Why have I become a god?
And to top it all, Tsukinokami, the Moon God.
Was it Master Ubuyashiki, or Rengoku Tenjuro?
Isn't it unbearably cheesy?
I've often spoken of standing in the heavens... but I never imagined it would actually come to pass.
Anyway, soon the Silver Unit will arrive.
Once the fight between the Demon Slayer Corps and the Demons ends, they trail behind like shadows.
They're the ones responsible for the aftermath.
When they show up, what can I say...
It'll be a real pain.
I'm a witness, and I've crossed paths with a Fixer of the Demon Slayer Corps...
There's no doubt it'll be troublesome.
And it's a bit awkward for me, a Demon, to stay here.
Having to explain whether I truly am the Tsukinokami is even more bothersome.
So then... is there no other way?
I waved at the Fixer.
Though blind and unable to see, he must have sensed my movement, for he flinched when I raised my hand.
"Then I'll entrust those children's well-being to you."
"Uh...?"
Passing the buck.
He looked stunned, as if he hadn't expected me to push everything onto him.
I couldn't help but laugh at the way his eyeless face contorted into so many expressions.
And with that, I dumped all the follow-up work on the Fixer and bolted.
It certainly wasn't because he had thrust a spiked iron ball at my face on our first meeting.
I do feel a bit worried about the kids, but the Demon Slayer Corps members will handle it.
After all, people are far better suited than a Demon like me.
I thought.
@@@
About a fortnight passed like that.
I was currently laying low in a region to gather funds under my troubleshooter identity.
One day, I heard a knock on the gate and went outside, thinking it might be a guest.
"This is... um... oh! Is this Tsukinokami's home?"
"...?"
Two familiar youngsters stood before the gate.
They were the same kids I'd saved a fortnight ago and then shoved onto the Fixer.
I thought I'd never see those two kids again at my temporary abode, yet here they were, seeking me out.
Wait, how did they find me?
It's been a fortnight since then... and the Silver Unit surely helped them...
"Please forgive our sudden intrusion."
The older of the two sisters bowed her head.
She had bright lavender eyes reminiscent of flower buds and a voice that evoked cherry blossoms.
"I'm Kochou Kanae. This is my younger sister, Kochou Shinobu."
When the older girl introduced herself, the younger one awkwardly bowed her head.
The girl with violet eyes that called to mind wisteria blossoms.
She was the one who, without fear, had yelled for us to stop when I was fighting the Demons.
Thanks to her, we were able to end the fight... and I'm grateful for that.
No, more than that, how did they find me?
"I never gave you a proper thanks, Tsukinokami-sama, for rescuing us from the Demons. I am truly sorry, and we thank you for saving me and my sister."
Kochou Kanae bowed once more, offering her thanks.
"Thank you so much for saving my sister."
The one introduced as Kochou Shinobu also gave me her thanks.
"We were able to complete our parents' funerals without issue. Their bodies weren't too damaged, so we could place them in their coffins intact. It's all thanks to you, Tsukinokami-sama. We are truly grateful."
I could see right into their inner world.
The beat of their hearts, the tone of their voices.
Whether gentle or brusque, both sisters' words were filled with deep gratitude.
Sorrow for their deceased parents, gratitude toward their benefactor, and affection for each other—all of it.
Only a fortnight had passed; even if they were marked by trauma, it wouldn't be strange.
Especially since they were children.
Their emotional wounds surely hadn't fully healed.
Yet for children with no information to come all the way here just to say thank you was remarkable.
I had passed them off and felt a bit guilty, but it seems things were handled well after all.
No, I should correct myself—they didn't handle it properly, did they?
You girls shouldn't be here.
What's good about children coming near Demons that eat people?
"Slaying Demons is my trade. I didn't do it to receive thanks, so there's no need to worry about it."
I deliberately replied curtly to avoid getting attached.
Then.
"Yes. The Silver Unit gave us information about the Demon Slayer Corps as well."
Kanae nodded and spoke again.
Her voice, unlike before, held a sudden note of tension.
Hold on—these little buggers?
Why would you tell children about the Demon Slayer Corps?
Weren't you supposed to be a secret organization?
The unit that's meant to operate most covertly is out in the open, blabbing.
I grabbed my forehead as if nursing a headache and sighed.
"Why is that?"
Kochou Kanae continued, her tone laced with concern at my sigh.
"It's not because of you, so it's fine."
As if that's fine...
But I'm a stranger to the Corps—why did you come to find me?
Kochou Kanae looked at her sister, and she met her sister's gaze and gave a small nod.
"We came to ask a favor today."
Interrupting her sister, Kochou Shinobu spoke up.
"Teach us how to behead Demons."
Could I even do that?
I forced back the words that threatened to spring from my throat.
Their situation was definitely pitiful.
Even more so since I could see every bit of their hearts laid bare.
I saw everything—in their eyes, their heartbeats, the tone of their voices—in that visible world.
Though the sisters spoke the same words, their true meanings were entirely different.
In the heart of the elder, Kochou Kanae, there was deep sorrow and a mournful resolve.
She reminded me of Amano Ruka, striving to carry out her noblesse oblige.
Her resolve was born of her own pain; she vowed she wouldn't let others suffer as she did.
But the younger sister was different.
Within Kochou Shinobu burned a raging fury and hatred.
That openly displayed, blade-like rage was as if...
"He should have just died!! You filthy man!! Kibutsuji Muzan—!!!"
It reminded me of Tamayo.
A child who, had nothing happened, would be living happily in her parents' and sister's love, held such depths of rage and hatred.
This is fucked up.
If only, five hundred years ago, I'd killed Muzan...
It's a pointless what-if; no one can be blamed.
At that moment, we did our best; none of us would've been able to kill him.
Still, it doesn't justify anything.
So this is a burden and emotion that only I, still alive, must bear.
But still.
"No."
I still couldn't thrust the burden of slaying onto them.
Even if they feel pity, it'd be wrong to let a momentary emotion steal their futures.
The sisters looked at me, their expressions saying it couldn't be so.
"Oh, why not!?"
"Tsukinokami...."
"Tsugikuni Michikatsu."
"Yes?"
No, more than that... I refuse.
Who the hell made up such a nickname?
Why did they make a quiet Demon into a god?
I haven't even died yet.
"My name is Tsugikuni Michikatsu. Not Tsukinokami."
Stop it.
Tsukinokami—don't call me that.
Then.
"Tsukinokami."
Kochou Shinobu, as if determined to keep calling me by that ridiculous name instead of my real one.
She wore an expression that said she'd found my weakness.
"If you won't teach us how to behead Demons, I'll keep calling you Tsukinokami."
I covered my face in my hands at her bold stance.