The next day.
Teiichi at the familiar courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Sunlight streamed down, illuminating the well-arranged pavilions and towers of the headquarters, making them shine brilliantly.
The hidden team members stationed at the entrance clearly recognized Teiichi. Upon seeing Teiichi coming up the mountain path, they bowed and Teiichi from afar.
Teiichi bowed slightly in return.
They then walked into the courtyard, led by the hidden team members.
The two arrived at a teahouse.
After delivering Teiichi inside, the hidden team member closed the door and left.
Inside the tea room, Kagaya Ubuyashiki was already kneeling and waiting.
Teiichi went straight to the seat opposite Kagaya Ubuyashiki and sat down.
"This is the first Teiichi you've taken the initiative to contact me, Teiichi!" Kagaya Ubuyashiki said with a smile.
Teiichi raised his head slightly and thought for a moment after hearing this. It seemed that was the case. The few times he had seen him before were all because of the Hashira Meeting. So he nodded.
"Yes, this is the first time! Do other people chat with you from time to time?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki shook his head slightly and chuckled, "Not really. The only ones who actively seek me out are Gyomei and Kanae! The other kids are also concerned about me and want to get close to me, but most of them are too shy to speak up!"
At this point, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sighed softly.
"Besides, I only contacted them more often in the past few years. Now that my health is deteriorating, they mostly send letters to check on me so I can get more rest!"
Upon Teiichi, Teiichi glanced lightly at the purple markings covering half of Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
An idea lingered in my mind for a while before slowly dissipating...
Seeing that Kagaya Ubuyashiki was about to start brewing tea based on his memory of the teacup's position, Teiichi gently stopped him.
"I'll do it!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki paused slightly upon hearing this, then did not refuse, lowering his hand from the teacup and chuckling softly:
"As expected, you, who were chosen by Kanae, are Ueya a gentle person!"
Teiichi skillfully poured the tea leaves into the teacup, glanced at Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and said:
"If I were a gentle person, I wouldn't have left the team because of that!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki chuckled softly, slowly shook his head, and said:
"Your gentleness is different from Kanae's gentleness."
" Kanae's gentleness is the kind that doesn't discriminate against anything in the world, while your gentleness is gentleness towards things you approve of!"
Teiichi brewing tea, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, trying to overturn his opinion of him.
"No, it was only that time that I encountered bad people. If they weren't bad people, I would still find a way to use someone as bait. Even if that person is a good person, or even someone completely unrelated!"
"But when conditions allow, you will do your best to ensure his safety, won't you?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked softly.
"..." Teiichi while, then sighed, "But this kind of thing is really not very ethical!"
"So, do you regret it?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked.
Teiichi glanced at Kagaya Ubuyashiki, then slowly shook his head. "No, if I had another chance, I would do the same thing!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Yes, it has to be done eventually!"
"If we don't do it, even more people will die!"
That's why I supported you in the first place!
"Because, if it were me, I would make the same choice as you!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's words plunged the room into silence.
A moment later, smelling the aroma of tea wafting from the teacup, Kagaya Ubuyashiki reminded him:
"If you steep it any longer, this tea will turn bitter!"
Upon Teiichi, Dingyi lowered his gaze slightly, picked up the teacup, and began to pour tea.
Hearing the splashing sound of tea hitting the teacup, Kagaya Ubuyashiki continued what he hadn't finished saying earlier.
"So after that incident, I realized we were the same kind of people!"
"We know what we need to shoulder and sacrifice, and all we can do is minimize that sacrifice within our capabilities!"
Teiichi picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and slowly said, "For example, the survival of the Demon Slayer Corps..."
"Yes... like the continued existence of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki sighed.
"The very existence of the Demon Slayer Corps is a choice in itself."
"To sacrifice a few for the happiness of many."
"This sacrifice includes not only the ordinary team members, but also myself."
"Sometimes, certain tasks are assigned so that team members are forced to risk their lives to hold off the ghost!"
"This will prevent the demon from leaving the area, giving the nearby pillars time to rush over and eliminate it!"
"Only in this way can we avoid..."
Listening to Kagaya Ubuyashiki's words, Teiichi's thoughts gradually began to wander.
Even if Kagaya Ubuyashiki didn't say it, Teiichi knew roughly what kind of person Kagaya Ubuyashiki was.
We can get a glimpse of the truth from the ending of the original novel.
In the original story, although the Demon Slayer Corps killed several Upper Rank, they knew absolutely nothing about the other Upper Rank or Muzan.
Despite this, Kagaya Ubuyashiki still chose to proactively expose his location to try...
Give it a try...
A chance for the current generation of Demon Slayer Demon Slayer Corps kill Muzan Kibutsuji!
If successful, ordinary people will no longer have to worry about being disturbed by demons, and the Ubuyashiki Family's thousand-year curse will be lifted.
If it fails, that's alright; only this generation of Demon Slayer will disappear.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki, who remains outside, is capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of becoming the new Oyakata-sama the Demon Slayer Corps.
Those former Breathing Style members who are still out there, retired from the battlefield, can also train a new generation of Demon Slayer.
Even before a new generation of Demon Slayer emerges, demons will roam freely...
Or rather, it's not that Kagaya Ubuyashiki is like this, but rather that being the Oyakata-sama of the Demon Slayer Corps is what he has to do.
They cannot be like the pillars.
If you asked the current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps to sacrifice themselves for others, they would generally be willing.
But if you ask them to let others sacrifice themselves, they'll feel it's better for them to sacrifice themselves...
"Cough cough..."
With a violent cough, Kagaya Ubuyashiki gently stopped.
His deteriorating health has made it impossible for him to speak for long periods of time in one breath.
Have some tea!
Teiichi raised his hand and moved the cup that was placed there, gently reminding him.
"Thank you!" Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded slightly.
He reached his hand toward the direction from which the sound of the cup moving was coming from.
As he finished a cup of hot tea, Kagaya Ubuyashiki let out a soft breath, raised his head to face Teiichi, and smiled.
"So, actually, I was very happy when you left the team that time!"
"Because..."
"I've finally met someone just like me!"