“Your father killed who?” Yuri asked Yuto, being insensitive. “What’s your relationship with that nymph?”

“I’m Ayame’s younger sister.” It was a soft and feminine voice, making everyone look around and see a full human body girl walking on water.

“Who’s Ayame?” Yuri and Ryosuke asked Yuto.

The water nymph stopped before coming close to them, looking apologetic about what she had done. “I’m sorry for believing that you were the one who killed onee-san.”

Yuri showed no trust in the water nymph and prepared to attack if the nymph was being sly. “We’re Demon Slayers, and I—”

“Don’t,” Mirai ordered. She tried to get up but couldn’t do it herself, so Ryosuke helped her, something she quietly thanked him for. But she was surprised when he continued to hold her by the waist, supporting her without questioning her at all. She looked at him, lost and confused at why he was so willing to help a person like her.

When Ryosuke shifted his eyes up, they locked eyes with one another. Seeing the blood smeared across her cheeks from before, he used his free hand to wipe it away, taking this chance to caress her bottom lip and her cheek.

She coughed and turned away, wanting to avoid his touch. Trying to stand on her own, she said to Yuto, “She saw what happened to Ayame-san.”

“Saw?” Yuto asked. “That’s impossible. She wasn’t there.” No one but me.

“I showed her.”

Ryosuke opened his mouth in realization. “Ah, the blood you smeared on the katana! It touched her when you reflected her with it.”

Mirai nodded.

“But how?” Yuto and Yuri asked. They hadn’t received the answer they want that made sense to them.

Ryosuke decided to answer for Mirai, knowing she was still trying to recover. “She can convey memories from the people she’s touched to others, remember?”

The two boys finally comprehended, remembering that they had seen something like this before.

“Yuto, we deserve to know what really happened.”

“And why did you want to get Yuto’s head?” Yuri added, directing his question to the water nymph.

The water nymph scowled, looking away. “Yuto—uh, his father, killed my sister. At the time, I had arrived only to see my bloody sister’s corpse in the hands of a whimpering Demon Slayer. Like how any demon would have assumed, I thought he had slain her. I was still just a little girl then, and I knew my powers wouldn’t be strong enough to exact revenge, so I remembered the face of the killer and vowed to make him pay for what he had done.” She turned around to face the river. “But I was confused when the next year came by, around the same time of my sister’s death, and I saw him, looking lifeless as he would just stare off into the horizon.” She chuckled to herself. “I thought maybe he was one of those slayers who kept track of their kills and had come to visit the place to reminiscence those victorious feelings.”

Everyone glanced at Yuto as the water nymph continued to explain her side of her story, and Yuri and Ryosuke finally understood why he was always gone at a certain time of the year, the only time when he wouldn’t be the happy-go-lucky Yuto.

“As the years came by, I’d see him more often around the same time as my sister’s death. It hit me then that maybe he felt guilty, but I always brushed it away because killing was a job demon slayers do without questioning.”

Hearing this resonated with the Demon Slayers, and the boys recalled their late-night conversations with Jin-sama about how the actual world was uglier than it really was.

“Seeing him, who was at the scene of my sister’s death, but not sure whether he was the actual killer made me hesitate my revenge. But every time I imagine my sister’s face, wrath fills me up as it reminds me that if it wasn’t because of him, Ayame would still be alive.”

Mirai heard light footsteps from afar and right when she turned back to look, an arrow was shot directly to the water nymph.

Everyone turned around and saw it was General Nakajima, who had shot the arrow at the water nymph. Turning back to look at the water nymph, they saw her body melt away in a gaseous phase and knew it was too late.

The water nymph had been killed.

Mirai was curious as to how the water nymph was killed when she analyzed the bow and saw that it had a talisman combined with the arrow. She silently bade the water nymph goodbye, glad that it had finally understood what the real incident was between her sister and Yuto.

Enraged at his own father for another repeat, Yuto grabbed his katana that had fallen on the ground and marched to his father. “Why did you do that?!”

