Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Not a single person had ever considered giving up.

Everyone was determined to move forward.

Even if they had to do it all over again, Makomo felt that her senior brothers, sisters, and Sabito would still make the same choice.

Previously, Makomo never thought about why everyone was so persistent.

Even I wouldn't think about it.

But today, I've come to some understanding.

Life is indeed precious

But some things are far more important than life itself.

As we walked, we unknowingly reached the summit of Tengxi Mountain. Compared to the beautiful scene of wisteria blossoms on the mountainside and at the foot of the mountain, this place was overgrown with weeds and desolate.

Not long after we started walking, we spotted a piece of hand bone in a crevice in a rock.

Makomo stared blankly.

This could be another swordsman who has perished here. You can clearly see that the hand bones and five fingers are still tightly clenched, as if holding a knife. It is conceivable that this swordsman was still fighting when he met his death.

Did the swordsman have any regrets in his final moments?

Makomo didn't know, but she knew that if it were her, she probably wouldn't regret it.

She looked up at the desolate mountaintop, as if she could see scenes of swordsmen fighting against demons, and the figures of swordsmen falling one after another.

Originally, Makomo did not intend to tell her most respected master Urokodaki about the Hand Demon, but now she has changed her mind.

Whether it was my senior brothers and sisters, or even Sagito, their deaths were certainly painful and sorrowful, but their deaths were never something that couldn't be discussed.

It's not something that should be forgotten.

The deaths of these people are not a disgrace.

They may have all died at the hands of the same demon, either killed without any power to resist, or killed despite their best efforts, or killed after fighting until they were exhausted...

But everyone lived up to their master's expectations.

It's not something that can't be mentioned.

The master probably regrets not being able to kill the Hand Demon directly back then.

Even self-blame.

But these are things that have already happened and there's nothing that can be done about them.

I believe that neither my senior brothers nor my senior sisters, nor even Qian Tu, will blame our master for this.

Even if I were to perish here, I would still not blame my master.

The master should know the truth about all of this.

A master should be proud of his disciple.

Rather, it is the most tragic thing for a master to not even know the cause of his disciple's death.

A gentle breeze blew, landing on the fox mask with its eyes closed that Makomo wore, and she felt a slight coolness. At this moment, Makomo seemed to see her senior brother, senior sister, and even Sabito.

Everyone stood not far away, smiling and waving at her.

Makomo's eyes widened instantly, and she couldn't help but run over, rushing towards him with joy.

But they came up empty-handed.

Looking up again, under the warm sunlight, everyone's figures, illuminated by the light, turned into specks of light and gradually disappeared. Everyone was wearing the masks made by their most respected Master Urokodaki, and one by one, they left with smiles on their faces.

The warding-off-disaster mask also scattered with the wind.

Makomo watched this scene and stood on the mountaintop for a long time.

finally

The girl bent down and bowed deeply to her departing senior brothers, sisters, and Sabito.

…………

Back at her assigned lodging, Makomo asked the 'hermit' for paper and pen. Alone, she sat by the window, looking at the blooming wisteria outside, picked up the pen, and wrote a letter to her master on the paper.

"Hello, my most respected master Urokodaki."

"Today is the day the Fujikasayama assessment ends. Your most beloved disciple, Makomo, is honored to inform you of some good news: your dear disciple, Makomo, has passed the assessment. I believe that when you, my most respected Master Urokodaki, see this letter, you'll be grinning like an idiot, won't you? Heh, you should be grinning like an idiot too. I wonder if you've planted rapeseed seeds in the fields you've cultivated? I promised to plant them while the rapeseed flowers are in full bloom, and I haven't broken my promise."

"When you read this, are you excitedly preparing to pick up your hoe and start cultivating the fields? I have some good news to tell you, Master Urokodaki."

"Regarding the true cause of death of my senior brothers and sisters, and even the 'Saito'."

“Dear Master, please do not grieve for your disciple’s death. Everyone dies. Master will die, Makomo will die. Everyone is born to die. Death is not really a sad thing.”

"Senior brothers, senior sisters, Sabito, we all died for the path of demon hunting. Master will be saddened by your deaths, but we should be proud of your sacrifices. You never retreated even a step."

"Whether it's my senior brother, senior sister, or Sabito, they all fought to the very last moment. Although they were all defeated by the Hand Demon, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Everyone fought until their last breath."

