"Kato Teiichi, what are you doing?"
A strange voice rang out beside Teiichi's ear.
The voice brought Teiichi somewhat to his senses. He turned to look and saw his seagull standing a short distance away, staring at him.
"Me? I..."
Teiichi tried to answer, but swallowed the words before they left his mouth. He did not know how to explain his feelings or his current state.
"What about the demon in Yamada Town? Have you slain it?" the seagull asked Teiichi sternly.
"No."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I, I... don't know."
Teiichi fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
The seagull gave Teiichi a long look and said in disappointment, "I came to give you a new mission. I thought you'd finished this mission in Yamada Town long ago. I went straight to your house to find you, then flew over here when I couldn't find you there. I never expected you to end up like this. You're in no state to keep carrying out missions. You should go back and rest for a while."
At this, the seagull paused briefly, its gaze fixed on Teiichi, then continued, "As for this mission in Yamada Town, we'll hand that over to another Corps member as well."
Hearing that the Yamada Town mission would also be handed over to someone else, Teiichi was momentarily stunned and answered instinctively:
"Wait, I'll be able to..."
But before he could finish, he suddenly fell silent.
He remembered the three people who had died one after another over the past few days, and his heart filled with guilt and self-reproach. After a long while, Teiichi finally raised his head slowly, his eyes utterly dim, and said in a low, hoarse voice:
"Yeah... leave it to someone else. When you hand over the mission, please find someone with stronger perception. This demon can burrow underground. An ordinary Corps member might not be able to find him."
"A burrowing demon?"
The seagull murmured softly and nodded in understanding before saying:
"All right, I understand. If you have nothing else to do, you can head back now."
With that, the seagull beat its wings, turned, and flew into the distance.
Teiichi stared intently at the seagull as it gradually disappeared into the darkness, a trace of melancholy and confusion showing in his eyes.
Then he silently lowered his head, slowly raised his cup, and took a small sip of shochu. At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and the entire world was steeped in silence.
He sat motionless like that, letting the night gradually envelop his lonely figure.
Only after finishing all the shochu and side dishes he had brought did Teiichi slowly rise to his feet.
He looked toward Yamada Town, gently caressed by the moonlight, and a peaceful, harmonious scene lay before his eyes. Yet behind that tranquility lurked endless unrest and fear.
A powerful wave of guilt surged through Teiichi's heart. He could not help sighing softly and murmuring under his breath:
"I'm truly sorry! If someone other than me had come here back then, this mission might have been finished long ago, and so many people in town wouldn't have died."
His words were filled with self-reproach and helplessness.
Teiichi stood on the rooftop, quietly gazing into the distance, countless thoughts swirling through his mind. A breeze brushed his face, bringing a hint of coolness, but it could not pull him from his thoughts.
After quite a while, Teiichi took a deep breath, slowly jumped down from the roof, and headed toward the inn with heavy steps. Back in his room, he began packing his luggage without a word. He carefully put away each item, as though bidding a final farewell to the days gone by.
After packing his luggage, Teiichi walked over to the bed, took some money from his pocket, and placed it in the most conspicuous spot in the room. The money was to pay for the room and other expenses he had incurred over the past few days. Once he had finished, he looked around again, a trace of reluctance showing in his eyes.
But he knew he could not stay any longer. So Teiichi opened the window without hesitation, vaulted out, then quietly skirted the inn's entrance and headed out of town. His figure gradually vanished into the night, leaving silence behind.
Outside Yamada Town.
The night was as black as ink, yet a straight road wound and stretched through the darkness like a silver ribbon, leading toward an unknown distance. On either side lay vast, boundless fields. Under the moonlight, they seemed draped in a thin silver veil, giving off a soft, mysterious sheen.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, spilling cold silver light that illuminated the entire road and the surrounding fields clearly. The moonlit fields resembled a tranquil, mysterious painting that one could not help becoming lost in.
Teiichi walked home alone, swaying from side to side. His steps faltered, as though he might fall at any moment.
Half a month ago, he had arrived in Yamada Town brimming with confidence, thinking he could show what he was capable of here and turn his life into a power fantasy. Reality, however, had dealt him a resounding slap in the face.
On his very first mission after becoming an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had suffered an unprecedented setback. Not only had he failed to kill the demon, but he had also watched helplessly as more people fell into danger. That helplessness and guilt bound his heart tightly like heavy shackles.
As he recalled everything he had experienced in Yamada Town, Teiichi's thoughts gradually drifted.
Just then, Teiichi suddenly felt a strange tightness around his right heel, as though a hand had grabbed it.
Immediately afterward, a force struck from below, holding his body fast and mercilessly dragging him toward the ground.
Startled, Teiichi instinctively pushed off with his left foot, trying to prop himself up, but unexpectedly, there was nothing to brace against, and his left foot sank down as well.
In the blink of an eye, he lost his balance, his body falling uncontrollably downward. The ground rapidly grew larger before his eyes, then abruptly vanished like an illusion, replaced by endless darkness and nothingness.
At that moment, Teiichi's mind went blank. The sudden incident left his mind consumed by panic.
Suddenly, Teiichi was surprised to discover that he seemed to be falling extremely slowly, like slow motion in a film.
Every instant stretched endlessly, and time seemed to have frozen. He could clearly hear his own pounding heartbeat echoing through this deathly silent void, deafeningly loud.
No, I wasn't falling more slowly. If anything, I was falling a little faster.
What slowed was my sense of time. The time I perceived seemed to stretch longer.
Was this... my life flashing before my eyes?
Was I... going to die?