"I have never blamed you." Ruka's voice was soft, but it acted like a warm current, thawing the heart Shinjuro had kept frozen for so many years. "I understand the pain of losing a spouse, I truly do. But you forgot—you weren't alone. You still have two children."
Shinjuro shuddered violently. He lifted his head, gazing at his wife through eyes blurred by tears. For all these years, he had believed he was hated and abandoned. He had never imagined that his wife's tenderness had never truly left him.
He pulled Ruka into a fierce embrace, holding her with a strength that seemed intent on filling the void of the past few years.
Standing off to the side, Aoi Kazama watched the scene, a faint smile playing on her lips. In her mind, the timely chime of the System rang out:
[Ding! Mission Complete: Resolve Shinjuro Rengoku's internal conflict. Reward: 10,000 Points and 1x Magic Seed. Rewards have been issued to the storage space.]
Once Shinjuro had regained his composure, Ruka Rengoku turned a look of deep gratitude toward Aoi. She walked forward slowly and performed a slight bow. "Thank you, child. It is because of you that our family can be together again."
Aoi waved her hands hurriedly. "Please, Lady Ruka, there's no need for that. It was just a small favor."
Shinjuro straightened up from Ruka's embrace. He wiped his face, clearing away the residual tears and sake stains. When he looked at Aoi, the former cloudiness and decadence in his eyes had vanished, replaced by solemn clarity.
He took a step forward and bowed deeply to Aoi. His voice was raspy but every word was earnest. "Miss Kazama, the Rengoku family will never forget this debt. From this day forward, if you ever face any difficulty, as long as it is within our power, we shall face ten thousand deaths to assist you."
Aoi replied quickly, "You overstate it, Mr. Rengoku. I'm just happy I could help."
Not wanting to intrude on their family time any longer, Aoi took her leave. Ruka signaled for Kyojuro to walk her out.
On the way, Kyojuro stole a glance at Aoi. Seeing her lost in thought while gazing ahead, he cleared his throat. It took him a long while before he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Aoi... about today... truly, thank you."
"Oh, it's nothing! Seeing you so happy makes me happy too. A person like Kyojuro should be cheerful every single day." Aoi patted him on the shoulder.
Kyojuro pressed his hand over the spot she had patted, a massive grin breaking across his face. It was a smile filled with the pure, blazing heat unique to him. "Yes! I certainly will be!"
The Aftermath
The news of Ruka Rengoku's "resurrection" spread through the Demon Slayer Corps like wildfire. At first, it was just hushed whispers—rumors that the late Lady Rengoku had returned to the world of the living through some sort of secret technique.
When the gossip reached the ears of the other Hashira, their reactions varied.
Himejima Gyomei knelt in his dojo, hands clasped in prayer. As the prayer beads rotated slowly in his palms, his heavy voice carried a tone of deep compassion. "The world is already full of suffering. If a broken family can be made whole again, it is a virtuous connection indeed."
Tokito Muichiro sat on the porch watching the clouds, the sunlight hitting his pale cheeks. Upon hearing the news, he simply gave a dull "Oh" before adding, "Has nothing to do with me."
Suffice it to say, many people were talking, but the Master quickly suppressed the chatter.
The moment Kagaya Ubuyashiki learned the news, he immediately sent orders through his personal Kakushi, forbidding any further speculation regarding the Rengoku family's private affairs. His only official stance was: "Since the deceased has returned in a special form, we shall protect her peace. Do not disturb them."
As the orders filtered down through the ranks, the whispers receded like a tide, leaving behind only a sense of tacit, unspoken curiosity.
Aoi, meanwhile, acted as if nothing had happened, continuing her routine of eating and sleeping.
"System, what kind of seed is this exactly? I've had it planted for days and there isn't even a sprout," Aoi grumbled under her breath as she stared at the potted plant in her room.
[Please explore this on your own, Host!]
Aoi rolled her eyes and poked the soil in the pot irritably. "Fine, fine. You're the boss. I'll just treat it like an ancestor and sing it a lullaby every day."
The Nightmare
That night, Aoi slipped into a nightmare again. It was the same setting, the same suffocating pressure.
Kokushibo watched the woman appear before him once more. In an instant, he was in her face. He finally knew who this woman was—she was the one who had been "pinching" his face all this time.
He drew his blade and slashed toward Aoi, aiming directly for her head.
Aoi panicked. I'm dead, I'm dead!
She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting to be hacked into pieces. But the expected agony never came. She hesitantly opened one eye, only to find the blade frozen inches away from her.
Kokushibo stared in confusion at the tip of his own sword. Barely three inches from Aoi's forehead, a faint red glow shimmered like an invisible barrier, stubbornly halting his strike.
He swung again. The attack was blocked. He tried several more times, but the result was the same.
Seeing that he couldn't actually hurt her, Aoi's courage suddenly surged.
She straightened her back and tilted her chin up, glaring right back at him. "You... if you're so tough, then cut me down! What's the point of just holding the sword there?!"
Kokushibo choked on his words, his six crimson pupils wide with genuine shock.
For hundreds of years, everyone who saw him either knelt for mercy or fled in terror. No one had ever dared to speak to him like this.
He stared at Aoi for a long time before finally lowering his blade. He turned his back to her, refusing to look at her anymore.
Aoi tried to force herself to wake up, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She decided to try the door, and to her surprise, it opened.
Aoi took a step out, but before she could cover ten meters, an invisible force yanked her right back to Kokushibo's side.
Can I really not leave this demon's side? The moment the thought occurred to her, Aoi shuddered. She instinctively shuffled a few steps away, trying to distance herself from Kokushibo's back.
But the moment she moved, the invisible tether snapped tight, dragging her back to her original spot.
Defeated, Aoi slumped down into a crouch. Just then, a somewhat cloying, flamboyant voice drifted into her ears.
"Akaza-dono~ I was so worried about you!"
Akaza!
Aoi snapped her head up. She saw a man with rainbow-colored eyes leaning against a distant doorframe. His ivory hair fell over his shoulders, and his lips were curled into a bold, playful smirk.
And standing opposite him was Akaza—the very same demon who had nearly killed her during the last mission.
The two of them began talking to each other, completely ignoring her presence as if she were made of glass.
Akaza furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Get away from me."
Doma, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He continued to smile, his rainbow eyes glimmering with careless mockery.
Aoi wanted to keep eavesdropping, but her consciousness suddenly surged back to reality. She opened her eyes to find herself lying in her own bed.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, realizing that what she had just experienced was definitely not a dream.
Where exactly did I go? Was that... the demons' lair?