Rushing all the way to Akita, Sabito had never imagined he would witness a scene like this.
A large crowd of Kakushi stood in line, all for the sake of hearing a child in a pale green kimono say, "You've worked hard. Please take my blessing with you and continue doing your best."
Each Kakushi who received the blessing left beaming with joy, immediately replaced by the next person in line.
"Is this some new kind of blessing ceremony?"
With that thought in mind, Sabito quietly joined the queue. It wasn't until he reached the front that something began to feel wrong.
This child… the more he looked, the more he resembled Hiru?!
An illegitimate child?!
No, no, no—there's no way someone that young could already have a child that old. Then… a younger brother?
A half-brother born years later, from either his father or mother?!
…If that were the case, then Hiru's strangely worded letter would suddenly make a lot more sense!
"Um… excuse me?"
Sabito finally managed to pull himself out of his shock, only to realize it was already his turn. He lowered his head and saw the child reaching out a hand toward him.
Almost without thinking, Sabito reached out and picked the child up.
Hiru: …?
Sabito: …?
"W–Water Hashira-sama!"
"Water Hashira-sama! Please put him down!"
Only then did Sabito silently set the child back on the ground, even patting his shoulder afterward.
"You really need to eat properly. You're way too light."
Hiru: …???
"So, is this some new kind of blessing ritual? It's pretty interesting." Sabito glanced at the Kakushi around them, who all seemed unusually flustered. "Where's Hiru? He's not here? Something this fun—there's no way he wouldn't show up."
"Um… if you're talking about Hiru, that would be me."
"Huh?"
Sabito stiffly turned around to look at the child he had just picked up.
"…You are?"
Hiru gave a small nod.
"According to them, I was affected by a Blood Demon Art."
"I–I see… then does that mean the letter was written by Yoriichi?"
"No, I wrote it." Hiru glanced toward the Kakushi behind Sabito. "Um… could we call it a day for now?"
"Y–Yes!"
"We'll prepare refreshments for the two of you right away!"
"Please wait just a moment!"
Watching the Kakushi scatter in all directions, Sabito looked back at Hiru.
"So… that's what was going on," he said. "I misunderstood."
"The Kakushi said they wanted to carry a Hashira's blessing with them no matter what," Hiru replied. "Since I can't really help in other ways right now, this was all I could do."
Hiru looked at Sabito. "You are… Sabito, right? Or Giyu?"
"I'm Sabito."
Sabito pushed his mask up, revealing silver eyes filled with confusion.
"Didn't Yoriichi stay by your side? In your condition, I mean."
"He went out on patrol," Hiru said, frowning slightly. "But why would he need to stay by my side?"
"To protect you, obviously! Aren't you two incredibly close? The entire Demon Slayer Corps knows how good your relationship is."
Sabito scratched his head.
"Though… usually it's you who sticks to Yoriichi more. Still, even if you called me here, I don't know how much help I can be. You're the Hashira who knows the most about demons. A lot of the time, we're the ones asking you for answers."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You're extremely knowledgeable when it comes to demon research."
Sabito sat down on the veranda and patted the spot beside him.
"Why don't we sit and talk? If you reached out to me, there must be something you want me to do—something I can do, right?"
"…Yes."
Hiru knelt properly beside him.
"I want to know what kind of person I am, in Sabito's eyes. Could you tell me everything, starting from when we first met?"
Sabito saw no reason to refuse and began recounting their accidental first meeting.
Hiru nodded from time to time to show he was listening, never interrupting. Only after Sabito finished did he speak.
"…I see. Those do sound like things I might have done."
"Haha. Still, I think the amnesiac you looks a lot more reliable than before," Sabito said with a laugh. "You really don't seem like someone who'd do those things."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And honestly, if you met Sanemi in this state, I think it'd be pretty interesting."
"Sanemi?"
"Yeah. The kid you saved. Though, to be fair, Sanemi's actually a bit older than me."
"…Are Sanemi and I close?"
"Haha…" Sabito looked away. "Hard to say whether it's good or bad… but I guess you could call it friendship."
"…I see."
Hiru looked up at Sabito and smiled faintly.
"Even though I didn't remember anything, thank you for telling me all of this."
"Glad I could help."
Sabito glanced at the sky, then reached out and ruffled Hiru's hair.
"Want to go catch a demon with me? Might help you remember something."
"Catch a demon?" Hiru tilted his head. "Not slay one?"
"It's for the Mount Fujikasane assessment," Sabito said, rubbing his chin. "Though it depends on whether you can still use the Bright Red Nichirin Sword."
"The Bright Red Nichirin Sword?"
"It's a technique that turns the Nichirin Blade red through extreme grip strength," Sabito explained. "If you can still use it, we'll capture the demon. If not, then we'll have to slay it."
He continued, "Mount Fujikasane isn't exactly close. Without the Bright Red Nichirin Sword to suppress a demon's regeneration, the Kakushi would have a hard time transporting it safely."
"So? Want to come with me? Though Yoriichi probably cleared out most of the area before leaving, so we might not even find one."
After a brief moment of thought, Hiru nodded.
"…Alright. I'll be in your care."
"Then let's get ready to head out. It's getting late."
Sabito stood up.
"I'll protect you."
"Thank you." Hiru rose to his feet as well.
"I'll go change into clothes better suited for movement. I'll be back shortly."
"Okay. I'll wait here."
Once Hiru's figure completely disappeared from sight, Sabito couldn't help but smile.
There was a strange sense of satisfaction in that smile.
"Who would've thought I'd get a chance to wash away that old humiliation… not bad at all—"
"What humiliation?"
Sabito turned around to see Tomioka approaching, carrying a large food box in one hand.
"Oh. Giyu."
Tomioka nodded, then repeated his question.
"What humiliation?"
"Back at Mount Fujikasane, remember? I was saved by Hiru from the Hand Demon," Sabito said with a chuckle. "Now I finally have a chance to save Hiru instead. Doesn't that count as washing away that disgrace?"
After a brief silence, Tomioka set the food box down and placed a hand on Sabito's forehead, his expression grave.
"…You're sick."