After completing his first official mission, Kagerou did not return home immediately. Instead, he went straight to the Ubuyashiki estate.
There were two reasons for it.
First, to submit his mission report in person. Second… to speak with Kagaya.
There was something he needed to say, something no one else ever would. Not something to be spoken between a Demon Slayer and the leader of the Corps, but between one human and another... Between friends.
As he arrived at the estate, Kagerou moved without hesitation, walking directly toward the place where Kagaya was usually found.
Several Kakushi passed by him along the way. Each of them greeted Kagerou respectfully before continuing on with their duties, not waiting for a response.
None of them tried to stop him.
Even though Kagerou was not a Hashira, seasoned Kakushi knew who he was, and more importantly, what his relationship with Kagaya was. Because of that, they allowed him to pass freely, even though no formal meeting had been scheduled.
---
After a short walk, Kagerou reached the backyard.
This was the place Kagaya favored most when he wished to sit in quiet reflection.
Normally, Kagaya spent his time here alone.
But today… he was not.
The backyard of the Ubuyashiki estate was silent in a way that felt deliberate, as though even the wind had been instructed to move gently.
An engawa stretched along the back of the house, its polished wood warm beneath the sunlight. Beyond it lay a garden shaped not by extravagance, but by patience and care.
Pale gravel paths curved softly through the space, their surface undisturbed, winding between low stones darkened by moss and age.
Old pine trees stood at the garden's edges, their branches carefully trimmed, not to show dominance over nature, but to coexist with it.
Sunlight filtered through their needles in thin, broken lines, casting shifting patterns across the ground.
Wisteria vines hung from wooden trellises nearby, their pale violet blossoms swaying faintly in the breeze, petals drifting down like slow, unhurried thoughts.
The scent of earth lingered in the air, mingled with the faint trace of incense.
At the edge of the house, the engawa gleamed with clean, well-kept wood, warmed by sunlight filtered through leaves and paper screens. There, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat cross-legged, his posture straight yet unstrained. His frail body seemed almost at odds with the quiet authority he radiated. His expression was gentle, eyes half-lidded, as though he were listening to something far beyond the garden... Something only he could hear.
Beside him sat Amane, close enough that their sleeves brushed. Her presence was calm and steady, a quiet strength that did not demand attention, yet anchored everything around her.
A short distance away were their children, five of them. Quintuplets.
They were playing together, though it was not the kind of play one would expect from children their age. There was no shouting, no chaotic running. Instead, they moved in a strange, synchronized harmony, exchanging looks and gestures that seemed to carry meaning only they understood. It was less like play, and more like a shared rhythm, something innate, something born of being five parts of the same whole.
Kagaya turned his head slightly, not needing to look to know they were there. A faint smile touched his lips.
For a moment, the world felt whole.
No crows cried.
No messengers arrived.
No blood stained the paths beyond the estate.
Just a man whose body was slowly failing, a woman who carried quiet, unyielding strength, and children far too young to understand the weight of the future resting gently around them.
Then, movement.
Kagaya did not turn. He did not need to.
There was only one person who could enter the Ubuyashiki estate without notice, slipping past the Kakushi as though the rules themselves bent for him.
And Amane's voice softly confirmed it.
"…Rengoku-san. Long time no see," She looked toward the edge of the open dhoji, where Kagerou stood, half-shadowed by the corridor.
Kagerou let out a quiet sigh before stepping forward.
"…Just how many times have I told you, Amane-san? Kagerou is enough. 'Rengoku' sounds too formal." He paused, then added with a small smile, "Still, it's good to see you well"
His gaze drifted toward the quintuplets, who had stopped what they were doing and were now staring back at him with open curiosity.
Even now, it wasn't his first time seeing them, yet Kagerou couldn't help but wonder how Kagaya had managed something like this. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a softer expression.
"And you five too," he said, crouching slightly. "Come on... give Onii-san a hug"
At his words, the quintuplets exchanged glances before turning toward their parents, silently asking for permission. Amane nodded. Kagaya's smile never changed.
That was enough.
All five stood at once and approached him.
Kagerou lowered himself fully, spreading his arms wide.
In a single motion, the quintuplets piled into him, and he wrapped his arms around all of them at once, laughing softly.
"You kids need to relax sometimes," he said, his voice low but warm. "Don't grow up too fast like your father. It's not good for you." He leaned closer, whispering loudly enough to be heard, "And don't worry, if your father scolds you, Onii-san's got your back, alright?"
Kagaya, having heard every word, could only chuckle quietly. His friend truly did a complete turn whenever children were involved.
"…Uncle Kage," Kiriya said, peering up at him, "you smell like smoke"
The effect was immediate.
Kagerou froze.
He slowly released his hold, then turned to stare at Kiriya with an exaggerated look of betrayal.
