Talent is an unreasonable thing.
What some people can't grasp in a lifetime comes as naturally as breathing to others.
Sakoma Iori was not a particularly gifted swordswoman.
She had trained under her cultivator grandpa for three full years before finally gaining the qualification to participate in the Final Selection. And even then, she still hadn't fully mastered the forms of Breathing Techniques.
Maybe it was because she hadn't worked hard enough.Maybe she'd taken the wrong path.Or maybe… her cultivator hadn't been that good at teaching.
Whatever the reason, Sakoma Iori was weak.That much was undeniable.
And so, she was always the one being saved.
Saved by her family.Saved by a demon slayer.Saved by a younger boy she'd met on the road—someone even younger than herself.
After being saved so many times, even Iori started to wonder if maybe… she was just lucky.
But luck runs out eventually.
And today, her luck had run dry.
"…You know… I don't think I ever told you this… cough cough… I have a little brother…"
Iori suddenly whispered this near Takeo's ear.
Wading with difficulty through the rising water, Takeo felt a sudden chill creep up his spine the moment he heard her voice.
He didn't know why, but something about it made him feel cold.
It had to be the temperature of the underground water, he thought. It was just too cold—that's why he felt like this.
That's what Takeo told himself.
But even so, his voice trembled slightly as he spoke:
"Don't… don't talk right now. Save your strength. We're going to the surface… The sun will be rising soon… Support is on the way. We-we'll.. Just get to the surface… We'll be okay up there…"
"My little brother… he's the same age as you."
Sakoma Iori continued speaking as if she hadn't heard him, her voice soft and distant: "So small… so cute… Always sticking close to me, like a little shadow. Back then… to be honest, I found him kind of annoying, because he was always… always popping up at the worst times...
"I hated that."
"Iori…"
"But later… once I got used to it, I started to think… he was really cute… always running after me, calling out 'Nee-san… Iori-nee…' and whatnot.."
"I used to think… he'd call me that for the rest of my life… but… accidents always come so suddenly… don't they…"
Sakoma Iori suddenly smiled. Her cheek pressed even closer against Takeo's, and her breathing began to steady—her voice, too, became calm.
With a soft smile, she asked:
"…I haven't heard him call me that in a long time… Hey, Takeo, can you call me 'nee-san' just once? I'll give you all the rice crackers I made."
Takeo didn't respond at first. He bit his lower lip, took a deep breath, and tried to keep his voice steady. Then he smiled—forced though it was—and said to Iori:
"…nee-san."
"Mm."
Iori responded softly.
No sarcasm, no teasing, no sharp edge to Takeo's voice this time. Just a quiet, sincere reply—and that alone was enough for her.
She took a breath, lifted her hand, and gently placed it on Takeo's head, lightly stroking his hair… stroking it with love…
Then she whispered by his ear:
"Thank you… for everything… all this time."
As she spoke, she slowly exhaled, then took in one final breath, and whispered into Takeo's ear:
"…And… I'm sorry… I spoke out of turn."
With that, she slowly let the breath out.
And didn't inhale again.
Her hand slipped from the top of Takeo's head and fell limply to her side. Her body, as if it had suddenly lost something essential, became much lighter.
And yet… at the same time… it also felt as though something had been added—something heavy, weighing it down.
Iori said nothing more. No more words. No more sound.
H-Huh..?
Takeo had never known the world could be this quiet.
As if some sound he had always taken for granted… had vanished completely.
Wading through the muddy, debris-filled water, Takeo felt his own body growing heavier.
How strange—he hadn't been injured, and yet…
It suddenly felt like every step was so hard to take.
Probably just the water, he thought. It must be the water.
Takeo's lips trembled slightly, then he forced a smile and spoke to Iori on his back:
"…Asato senpai should've already brought that injured team member to the surface. The Kakushi should be on their way by now to handle the situation. And if we're lucky, maybe even a Hashira will come to assist.
"You probably haven't met any of the Hashira yet, right? I've only met Rengoku Kyojuro and Kanroji Mitsuri. They're both really kind people. I'm sure the Hashira coming this time will be the same…
"Oh, right—you don't know who Mitsuri is. Mitsuri-san… she's the Love Hashira. She used to be a disciple of Kyojuro-san too, so technically… we're fellow disciples. When there's time, I'll introduce you…
"You said you wanted to become Kyojuro-san's successor, right? I'll tell him for you… I'll tell him…"
But Takeo couldn't speak any further.
