Higashikuze Akiho's very existence was thought to be taboo among demons and humans alike: she was a half-demon, the first of her kind. But being taken in and rasied by a former pillar with a strong sense of justice and a hatred for Kibutsuji Muzan...
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第三十九话
The battle with Akaza was over, but the weight of it clung to the air like a thick smoke.
Akiho stood silently, her cheeks still damp with tears. Her breathing was steady now, but she couldn't muster up anything to say.
Tanjirou and Giyuu approached quietly, both limping and covered in blood and grime. Their expressions showed exhaustion and deep empathy for her. They couldn't see what had happened, but they could feel it. Tanjirou placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Akiho-san..." he said gently despite his hoarse voice. "He'll always be with us."
She didn't answer right away but nodded. Her body ached and her lungs burned, but none of that mattered. It felt healing enough to let the hate for Akaza go.
Backup slayers and kakushi arrived not long after, fanning through the broken chamber in swift, coordinated silence. They began treating wounds and checking pulses, offering salves and wrapping gashes where they could. Akiho sat still among them, letting her injuries fade slowly on their own while they tended to Tanjirou and Giyuu.
After a short while, the three slayers regrouped. There were some updates from the Kasugai Crows about their friends and fallen companions. They knew time was running out and they had to keep moving. Muzan was still hiding somewhere deep inside the Infinity Castle like the coward he was.
Tanjirou turned to Akiho. "Can you move?"
"Yes," she said, her voice steady now. But just as they turned to head out, she froze.
There was a tight pull from her pinky—it was sharp and familiar.
Genya.
She snapped her head to the side as if she could see him through the castle walls. The thread was alive between them, and she could feel everything just the same as with Akaza earlier. Genya's panic, his resolve, and his pain.
"I have to go," Akiho said suddenly.
"Where?" Giyuu's voice was calm but questioning. "We have to keep going this way."
"It's Genya..." she revealed. There was panic in her golden eyes. "He's in danger."
"But we're close to Muzan," Giyuu said carefully. "If we split up—"
"I'll catch up. I—I have to go," Akiho said firmly, her voice steeled with resolve. "If I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
On her other side, Tanjirou was quiet. He had seen that look in her eyes before, and he completely understood it. He knew it was better this way. "Go," he encouraged.
She gave him a small, grateful nod, and then she was off. Her feet were barely touching the ground as she sprinted through the twisting corridors, the red thread glowing faintly at her side like a beacon in the dark.
