The next afternoon, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Ubuyashiki family, and Tanjirou and others gathered at the headquarters' entrance; it was time to part ways.
"What are everyone's plans for the future?"
Musashi felt a slight sense of confusion and reluctance in his heart as he asked the others.
Obanai, holding Mitsuri's hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, replied to Musashi, "Mitsuri and I plan to return to her hometown and open a small eatery.
If her family agrees, we should be getting married very soon."
Obanai had already started calling Mitsuri by her first name; his heart was filled with happiness, and he was deeply grateful for Musashi's guidance yesterday.
Mitsuri, standing beside him, blushed even more upon hearing his words, lowering her head and not daring to speak.
An eatery… that really suits Kanroji-senpai.
But with her there, would Mr. Iguro's snacks be good enough to sell…?
Musashi felt a little worried after hearing Obanai's reply, but he didn't voice it, instead smiling and congratulating the two: "Then congratulations to Kanroji-senpai and Mr. Iguro in advance."
He then turned to Kyojuro and asked, "What about you, Sensei?"
"I don't have any ideas for now!"
"But now that I have free time, I can properly teach Senjuro!" Kyojuro thought for a moment and said.
What he most looked forward to now was telling Shinjuro the news of the Demon Slayer Corps' victory, to see if it could help him recover.
Among the others, Tengen said he and his three wives would find a quiet place to live a normal life; Muichiro planned to follow Kagaya's advice and return to the place he was before joining the Demon Slayer Corps to search for his memories; Sanemi and Genya were going back to their hometowns to live ordinary lives; and Gyoumei planned to meet Sadayo.
However, Giyuu and Kochou Shinobu's ideas somewhat surprised Musashi.
"I want to become a teacher."
Giyuu said with an expressionless face.
Everyone was startled by his words.
Being a teacher is a profession that is easily liked but also easily disliked, and it requires relatively high communication skills, which doesn't quite fit with the reticent Giyuu.
"Uh… Mr. Tomioka, may I ask why you want to be a teacher?"
Musashi asked Giyuu.
He could already imagine some scenarios of Giyuu as a teacher.
"No reason."
Giyuu said indifferently.
Actually, he had this idea because he had previously seen a teacher surrounded by a group of children and felt a bit envious, which sparked the thought.
Musashi stopped pressing after hearing Giyuu's reply.
Then, Kochou Shinobu smiled and said, "I'll go with Mr. Tomioka."
Musashi was surprised again when he heard Kochou Shinobu's words.
Gyoumei, beside him, nodded as if he had already known, and Kanao also seemed to have expected it, showing no surprise, only a hint of reluctance in her expression.
As if sensing the others' confusion, Kochou Shinobu continued, "After all, Mr. Tomioka seems very unreliable.
If no one watches him, he might end up wearing ragged clothes, being disliked, alone, starving, and even picking up trash to eat in just a few days."
Σ(ﾟдﾟlll)
Giyuu, standing nearby, felt a critical hit of ten thousand points upon hearing Kochou Shinobu's words, especially when she said he would be disliked and alone.
Originally, he was quite happy when Kochou Shinobu said she would go with him, as Kochou Shinobu was one of the few people in the entire Demon Slayer Corps who was willing to talk to him.
But the subsequent remarks she made were something Giyuu strongly disagreed with.
"It's impossible for me to be disliked…"
Giyuu stated with some emotion.
Upon hearing his words, the others were already too lazy to retort.
"Alright~ alright~ I know," Kochou Shinobu echoed to Giyuu, as if coaxing a child.
Giyuu closed his mouth and stopped speaking.
"Nezuko and I plan to go home."
Then Tanjirou said with a smile.
"I want to go too!"
Inosuke raised his hand and shouted loudly after hearing Tanjirou's words.
"Okay."
Tanjirou happily agreed.
Zenitsu, who had always been clinging to Tanjirou and Nezuko, said nothing at this moment.
Although he also wanted to go, what he most wanted to do now was return to Peach Mountain to take care of Kuwajima Jigorō.
"Musashi, do you want to come along?"
Tanjirou smiled and asked Musashi.
He, Zenitsu, and Musashi basically knew each other's experiences.
Tanjirou understood that Zenitsu should return to Peach Mountain, so he didn't ask him, but he did tell Zenitsu the location of his home.
Musashi paused upon hearing this, and after a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"I… I want to go back and be with my mother…"
Musashi replied with a smile.
Upon hearing his words, Kyojuro, who had originally wanted to invite Musashi to his home, said nothing more.
"Goodbye, children…"
Before parting, Kagaya and his family stood at the headquarters' entrance, smiling and bidding everyone farewell.
Under the midday sun, everyone exchanged smiles, then bid each other farewell and departed…
…
A few days later, outside the Entertainment District.
"I don't even know who my parents or family are, so where should I go?"
Otsu stood opposite Musashi, speaking with a forlorn expression.
"Then come home with me."
…
Over four hundred years ago, standing by the rice paddies, Yoriichi, who had just left home, said to the girl with obsidian-like eyes, "Then I'll go home with you."
…
Ultimately, Muichiro recalled that infinity, Kyojuro heard long-awaited concern from Shinjuro, Gyoumei and Sadayo both resolved their inner conflicts, Sanemi's gentle smile reappeared, Tengen and his wives settled into a peaceful life, Iguro and Mitsuri leaned on each other, Giyuu and Kochou Shinobu were companions, and Musashi also returned with Otsu to that initially empty village…
When they stood before Temples, mansions, villages, and small houses, all of them, with tears in their eyes, uttered, "I'm home…"
…
Over a hundred years later,
The deeds of demons and the Demon Slayer Corps were almost unknown.
Now, the only one who clearly knew these things was the last demon on earth who had been transformed from a human…
Inside a house in a remote town.
The walls here were covered with exquisite paintings, each meticulously framed, and the protagonist in all the paintings was the same: a woman who looked extremely gentle and beautiful.
A man was currently holding a small cat, gazing intently at the paintings on the wall.
This man was a very famous painter named Yushiro.
At that moment, the door of the house was pushed open, and a girl walked in.
Her appearance was almost identical to the woman in the paintings on the wall.
The sound of the door opening brought Yushiro back to his senses, but he didn't turn around.
Instead, he said coldly, "The paintings here are not for sale, and I will not paint for anyone else."
"Sorry to disturb you, I just heard from a friend that the paintings here resemble me, so I came to take a look."
The woman explained softly, looking up at the paintings on the wall, feeling as if she was looking in a mirror.
Upon hearing the voice, Yushiro froze.
He turned around, and the figure that had appeared many times in his dreams now stood truly before him.
"Meow~"
Chachamaru, in his arms, jumped down and walked to the woman's feet, rubbing against her leg, acting as if he had met a long-lost owner.
"Tamayo…-sama…"
…
The next day, Yushiro, holding Chachamaru, bathed in the sunlight; the last two human-transforming medicines had been consumed.
At the same time, the existence of demons completely vanished from the world…
— End of Book —