Priceless Smile 2

Chapter 30: Choice

     Silence enveloped the whole room as shock can clearly be seen on everyone's faces. Their mouths went agape as their eyes became wide like saucers. It's as if someone just knocked the air out of them.

"Impossible! That can't be true!" Sanemi blurted out breaking the silence.

"There's no way another progenirator existed before Muzan." Obanai muttered out.

"Do we look like we're lying? If none of you believes it then you guys are free to leave." Aoki replied.

They all could see how serious the three are. The slayers slowly breathe in and out as to pull theirselves back to their senses.

"How? Isn't Muzan supposed to be more than a thousand years old?" Kagaya asked.

"Well, let's just say that he is but at the same time he's not. That's all we could say for to now about him." Fuji answered.

"Your limited answers just makes everyone of us even more confused. If there really was a progenirator before Muzan, how come it hasn't been known?" Tamayo asked.

"Because Master killed the former. He fought with the former progenirator but then, Muzan reigned as the new one. Master died against his battle with the former progenirator back then." Aoki answered as he kept on looking outside while his right hand tightened the grip on his clothes.

"Everything about Master and the former progenitator has been kept secret from that day on. And as it was kept in secrecy, it has been forgotten as time pass by for everyone's attention has been concentrated to Muzan as the progenirator. That's why no one knows about the former progenirator and Master." Kai explained.

'It must've been very hard for them. To have their Master die and for them to live by theirselves for this long.'
Kanae thought in pity as she look at the three.

Even after years of their Master's death, the three could still feel as if it was just yesterday. The three of them couldn't do anything but be silent for a while. Everyone gave them some time as to wait for one of them to talk first. Tanjiro could smell the intense sadness from them he could cry but he tried his best to hold his tears back.

"Even after hundreds of years, seeing how slayers are still fighting these demons just makes us feel like all his sacrifices were worthless. But, knowing the truth, it just tells us he had sacrificed a lot in order to help the corps. Unfortunately, only us know about it." Kai muttered out as he look outside together with Aoki and Fuji.

"Tanjiro, Sanemi, Shinobu, Kyojuro...." Aoki mentioned as he kept staring outside.
".... Since you guys have siblings, I'll ask, if the four of you were to be given a choice to kill your own siblings for the greater good, will the four of you be able to do it?"

His question made them all jolt up. His question's like a sword that just passed through their chests. They all went silent as they tremble and sweat coldly gripping their pants tightly.

"What makes you ask such a thing?" Kyojuro asked as he glare at Aoki's back.

"Don't answer me with a question, chicken." Aoki coldly replied.

"Of course not! They're our siblings! Killing them is such a terrible act at all!" Tanjiro exclaimed standing up.

Sanemi then stood up as he walk towards Aoki pulling the collar of his yukata up for Aoki to face him. Aoki just looked at him with an expressionless face as Sanemi have a scowl.

"What makes you think we could do such a thing? We're humans. And what you just asked is not only about ending a human life but our loved ones. What makes say those words as if they're nothing! YOU GUYS ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER DEMONS OUT THERE! TO ASK US SUCH A HORRIBLE THING!" Sanemi pulled him closer.
"Ah yes, I remember, you three are demons so human lives doesn't matter to any of you at all. You yourselves devoured your loved ones. Do you think we'll do the same?"

'This is why there are things that are kept hidden for they are considered unacceptable. And not everyone have the mind to understand something even more cruel than what they've been through.'
Aoki thought.

Just then, Kai stood up as he punch Sanemi's face making him let go of Aoki's collar and falling on the tatami mat. This made everyone gasp except for Fuji and Aoki.

"Kai-san!" Tamayo called.

"You talk about how monsterous we demons are. How 'bout you try to take a walk outside and see how humans are just the same?" Kai said as he watch Sanemi stand up wiping the blood that crawled out of his mouth.

"You demon bastard." Sanemi growled.

"I know you've met humans with such awful attittudes, everyone of you did. Yet only us demons who devour humans for survival are the ones considered as monsters. Are guys blind or something?! Call us monsters all you want! But who were the ones who kill demons with cold blood?! You slayers!" Kai blurted out.

"Kai-san...." Kanae muttered out.

"You slayers always say demons are monsters but aren't we all the same?! You always say it's because we devour humans! We eat humans! Have you ever thought what the other demons went through before turning into one?! Has anyone of you ever thought what hardships those demons you killed with cold blood received in their lifetime as humans that made them willingly turn into demons?! No! None of you ever thought about it! Why?! Because you always consider us as nothing but monsters! Nothing but man eating creatures! NOTHING BUT CREATURES WHO ARE COLD BLOODED AND HEARTLESS!!!" Kai yelled at them even saying his last words louder that everyone at the whole estate could hear him.

Everyone of them felt guilty as they don't know what to reply. They don't know what kind of response they could give.

"Please calm down." Kagaya pleaded now looking worried.

"Tell that to this man here." Kai coldly replied as he turn his back and walk away.

"Where are you going?" Yushiro asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving." Kai answered as he step out of the room and on the veranda.

As he walk away, Fuji and Aoki stood up too as they follow him.

"Everyone may dismiss theirselves now. That's enough for today." Kagaya said.

The slayers all stood up to leave as Kanae went into her box to be carried by Shinobu. As they all left, only Kagaya and his wife together with Tamayo and Yushiro were the only ones left in the room.

"I must say.... I agree to everything Kai-san had said earlier." Tamayo muttered out.

"For me, I also can't really blame those children. They lost their loved ones from demons, so it's quite normal for them to act like that." Kagaya replied.

"Ubuyashiki-sama, please don't say that it's quite normal. Yes, they lost their loved ones from demons but, that's not an excuse for them not to show sympathy towards us or some of us." Tamayo replied.

"Then what am I supposed to say?"

"If Kazumi-sama's here, she wouldn't say that's a normal thing at all. She would just say she understands them but she would never normalize such a thing. If how they act is normal for you, would it be also normal to you if Kazumi-sama betrayed humans because of their deeds?" Tamayo frowned at him.

Kagaya stayed silent as he look down.

"My apologies, Tamayo-san."