"Yes, I know. The real me passed away several hundred years ago.
The current me is merely an illusion shaped from your memories of me, Mitsuba—an illusion that can only exist in your dream."
Admitting her true nature without concealment, Butterfly's tone underwent some change.
But this change was not regret or sadness, but rather gentle admonishment.
"But even so, I still hope that you can cheer up, Mitsuba, and live well in reality, rather than indulging beside this false me at this moment."
Hearing her words, Mitsuba's emotions finally completely lost control.
"You fool..."
Her eyes stung, tears uncontrollably pouring out, impossible to wipe clean no matter how she tried.
"What kind of illusion speaks like you do? Right now you clearly, clearly should use all your strength to bewitch me... You should exert every ounce of your ability to make me willingly remain in this dream, never to wake up again..."
"Mitsuba, you know—as long as I am still that Butterfly in your memories, I could never do such a thing."
Butterfly's footsteps gradually stopped, and the entire dream began to collapse at this moment. The originally lively street scenes around them dissipated like grains of sand bit by bit.
"Alright, no more dawdling. There are still many things in reality waiting for you to do."
"Yes..."
"Speaking of which, before leaving, would you like to see my face?"
Butterfly suddenly asked.
From entering this dream until now, the two of them had always been speaking back-to-back, never once looking at each other directly.
"No..."
Wiping away her tears, Mitsuba took a deep breath, trying to make her tone appear calm.
"I'm afraid that after seeing it, I won't want to wake up again."
"Eh~ what a pity~"
Butterfly laughed and teased. Just like this, with her back to Mitsuba, she spoke her final farewell with that light tone carrying a hint of a smile.
"Then, goodbye Mitsuba. You must live well."
The dream completely collapsed, consciousness gradually returning.
Back in that pitch-black cinema hall once more, Mitsuba slowly opened her eyes in her seat, her cheeks slightly cool—seemingly traces where tears had slid.
[Have I already woken up...]
Her heart filled with indescribable loss, Mitsuba subconsciously turned to look.
In the seat beside her, Kanae was still sleeping deeply, her face carrying that faint, somewhat shy smile.
[It seems this child truly had a good dream...]
A trace of a smile involuntarily rising on her face as well, Mitsuba removed her coat and gently draped it over Kanae.
She turned to look again and discovered that Enmu was no longer in the cinema hall.
Looking further, Akaza and Koyuki were still in their dreams at this moment. The two of them had their brows tightly furrowed, hands clasped firmly together—clearly experiencing something important in their dreams.
Only Rengoku was gone.
Mitsuba noticed this point at the first instant.
In the entire cinema hall, only Rengoku's seat was empty now.
This boy had woken up early.
Then, where had he gone?
"..."
Returning to a slightly earlier time, Rengoku's dream.
[Here... is my home?]
Standing dumbly before the gates of the Rengoku family estate, Rengoku was somewhat bewildered.
[Strange, why am I here? Wasn't I before... where was I again?]
Vaguely feeling a sense of incongruity, as if there was a gap in his memories, but after only brief thought, Rengoku remembered everything.
Oh! Right! Today was the day of his promotion to Flame Hashira! He had rushed back to tell this news to his father!
Thinking this, Rengoku immediately quickened his pace across the gate, shouting excitedly:
"Father! I slayed a Lower Rank demon in this extermination mission! The Master has appointed me as the new Flame Hashira!"
"Really, big brother?!"
In the estate, the first to run out responding to Rengoku was not his father, but his younger brother Senjuro.
This little owl who looked almost identical to Rengoku ran over with a happy face, excitedly saying:
"Wonderful! I knew big brother could definitely do it!"
"Hahaha! Naturally!"
"Father will surely be happy for big brother too!"
[Father... will be happy for me?]
Hearing his younger brother's words, Rengoku suddenly froze for a moment.
Would Father... truly be happy?
In a trance, Rengoku suddenly recalled his father's alcoholic, decadent appearance these past years.
He remembered that his mother had said before she passed away that Father had also been a passionate and bold Demon Slayer in his youth.
But ever since the year he was born, ever since that senior Tsugikuni Mitsuba was killed by demons, Father had completely changed.
Not only did he abandon his identity and duty as a Demon Slayer, spending his days drinking in the estate, but he also scoffed at Rengoku's aspiration to become a Demon Slayer.
From childhood to adulthood, the sentence Rengoku heard most from his father's mouth was—
"Even Mitsuba lost. What can your so-called talent amount to? Practice as you will, the final result will be the same..."
Father always said that senior Tsugikuni Mitsuba was the only existence in the Demon Slayer Corps for hundreds of years whose talent could rival that legendary Child of God.
Her strength far exceeded that of ordinary Demon Slayers.
Yet it was precisely such an existence who ultimately died in the hands of those Upper Rank demons, and even died covering Father's retreat.
To Father, this was undoubtedly an extremely heavy blow.
And from this point on, Father completely no longer believed in the possibility of Demon Slayers defeating demons.
After all, if even Tsugikuni Mitsuba lost, what meaning was there for those remaining people—far inferior to her—to work hard no matter what?
Everything was futile effort...
Would such a Father truly be happy for him becoming a Hashira?
"Oh! Kyojuro! You've done excellently!"
Just as Rengoku lowered his head in silence, his father Shinjuro's voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.
"Father? You..."
He subconsciously turned to look and saw that his father, who in his memories was always dressed sloppily, had at this moment unexpectedly changed into new clothes and donned his former Demon Slayer haori, walking out of the room with a hearty laugh.
"I've already heard everything from the Master! I didn't expect that Kyojuro could slay a Lower Rank demon so quickly. Truly worthy of being my son! Hahahaha!"
"Father... are you happy for me?"
Regarding Shinjuro's reaction, Rengoku was somewhat unable to believe it.
"Hm? Isn't that obvious!"
Forcefully patting his shoulder, Shinjuro laughed loudly:
"Seeing my son working so hard! How could I, as his old man, have the face to continue degenerating?
I've decided! Starting today, I will return to the Demon Slayer Corps!
In the days to come, let us father and son strive together!"
"Yes!"
Rengoku nodded forcefully, so excited he was nearly in tears.
But Shinjuro's following words completely shattered this excitement.