"Of course, that's what I said, but deep in your heart, there's always been a small knot regarding this.
It's the knot of guilt for having done something bad.
And in order to eliminate this knot, over these past dozen or so years, you've continuously tried to convince yourself—
'What I did back then wasn't wrong~ They were the ones who drove me out first~ They knew there were demons in the mountains but still wouldn't let me return~ They were the ones who wanted me to die first~'
'And I couldn't possibly have defeated that demon back then~ So submitting to it wasn't something unacceptable~ The world has always been like this~'
Little one, do you want to know how I view your story?"
Having completely laid bare Kaigaku's innermost secrets, Mitsuba asked with a smile.
Although Kaigaku didn't respond, his tense gaze clearly showed that he very much wanted to know.
"The answer is: there is no right or wrong."
Mitsuba replied.
"In your story, I see no so-called right or wrong. I only see a series of results caused by different choices.
Little one, you stole money from the temple but didn't disguise it well, so you were discovered by the other children and ultimately driven out of the temple. This is what you deserved.
Similarly, those children drove you away without the slightest regard for the demons roaming the mountains, and completely failed to guard against the retaliatory actions you might take when forced into desperation. In the end, they suffered the tragedy of demons slaughtering them at their door. This is what they deserved.
There is no right or wrong in this world, because this concept is a completely artificial word. Only those with rabbits in their hearts would obsess over it.
Throughout this entire story, what you should truly regret is why you weren't more careful when stealing the money back then, and why you got caught.
Of course, don't get the idea that I'm taking your side. If the person sitting here right now wasn't you, but one of the other children from that temple,
I would also plainly tell him that when they drove you away, they should have either allowed you to return before dark, or been even more thorough and directly driven you out of that mountain. It would be the same either way.
You see, that's how simple it is. Do you understand what I mean, little one?"
Using Kaigaku's past experience, Mitsuba revealed to him her way of thinking—purely from a neutral standpoint.
To Kaigaku, she would say: You were too careless when stealing the money back then. You need to pay more attention next time.
To the children from the temple, she would say: Your method of driving him out was too crude. Next time, you need to consider the consequences more carefully.
Not favoring any side, completely without good or evil, not caring about right or wrong—only focusing on what a person can gain and what they will lose when doing something.
"Little one, this is the truth I want to tell you. Human life is incredibly brief. If you only wish to live an ordinary life, then so be it.
But if you harbor ambition in your heart and want to climb higher, you'd better abandon that 'rabbit' domesticated by this society as soon as possible, and change your way of thinking earlier... Alright, that's all."
Seeing that the train she was waiting for had arrived, Mitsuba no longer had any desire to continue chatting.
She patted Kaigaku's shoulder again and stood up:
"Counselor Mitsuba's psychological guidance ends here. The train has arrived, so I should be going.
Think more about what I just said, little one. Do whatever you want afterward. We'll meet again if fate allows... Of course, it's better if we don't."
After saying this, Mitsuba walked toward the open train car ahead, holding an umbrella in one hand and her other hand in her coat pocket.
And behind her, Kaigaku, who had been deep in thought all this time, saw the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by determination.
His tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and Kaigaku slowly rose from his seat.
Yes, she was right.
He had no reason to obsess over this at all.
The Demon Slayer Corps was finished. He didn't want to die with those people, nor did he have any reason to die with them. So he would leave.
Where he would go after leaving and what he would do should be decided by himself. He had no reason to impose those restrictions on himself.
So what if he joined the demons? Who exactly stipulated that he couldn't do this?
Abandon those meaningless artificial words, make the choices you want to make, and then bear the corresponding consequences. That's how simple things are in this world.
"Miss Mitsuba."
At the moment before Mitsuba boarded the train, Kaigaku finally spoke, stopping her.
With a determined expression, he said:
"I also want to become a demon."
"...Huh?"
"..."
"Whew... Finally... almost there..."
On the other side, in a certain deep mountain in the countryside, Shinobu Kocho leaned on a wooden staff, already panting heavily.
"Hakuji... Are you really sure you didn't get it wrong... That Child of God... Was he really buried in this deserted mountain?"
"Ah, definitely not wrong. The location my sister gave is around here."
Walking ahead of Shinobu, Akaza held up an umbrella, carefully examining the distant woods, and slowly nodded.
"Oh-ho, finally found it!"
When his gaze caught the small wooden cabin hidden behind the trees, he immediately jumped back excitedly, lifted Shinobu with one hand, and carried her over in a few leaps.
"Let's go, let's go! We've arrived!"
Honestly, it would be a lie to say Akaza wasn't curious about the legendary Child of God's grave.
As a martial artist accomplished in both literary and martial arts, he was genuinely extremely curious about this legendary strongest Demon Slayer.
As the ultimate martial artist, plus being Mitsuba's elder brother, surely his burial place after death would be...
Then, Akaza saw an utterly ordinary withered grave.
An earthen mound grave hidden in the woods, overgrown with weeds on top, plus an abandoned small wooden cabin that had been vacant for over a decade and was already dilapidated beyond repair...
This was the burial place of that legendary Child of God?
Setting Shinobu down, Akaza looked at this desolate scene before him, his expression at a loss for words.
[Big sis, don't you normally come to clean your brother's grave?]
[Huh? Why would I do that?]
Mitsuba's voice quickly replied in his mind.
[Brother Yoriichi and Sister Uta's souls reincarnated and left long ago. What's still buried there are just two empty shells that rotted away ages ago. Is there any need to pay respects to that?]
Damn! That makes so much sense!