Casually, General Nakajima answered, “She was a monster. Why did you still stand there without attacking?”

“You’re the monster!” shouted Yuto. He had let the first time pass and wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

General Nakajima gave the bow to his subordinate. “We came as back-up, and after hearing about the situation, I knew you wouldn’t do anything to that monster who would just seduce you like back then.”

Yuto didn’t hesitate to point his katana at his father’s throat.

“You’re going to kill your father, who raised you and saved your life when that monster was about to take your soul?”

“Ayame loved me. She loved me even when she knew I’m a Demon slayer and could kill her, but she knew and believed like the many ignorant ‘standings’ here that we’d never be happy because of our duties! She feared me but was willing to love me.” His clench on the handle got stronger each time he imagined all the sad faces he could only remember of Ayame. “She loved me enough to respect you when you never did respect her!” Hot tears flowed down at the side of his cheeks. “You never thought once about who she really was.”

“She was a monster, that’s what.”

“She’s not that! It’s just because of that stupid person who had committed that act that we humans have become cursed!”

Cursed? Ryosuke, Yuri, and Mirai thought to themselves. It was evident that Yuto knew something that they don’t know, and the one who wanted to find out most was Mirai.

Yuto walked to his father, ready to kill him for what he had done and for what Yuto believed Yuto should have done when the first time happened.

Mirai sensed that Yuri and Ryosuke were just going to stand there, too shaken to take any kind of action, so she feared that Yuto would really harm his own father, and she didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to regret anything.

“Yuto, what are you—” Ryosuke’s words were cut short when Yuto sprinted to attack his father.

“Myme box!” Mirai shouted, putting a barrier around Yuto to stop him.

“Why are you stopping me?” Yuto yelled at her for the first time. “I thought you would understand me!”

She looked at him with gentle eyes, which Ryosuke caught and didn’t like. He hadn’t received any of her beautiful and sincere looks, and yet his friend was getting it before him.

She said, “I do. I really do.”

“Then let me go!” exclaimed Yuto, attempting to break through the invisible barrier.

“Put the katana down. If you do, I’ll show you something.”

“Show me something?” Yuto laughed with disbelief.

“You’re not angry that Ayame-san was killed. The both of you had expected that ending, but you didn’t expect to be betrayed by the one person you thought would understand and accept your relationship. Isn’t that why you decided to tell your father about your relationship with her in the first place?”

Yuto lowered his katana as he recalled the past. He looked down, too hurt to look at her as she revealed his deep feelings that he hadn’t touched in years.

“You blamed yourself for her death because you thought it was because of you that your father killed Ayame. You blamed yourself because you believed you could have done something to save her then.” She placed a hand on the myme box and dissolved it and took a step forward to him, carefully, and grabbed the katana in his hand. “You blame yourself most for not being the righteous demon slayer you should’ve been.”

Everyone was stung by her words, and they immediately questioned themselves what kind of righteous demon slayer Yuto wanted to be and if they, themselves, were one too.

Ryosuke’s eyes widened when he saw Mirai clasped her hand in Yuto’s. He walked to her, wanting to stop her from touching him willingly until he saw that she had closed her eyes. She’s transmitting something.

Everyone stayed silent.

But not General Nakajima. He unsheathed his katana and aimed for Mirai. He didn’t like that she wasn’t a human being and was being close to his son.

“Nakajima-san,” Jin-sama said in a tone of command.

Just that one word and one simple tone of authority, Nakajima-san stopped himself. He angrily sheathed his sword into its scabbard and eyed the couple in front of him.

Suddenly, everyone gasped as they witnessed her transformation into a beautiful woman with long hair. She wore the same clothes Mirai had on and was still as tall as Mirai.

“I love you,” whispered ‘Ayame’ whose eyes were still closed.

Hearing the soft voice that had once resonated in his heart, Yuto blinked his eyes opened, and to his shock, he saw the replica of Ayame in front of him. As the memories Mirai wanted to transmit continued to him, he formed a slight smile on his face, and it continued to grow.