"Everyone has been fighting all along."

“Dear Master Urokodaki, at this moment, you must be blaming yourself for not being able to kill the Hand Demon, but dear Master Urokodaki, there is really no need to be sad about it. Don’t blame yourself for it, dear Master Urokodaki, please don’t shed tears for it. No one has ever blamed you, and no one has ever thought it was your fault. Everyone loves you, Master Urokodaki. If your death makes you sad and blame yourself, then everyone will truly be sad.”

"Master really doesn't need to be bothered by everyone's deaths."

"The deaths of people are not necessarily tragic events, just as Mu-kun said when he was drinking today."

"To die is an honor, to live is no disgrace, that's all."

…………

A gentle breeze blew by, and Makomo wrote the last word, put down her pen, and watched the old raven soar and fall.

She gently took the letter from the metal tube.

I thought this letter was written by Nezuko again, but it wasn't; it was written by Urokodaki.

Makomo gently unfolded the letter.

It was just a few simple words.

"Is Makomo... alright?"

With just a few words, Makomo seemed to see his most respected master Urokodaki hesitating and pausing as he wrote them, and he seemed to see his most respected master Urokodaki's heart full of expectations.

Makomo laughed through her tears and added another stroke to her reply.

"My most beloved Master Urokodaki, and your most adorable disciple Makomo, all is well."

………………

When the breeze blows, the wisteria blossoms drift away with the wind.

As a ghost, Su Mu, who didn't even need to sleep, took a rare nap.

When I woke up, I smelled a clean, fresh scent of a girl, and the back of my head felt both firm and soft.

He couldn't help but open his eyes.

What came into view was a pair of beautiful pinkish-purple eyes, and those eyes on that delicate face were quietly looking at me.

Good morning.

Kanao's delicate face broke into a happy smile: "Uncle, you can sleep a little longer! It's been so long since I've had such a peaceful sleep."

Good morning, Kanao.

He greeted her gently, only to realize that he was resting his head on Kanao's lap.

He genuinely didn't know when Kanao came over and placed his head on her lap. No wonder the back of his head felt so soft, not like resting on a pillow at all.

No wonder it felt so comfortable.

I don't know how long I've had my knees resting on Kanao's ankles like that.

He got up and stretched his body comfortably. Just as Kanao had said, he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kanao."

Su Mu turned around and looked at the girl who had stood up and was slightly unsteady.

Perhaps, in order not to disturb herself and to allow herself to rest her head on her knees, Kanao didn't know how long she had maintained one position; otherwise, she wouldn't have staggered as soon as she got up.

"Uncle, Kanao doesn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, she feels happy that she can help you sleep soundly."

Kanao raised her head, looking at him with her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes.

Su Mu reached out and gently patted Kanao's head. He didn't say anything more, just told Kanao to move around a bit, because maintaining one position for a long time would make blood circulation in some parts of the body very uncomfortable.

Su Mu only opened the door when Kanao no longer felt the soreness in her legs.

A beautiful young woman, who wasn't wearing the smiling fox mask with her eyes closed, and looked like a childhood sweetheart from next door, appeared at the door. When he opened the door, she greeted him with a smile: "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Ms. Makomo."

Su Mu smiled and revealed a smile.

At this moment, Kanao also walked from inside the door to her uncle's side.

"Kanao, good morning."

Makomo also greeted Kanao with a smile.

Kanao raised her head, a slight smile appearing on her face, but she did not respond.

"Today should be for selecting gorilla iron ore and then forging a custom Nichirin Blade, right?"

Su Mu spoke.

"Yes, there are also specially customized team uniforms. If you have any ideas about the uniforms, you can talk to 'The Hermit' about it. There are also our own exclusive scabbard crows, and a generous reward will be paid in advance..."

"It sounds like the benefits are quite good."

Su Mu smiled, looking at Tanjiro who was also walking out the door, seemingly expectant, and said with a smile, "Let's go together."

By the time Su Mu arrived with his men, many people had already gathered.

Some 'hermits' are taking the measurements of swordsmen who have passed the assessment, asking them what their requirements are for the team uniform.

Some swordsmen had just emerged from a room, with black ravens already perched on their shoulders. One swordsman was excitedly teasing his own personal ravens.