That evening, while trimming weeds in the courtyard, Inosuke suddenly sensed a sneaky presence and whipped his head around.
Asuka was currently carrying Shinobu Kocho on his back, carefully navigating around the water vat in the yard.
"Hey! Toritaro! Where do you think you're going!"
Bare-chested, he glared fiercely at Asuka with his delicate, beautiful face.
His heavily worn boar mask had been left inside the dojo. Even though the Demon Slayer Corps had disbanded, he still lived in Hayama.
In his own words, he was going to conquer the mountains here.
"The fireworks festival," Asuka replied without looking back.
"Hah? What's so great about that noisy stuff! You'd be better off competing with the great me in chopping down trees!" Inosuke bounded over noisily.
"Inosuke, keep it down!" Aoi Kanzaki walked out from the backyard where she had been brewing medicine. Holding a fan, she shot him an exasperated glare.
She looked at the two of them with concern. "Lord Asuka, Lady Shinobu, with your bodies in this condition... is it really okay for you to go down the mountain like this?"
"Should I have Kiyo and the others go with you..."
After all, Asuka's current appearance was truly somewhat terrifying.
Following the final battle, the excessive Spiritual Pressure had severely eroded his physical body. Large, dark purple patches covered his skin, making him look like rotting, dead flesh.
Shinobu Kocho, resting on his back, was just as pale as a sheet of paper, her eyes devoid of light.
A hideous, one-armed freak carrying a blind, sickly woman.
No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible not to worry.
"It's fine," Asuka said, adjusting Shinobu on his back.
Her weight was absurdly light, as if he wasn't carrying a person at all, but rather a feather that could drift away at any moment.
"I want to go see it, Aoi," Shinobu murmured, resting her head on Asuka's shoulder. She offered a weak but radiant smile in the direction of Aoi's voice. "It's rare to have such beautiful weather, and Asuka begged me for a long time."
"Actually... you were the one last night who..."
"Mr. Asuka, please remain silent at a time like this."
Asuka shut his mouth.
Shinobu flashed a mischievous smile and had Asuka lean her closer. She whispered conspiratorially to Aoi, "I specifically sent Kanao away, otherwise we definitely wouldn't have been able to sneak out... Be a dear and help your older sister out, won't you?"
Feeling the warm breath tickle her ear, Aoi's small face flushed red, and she stammered, "T-Then... you must be careful! Come back early!"
Inosuke scoffed, silently kicking away a piece of rubble blocking Asuka's path.
Asuka nodded to the two of them and slowly made his way down the mountain with Shinobu on his back.
The town at the foot of the mountain was brilliantly illuminated.
This was perhaps the liveliest spring the base of Hayama had ever seen.
People had shed their heavy winter clothes for vibrant yukatas, and the streets were lined with all sorts of stalls.
The sweet scent of candy apples, the savory aroma of grilled squid, and the playful laughter of children filled the air endlessly.
There were no more man-eating demons lurking in the night; everyone was simply enjoying this peaceful life.
However, as Asuka stepped into the crowd, the surrounding atmosphere noticeably chilled.
People instinctively avoided the tall, one-armed man with the terrifying visage.
The previously boisterous vendors would involuntarily fall silent upon meeting Asuka's calm, single eye.
"Look at that man... how scary."
"Shh, don't look. What is all that stuff on his body? Is he diseased?"
"That woman is blind too, right? How pitiful..."
The hushed whispers drifted into Asuka's ears, but he paid them no mind. After all, they were telling the truth.
He turned his head and noticed Shinobu gripping his shoulder, tilting her head with a hint of excitement.
She couldn't hear the gossip clearly; she was entirely focused on breathing in the festive atmosphere...
"Hey, Asuka, I smell candy apples."
"...I see them. Over there."
"I want one."
"Alright."
Completely ignoring the gazes of disgust and pity, Asuka quickly navigated through the crowd.
He supported Shinobu, allowing her to hand over the coins to purchase a bright red candy apple.
Shinobu nibbled on it in small bites, looking as satisfied as a child.
"Asuka, everyone must be staring at us, right?" she suddenly asked in a low voice.
"...Yeah."
"They must think we're a weird pair of monsters."
"I'm a monster, you're not," Asuka corrected her earnestly.
