With the Master's illness gone, the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters was once again filled with a joyful atmosphere, even more so than before. Everyone held a banquet, celebrating for a day on the eve of their departure. Even Giyuu attended the banquet under the Master's command.
The Hashiras at the banquet and Musashi were similar to the gathering after the first Hashira Meeting. Kyojuro kept shouting "Five ants, five ants!", Sanemi quietly took a plate of hagi-mochi and ate it silently in front of him, Tengen Uzui only picked the most flamboyant-looking food, the Mist Hashira would stop after two bites to ponder if he had actually eaten anything, Gyomei Himejima would shed tears even while eating, and Mitsuri was still eating very happily. This time, however, Obanai was the first to grab the seat next to Mitsuri, while the seat on Mitsuri's other side was taken by Kochou Shinobu.
Moreover, Tanjirou and the others also joined the dinner this time. After hearing Musashi's words yesterday, Zenitsu kept putting food onto Tanjirou and Nezuko's plates.
Everyone looked joyful, but they also understood that after today, they might be parting ways forever. The Demon Slayer Corps was the bond that brought them together from all corners of the world. Now that the Demon Slayer Corps was disbanded, it would be difficult for some of them to meet again.
The banquet ended, and everyone gathered together, playing until dusk before returning to rest.
And after Musashi returned to his residence, Obanai came looking for him.
"Is there something Mr. Iguro needs from me?"
Musashi looked at Obanai in front of him and asked.
"Nothing, we should be parting ways tomorrow. I just wanted to say goodbye in advance."
Obanai replied.
The Master's previous words to him had moved him. Having a strong liking for Mitsuri in his heart, he wanted to overcome his self-consciousness about his own bloodline and express his feelings to Mitsuri before they parted.
But thinking of his face beneath the bandages, he ultimately couldn't take that step.
He would be parting with Mitsuri tomorrow, and feeling distressed about it, he decided to go out for a walk. Unknowingly, he ended up at Musashi's place. Remembering some of Musashi's previous actions, Obanai guessed that he had probably noticed his feelings for Mitsuri, so he wanted to ask for his opinion.
Hearing this, Musashi invited Obanai into the house, and the two sat down.
"Time passes so quickly. It's been almost a year since our last meal together, hasn't it? I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, we would be parting ways."
Musashi said with some emotion, then he suddenly remembered something and asked Obanai, "Oh, by the way, Mr. Iguro, you must have already confessed your feelings to Senior Kanroji, right? After all, we'll be parting ways tomorrow. If you don't say it now, there won't be another chance."
From the first Hashira Meeting, Musashi had noticed that Obanai seemed to like Mitsuri, and Obanai's subsequent actions further confirmed this.
Obanai was silent for a while upon hearing this.
Musashi, who had originally been quite at ease about this, also fell silent when he saw him. He felt a bit confused, thinking that Obanai didn't seem like such a shy person.
"I haven't..."
Obanai replied, seemingly in low spirits.
Before Musashi could ask why, Obanai tore off the bandages wrapped around his face, revealing a wound stretching from the corner of his mouth to his ear to Musashi's eyes.
Seeing this wound, Musashi seemed to understand why Obanai hadn't confessed his feelings to Mitsuri.
Just as he was about to comfort Obanai, the other man spoke.
"I am a descendant of a shameless clan that murdered others for their own gain...
They built houses with stolen money, lived in luxury, and engaged in unnecessary extravagance... A greedy, depraved clan with no sense of shame whatsoever...
It is said that it was a family that always gave birth to girls, and had not had a boy for three hundred and seventy years.
From the moment I was born, I was confined to a cell.
My mother, aunts, and sisters, all spoke with increasingly sweet voices and put on increasingly sickening expressions, bringing various lavish meals to my cell every day.
That cell didn't even have a window, and the whole room reeked of grease, making me lose my appetite and just feel nauseous.
At night, I could hear something large crawling on the floor, and I even felt a slimy gaze in the darkness.
I was so terrified that I was covered in cold sweat, unable to close my eyes until that gaze disappeared...
It wasn't until I turned twelve that I was pulled out of the cell for the first time.
Then I was taken to a luxurious and bright room, and sitting like a deity on an altar... was a female demon with a lower body resembling a giant snake.
I immediately realized that the one who had been secretly watching me at night... must have been this monster...
At the same time, I later understood that for three hundred years, our clan had lived off the money this snake demon stole after killing other people. In exchange, they would offer their children as live sacrifices to this female demon, who loved to eat babies the most.
Because I was a rare boy in the clan and had eyes different from ordinary people, this female demon was very interested in me and planned to raise me for a while before killing and devouring me.
After deciding to let me live a little longer, the female demon said she wanted me to have the same appearance as her, so she ordered the clan members to cut open my mouth with a knife...
And after it was done, she drank a cup filled with my blood in one gulp...
Thrown back into the cell, my mind was filled with thoughts of escape and survival... So I started digging at the wooden bars of the door with a stolen hairpin...
From that day on, the fear of "will I be discovered?" tormented me constantly...
Only a small snake, Droplet, that had wandered into my cell was the only creature I could trust.
