that bad?"
"Not bad," Selena sighed dramatically. "But you're flirting on relationship territory."
She paused, then asked again. "…How do you actually feel about her, brother?"
"I don't know," Akira admitted honestly.
"I like being near her. I enjoy spending time with her. But I'm not sure if that's love."
"What do you mean?" Selena asked gently.
Akira said seriously. "Isn't love supposed to make your heart flutter or something? I don't feel that".
Selena snorted. "Of course you don't". Her voice turned jokingly dry. "You don't have a heart. How is something supposed to flutter when it doesn't exist?"
"…" Akira knew she had a point.
"You know, there's an easy way to find out how you feel about her," Selena said.
"Stellar Radiance?" Akira guessed.
"Exactly". Selena's voice warmed. "That power only works through emotions like love, warmth, happiness, affection… If you can finally use it, doesn't that mean you do have feelings for her?"
Akira leaned his head back against the stone.
"…Maybe later."
"Are you worried about the result?" Selena teased.
"Probably". Akira thought back.
Selena giggled. "Oh my~ The mighty Akira, actually scared of something. How rare".
"Is that bad?" he asked.
"No", she said firmly. "It's a welcome development. Any new emotion you show is good. You've been numb for so long… it's nice to see you changing".
Her voice softened. "Don't worry about proving anything. Just enjoy the time you spend with Erika-chan. That's what matters the most".
Akira thought for a moment… then nodded slightly. "…Sure. I'll do that".
Just as Akira let the warmth lull him back into peaceful silence, a voice suddenly pierced the steam.
"Akira-san! Akira-san!"
Akira opened his eyes lazily.
Tanjiro stood at the edge of the springs, leaning forward with worry clear on his face.
"Are you alright, Akira-san? You didn't respond when I called out to you."
Akira gave a small, relaxed smile.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just talking to my sister."
"Talking… to her?" Tanjiro blinked in confusion.
Akira nodded casually. "Yes. It's magic. No matter how far apart we are, we can communicate whenever we want."
"R-Really?" Tanjiro's eyes sparkled. "Magic is amazing…"
Akira shrugged lightly. "Yes. Magic can do a lot of things some might consider unnatural."
"Oh, right," Tanjiro said. "Akira-san, you said you fought a lot of creatures before. Can you tell me about them?"
Akira tilted his head, thinking.
"Sure. Where should I begin?… Well, maybe my first real fight."
Tanjiro sat down beside him immediately, listening with genuine interest.
"It happened when I was nine years old," Akira said calmly, as if recounting the weather.
"I fought creatures called werewolves."
"Werewolves?" Tanjiro echoed.
Akira nodded.
"Yes. Wolves taller than a human, standing on two legs."
Tanjiro leaned forward in surprise. "Are they powerful?"
"Very," Akira replied. "Not only are they incredibly strong, but they spread easily."
"Spread?" Tanjiro asked.
Akira nodded again. "Yes. One bite is enough to turn someone into one of them."
Tanjiro gasped. "R-Really!?"
"Yes," Akira said simply. "They're extremely dangerous."
And so he continued, calmly explaining werewolves, other monsters he had fought, and the strange creatures he encountered before his world. Tanjiro listened wide-eyed the entire time, asking questions here and there, fascinated by every detail.
By the time their conversation wrapped up and they stepped out of the springs, it was already a bit late.
Later, when they arrived at the dining area, Erika, Mitsuri, and smol Nezuko were already waiting for them. Erika looked a little awkward when Akira and Tanjiro joined them, though she tried to hide it behind a calm expression. Mitsuri, ever energetic, leaned forward curiously.
"So, what were you two talking about?" she asked.
Akira and Tanjiro walked over, still chatting enthusiastically.
"Akira-san was telling me about the monsters and creatures he fought before," Tanjiro explained. "They're amazing."
Mitsuri's eyes sparkled. "Really? I'm curious too!"
But then she suddenly puffed her cheeks.
"Buuut talking about battles right before bed is boring! How about something fun instead?"
She turned to Akira with an excited grin.
"Akira-kun, Erika-chan said you like stories! And that you know lots of interesting ones! Can you tell us something before we sleep?"
Akira nodded. "Sure. Have you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"
And so, Akira told them Star Wars, Episodes I to III.
It took a long time, but they were completely absorbed.
By the time they went to bed, it was already late.
Erika still looked a little awkward when she drank his blood that night, but Akira didn't ask why. He assumed it was because of his teasing earlier, and he was extremely tired.
And so, the next day arrived.
Akira was finally about to take on the challenge of learning swordsmithing… in a single day.