- Rengoku's Residence
In the backyard of the Rengoku residence, two boys were hanging upside down from a sturdy tree, their ankles tied securely with rope.
They were none other than Kyojuro Rengoku and Obanai Iguro.
Obanai had adopted a surprisingly relaxed posture despite his predicament. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes closed as he focused on controlling his breathing. The blood rushing toward his head was uncomfortable, but he could endure it.
Beside him, however, Kyojuro was taking a completely different approach.
His hands were pressed together against his chest in a praying position, his eyes squeezed shut as tears streamed down his face and fell toward the ground.
It was an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous position for an ordinary person to remain in for too long. However, a trained Demon Slayer could use precise breathing control to regulate their circulation and endure the strain for a considerable amount of time.
Normally, this could have been considered a form of endurance training.
But Kyojuro and Obanai had just spent seven days inside Mount Fujikasane.
Seven days of fighting demons.
Seven days of injuries, exhaustion, and barely any proper sleep.
For them, this wasn't training.
It was torture.
*Poke*
*Poke*
*Poke*
A wooden branch repeatedly poked their cheeks.
The culprit was none other than seven-year-old Senjuro.
The young boy stood beneath them, holding the branch with both hands while Kaburamaru was casually coiled around it. Every few seconds, Senjuro would poke one of his older brothers before switching to the other.
*Poke*
Kyojuro's eyebrow twitched.
"Senjuro..."
*Poke*
"Please stop"
Senjuro giggled.
Obanai opened one eye and glared down at him.
"Your brother is suffering, you know"
Senjuro tilted his head innocently.
"Really?"
*Poke*
Obanai's eye twitched.
"Yes"
*Poke*
"..."
There wasn't much either of them could do about it.
Not while the person responsible for their current predicament was sitting only a short distance away.
On the wooden engawa, leaning casually against one of the pillars, sat their big brother, Kagerou.
His expression was completely calm.
Almost too calm.
A kiseru rested between his fingers as he watched the two boys hanging from the tree with the cold, unwavering gaze of a hawk watching its prey.
Beside him sat their father, Shinjuro.
Shinjuro glanced toward his two sons.
Then toward Kagerou.
Then back toward Kyojuro and Obanai.
"...Kage," he finally said. "I think that's enough, don't you?"
Kyojuro and Obanai immediately looked toward him.
Hope appeared in their eyes.
Finally.
Someone was going to save them.
Their father was going to intervene.
But Kagerou slowly turned his head toward Shinjuro.
"Huh?" His expression was completely blank. "What did you just say?"
Shinjuro paused.
Kagerou leaned slightly closer.
"I couldn't hear you, Father. Say it again"
"..."
Shinjuro stared at his eldest son.
Then he looked at Kyojuro.
Then Obanai.
Then Senjuro.
Finally, he looked away.
"...Never mind"
Kyojuro's expression immediately collapsed.
Obanai's eyes slowly closed again.
Their last hope had been destroyed.
Senjuro, meanwhile, simply giggled and continued poking their cheeks with the branch.
*Poke*
*Poke*
Kyojuro's tears flowed even harder.
"Why..."
Obanai sighed.
"...We really should have stayed in the forest"
From the engawa, Kagerou took another slow drag from his kiseru.
"You two wanted to become Demon Slayers that badly, heh?" He exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "So congratulations." His eyes narrowed. "... Now endure it"
Kyojuro and Obanai looked at each other.
Neither dared to complain.
They both knew this was only the beginning.
All they could do was hope Kagerou would receive a mission soon, allowing them to escape their impending miserable fate.
Or perhaps their Nichirin Swords would be completed quickly.
Then they could finally-
Obanai's eyes suddenly opened.
He froze.
A thought had just occurred to him.
Slowly, he turned his head toward Kagerou.
"...N-Nii-san"
Kagerou glanced at him.
"What?" He took another drag from his kiseru. "Don't try to persuade me, Obanai. I'm disappointed in you two, you know that. Especially you. I never expected you, of all people, to actually agree with Kyojuro's ide-"
"Not that, Nii-san," Obanai interrupted.
Kagerou paused.
"...What?"
Obanai swallowed.
His expression slowly became one of horror.
"...Ore"
Kagerou blinked.
"Ore?"
Shinjuro's expression suddenly changed.
Kyojuro's eyes widened.
Both of them had realized it at the same time.
Obanai's voice trembled.
"We..." He looked toward Kyojuro. Kyojuro looked back at him. Then both slowly looked toward Kagerou. "...We still haven't picked our Nichirin ore yet?!"
*Rise*
Kagerou suddenly stood up.
His head lowered, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.
For several seconds, he said absolutely nothing.
Shinjuro slowly looked from Kagerou to his two sons.
His face gradually turned pale.
"Y-You..."
His voice began to tremble.
"You... You..."
Kyojuro and Obanai stared at him nervously.
"Don't tell me..."
Shinjuro's eyes widened in horror.
"DID YOU TWO ALSO FORGET TO PICK YOUR ORE?!"
Neither boy answered.
They didn't need to.
Their silence was answer enough.
Shinjuro's expression twisted in disbelief.
Once could be dismissed as ignorance.
Once could be forgiven as a simple mistake.
But twice?
His own sons had somehow managed to survive seven days of Final Selection and then completely forget to choose the ore that would become their Nichirin Swords.
"YOU IDIOTS!"
Shinjuro turned toward Kagerou.
But Kagerou was already walking away.
"...Where are you going, you punk?!"
Kagerou didn't stop.
He simply continued toward the entrance.
"I..." He paused for a moment. "...I forgot to give Kanae my goodbye kiss before leaving"
Shinjuro's eye twitched.
"So I'm going." Kagerou casually raised one hand. "Goodbye, Father. Don't mind me"
"You..."
Shinjuro stared at his retreating son in disbelief.
"You..."
His expression darkened.
Then his voice exploded across the residence.
"KAGEROU RENGOKU!!! YOU GET BACK HERE!!!"
Kagerou stepped through the entrance.
And immediately started running.
"KAGE!!!"
Shinjuro charged after him.
But Kagerou was already gone.
Meanwhile, Kyojuro and Obanai stared after them in utter disbelief.
Then reality finally hit.
"HEY!"
Kyojuro began desperately struggling against the ropes around his ankles.
"WAIT!"
He twisted his body, trying to reach the knot.
"THAT IS OUR ORE!"
He looked toward the entrance.
"LET US GO FIRST!!!"
Obanai also began struggling.
"Nii-san!"
But Kagerou was nowhere to be seen.
Kyojuro's voice echoed across the backyard.
"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US LIKE THIS!!!"
A few seconds passed.
There was no response.
Kyojuro's expression slowly collapsed.
"...He really left"
Obanai sighed.
"...He abandoned us"
Senjuro looked up at them.
Then he looked toward the entrance where Kagerou had disappeared.
He giggled.
And once again-
*Poke*
Kyojuro stared down at him.
"...Senjuro"
*Poke*
"Please"
*Poke*
"Have mercy"
Senjuro only laughed.
------
- Two years later.
Kanae...