When the sun finally rose completely, Yoriichi arrived at the location he had sensed. There, he found Hiru sitting amid the ruins, head lowered.
Seeing the purple crystals scattered all around, Yoriichi frowned slightly. "Was it the Twelve Kizuki? I'm sorry I didn't make it in time."
"Ah, it's not your fault, brother." Hiru exhaled, lifting his head to face Yoriichi, who was walking toward him against the light. "I was just too weak."
"Who was it?" Yoriichi walked over and pulled Hiru up. "Even at your worst, you're still the Demon King. It shouldn't have gotten this bad…"
"It was Kokushibo." Using the support to stand, Hiru stretched his limbs as he pushed each dislocated bone back into place. "I didn't expect him to still have human emotions. He abandoned everything so decisively back then. Tch—"
Yoriichi paused, then instinctively reached for the wooden flute inside his robes. "My elder brother…"
"That bastard is no older brother!"
Yoriichi looked at Hiru's anger, unsure how to respond. In the end, he only looked sorrowful. "…At least he once was."
"I'll never acknowledge that." Hiru stared at the purple crystals scattered across the ground. His eyes, which had just regained their dark color, turned gray again. "My older brother died the moment he walked out of our home."
Guilt flickered in Yoriichi's gaze.
[Yes… Hiru was the one who personally witnessed and lived through the clan's destruction. If I had seen my brother kill Uta with my own eyes, I would probably feel the same anger he does.]
"I'll stay closer to you from now on," Yoriichi said, gently ruffling Hiru's hair. "I won't let him slip away again. When the time comes, we'll bring brother home."
Hiru stayed silent for a long time before speaking. "They have spatial Blood Demon Art. Can you stop that? If we can't deal with it, catching them will be nearly impossible."
"Spatial Blood Demon Art… it really is hard to handle," Yoriichi said with a frown. "In that situation, if they intend to escape…"
"Tch—Kibutsuji finally found himself a useful demon." Hiru crouched down and began collecting the scattered purple crystals. "My Blood Demon Arts mainly affect the mind. If I find that demon, I might be able to influence it enough to break the technique. Or, brother, maybe you could practice cutting through space?"
Yoriichi let out a helpless sigh. "Humans can't cut through space."
"But you're not human."
Yoriichi didn't answer, only shaking his head. "Even demons have limits."
Hiru looked up, expression complicated. "…Then have you ever reached yours, brother?"
Yoriichi froze for a moment, then fell into thought.
After a while, having gone through his memories, he realized that aside from sensing his lifespan nearing its end hundreds of years ago, he had never clearly felt any absolute limit.
[Maybe… I could try?]
He wasn't sure.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Hiru wrapped the crystals in his tattered haori, then compressed them into a small block using his Blood Demon Art. He took out the small box where he stored his pigments, opened it, and his expression soured. "As expected, my Blood Demon Art isn't suitable for reinforcing containers. The pigments got jostled around and all mixed together…"
"We'll replenish them when we encounter another Blood Demon Art demon."
"But several of the light-colored pigments got mixed!" The same Hiru who had shown no reaction while being nailed to the ground and pierced repeatedly now looked like a furious demon clawing its way out of hell. "In hundreds of years I've met fewer than fifty light-colored demons! Damn it! It hurts! Next time I see him I'm dragging him into the sun! Absolutely!"
Watching Hiru crouched there, radiating resentment, Yoriichi couldn't hold back a laugh. "You… want to come with me to Kanto for a while? I'm pretty good at finding demons."
"Yes!" Hiru snapped the box shut and stood up, eyes bright. "Let's go now! Right now! I haven't restocked my pigments in ages because I've been catching demons for that stupid exam!"
"Hm, but what do we do about this place…" Yoriichi looked over the devastated mountain forest, then at Hiru's shredded uniform and perfectly unharmed body. "It's not very convincing…"
Hiru looked down at himself and then around. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I heard there were bears in the mountains. And I was hungry anyway."
"Bears… that works. But you…" Yoriichi sighed at the sight of him. "Sometimes healing too quickly really is inconvenient."
"It's fine. If anyone doubts it, I'll just modify their memory with Blood Demon Art." Hiru waved it off, then looked at Yoriichi again. "By the way, brother, really not going to try it?"
"Try what?"
"Drinking blood."
Yoriichi shook his head. "I don't crave it."
"I see."
"What?"
"Brother isn't an animal. He's a plant."
Yoriichi: …?
"How could I be a plant…" Yoriichi shook his head helplessly. "Come on. I'll take you to find some beasts."
"Shouldn't we disguise the scene first?"
Yoriichi shook his head. "Just remember to use your sword when you kill the bear."
"…Why?"
"If your blade shows wear, the slash marks here will be easy to account for." Yoriichi reached out to ruffle Hiru's hair again. "Because it's you, after all."
Hiru stared at him as if betrayed. "Brother, you never treated me like this before!"
Yoriichi only smiled gently. "Let's go."
Hiru grumbled under his breath but followed after him.