In an abandoned house outside the village, Sanemi held the barely breathing Masachika Kume in his arms, silent for a long time.
Tears welled in his eyes-ever since the day his mother had passed away, he had all but forgotten what crying felt like. No matter how badly he was wounded, he had always gritted his teeth, never showing the slightest weakness.
Sanemi tried to breathe deeply, his arms trembling around Kyojuro.
"Sane...mi..." Broken words spilled from Kyojuro's lips. "Don't look so down... talk about something else... I don't want the road to the Sanzu River... to be this quiet."
So Sanemi struggled to pull himself together, awkwardly talking about whatever came to mind.
"You asked me last time how I knew Mr. Takanashi, the Star Hashira..."
"Ah... right..." Kyojuro forced his eyes wider, trying hard to listen, but the blood flowing relentlessly from his abdomen kept clouding his mind.
"Mr. Takanashi... saved Genya and me. He was also the one who set me on the path to becoming a demon slayer. When I first met him, he wasn't a Hashira yet... Masachika, are you listening?"
"...Of course..." Kyojuro controlled his breathing. Though no one would come to save him, he still hoped to hold death off a little longer. Sanemi rarely spoke to him so gently, and he wanted to hear more. "The next time you see him... you'll be a Hashira too..."
Sanemi paused, then squeezed his eyes shut.
Many swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps had heard about Sabito Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka. Sanemi had also learned quite a bit from Kyojuro.
The two fellow disciples had slain a Lower Rank together. Sabito Urokodaki, who had sacrificed himself, had suffered severe injuries and was still lying unconscious in the Butterfly Mansion.
Giyu Tomioka, who had swung his