"...ori... Shi...ori..."

Who's that? Who's calling me...?

"My cute little sister Shirori is finally awake from her sleep!"

Who are you? 

"...ori!...shiori! Shiori!"

- - - - -

I stirred awake when I heard my name for the umpteenth time. Drowsiness caused my field of vision to shift and blur.

"Oh, come on, Shiori, it's past noon and you're still sleeping!" I squinted my eyes at the woman hovering next to me, her brows furrowed in displeasure. It looks like someone's in a bad mood.

Shira Yumira is one of the 10 highest-ranking demon slayers. The current Moon Hashira. She had been my guardian, and I had been her tsuguko since I was as young as the age of 10.

"How late did you sleep last night?" she asked. I yawned and peered out the open window. "Isn't it a lovely morning today, Madame Yumira?" I muttered, admiring the flowers dancing along the soft morning breeze.

"It's. Past. Noon. Don't you dare change the topic, Shiori Miura. I know you slept late again—". I was too dozy to comprehend what she was blabbing on and about.

Piercing pain in my right ear abruptly brought me back down to earth. "Today's training will be until midnight, alright, and you won't get any food until you master the breathing forms I showed you, okay?" Miss Yumira smiled. I groaned in pain as I massaged my ear.

" God, I swear that smile will probably be the end of me one day. "

I rolled out of bed, quickly showered, and dressed for the training. I can't make my master's mood any worse. Miss Yumira greeted me with her usual beaming smile when I arrived at the training grounds behind the Moon mansion.

"I prepared you strawberry-filled pancakes, and make sure to stay hydrated. I'll be back in the evening." She waved before departing for a pair mission with the Flame Hashira.

These days, demon attacks have become so widespread and dangerous that two Hashiras are frequently needed to battle on the front lines.

"Alright, Madame Yumira. Be safe!" I exclaimed, waving at her. 

"When will you ever call me mom?!" she yelled from afar.

I giggled at the image of her sulking in my head. I've been with her as her tsuguko for the last four years. I don't remember anything about my parents, nor do I think I had a family in the past. She's practically the one who raised me. But I find it difficult to address her as my Mother.

She's the Moon Pillar, one of the top-tier and most formidable Demon Slayers, after all. Therefore, I have a great deal of respect and admiration for her.

For we are not related by blood, I can't bring myself to call her mother so casually. She is significantly superior to me in both status and competence.

"I wonder what happened before I got here..." I sighed, feeling the hard wooden sword in my hand. 

My attention blurred, and my head throbbed as images flashed before my eyes. A kid with peach hair was standing in front of me; the sun's brightness cast a shadow over his visage. As the day turned into darkness, I was running through fields and vast forests. 

"Shiori! I told you not to climb the tree! If it wasn't for Big Brother to catch you, Mother would get mad at me!"

"Shiori, Mother said we can play outside! Let's go!"

"Don't worry, Shiori. Brother promises to protect you and never leave your side..."

I can't see his face. 

Who are you? 

What are you doing? 

Wait! Please don't leave!

"I'm sorry, Shiori. You need to stay here in the orphanage for your safety. Brother will miss you..."

- - - - - 

The wooden sword slipped from my fingers, and I lost balance, meeting the ground face first. I don't know what happened, but my body started to tremble and my chest tightened like suffocating air, getting me in a chokehold.

For a moment, I tried to prop my body up with my arms, my legs unable to move as beads of tears fell like droplets on the rocky terrain beneath.

As if nature were calling me, I remembered there was a spring close to the training ground, so I opted to cool off before getting serious about training. I steadied myself up and came to a lovely, peaceful spring after a short hike. 

Singing birds soared across the lapis lazuli water as reeds and lilies drifted lightly on the unbothered surface. I curled up on the grass and drifted off to relax to the peaceful swooshing sound of the wind and leaves. The lush grass felt warm and comfortable.

I was about to enter the gates of dreamland when the sun seemed to suddenly disappear.

"Huh, where did the sun go?" My eyebrows furrowed, and I squinted my eyes open, only to be startled by a familiar voice. "What are you doing here, Miura?" 

"Ohh, Mister Tomioka! Good morning!" I sat up and beheld the ever-cool Water Hashira. "But it's already past noon—" he replied.

This spring turned into a special place wherein Mister Giyu and I would normally unwind. He and I share the Demon Slayer's work, which requires the fortitude of one's mind, body, and soul.

Words needed not to be shared between us, as I find comfort in his company, and I know Sir Giyu does as well. He has no friends.

He, along with the Flame and Insect Hashira, has become one of my favorite and closest acquaintances among Madame Yumira's colleagues. Like my master,  I hold them in high regard, seeing them as someone I aspire to become. 

"Um, Mister Tomioka... Is it difficult? Being a Hashira and all...?" I broke the silence with a question I've always wanted to ask. "I mean, difficult isn't probably the right word for it."

I felt the spiky grass graze my palms as I leaned back to face the blue afternoon sky. I don't remember anything about my family; the only one I have was Miss Yumira. 

The older I get, the more I fear losing her.

"I feel a sense of relief to see her come back after a mission. But every time I receive the news that she's injured, it's like my whole world is about to collapse. I fear that one day I'll hear the news she'll no longer come back home."

Ah... that's probably why I don't want to call her 'Mother'. Because that attachment will only hurt me if I lose her like I did with my past.

"I was never meant to pass the selection. It's difficult for most people. But the Moon Hashira can just swing her sword and then the mission is accomplished. Miss Yumira is a formidable demon slayer. Rest assured she will always come home to you."

That's the longest sentence I've ever heard from him.

We continued to sit in silence. A warm breeze blew past my cheeks as I pondered upon Sir Tomioka's response. 

"I was never meant to pass the selection." 

What did he mean by that? What makes him, a skilled demon slayer, feel so insecure?

I aspire to be a demon slayer like Miss Yumira, who gives hope to those who don't think their lives are worth living and grants them a chance to appreciate and fight for it.

I noticed the tall Hashira standing on his feet, leaving an empty, flattened grass beside me. "You should also go and start your training. You don't want Miss Yumira to find out you're skipping your training again."

"I wasn't skipping! It's called 'preparing your mind and body'. I can't just woman up all the time, you know!"

As if time stopped, and for a brief moment, I got to witness him laugh. The thought of making someone's day was one thing, but it's a different feeling of fulfillment to make someone as nonchalant as him break a smile.

"You... really remind me of someone, Shiori."

"Really? Who?"

"A late friend... Sabito."

- - - - - 

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With that achieved, I could then stand alongside Miss Yumira in battle,

---

There stood a man, adorned in a fox mask that concealed his features

『Author's Note』

Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter ✨💕

- Rezella

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