Watching Hiru pack up the crystals, clap his hands, and prepare to leave, Uzui couldn't help calling out.
"Hey, I just thought of something."
"Hmm?" he glanced back.
"If the paint is made from demons, then those paintings are a form of Blood Demon Art, right? Isn't that dangerous for ordinary people?"
"Not really…" he waved it off. "They seal emotions, sure, but at worst they just affect dreams, good or bad. The real problem would be someone going insane and actually eating one… though I haven't seen that happen yet."
Uzui sheathed his sword, still curious. "And if someone did eat one?"
"They'd either die or lose their mind, I guess. Never tried feeding it to a human."
While the conversation drifted, the Slayer Marks on Muichiro's face began to fade as his body temperature dropped. That immediately drew attention, and Hiru pulled him over to examine him more closely.
Once activated, a Slayer Mark wasn't supposed to disappear. That was precisely why those who awakened it often died young, the mark lingering even after death. Someone like him, whose mark had appeared and vanished, was something he had never encountered.
"By the way, the evacuation here was surprisingly clean," Uzui said, rolling his neck as he looked over the ruins. "The Kakushi did a good job."
"That was me," Hiru replied casually. "You were about to fight an Upper Moon. What Kakushi would dare come close? I planted a suggestion to keep people away while I was investigating."
That reminded Yuichiro of something Daki had said earlier. "She mentioned someone let her prey escape. That was you?"
"Yeah. I was planning to handle things afterward, but the situation here caught my attention. So I handed it off to Kitaro and had him direct the Kakushi." He rubbed his chin. "Now that I think about it, I wonder how he handled it…"
Uzui's mouth twitched. "Saving civilians is one thing, but aren't you expecting a bit much from a crow?"
"Really?" Hiru tilted his head. "He noticed I slipped out almost immediately, tracked me down without trouble. If he can monitor me, directing people should be easy."
"…You're definitely getting divine punishment someday."
As it turned out, he wasn't wrong.
Kitaro proved to be an exceptionally capable crow. By the time they arrived, the victims had already been rescued and treatment was underway in an orderly manner.
Still, the crow was clearly unhappy about being left to handle everything alone. The moment he spotted Hiru, he dove straight at him, landed on his head, and pecked his forehead furiously.
Taking over, Uzui handled the aftermath, assigning tasks to his wives once they arrived before leading Hiru and the twins back to the Wisteria House.
On the way, Zenitsu came up again.
Uzui finally showed interest in the boy described as having sharp hearing and the ability to fight while asleep. He said he'd have his crow summon him later, and if the talent proved real, he wouldn't mind taking him in as a Tsuguko.
Back at the Wisteria House, another full examination was carried out on Muichiro, but the reason for the disappearing Slayer Mark remained unclear. In the end, it was attributed to exceptional natural talent.
Yuichiro had taken the worst of the damage. Although the poison had been neutralized in time, the lingering effects weren't easy to heal.
After sending a message to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, he was assigned to a training program led by Kyojuro and Makomo, taking on a role training high-ranking members.
Curious, Hiru asked for details.
"It seems the Hashira are creating training plans, then selecting members ranked Kinoe and above, along with those below that level who've fought the Twelve Kizuki and have strong combat ability."
Nothing was hidden.
"They still have to carry out missions during training too. It's intense. Takeo and the others are part of it."
"Takeo… then I should inform him as well. He's the successor of Moon Breathing." He stroked his chin. "And those emotions are still coming through. I'll need to find time to speak with my brother."
"…Is that really a good idea?" Yuichiro asked, concern clear on his face. "Yoriichi-nii just went through something like that. Isn't it too soon?"
"No. This matters." Hiru continued preparing medicine. "I need to know how my brother died."
That drew a confused look.
There hadn't been much interaction with that demon, Michikatsu. If anything, there had always been caution about getting too close. Hearing of his death had even brought some relief.
But Yoriichi was different. Over time, regardless of what they were, they had become family. And Michikatsu had once been part of that as well.
No matter the circumstances, losing someone like that could never be easy.
From that perspective, knowing he was dead should have been enough. There was no need to dig further.
But Hiru understood that look.
Reaching out, he ruffled his hair gently.
"I have to know. I need to know whether he chose death… or was cut down."
He paused, eyes steady.
"Only then can I understand whether, in the end, he died as our older brother… or as a demon. And only then will I know how to face him when we meet again."