Day after day of effort, I finally escaped from the cell.
When the snake demon caught up to me, I thought I was dead.
However, the Flame Pillar at the time arrived just in time and saved me.
The Flame Pillar took me to find my cousin, the only survivor of the entire clan, but she spoke harshly to me, blaming the deaths of over fifty clan members on me for not being a good sacrifice and choosing to escape...
My cousin's accusations had no rationality whatsoever, but even so, they still deeply wounded my heart.
I wasn't completely oblivious to what might happen to my clan after my escape... However, I wanted to live, so I still ran away...
As a descendant of a clan of scumbags... I am also a scumbag...
Obanai said this, then looked up at Musashi, giving a bitter smile.
"Musashi, do you think someone like me is worthy of standing by Kanroji's side...?"
Musashi listened to Obanai's experience and understood the origin of the wound on his mouth, as well as the Master's words of advice to him. Originally, he thought the other person was simply self-conscious about this wound and dared not confess his feelings to Mitsuri, but now it seemed the matter was much more complicated than that.
However, Musashi disagreed with some of Obanai's words.
"Mr. Iguro, I think what the Master said to you at the time was absolutely correct, and your eventual escape was completely fine.
You can think about it from another perspective: your escape indeed caused over fifty people in your clan to be eaten by the snake demon, but shouldn't they have died?
Colluding with demons to harm humans, their hearts were even more malicious than demons. You yourself said it was a wicked clan. Their deaths at the hands of the snake demon clearly count as eliminating a menace to humanity, don't they?
Those who colluded with that snake demon ultimately died by the snake demon; that was their best outcome.
Your action can even be said to have indirectly saved those humans who were about to be harmed by this clan.
And there's even less need to feel pain and confusion because you carry the bloodline of this clan. Just as the Master said, you are also a victim. There's no need to take responsibility for what they did, and certainly no need to let it affect your own life.
Moreover, you have slain so many demons, protected countless humans, and even helped eradicate Muzan. Even if you did carry some slight sin from that family, it has long since been atoned for."
Musashi felt great sympathy for Obanai's experience, and at the same time, he expressed his own views to him.
After listening to Musashi's words, Obanai felt a sudden enlightenment. He had always had zero tolerance for those who colluded with demons, believing they all had to be eliminated along with the demons. Yet, he himself had fallen into confusion because he had caused the deaths of such people. Today, Musashi's words made him instantly turn this corner, and he immediately felt much lighter, but he still had another layer of concern in his heart.
"But I look like this now, I'm too mismatched with Kanroji..."
Obanai said, recalling Kanroji's bright and beautiful smiling face in his mind, and thinking of the scars on his own face, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Musashi really hadn't expected Obanai to be so hesitant. He had always thought this guy would be very decisive in everything he did.
Musashi said to Obanai with some exasperation, "Then let me ask you a few questions. First, do you wish for Senior Kanroji to live out her life alone? As far as I know, she joined the Demon Slayer Corps precisely to find a partner."
Musashi had heard about Mitsuri joining the Demon Slayer Corps from Kyojuro, and he had been quite shocked when he first learned about it.
"Of course not, I want her to be happy and joyful forever," Obanai immediately replied upon hearing this.
"Then let me ask you again, can you tolerate Senior Kanroji being married off to another man?" Musashi continued to ask.
"Who! Who wants to marry Kanroji?!"
Upon hearing Musashi's words, Obanai suddenly stood up, his entire body radiating anger. His hand was even already on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword; if Musashi had uttered a name at that moment, he would probably have gone straight to confront the person.
"Nobody! I was just posing a hypothetical situation and asking if you could tolerate it!
But now it seems the answer is quite obvious..."
Musashi said, rubbing his forehead with some helplessness.
"Oh, it was fake then."
Only then did Obanai's anger dissipate, and he sat back down.
"Since you neither want Senior Kanroji to live out her life alone nor can you tolerate anyone else marrying Senior Kanroji, isn't there only one path left for you? With that being the case, what is there for you to hesitate about?"
Musashi continued to say to Obanai.
Obanai thought about it after hearing Musashi's words and realized it was indeed true. He sat there in silence for a while, then stood up and bowed to Musashi.
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Musashi."
Obanai thanked Musashi, then walked out with determination.
I wish you success, Mr. Iguro.
Musashi looked at Obanai's retreating back and silently wished him well.
...
As night fell, the stars shone brightly in the sky, and the moon was also very bright. Beneath the night sky, two figures stood bathed in starlight and moonlight.
"...Your almost infinite cheerfulness and kindness have, imperceptibly, brought me salvation...
Miss Kanroji, will you marry me?"
Obanai revealed his true face to Mitsuri, pouring out all his feelings to her.
Mitsuri covered her mouth in disbelief upon hearing his words, and tears of excitement streamed from the corners of her eyes.
Having been rejected countless times in arranged marriages due to her enormous appetite and strange hair color, she never expected that someone, after knowing her true self, would still be willing to marry her, and it was even someone she liked very much. Everything now felt like a dream to her.
"Yes! I will!"
Mitsuri nodded at Obanai, tears still in her eyes, smiling.
Under the moonlight, the two figures embraced...