But with the Wolf… it felt different.

As for the Wolf… Takeo had only wanted to clear the game quickly, so he hadn't bothered collecting many key items. In the end, he let the Wolf reach the most common ending: [Immortal Severance].

If the Wolf sitting before him now really was that same Wolf from his game save… then Takeo truly did feel sorry.

He should've played more thoroughly, collected all the endings…

But who could've predicted that, after transmigrating into another world, the very characters he had once played would appear beside him as allies?

So even though he had already guessed that killing the Wolf might allow him to inherit something from him—

When Takeo looked at the Wolf, endlessly carving that Buddha statue, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Facing man-eating demons, he could kill without hesitation. But against a character he was familiar with—one who was likely suffering because of him—Takeo simply couldn't raise his blade.

That would haunt him.

"…You could at least say something."

Takeo sat down beside him, picked up one of the carved Buddha statues, and turned it over in his hands, speaking to the Wolf helplessly.

The Wolf didn't stop carving. But he also didn't respond.

Seeing this, Takeo sighed, gave up trying to talk to him, and exited the consciousness space.

Even if the Wolf never spoke… he was still a good listener.

Takeo decided that, from now on, whenever he had free time, he'd enter his consciousness space to sit and talk with the Wolf—treating him like a tree hollow where he could quietly confide his thoughts.That, at the very least, might help with his mental well-being.

When he returned to reality from his inner world, Takeo slowly opened his eyes—just in time to catch a faint, familiar scent in the air.

Turning his head slightly, he saw two familiar faces standing nearby.

Both were dressed in Demon Slayer Corps uniforms, and every visible part of their bodies was wrapped in bandages. One of them even had his left arm suspended in a sling.

Takeo recognized them.

They were two of the Demon Slayer Corps members he had rescued during the battle that day.

What were their names again?

He couldn't remember. But it didn't matter. His gaze naturally fell on the trays in their hands.

Neatly arranged on each plate were golden rice cakes, freshly baked and still warm.

"Master… M-Master Kamado!"

The girl with short brown hair panicked when she noticed him looking and hurriedly blurted out a greeting.

She stood stiffly in front of Takeo, flustered and unsure what to do. The moment his eyes met hers, her face flushed bright red, and she suddenly lost the ability to speak.

The boy beside her, a male Corps member with short black hair, gave a helpless smile and said:

"Kamado-sama! Good afternoon!"

As he spoke, the young man bowed deeply to Takeo, performing the most formal expression of gratitude.

Takeo gave him a slight nod, then asked, "What's the matter?"

"Ah, we… we heard you had woken up, Master Kamado, so we came to thank you."

As he said this, he gently tugged the girl beside him down, and the two of them sat formally in front of Takeo.

"Thank you very much for saving our lives that day. This is our thank-you gift! Please accept it, Master Kamado!"

With that, he pushed the plate of golden rice cakes toward Takeo, offering it with both hands.

The two knelt on the ground, foreheads pressed against the tatami, hands laid flat in front of them.

It was the most solemn gesture of apology and gratitude.

Yamatagawa was truly grateful to Takeo.

And now—he deeply admired him.

In truth, when Yamatagawa first heard that two of the youngest members had become Hashira, he had felt nothing more than a mix of envy and shallow admiration.

He even thought that perhaps they had just been lucky—defeating a member of the Twelve Kizuki by chance.

But all of those thoughts vanished the moment he fought the demon in the warehouse at Shitaya, Tokyo.

That demon wasn't even one of the Twelve Kizuki. It was merely a blood demon with a unique ability—an ability strong enough to qualify it for potential promotion into the Upper Ranks.

And yet, that fucker alone had nearly wiped them out.

The one who saved them, just in time, was Kamado Takeo.

That young man—who looked even younger than Yamatagawa himself—had descended like a god from the heavens and severed the demon's head in a single, overwhelming strike the likes of which they had never seen.

From that moment on, Yamatagawa felt nothing but admiration for the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

And everything that followed only deepened that respect.

His admiration—and even reverence—for the red-haired youth named Takeo had reached its peak.

This man had actually cared about their safety while facing an Upper Rank demon.

It was clear that ordinary members of the Demon Slayer Corps weren't worthy of being protected by the Hashira. When confronted with an enemy that even the Hashira struggled against, the logical choice would have been to prioritise their own survival—even if it meant sacrificing lower-ranked team members.

But the current Wolf Hashira had chosen to shield them with his own body from a fatal blow.

Even while covered in wounds and drenched in blood, he never abandoned anyone.

He protected every single one of them—

Even when standing before the Upper Moon One.

From that moment on, Yamatagawa had felt only sincere reverence for the man now lying in front of him.

And it wasn't just him.

Sakura Kaede, sitting beside him, undoubtedly admired the man even more deeply.

Takeo looked at the two of them—Yamatagawa and Sakura Kaede—bowing respectfully before him, and felt a bit awkward.

When he'd rushed in to save them, he hadn't been expecting gratitude.

At that time, only one thought occupied his mind.

To protect them.

He would never again allow people to die in front of him—not while he was still breathing.

So when the two of them expressed their gratitude, Takeo was genuinely surprised and a little at a loss.

After a long moment, he finally said slowly,

"…You should sit up first."

"Yes!!"

_________

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