Under the cover of night, the girl's face appeared exceptionally resolute in the faint moonlight.
The gentle smile that used to grace his lips has long since vanished.
"It's ridiculous."
My parents died at the hands of demons.
But I can't bring myself to hate ghosts.
They even kept thinking about whether it was possible to find a way for humans and ghosts to coexist peacefully.
At this point, Kanae turned to look at Teiichi.
"Would Teiichi think my dream is ridiculous?"
Teiichi his head and stared at Kanae for a moment before slowly speaking:
Actually, my experience is quite similar to yours.
My parents were also killed by ghosts, and I myself was partially eaten by a ghost.
If my teacher hadn't arrived in time, you might not be seeing me now!
Hearing Teiichi's words, Kanae a little surprised. She hadn't expected that Teiichi's experience was so similar to her own.
"So... will you hate them?"
Kanae immediately realized that her question was somewhat unnecessary.
Throughout my journey, whether as a regular team member or Hashira Rank member...
Anyone who knows about ghosts, except for themselves, hates them.
Even forbearance is no exception.
However, to her surprise, Teiichi shook his head.
Kanae stared wide-eyed in surprise, as if she had heard a viewpoint that overturned her understanding.
"Don't you hate ghosts?" Her voice betrayed disbelief.
Teiichi nodded slightly, his eyes revealing a deep contemplation.
I don't hate ghosts.
Many ghosts did not become that way voluntarily; they were also victims, forced by some force.
After becoming demons, their bodies are driven by an irresistible instinct, compelling them to kill and eat people.
This is actually more like a law of nature.
Eagles eat rabbits, rabbits eat grass.
In this story, however, humans are reduced to 'grass'.
Therefore, killing and eating people are not considered wrong by ghosts!
Of course, there's nothing wrong with us humans slaying demons!
He paused, as if searching for the most suitable words to express his thoughts.
"If I had to put it in a way, it would be that the two sides have different positions!"
Of course, I'm not trying to defend ghosts.
Even if I encounter a ghost, I will still kill it without hesitation.
But if a demon that doesn't eat people appears, then I think it's possible to try to coexist peacefully.
Kanae was deeply moved by Teiichi's words; she stood there, lost in thought.
This was the first time she had heard this perspective.
This approach abandons all emotions and focuses solely on the most basic interests.
After a long while, Kanae slowly raised her head and said with a wry smile:
"It sounds like there's nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't feel human at all!"
Teiichi chuckled softly, "Many things seem complicated on the surface, but if you look closely, they're actually quite simple at their core!"
Kanae frowned upon hearing this, seemingly trying to process what Teiichi said.
"So, if we really want to coexist peacefully with ghosts, is stopping them from eating people the only way?"
Teiichi firmly. "Yes!"
Looking at the girl with her brows furrowed, Teiichi asked, "Do you still think you can live peacefully with ghosts?"
Kanae hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Is it impossible to achieve conditions for peaceful coexistence through cooperation between the two sides?"
Teiichi, "That ghost needs to eat people to survive, how do we solve this?"
Kanae hesitated and said, "Could we meet the survival needs of some victims or donated bodies, and then reward the families of those who donated bodies?"
Teiichi shook his head. "While it's certainly possible in an ideal world, it's extremely difficult to succeed in practice."
Why?
"First of all, the ghost's constitution not only makes them need to eat people to survive, but it also affects their mental state."
"You've been a pillar for so long, and you've encountered quite a few demons, but how many of them can communicate normally with humans?"
Upon hearing this, Kanae pictured Doma.
Even in his Upper Rank Two form, he did seem somewhat mentally unstable. Is it truly impossible for demons and humans to coexist peacefully?
"Secondly, even if they are mentally sound, in order to meet the needs of ghosts' survival, their number must be strictly controlled to a certain level; too many would make it difficult to guarantee the supply of their survival resources."
"Finally, once the number of ghosts is restricted, someone will always say that instead of wasting so many resources to support the survival of ghosts, it would be easier to just kill them all."
Moreover, since ghosts eat people, plans to eliminate ghosts are very likely to gain the support of most people.
After all, it wasn't them who were killed, and as a domesticated species, even having the right to vote couldn't change the fact that their numbers were small.
Ultimately, everything will return to where it started!
Upon hearing Teiichi's words, Kanae's heart sank to the bottom.
"Is there really no way at all...?"
Seeing the dejected girl, Teiichi sighed helplessly, "I can roughly think of two paths to choose from now."
Upon hearing this, Kanae's eyes lit up. "Which two roads?"
Teiichi up his finger and said, "First, study the human body to see why ghosts eat people, and then create corresponding meat that ghosts can eat."
Secondly, they developed a drug that could turn ghosts into humans. Since the ghosts became human, they no longer needed to eat people.
After thinking about it, and considering that Nezuko overcame her cannibalistic tendencies in the original story, Teiichi added:
"Of course, if a ghost can overcome the ability to eat people, capturing it and studying it to see if it can be promoted is also an option."
Kanae lowered her head and thought for a while.
"According to what you just said, these three paths are all for resolving the most fundamental conflict of interest between humans and ghosts, is that right?"
Teiichi slightly.
"Yes, only by resolving the conflict of interest between the two sides can humans and ghosts coexist peacefully."
He Teiichi moment, then continued:
"However, it is not only ghosts that infringe upon human interests; humans can also infringe upon human interests."
To me, some humans are even more detestable than ghosts.
Kanae repeated, "Could humans be more detestable than demons...?"
Teiichi nodded. "Yes! Never underestimate the evil in human nature!"
Kanae looked at Teiichi and asked, "What would you do if you were faced with people more detestable than demons?"
Teiichi glanced at Kanae and hesitated before saying:
"If it can be handled through proper channels, I will handle it through proper channels."
If that doesn't work, I might just kill them myself!
"Kill them...?"
"Yes!" Teiichi, then looked at Kanae: "Don't you think they shouldn't have been killed?"
Kanae lowered her head and pondered for a while before slowly shaking her head.
"If they are truly more detestable than ghosts, then if ghosts can be killed, what is there that cannot be killed..."
After saying that, Kanae Teiichi, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Teiichi asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Kanae shook her head. "No, it's just that I suddenly understand you a little better!"
Upon Teiichi, Kanae with some confusion.
Kanae said, "Actually, I had a pretty good impression of you at first, but later, the way you paid homage to the Oyakata-sama made my impression of you much worse."
Later, I looked into some overseas cultures and gained a little understanding of why you didn't like to kneel and bow when paying homage to your Oyakata-sama.
However, I still don't quite understand why you insist on your own way of paying homage to the Oyakata-sama, even though you know everyone dislikes it.
After talking with you tonight, I finally have a general idea of what you're thinking.
Teiichi, "What are my thoughts?"
Kanae smiled and said, "Because you have clear principles for handling things! Even though you know it might not be easily accepted by others, or even be right, you still insist on handling things according to your own principles!"
Teiichi was stunned when he heard Kanae's description of him.
This was the first time he had heard someone describe him, and surprisingly, it seemed quite accurate.
The two looked up and continued to gaze at the starry sky.
After a long silence, Teiichi spoke, "I'm different from Kanae!"
Kanae looked at Teiichi with a puzzled expression. "What's different?"
Teiichi Yi's gaze met Kanae's in mid-air. "I've always had a very good impression of Kanae!"
Upon hearing Kanae averted her gaze as if fleeing, a blush spreading across the girl's cheeks.
That night, the two talked until very late...
Shinobu Kocho arrived late and was cursing in the courtyard...