["The Past—"]
["'Caiyi, since you're resting in the rear now, I'll vent to you.'"]
["'Air battles aren't like ground battles. Though life and death happen in an instant, you rarely see severed limbs or broken bodies, so I misjudged the cruelty of this war on instinct. Lately, as the situation has grown worse, the bloody reality has presented itself to me in a gentle but undeniable way.'"]
["'The person you ate with today is gone tomorrow. The new recruit you praised today is gone tomorrow. The officer you argued with today is gone tomorrow. The ground troops who encouraged you today are gone tomorrow.'"]
["'At this point, I don't dare form emotional connections with anyone anymore. Maybe they'll die tomorrow. Maybe I'll die tomorrow. Maybe we'll all die tomorrow…'"]
["Halfway through writing, a chilly evening breeze swept through the tent. Yukong's hand, holding the pen, paused slightly, her gaze instinctively drifting to the empty bed beside her—a family photo still stood at its headboard, the child in it smiling. The beds farther away still bore the indentations left by their owners before they departed."]
["They… would never return."]
Attack on Titan——
The kerosene lamp in the Survey Corps dormitory flickered in the wind, mirroring Levi's heavy mood.
As the Captain of the Survey Corps, no one understood Yukong's pain and numbness better than him. He stood alone in the center of the room, voices flooding his ears like a tidal wave, overwhelming him in an instant.
…The sound of Petra's bones cracking as she was crushed, Oluo's blood-frothed whispers as he died, Eld's agonized screams in his final moments… and the suffocating gasps of countless soldiers as they perished.
Their voices were gone forever, yet in his dreams, he could feel them all standing behind him.
"Captain Levi, we…"
A crisp voice suddenly rang out, overlapping with Oluo's whispers. Levi's eyes widened instinctively, and he spun around—
Eren was merely peeking in from the doorway, puzzled. "Captain?"
He couldn't understand why Captain Levi looked so tense, even alone in the dormitory.
"What's wrong?"
"Um, about our training tomorrow…" Eren's voice carried a hint of nervousness.
Levi sighed, finally resting his gaze on the boy before him, humanity's hope. "Train with me tomorrow," he said flatly.
——
["'After you died, they wanted to award me a medal. Frankly, I find it laughable.'"]
["'They call me a heroic pilot, but the only reason is that I was lucky enough to survive that catastrophic battle.'"]
["'If you'd been as lucky, we could've been awarded together. After the ceremony, we'd sneak off to Aurum Alley, sipping drinks and mocking their absurdity.'"]
["'But you weren't lucky enough. We didn't get that chance.'"]
["…"]
["Reading this, Yukong's pain seemed to overflow from the words, suffocatingly intense."]
["But at that moment, Master Yanming suddenly appeared, interrupting them with a scolding. 'What are you two doing? The Helm Master's precious daughter and an outsider rummaging around here—what does that look like?'"]
["Yanming was shocked by their audacity, but thankfully, Qingni explained quickly, and he understood her intentions."]
["Speaking of Miss Caiyi in the diary, Master Yanming had some recollection. 'Caiyi was one of the top martial pilots back then. Countless people wanted to fly with her.'"]
["'Her husband, Guangyuan, was a pilot too. A husband and wife piloting a starskiff together—truly enviable.'"]
["'But her best partner, the one she flew with most often, was still your mother. Their missions together outnumbered even those with Guangyuan. Especially after Guangyuan's death, Caiyi rarely partnered with anyone but your mother.'"]
["Master Yanming said with a touch of sadness, 'Sigh, but not long after, Caiyi was gone too. A pilot's life is like that—no one knows if this flight will be their last.'"]
["Caiyi's death hit Yukong hard. After that battle, Yukong often read Caiyi's diary."]
["Yanming understood Qingni's feelings and turned a blind eye to their actions. After he left, Stelle and Qingni immediately rummaged through Yukong's desk and found Caiyi's diary."]
["At first, Caiyi's words were lively and full of excitement, thrilled at the prospect of soaring through the skies with Yukong."]
["Later, after Guangyuan's death, Caiyi, despite her own grief, comforted Yukong… because in trying to console Caiyi, Yukong ended up crying even harder than she did."]
["Later still, while on maternity leave in the rear, Caiyi wrote to Yukong, reporting her safety and sharing that she had chosen a name for her child."]
["—Qingni."]
["Seeing those two words, Qingni was struck as if by lightning, her gaze dazed, nearly dropping the diary in her hands."]
Demon Slayer World——
"So Qingni is her comrade's child… No wonder," Shinobu Kocho sighed. "Perhaps Miss Yukong sees Qingni as the continuation of Caiyi's life. Last time, she couldn't protect Caiyi, so this time, she's determined to protect her child."
"It's the last duty she can fulfill for Caiyi. If anything happened to Qingni… she probably couldn't forgive herself. Rather than letting Qingni face near-certain death, she wants her to live a safe life."
"But…" Mitsuri Kanroji said worriedly, "Miss Qingni has already touched the sky."
If one had never seen the light, they could endure the darkness, but once they had… Shinobu could guess that Qingni wouldn't give up easily.
In the end, though Yukong and Caiyi had tasted "freedom," Qingni hadn't. Even if that freedom came with great risk, she would pursue it without hesitation.
To be willing to sacrifice her life for her dream… perhaps only with such resolve could she convince Yukong.
"Sigh, I don't know whose side to take…" Mitsuri shook her head in distress, her pink braids swaying.
"If we support Qingni becoming a pilot, and another war breaks out, what if something happens to her, making her a second Caiyi… I can't imagine how heartbroken and regretful Yukong would be."
"But if we side with Yukong and stop Qingni from becoming a pilot, that's too cruel for her… To never fulfill her dream—is that really fair to her?"