"Impossible… impossible… my body is disappearing… I was actually…"
The Hand Demon's voice trembled as its body crumbled away.
Aoyama turned around, his gaze cold as he stared at the last hand still reaching outward.
Fragments of memory flashed through the demon's mind.
That's right… it had a brother once.
But where was his brother?
Ah.
He had devoured him with his own teeth.
Large tears rolled from its bulging eyes.
"A pitiful person always has something hateful about them," Aoyama said calmly, meeting its gaze. "I won't pity you."
He sheathed his blade.
The system notification rang in his mind.
Ding! Host has slain the Hand Demon (instance boss). Rewards: +50 Physical Enhancement, +50 Arm Strength, +10 Hearing Enhancement. Random drop: Treasure Chest.
"Open the treasure chest."
Ding! Treasure chest opened. Obtained: Demon-Slaying Poison x1.
Aoyama raised an eyebrow slightly.
Poison to kill demons…
That reminded him of the Insect Hashira—Shinobu Kocho.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Back at the starting point of Final Selection, Tanjiro, battered and bruised, looked around anxiously.
But he didn't see Senior Brother Aoyama anywhere.
Could it be…?
No.
Impossible.
Senior Brother Aoyama was far too strong.
He couldn't have failed.
Tanjiro's eyes grew wet.
Following procedure, the survivors were each assigned their own Kasugai Crow.
Except for one person.
Instead of a crow, he received a tiny sparrow.
That person was Agatsuma Zenitsu—crying miserably as though he might die at any second.
While selecting their respective pieces of Tamahagane steel, a small commotion erupted.
A hot-tempered man suddenly rushed forward, grabbing the white-haired girl by the head and snarling,
"Give me my sword! Now! Right now!"
Aoyama, who had already taken his Tamahagane and left, happened to return at that moment and witnessed the scene.
Without hesitation—
He delivered a flying kick.
The hothead was sent flying over ten meters away.
Aoyama dusted off his pant leg, straightened up, and said coolly,
"Throw a tantrum if you want. Act tough if you want. But don't bully others. Follow the rules."
Seeing Aoyama suddenly appear, Tanjiro's previously sinking heart shot back up into the sky.
He ran forward and hugged him tightly.
"That's great! That's great, Senior Brother Aoyama! You're safe—really safe!"
Aoyama patted Tanjiro's shoulder lightly.
"Hey, hey. Watch your image. Two grown men hugging like this isn't appropriate."
That wasn't the real reason, of course.
The real reason was that Tanjiro's tears and snot were getting on his robe.
The hot-tempered man, having been kicked into obedience, quietly collected his Tamahagane and even gave Aoyama a respectful nod before leaving.
Aoyama raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment.
Only then did the man dare walk away.
Some people—
Only understand after being taught a lesson.
In short, he had it coming.
Elsewhere, a man in a kimono sat along a corridor with a Kasugai Crow perched on his arm. He gently stroked its feathers.
"Six survived. How splendid."
"Now then… that special child… I must meet him someday."
…
On the journey back—
Tanjiro, covered in wounds, limped along using a wooden stick as a crutch.
In contrast, Aoyama looked completely relaxed, as if he hadn't participated in Final Selection at all.
Tanjiro's spirits were low.
During those seven days, he hadn't only fought demons—he had desperately tried to ask them how to turn his sister back into a human.
"Senior Brother Aoyama… those demons… whenever they saw me, they only wanted to kill me and eat me. They wouldn't listen to a single word. But my sister…"
Aoyama stopped walking.
He knew the answer.
He knew how Nezuko could return to being human.
But he couldn't say it outright.
Just like how he hadn't revealed Sabito and Makomo's fate before.
"Tanjiro!"
His voice was firm.
"Stand up straight like a man. Nezuko will be fine. Believe in her."
The certainty in his tone struck Tanjiro's anxious heart like a stone dropping into water.
Mount Sagiri.
Urokodaki-sensei had prepared everything.
He had already received word from the Kasugai Crow that both Aoyama and Tanjiro were safe.
The weight on his heart finally lifted.
Memories of the children who had fallen still lingered painfully.
Inside the house—
Nezuko suddenly stirred, as if sensing something.
She rose abruptly and kicked the wooden door open, stepping outside.
At that very moment—
Aoyama and Tanjiro arrived.
Nezuko.
Joy radiated across Aoyama's face.
She had awakened.
He had waited so long for this moment.
"Nezuko! Nezuko, you're awake!"
Tanjiro's voice trembled with overwhelming happiness.
Aoyama wanted nothing more than to step forward and talk to her under the night sky.
But the siblings had finally reunited.
That time belonged to them.
As for him—
He had something important to give Urokodaki-sensei.
Inside the room, candlelight flickered.
Aoyama placed a wrapped bundle on the table and slowly unwrapped it.
Inside lay two worn, damaged fox masks.
Urokodaki recognized them instantly.
They were Sabito's.
And Makomo's.
"I've killed the demon," Aoyama said quietly. "These were the only masks I could recover. The others were likely destroyed."
Urokodaki's hands trembled as he lifted the broken masks.
He had carved them himself.
He had personally placed them on those children's faces.
And now—
They were all that remained.