"Yes, Brother, please take care…" Yoriichi looked at Michikatsu Tsugikuni and said. Behind him stood a woman with deep, obsidian-like eyes, holding an infant in her arms. She was looking at him with a gentle gaze.
Yoriichi had been waiting to resolve his brother's inner turmoil. His wife, Uta, had always been by his side, and even before he arrived here, she had been waiting with their child, all for the day they could reunite.
Yoriichi looked back, and Uta smiled at him.
"Goodbye, Brother. I hope we can meet again in the future."
After turning to bid farewell to Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Yoriichi turned and ran to Uta's side.
"Have you said what you needed to say?" Uta asked Yoriichi with a smile.
"Yes, let's go," Yoriichi nodded and replied.
Then, the three slowly walked towards the light.
"Husband."
"Yes."
"Do you think we'll still meet and know each other in our next life?"
"Definitely. Even if we reincarnate for a thousand, ten thousand lifetimes, I will find you in the crowd and come home with you, just like that year.
In my next life, I will be an ordinary person, work an ordinary job, and always stay by your side."
"Mhm…"
The young girl returned the tadpoles to their home, and on that day, she also found her own family.
Looking at the two happy figures ahead, Michikatsu Tsugikuni felt a pang of emotion.
He tried to recall his wife and child, but no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't remember their faces, or even their names.
He glanced around but found no other figures.
Not everyone can forgive your mistakes. That year, Michikatsu Tsugikuni abandoned his wife and child when almost all the accompanying samurai were wiped out. The power struggles within the family were something their mother and son could not bear. But even so, Michikatsu Tsugikuni's descendants still survived.
That's right… This was my own choice… Without seeing figures resembling his wife and child, Michikatsu Tsugikuni's heart felt relieved. It was his own choice back then, and this outcome was only natural.
Huh?
Suddenly, Michikatsu Tsugikuni felt something in his hand. He looked down to see a small flute lying quietly in his palm. The flute was now complete and slightly shiny, a result of being polished for a long time.
Looking at the flute in his hand, Michikatsu Tsugikuni was filled with emotion. Yoriichi's figure hadn't gone far yet. If he called out now, he could still give the flute to Yoriichi.
But he didn't. After gently fiddling with it, he tucked the flute into his embrace and then turned and walked calmly in the opposite direction from Yoriichi.
Before him lay endless flames…
Next time we meet, Brother will make you a new one… By then… I hope it will be me protecting you…
Michikatsu Tsugikuni stepped into the flames, one step at a time…
…
The newly discovered flute had turned to ash, and Musashi also turned to leave.
That flute must have been something important to it…
Although Musashi wasn't as gentle as Tanjirou, he would still do small favors when the situation called for it. The fact that the upper moon one kept that flute meant it might still have some lingering attachments from its human life. So, Musashi burned the flute, hoping it would have something to remember in hell.
The moon was about to set, but the sky was still quite dark. Walking along the road, Musashi planned to eat in town. To catch up with the Upper Moon from the previous intel, Musashi had barely rested these past two days. Although he had eaten two rice balls, it was still far from enough.
Coupled with the high-intensity battle last night, he felt like he was starving to death.
After walking for about half an hour, Musashi arrived at a town.
"This seems to be the territory of Yoshiwara…"
Taking out his map, Musashi realized he had indeed traveled quite far this time, even reaching Tengen's alert area.
Speaking of which, Tengen seemed to have the intention of retiring after his severe injuries last time, but after discovering that his injuries healed remarkably well, he stopped mentioning it. Moreover, because he also awakened his Demon Slayer Mark, Kochou Shinobu later examined him.
According to Kochou Shinobu, she had some ideas on how to eliminate the drawbacks of the Demon Slayer Mark, but it still needed to be gradually implemented.
Perhaps this collaboration with Tamayo would allow her to overcome this challenge, and then Musashi would feel better.
After all, according to what the Master said at the time, Kyojuro and the others developing Demon Slayer Mark was likely largely related to him. If Kyojuro were to die early at twenty-five because of it, Musashi estimated he would blame himself for the rest of his life.
Putting away the map, Musashi entered the town. The most important thing now was to fill his stomach.
Crow also understood what Musashi was going to do. After hesitating for a long time, it finally landed on Musashi's shoulder. A bird dies for food, after all; eating is the top priority.
Of course, this time it didn't squawk loudly.
Walking along the street, Musashi found that the breakfast stalls hadn't opened yet.
Sigh, it seems I'll have to wait a bit… Musashi thought to himself, regretting not bringing more rice balls; two were indeed not enough.
However, part of the reason was that Musashi hadn't anticipated such a high-intensity battle. After easily slaying Gyokko, he mistakenly believed that all Upper Moons were of similar strength, not expecting the upper moon one to be so much stronger than Gyokko. In fact, these two demons were completely on different levels.
Just as Musashi was sitting on a bench by the street, intending to wait for the morning market to open, the large gate of a house behind him, adorned with the wisteria family crest, opened.
A Grandma holding a broom came out and, seeing Musashi's attire, she hobbled towards him.
"Hello… Please come in and have something to eat." The Grandma patted Musashi's shoulder, speaking slowly and kindly.
Hearing the voice, Musashi turned his head. The Grandma was looking at him with a benevolent expression.
Musashi had noticed the Fujino House here when he arrived earlier, but he thought it was too early and feared disturbing them, so he hadn't knocked on the door.
Since joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he hadn't been to a Fujino House. After all, he hadn't even gotten a scratch, let alone a minor injury, so he didn't need to rest.
Originally, Musashi intended to refuse. After all, the breakfast vendors should be opening soon, and he didn't want to trouble anyone.
Although Musashi planned to refuse, Crow on his shoulder clearly didn't share the same thought. Upon hearing the Grandma's words, it nodded frantically.
"Grumble~" At this moment, Musashi's stomach rumbled.
"Alright, thank you for the trouble." The genuine need prevented Musashi from refusing. He smiled slightly, a little embarrassed, and accepted.