Something clogged his nose. He couldn't say another word.
So he simply shut his mouth and focused on carrying Iori up toward the surface.
But after only a short distance, he heard a rumbling, accompanied by tremors through the ground.
He saw the walls collapsing—chunks of the ceiling falling. From within the crumbling rock walls, massive clouds of dust came pouring down, hitting the ground in waves.
This cave… much of its structure had been filled with the Dust Demon's dust.
So now, with the demon dead and his Blood Demon Art no longer sustaining it, everything began to collapse—dust breaking down, the entire cave gradually falling apart.
The cave is collapsing!
Realizing this, Takeo quickened his pace. He ran through the flooded, muddy cave, heading back the way they had come.
It looked like something straight out of a movie—rocks crashing down behind him, chunks of the cave wall collapsing just inches from his heels, always one step too slow to catch him.
But unlike those miraculous escapes in films, this time… there was no miracle.
Just as he neared the mouth of the tunnel, the falling wall of rock finally caught up to the fleeing Takeo.
The stone came crashing down—Not toward him…
But toward the person on his back—Iori.
He didn't even think. He didn't move his head, didn't calculate, didn't hesitate.
Takeo immediately twisted his body, shielding Iori in his arms.
Though his body was a bit smaller than hers, it wrapped tightly around her, firmly protecting her from all the collapsing stone and falling debris.
Ugh..
Rocks and dust buried his body, bit by bit.
And then, along with Iori, he was buried here.
…
"We found them! Over here!"
"Hurry, dig them out!!"
"Got it! He's out!!"
Hmm..?
When Takeo regained consciousness, the first thing he heard was a flurry of chaotic voices. He felt his body being pulled out by someone.
Then laid down on the ground.
He vaguely sensed someone performing chest compressions, followed by something being poured into his mouth.
Then he started coughing violently: "Cough cough—! Blegh!!"
Water, mud, and bits of ruptured internal tissue spewed from his mouth with that single heave.
With so much of the debris cleared from inside him, Takeo began to feel a little better. He slowly lifted his head, gazing up at the sky, where the first light of dawn was beginning to break.
Warmth fell gently on his body, and for the first time in a while… he felt a sense of peace.
The sun had risen. At the very least—they were safe now.
"Takeo! Takeo, are you okay?!"
Yoshizuru Asato's figure quickly appeared before Takeo. He rushed to the boy's side, calling his name anxiously.
Takeo shook his head and managed a weak smile: "I… Iori-nee and I… we killed the demon…"
"Iori… nee?" Asato froze, staring blankly at Takeo.
But Takeo didn't seem to notice. He went on:
"Yeah… it was Iori-nee who broke open the wall to the underground river. That's how we stopped the demon from escaping… Aha. haha. She's the real hero of this mission… Oh, right—where's Iori-nee?"
"Takeo… Sakoma is dead," Asato said heavily.
Takeo seemed not to hear him. "Iori-nee said she was going to make rice crackers for me… The last batch got all soggy. She said she'd make new ones, and then she…"
"Takeo!!"
Asato suddenly grabbed his shoulders, staring him directly in the eyes. He spoke clearly, one word at a time:
"Sakoma Iori… is dead!"
"..."
Staring into Asato's eyes, Takeo finally understood.
He echoed the words back—almost as if asking a question: "…Dead?"
"She's dead," Asato confirmed.
"…Oh. She's dead."
Takeo sat there in a daze, lost in thought.
He didn't cry.
He didn't scream. He simply sat there quietly, gazing at the world around him.
Eventually, his eyes fell on the bodies.
The ones that had been dug out—fallen Demon Slayer Corps members, and others.
Sakoma Iori was lying among them, no different from the rest. Except that her body was more intact, she didn't stand out at all.
Hm..? Why is she lying there..?
Ah.. Asato told me that she's fine.. just dead..
Oh.. Takeo understood the reality now.
Sakoma Iori was dead.
He thought to himself—She had died quietly.
Ordinarily.
Unremarkably....
_________
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