Shinobu chuckled softly, her laughter fleeting amidst the crowd.
"If I were a monster, I'd definitely be a butterfly monster that eats bad guys like Mr. Asuka."
"I don't think butterflies eat people."
"...It was a metaphor, a metaphor."
Carrying her, he climbed a long flight of stone steps and arrived at a secluded hillside behind the shrine.
It was far from the crowds and offered an unobstructed view, allowing them to overlook the entire town and watch the upcoming fireworks.
Due to her damaged vision, the world in Shinobu's eyes was reduced to a blur of constantly shifting gray shadows.
"Has it not started yet?" She tilted her head up, her vacant gaze directed toward the pitch-black night sky.
"Soon." Asuka set her down, letting her sit on his haori.
Bang!
Just as he spoke, the first loud boom tore through the night sky.
A brilliant burst of golden light exploded across the horizon, resembling a blooming chrysanthemum.
It was followed by purple, red, and green.
A faint glimmer of light finally reflected in Shinobu's lifeless pupils.
"Can you see it?" Asuka asked.
"Mhm... a little bit. It's very blurry, but I can feel it."
Shinobu reached out her hand, as if trying to catch the fleeting light. "These colors remind me of when I used to attend the fireworks festival with my older sister when we were little."
Asuka stared at the sky in silence.
The fireworks didn't look particularly beautiful to him; he only saw the eruption and dissipation of energy.
Much like the lives of the Hashira—the more dazzling their burn, the shorter they lasted, leaving him with a sense of powerlessness.
"Asuka."
"I'm here."
"Tell me, where do people go after they die?"
Shinobu's voice was very soft, sounding somewhat ethereal amidst the booming fireworks filling the sky.
Asuka withdrew his gaze and looked at the woman beside him.
This would likely be the last time he revealed his secret to anyone in this world.
"They go to a place called the Soul Society."
Asuka recounted calmly, as if telling an ancient legend.
"It's very large. I've heard there are three hundred and sixty thousand districts. Most people live in the outer areas known as the Rukongai. It's similar to here—there are houses and streets, it's just not as peaceful..."
"In the center of the Soul Society, there is a white city called the Seireitei. The people there wield swords capable of severing souls..."
He described the sunsets of the Rukongai, the Soul Reapers dressed in black Shihakusho, and that place which filled him with such complicated emotions.
Shinobu listened intently, even forgetting to eat her candy apple.
"It sounds like a very lively place," she murmured. "Are there demons there too?"
"...It is entirely filled with ghosts."
"Then... are there flowers there?"
"Yes. Even in the depths of the Rukongai, there are hillsides covered in wildflowers."
Shinobu turned her head. Although she couldn't see Asuka's face clearly, she seemed to sense the complex emotions in his eyes at that moment.
"So, Mr. Asuka... will you be returning there in the future?"
Asuka remained silent for a long time at this question.
"Yes," he finally replied.
"That's wonderful..."
Shinobu leaned back against Asuka's shoulder and sighed softly.
She naturally knew Asuka wasn't an ordinary human, from his abnormal vitality and recovery to his unfathomable combat abilities...
She hesitated for a long time before speaking again.
"When the time comes... could you take me with you?"
Hearing Shinobu's request, Asuka furrowed his brows and cupped his chin, analyzing it seriously.
"I'm not sure if your soul can reach the shores of the Soul Society. And even if it does, it might not necessarily be a good thing."
"It's cruel there too. You might have to start everything over from scratch, and I don't know if you'll even remember me."
"The most terrifying part is that within the Soul Society, there are..."
"Idiot..."
Shinobu muttered under her breath.
"...What?"
"You really are an absolute idiot, Mr. Asuka."
Shinobu reached out, fumbling for a moment before finally pinching Asuka's cheek. Though she didn't use much force, it left him frozen in place. "To think you were actually seriously considering whether I'd suffer if you took me there... Do you really not understand what a girl is trying to say?"
The fireworks engaged in their final revelry in the sky, bathing the entire mountain in a magnificent purple hue.
Shinobu's lips moved, her gentle voice masked by the fireworks until it almost vanished into the wind.
Yet, Asuka still understood what she meant.
"Where I want to go is wherever you are."