Ryosuke didn’t know whether he should continue to look at them or look away, but he found himself glancing at the couple, not realizing Yuri and Umika were looking back and forth for his expression at the same time.

As if the situation couldn’t get any worst, Yuto suddenly leaned in for a kiss.

Ryosuke rushed to them and was on time to catch a fainting Mirai, who had exhaustingly used her powers while wounded. Inside his heart, he was relieved that she didn’t kiss Yuto.

Yuto opened his eyes and saw Ryosuke carrying Mirai, bridal style. Lost, he asked, “What-what happened?”

Jin-sama stepped forward, feeling thankful that everything ended without any harm or violence. “Ryosuke, we have to get her treated now.” He looked at General Nakajima and Yuto. “You two. Head back, and I forbid any contact with each other until permitted.”

“Hai,” Father and son said, bowing.

“Let’s get going.” Jin-sama led the way for everyone to follow.

However, Yuri rushed over to walk beside him to help make way as they walk and to ensure the safety of Jin-sama, and Yuri kept glancing back and forth between the front and Umika. Doing so, he caught her attention on Ryosuke, whose attention was on Mirai.

Ryosuke knew that Mirai’s body was stronger than anyone else’s. Well, at least that was what he would like to believe since she was trained and raised by a great Demon Slayer, so it only made sense that she had that kind of body. But as each breath she made got faint, the stronger his grip on her strengthened.

“…Momo…ka…” Mirai gently whispered, wincing in pain as those painful memories entered his subconscious mind again. Not knowing herself, her arms tightly wrapped around Ryosuke’s neck, and she snuggled into his chest. “Gomen ne.”

Ryosuke sighed. No, I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you or do anything back then. He looked at Yuto and finally understood how Yuto was feeling all along. Fearing that his relationship with Mirai could end up similarly to Yuto’s, especially with his father’s own vicious temperament, Ryosuke made up his mind about a decision he had been hesitant about for a long time. Smiling as he looked down at her, he silently promised her, When you wake up, you’re going to see Momoka.

*

“Children, go along now,” Lady Hana and Lady Mai said to Ryosuke and Yuto, the two who had volunteered to stay behind. They slid Mirai’s bedroom doors closed after cleaning her wound and letting her rest per the imperial doctor’s orders. Lady Hana rested a hand on Ryosuke’s shoulder. “You’ve been watching her nonstop for days not too long ago. Your body needs rest now.”

Ryosuke protested, “But she just got wounded again. How can I leave her?”

“You don’t trust Lady Hana to watch over Mirai?” Lady Mai purposely asked to get Ryosuke to back down. “You think Lady Hana would let her die?”

Ryosuke fell for the trap. “I know you two will take good care of her…but…” I want to be the first person she sees.

Lady Hana sighed, giving up. “Listen, kids.”

The boys perked up.

“She won’t be awake until a day or so because of the strong dose of sleep medicine to force her body to rest, so there’s no point in your guys’ stay to keep watch over her.”

“So, go along now,” added Lady Mai.

There was a telepathic battle between Yuto and Ryosuke to see who'd leave first.

Lady Mai saw Umika and Yuri heading their way, and she waved to them for their attention. “Children, come and take these two away.”

Umika slightly smiled. “How… How is she?” Deep inside, she knew she wanted them to say that Mirai was fatally hurt and wouldn’t possibly make it, but at the same time, she couldn’t find the heart to actually want it to happen.

“She’s just a bit overly exhausted, that’s all,” answered Lady Hana. “I’m glad she has friends who care about her, and these new friends of hers are people who’re suspicious of her.”

“Or at least, were,” Lady Mai added.

She and Lady Hana laughed as they witnessed a bashful Ryosuke looking away.

Yuto didn’t get the hint, of course, since he was the only one who didn’t know about Ryosuke’s new relationship with Mirai. He said, “The only one who’s suspicious of Mirai is Ryosuke. That’s why