Waking up back at the inn, I felt something on my right arm. Looking over, I saw a sleeping Eri, and the memories of last night flooded my brain. 'Oh plum, I'm a dad!' I gently shifted Eri off my arm and slowly got out of the futon, careful not to wake her. The same thought kept repeating in my head, 'I'm a dad.'
I walked over to a set of chairs near the window and collapsed into one. 'I'm now a semi responsible eighteen year old with a child.' I sighed softly, staring out the window. 'It's so simple, yet so confusing. I glanced back at Eri's sleeping form. Not much else to do but be a dad for her. She is my daughter now.'
Getting up from the chair, I went to change into different clothes. Instead of a black kimono, I opted for a dark grey one, with a black obi. I tucked the wakizashi into my obi, and leaned the Odachi against the wall, ready for when we'd leave the inn. I set out clothes for Eri, a light blue kimono with a white obi, and placed the pink flower ornament on top of the pile.
It didn't take long for Eri to wake up and get dressed.
"Papa, where are we going today?"
I froze and twitched at the word Papa before I forced out a response while trying to tie her hair into a bun.
"Depends Eri. I know the Demon Slayer Corps are planning something soon, so we could go see them. Or we could travel around until the magic ticket is ready. But I do need to visit the slayers soon."
She adopted a thoughtful expression as I gave up on the bun and opted for a ponytail. She turned around and hugged me.
"Could we see Tanjiro-niisan and Nezuko-oneesan?"
I stood up once she moved away, I started moving over to the bags and Odachi. "We can. Mind if I ask why you want to see them?"
She hummed while I started tying the bags onto the Odachi. Then she spoke.
"I want to tell Nezuko-oneesan about the festival! And… you can help them beat the bad guys." She said that last part quietly.
I slung the Odachi over my shoulder and beckoned her to follow me out while I replied.
"Sounds like a plan, but you'll have to help me."
She took my hand as we stepped outside the inn, onto the road leading to the Butterfly Mansion.
"How can I help, Papa?"
I let go of her hand for a moment to ruffle her hair, much to her embarrassment.
"If my guess is right, the Demon Slayers will be training for a bit. I have a feeling that the final battle between demons and slayers will happen soon, so we'll need your cuteness to motivate them."
I looked down at her as she stared at the ground, holding my hand again.
"I'm not cute." she mumbled.
I laughed, startling her.
"You're the cutest in the world, Eri."
"No, I'm not." she muttered.
With one hand, I picked her up and placed her on my shoulder, picking up speed as I walked.
"You'll see how adorable you are, Eri. Just you wait."
Before she could respond, I sped up even more, making sure she wouldn't fall.
'Guess it's time to start my potentially insane plan.' I thought with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
It took us a day to reach the Butterfly Mansion. Once we arrived, we met up with Shinobu, who pointed us to where the other Demon Slayers were training. She mentioned they were training as many as possible to hopefully reach the level of a Hashira within a month. I said that sounded insane, but Eri confidently added. "You'll be able to make that happen." Now, we were on our way to meet Ubuyashiki Kagaya to talk to him.
It didn't take long for him to respond when he heard we were there. As Eri and I sat at the spot where I had last spoken to him, I heard footsteps approaching. Kagaya entered the room and took a seat, with his wife and children standing behind him, I tilted my head.
"No tea this time?"
I noticed the progression of his curse, it had spread even further, now covering much of his body that was trying to be wrapped in bandages. He let out a weak laugh but soon started coughing.
"I'm afraid not." he replied between coughs. "I apologize for rushing past the pleasantries, but why are you here, Sasaki-san? And Eri-chan, it's nice to meet you."
Eri mumbled a shy hello in return.
"Eri, why don't you go play with the four girls?" I suggested.
His wife and children seemed to twitch nervously at my suggestion, but Kagaya gestured that it was fine. I watched as Eri went outside to play with the girls, playing with a ball around on the grass. Turning back to Kagaya, I spoke quietly.
"I have a solution to your problem… but it might kill you."
Shock and anger flashed across his wife and son's faces, but I kept my gaze on Kagaya, who sighed.
"I've heard that before. People say only a god could lift this curse because they believe a god placed it on my family."
I tapped the blessing mark from Amaterasu on my neck and hummed thoughtfully.
"You asked me what this was before. Want me to explain?"
He gave me a nod, showing faint curiosity.
"I'll keep it short, even though it might sound crazy. I fought against two gods and impressed Amaterasu enough that she gave me a blessing."
The disbelief on their faces was clear. Kagaya took a moment to collect himself before speaking again.
"Why tell me this?"
I hummed again, standing up as he followed my movements even though he was blind.
"She asked me to give the blessing to someone worthy. But do I really have to give it all to just one person?"
Kagaya was about to respond, but I cut him off as I walked closer to him.
"I don't think so, or at least, I hope not. I want to test whether I can give a portion of the blessing to someone. So, I thought. Why not try it on a half dead man? What do you say? Want to give it a shot?"
Before I could step any closer, his wife moved to block me. But Kagaya, stumbling slightly to stand up, spoke before she could.
"Very well. If you believe it could heal me, then I'll try."
He leaned on his wife as he stood in front of me. I grinned in response.
I placed my palm on his face and closed my eyes, attempting to scan his body using cursed magic. I clicked my tongue. 'Guess it can't do everything? No matter, I'll have to go in blind.' My original plan was to scan his body, then channel Amaterasu's blessing through his system using cursed magic as a vessel, leaving a trace of the blessing behind. But since that wasn't possible, I'd have to force small amounts of the blessing directly into his body and carefully cut it off once it passed from me to him. It was like opening a dam, but I'd need to shut it off quicker than I thought, any mistake and his body might explode.
'I really hope this works.'
Opening my eyes, I focused on directing the blessing. I watched the tattoo slowly move down my arm, creeping toward my fingertips. Just before it touched Kagaya, I warned him, "This may hurt a lot."