"I'm very grateful to the Kamado siblings. They were able to bring me that faint, yet so real, spark of hope, letting me know that my sister was right—since someone is already putting this ideal into practice, then I can also stake my life on my own wish!"
Suzuki Makoto already understood her meaning.
The demon that killed her sister... perhaps Shinobu Kocho also knew she couldn't defeat it with her Breathing Style, but she could let the demon eat her, eat this body that contained a massive amount of wisteria flower poison!
"I'm very weak, even compared to my sister. That's why my sister could learn Flower Breathing, while I could only derive the Insect Breathing from it, which has a lower physical demand. Even so, I don't have enough strength and can only rely on poison."
"I'm really envious of Miss Mitsuri Kanroji. She has such a strong body, such a God-given strength. Sometimes I can't help but fantasize that if I could switch bodies with Miss Mitsuri, she wouldn't have to worry about her appetite or finding a husband, and I would have enough strength to avenge my sister!"
Shinobu Kocho's voice grew more and more agitated. Perhaps this was the first time since her sister's death that she could reveal her true feelings to someone.
"I have no other way. That demon must be an Upper Rank of the Twelve Kizuki. It can overcome ordinary poisons in moments with its physical endurance. Even wisteria flowers won't trouble it for long—so this is the only method I could think of!"
She grabbed the cup and looked at Suzuki Makoto, speaking word by word.
"Please don't stop me, and don't tell anyone else, Mr. Suzuki."
With that, she raised the cup, about to drink the tea.
The teacup reached her lips, but could not move another half-step.
"Miss Kocho, you say you want to inherit everything from your sister. In that case, what did your sister say to you before she died?"
Suzuki Makoto grabbed Shinobu Kocho's hand, and his words made her body instantly stiffen.
Of course, he didn't know what Shinobu Kocho's sister had said to her; he didn't even know her name. But Suzuki Makoto believed that a sister who loved her older sister so deeply must have had an older sister who loved her just as much.
Shinobu Kocho's sister was a person so gentle she would even pity demons. How could such a person, upon her death, ask her younger sister to avenge her?
What did my sister say...
She wanted me to leave the Demon Slayer Corps.
She wanted me to find the happiness of an ordinary girl.
She wanted me to live a long life, until my hair turned gray.
Shinobu Kocho, who hadn't wavered in the slightest while arguing with Suzuki Makoto for so long, had tears welling up in her eyes for the first time.
"I don't believe such a gentle young woman would let her younger sister bear the burden of hatred. She would definitely want her sister to live a good life, want you to find your own happiness, not stake your life on getting revenge for her."
Suzuki Makoto's voice was very soft, as if afraid to disturb that single tear.
"Miss Kocho, do you truly want to inherit your sister's dying wish, or do you just want to find someone who can remember your sister for you, so that you can dedicate yourself completely to revenge?"
The young woman slowly lowered her head.
The palm of her hand felt so cold, like her own past after her sister died.
The back of her hand felt so warm, like the future her sister wished for her.
That tear finally fell.
--------------------------------------------------
Suzuki Makoto poured out the cold tea from the cup, rinsed it with freshly brewed tea, then refilled it and placed it in front of Shinobu Kocho. The pot of wisteria tea, naturally, met the same fate.
"Thank you, Mr. Suzuki."
"It's nothing—please tell me what the demon that killed your sister looked like."
Suzuki Makoto didn't think he was particularly eloquent, nor did he believe that things like love and justice could make someone give up on revenge.
Hate is always a more enduring emotion than love. Humans can survive on hate alone. Perhaps after revenge is taken, new love can once again nourish a withered heart, but until that hatred is released, no other emotion can take root.
The only thing that could give Shinobu Kocho the will to live again was complete and merciless revenge.
Coincidentally, Suzuki Makoto felt his own strength should be up to the task.
"That demon... it looked like his head had been drenched in fresh blood. The weapons he used were a pair of sharp iron fans, and at the scene, I found a lot of ice that didn't seem to melt. It couldn't have been left by my sister."
Ice!?
Suzuki Makoto immediately grasped the key point. That word was in the notes for his Nichirin Blade!
If there was a demon whose Blood Demon Art was ice manipulation, and it was also an Upper Rank demon, then his theory about the awakening condition for his Nichirin Blade was correct. Slay flesh, slay ice, slay moonlight—if these were all demon abilities, everything would make sense.
As long as he kept killing his way through, he could awaken his blade!
"I've memorized it, Miss Kocho. Rest assured, this demon will die by my blade."
No one is taking this kill from me!
"Thank you, Mr. Suzuki."
"Alright, no more thanks. Mmm, this tea is good."
Shinobu Kocho smiled knowingly and picked up the teapot.
"Then, would you like another cup?"
"If you don't mind."
After finishing their tea, the sky was approaching dusk. Suzuki Makoto walked into the Butterfly Mansion and found that Zenitsu Agatsuma had also woken up. He was grabbing Tanjiro and Inosuke, asking what had happened.
"It's good that you're okay. What were the results of your check-ups?"
"Mr. Suzuki! Miss Aoi said she couldn't find anything wrong, but since it was the Blood Demon Art of Lower Rank One, she said we have to wait for the Insect Hashira to examine us before we can be sure we're really okay."
Tanjiro Kamado replied with a smile.
"That's good. By the way, Tanjiro, starting tomorrow, come to my house during the day."
"Yes!"
Tanjiro's heart stirred. He was already looking forward to discussing the Hinokami Kagura with Suzuki Makoto tomorrow.
"Tanjiro! Are you going to become Mr. Suzuki's Tsuguko? You bastard! Getting a head start on us and reaching for the sky in one step!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma grabbed Tanjiro's collar and shook him. He looked frantic, but he was just being playful, his tone full of congratulations.
However, Suzuki Makoto felt like teasing the little guy.
"Ah, speaking of which, I've decided on my own Hashira title—it's the Thunder Hashira."
"Mr. Suzuki is going to be the Thunder Hashira?"
"What's that?"
"EHHHH—!!?? Why! Why the Thunder Hashira!!!"
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