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The battle was finally over.
For me, it had gone on far too long.
Long enough that I had zero interest in dealing with any post-war cleanup. The moment I reached somewhere safe, I dropped and slept.
Apparently everyone else did the same. They got their wounds bandaged, found a decent spot, and went horizontal.
The Kakushi moved in and out doing their work in near-silence. Nobody stirred.
About three days and nights later, people started waking up one by one, wandering through the building in search of food.
When I finally dragged myself out of bed and made it to the main hall, I walked into a wall of people.
There was plenty of food on the tables. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that some people had personal grudges, or simply believed food was something you fought for, and had turned a perfectly reasonable dining table into a second battlefield.
Scattered greetings rose as I stepped through the door.
I surveyed the carnage at the center of the room and made my way to Tanjiro's table instead.
They shifted to make room for me without being asked. The most enthusiastic about it was Zenitsu.
"Miss Chihaya, that means Grandpa is okay now, right? I can go pick him up?"
Tanjiro was already moving — quick hands, clean bowl and chopsticks, untouched dishes slid in front of me before I'd even settled.
He was in good spirits. Of course he was. Nezuko had taken the medicine before the final battle, and after everything, that bright, quick girl had come back to him.
But I couldn't keep Tamayo.
From the beginning, she had planned it that way. A mutual end. She had always meant to spend her life here.
No one could talk her out of it. No one could touch the conviction she carried. Even Yushiro had simply chosen to respect her.
Before the end, Tamayo left me several doses of medicine — all of them the same kind, the kind that could turn a demon back into a human, just like the one for Nezuko.
Time had run short. She told me herself she hadn't been able to run more tests, hadn't been able to confirm the efficacy more broadly.
Nezuko had only been a demon for a short time, and her circumstances were unusual. The odds were good for her.
The longer someone had been a demon, the lower those odds became.
I understood what she hadn't said out loud. The medicine might work for Nezuko, for Daki, for others like them. For a demon who had lived a thousand years, it might not work at all.
But we had defeated Muzan. That was what mattered. I didn't dwell on it. I had already made my peace with staying as I was.
What mattered most now was Kanae's research on the Demon Slayer Mark.
Gyomei had already outlived the twenty-five-year limit, and that night he had activated his Mark again. By dawn, Kanae and her assistants were performing emergency treatment on him. It took several days. They brought him back.
That confirmed the Blue Spider Lily's effect. The last doubt was gone.
I scooped a big mouthful of rice, chewed slowly, swallowed. "Of course. Get your wounds healed first, then go pick him up."
Happiness was one thing. But with Muzan gone, the Demon Slayer Corps had no reason to exist anymore.
Everyone would be going back to ordinary lives.
Someone started it , I'm not sure who — and the conversation shifted to what came next.
"My sister and I are planning to go to the West." Shinobu spoke first. "I heard Western medicine has made new breakthroughs, and they hold international exchange conferences. We should be able to learn things there. And if we can do something about her lungs, even better."
"I shall return to my hometown first, to share the good news with my father and Senjuro!" Kyojuro's voice filled the room the way it always did. He managed to speak clearly around a mouthful of food without losing a single word. "As for what comes after, I'll discuss it with my father before deciding!"
Most people weren't that clear-headed yet. But the Corps had always paid well, and I'd heard from Kiriya that if the organization disbanded, everyone would receive a severance payment on top of it.
They had time. None of them needed to worry about survival right now. They could figure out the rest slowly.
Ritsu sat at another table, talking to Muichiro. "You and Yuichiro are coming with me, right?"
They were relatives by blood. Muichiro nodded without hesitation. "Is sister going back to school?"
"I looked into it. Even without finishing formal schooling, you can sit for university entrance exams on your own. It's time to start preparing."
"Yuichiro told me school is interesting." Muichiro's expression was quiet and easy. "It would be nice if we could all go together."
At the same table, Sabito and Giyuu had their heads together, murmuring back and forth. After a moment, Sabito's hand shot out and claimed the last piece of fried pork cutlet.
Under Ritsu's flat, lethal stare, Sabito said, "Don't forget to send us whatever we need to prepare. Giyuu and I are heading to Mt. Sagiri first to see Master Urokodaki."
Whatever they planned to do next, it seemed like everyone was going home first.
I didn't have a place I could call home. But going back to the Ubuyashiki estate to see Kagaya sounded fine.
I'd heard his health was improving. Still very weak, but the strange symptoms were slowly retreating.
Before I left, I distributed the remaining medicine.
Yuichiro didn't need it. Koyuki should be alright. The three that gave me pause were Akaza and the other two.
Daki and Gyutaro were straightforward about it. They took the medicine, swallowed it, and hit the floor. Out cold, right there on the spot.
I dragged both of them back to a room and let them sleep it off.
Akaza was sitting in the corridor, holding his dose, staring at nothing. He heard my footsteps and turned.
His eyes were familiar and strange at the same time. The way he used to look when he was still beside Keizo.
"You've worked hard all these years," I said. "I've already arranged money, a place to stay, and the documents you'll need. It might take some time to adjust, but I think you'll find your footing."
Akaza kept staring at the medicine in his hand. Then, abruptly: "Does someone like me still have the right to be human?"
I raised my hand and rested it on his head. "That was my fault. All of it. If heaven wants to punish someone, it should be me." I kept my voice quiet. "Do it for Koyuki. She's been waiting a long time. Stay with her. Give her the last few decades she has left."
That was what reached him. He closed his hand around the medicine and put it away.
Before he left, he stopped and turned back to me. He bowed, low and deliberate.
"I have never properly thanked you. For saving my master and Koyuki, all those years ago." He held the bow for a moment. "I am deeply grateful."
Then he walked away.
➤ Next: To the Unchanging You
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