"U-Uncle?" He snapped his gaze back to Kiriya. "Kiriya! It's Onii-san, Onii-san, remember? How could you call a young, healthy man like me 'Uncle'?"
He shot a glance at Hinaki, Nichika, Kuina, and Kanata.
"You four better not copy him, okay?"
"Yes, Uncle Kage," all four replied in perfect unison.
"…You guys," Kagerou muttered, lowering his head in despair. "Fifteen years old, and already an uncle…" He straightened again with a huff. "I'll remember this"
He gently ushered them away.
"Alright, go back to whatever you were doing. I need to talk to your father for a bit"
Once the quintuplets returned to their quiet game, Kagerou moved to sit on the other side of Kagaya, the warmth of the engawa settling around them.
"…So," Kagaya began softly, breaking the silence, "what is this about?" His tone carried no pressure, only curiosity. "Is it your mission report?" A faint smile curved his lips. "Or should we talk about that thing you just said... growing too fast? Aren't we the same kind?"
Kagerou clicked his tongue quietly.
"…Let's not start with that," He exhaled, then nodded once. "But since you brought it up, let's begin with the report"
And so he did.
From the moment he received the assignment to the moment the demon was slain, Kagerou recounted everything in detail, its behavior, its strength, the civilians involved, and the absence of any strange markings. He spoke plainly, without embellishment.
Throughout it all, Kagaya remained silent.
So did Amane, listening from beside him, her attention unwavering.
"So," Kagaya said at last, "the demon was not part of the Twelve Demon Moons"
The words were calm. Gentle.
But Kagerou frowned slightly.
Even without seeing his face, he could feel it, a faint trace of disappointment hidden beneath Kagaya's voice.
"And that," Kagerou said, turning his head toward him, "is what I wanted to talk to you about"
Kagaya hummed thoughtfully before looking at him.
"…About what, exactly?"
"About all this 'Twelve Demon Moons' business," Kagerou replied. "You didn't have to say it out loud for me to notice, Kagaya"
He leaned back slightly, gaze steady.
"You're in a hurry"
Kagaya didn't deny it.
"But I move at my own pace," Kagerou continued. "And you know this. Even if I'm not a Hashira, what I can do for you, for the Corps is no less than what my father, Tengen, or Gyomai-san can do. You know that too"
His voice softened, but did not waver.
"So tell me, why do you want me to become a Hashira that badly?"
Kagaya listened without interruption.
"You know I could do it," Kagerou said. "If I put my mind to it, I could become a Hashira as fast as possible. But I haven't. Not yet"
He lowered his gaze for a moment.
"There's a family that needs me. My father hides it well, but I know he's still heartbroken over my mother's passing. Kyojuro still needs guidance. Senjuro still has so much to learn," A brief pause. "And now that Obanai has joined our family, I need to be home even more"
Kagerou looked back at Kagaya, eyes honest, unguarded.
"So I'm asking you this, not as a Demon Slayer, not as your subordinate," He smiled faintly. "But as your friend"
"Please give me this favor, Kagaya. Alright?"
Silence followed.
Kagaya said nothing for a long moment, his gentle smile never leaving his lips.
Then.
He chuckled.
Softly at first, then a small laugh escaped him. It was quiet, restrained, but unmistakably genuine. The kind of laughter that rarely left Kagaya's chest. The kind even his own family seldom heard.
And when it did appear, it was almost always when Kagerou was around.
"…And who was it," Kagaya said with amusement, turning his face toward him, "that told my children not to grow too fast?"
Kagerou snorted quietly.
"But I'll remember what you said, Kage-kun," Kagaya continued. "And… I'm sorry. If what I did alluded to you, even indirectly"
His expression softened further.
"Perhaps you're right. I have been uneasy lately. The demons are becoming more active, more aggressive. And without realizing it… I may have shown my impatience to you"
He inhaled slowly.
"... I'm afraid, Kage-kun," Kagaya admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "The demons grow stronger with each passing day, while we continue forward as we always have. The future I once dreamed of, it feels like it's slipping farther away"
His hand rested lightly on the engawa.
"I'm afraid the fire will go out," he said honestly, "while it is still in my hands"
The words stunned the space around them.
Even Amane stiffened slightly, her eyes widening.
The quintuplets paused in their play, sensing the shift in the air, even if they could not understand it.
This was Kagaya's fear.
Something he almost never showed.
And yet, when Kagerou was beside him, it surfaced naturally.
Kagaya himself did not know what made Kagerou different. Only that when he was here, the weight of leadership loosened its grip. The burden of command softened.
When Kagerou sat beside him, Kagaya was no longer the head of the Demon Slayer Corps.
He was simply Kagaya.
A human.
Just another human being.