The existence of an Upper Rank demon—a creature so formidable that even with three Hashira manifesting their Slayer Marks, it was only barely defeated.
The Transparent World, a realm I still have no inkling of how to reach, unlike the Marks.
My Nichirin Blade, snapped in half.
The wedding of Yoriichi and Uta.
Muzan.
Dammit, there are way too many things to worry about.
"The feeling is mutual. Just how flashily did you fight? Erasing the traces of this battle will be nigh impossible."
Uzui, who had arrived leading the Kakushi, let out a heavy sigh and grumbled.
She had every right to complain. The mountain terrain was gouged out as if dozens of bombs had been dropped; trees by the score were snapped or uprooted. It was absolute chaos.
Honestly, it felt unfair. That demon bastard sent trees flying like chaff every time he fired a single arrow.
"Eighty percent of that was the demon's doing."
"Then who wrecked the remaining twenty percent?"
Uzui stared at me intently with a faint, mocking smile. Seeing the vein throbbing on her forehead, it seemed she was more than a little annoyed. Since when did she become so expressive...?
The remaining twenty percent...? Well, every time Minase and I used a Breathing form, the very earth split. The ground was just too fragile, really.
When I looked away, Uzui let out another long sigh.
"By the way, the victim this time was the Head of the Tsugikuni Clan. There were no survivors."
Uzui broached the subject of my father cautiously. She likely did so because she knew how much I loathed anything related to him. Of course, my distaste hadn't changed.
"Is that so?"
"It seems the estimated time of death wasn't long ago. Did you have a final word with him?"
A word... right.
'I am sorry...'
Only that apology, left as a final testament by that failed father of mine, lingered bitterly in my mouth.
"He said he was sorry. Because of the Mark, he seemed to mistake me for Yoriichi. He was apologizing to Yoriichi... Well, he should be sorry to him. But he didn't mention me once. And... he didn't apologize for beating the hell out of me, and..."
"......"
I simply grumbled aimlessly about the man who was my father.
Uzui didn't offer a rebuttal; she simply stood there silently, letting me vent my childish complaints.
As I continued to grumble, I suddenly realized I was spouting things I didn't even mean. The moment I fell silent, a heavy stillness settled between us.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by the brief silence, I let out a loud sigh for her benefit.
"Well, what's the point of complaining now... I practically disowned that family when I ran away seven years ago. Besides, he's already dead. That damned father of mine."
Uzui, having listened to the very end, gave a small smirk.
"...Do you want a hug? My chest is always open for you?"
"Shut up."
"I'm being serious, you know?"
"It's far too early for me to believe that."
***
Following the appearance of Upper Rank Zero, Uta and Yoriichi held their wedding immediately.
It wasn't a grand affair like a 21st-century wedding. The guests who came were limited to Uzui, old man Banda, the Hashira, and the Master's Kasugai Crow.
I don't know how the news spread, but upon hearing that Yoriichi, the 'Child of Bright Red,' was getting married, the people of the Swordsmith Village—led by Niimiya Oetsu—came rushing over as well.
Truly, even if it was small, witnessing a Sengoku-era wedding with my own eyes was something I never expected when I was reincarnated.
"Congratulations, Yoriichi."
"Thank you, Brother."
Seeing that rare smile on Yoriichi's face made me feel... complicated.
In all the time I'd lived, the number of times I'd seen this fellow smile could be counted on two hands.
Without that smile, the guy was like a mannequin.
'When he was seventeen... to a demon... his pregnant wife... and the child in her womb... he lost them... and for ten days... he stayed still, just holding her corpse...'
The Master's words suddenly resurfaced as I looked at Yoriichi's smile.
He said that because I joined the Demon Slayer Corps three years ago, causality had been distorted. Had I not, Yoriichi would have lost Uta and their unborn child...
Being here, both he and Uta can be safe, so the warping of causality was a stroke of fortune for him.
Moreover, since the Breathing styles were disseminated three years earlier, it was a boon for the Corps as well.
It was a pure win-win situation.
By the way...
I suddenly became curious. What kind of person was the 'me' mentioned in the prophecy? The Master said the 'me' seen in his visions was simply a different person from who I am now.
Was it an 'IF' version of Michikatsu who wasn't a reincarnator?
If he wasn't a reincarnator with memories of a 21st-century modern person like me, he would have likely been a typical young lord of a samurai house.
Then, there's a high chance he wouldn't have run away with Yoriichi like I did. As a modern person, I loathed that superstition-obsessed, barbaric family, but given the era—and especially a prestigious warrior lineage—he would have naturally sought to become the head of the house.
Even if primogeniture was the focus, having his greatest rival, Yoriichi, leave on his own accord would have been a 'thank you very much' situation for him.
And then, did he say he joined the Corps after losing his subordinates to a demon while following Yoriichi?
That part sounds like complete nonsense. In this era, if he were seventeen, he would have already ascended to the position of House Head. With a prestigious samurai family like that, he would have had a wife through an arranged marriage or some such.
I didn't care if the clan fell to ruin, but *that* guy would have tried to become the head by his own choice. And yet he abandoned his family and his wife to join the Demon Slayer Corps for the sake of avenging subordinates?
What would have happened to his wife? An arranged marriage where the husband suddenly up and leaves the house? Obviously, it wouldn't have ended well.
And then, he turned into a demon because he feared a short life? And he didn't just leave peacefully—he decapitated the Master to prove his loyalty?
Just what kind of madman was the 'me' in that prophecy? There is no one more pathetic than that.
"Brother, is something bothering you?"
Yoriichi suddenly asked after my well-being; I must have been scowling.
"No, Yoriichi. I was just reflecting on how unsightly I would have been if I had been more like our father."
***
I was truly grateful to my brother, who had gathered so many people for the wedding of his unremarkable younger sibling.
And I was beyond thankful that my brother could finally see 'that world'—the world that only I could see, which had always made me feel isolated.
I was simply grateful for everything.
"Yoriichi, I met our father during this mission."
My brother suddenly opened his mouth to speak of our father. Until now, he had always referred to him as 'the old man' or 'that bastard,' but for some reason, the way he addressed him had changed.
"I heard from Uzui. That he... passed away..."
"Yes... He passed away after apologizing to you."
"Is that so..."
To think that the final words of the father who hated me more than anyone were an apology to me.... My heart felt heavy and complicated.
"I seem to have brought up such gloomy topics on your wedding day, which should be happier than any other."
"No, Brother. Thank you for telling me."
My brother looked at my face, a flash of surprise crossing his features, before he spoke with a faint smile.
"Yoriichi. We believe the flower on the precipice is beautiful because our feet stop at the edge. Because we cannot step out into the sky, unlike that fearless flower. Do not give up. Do not merely yearn for happiness; do not think it resides in a place as difficult as a cliffside; do not merely watch it..."
With a subtly sad expression, he continued.
"You must seize it with your own hands. This time, protect the child and Uta, and do not lose sight of them. You must be the one to do it."
'This time'? 'You this time'? I wondered what he meant... even as he spoke with such sorrowful eyes...
But I thought I understood what he truly wanted to say.
"Yes, Brother. I will not let go. I will carve your words into my heart."
My brother nodded silently. Judging by the rhythm of his heartbeat, he seemed satisfied with my answer.