Seol-an walked through the shallow sea of blood.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The waves barely moved now.
It felt less like an ocean and more like wandering through a silent desert stained crimson.
She kept walking.
And walking.
Time stopped making sense here.
Hours.
Days.
Maybe longer.
Yet strangely—
She never felt thirsty.
Nor hungry.
Only tired of the silence.
The sea stretched endlessly beneath the dark sky.
No Kagemiya.
No Yako.
No voices.
Nothing.
Then—
A figure.
Far ahead.
Seol-an's eyes widened slightly.
Finally.
It must be him.
…Or him.
Either way she immediately hurried forward, blood splashing around her feet.
Hup.
Hup.
Hup.
"Kōi—"
She stopped instantly.
Then immediately turned bright red.
The figure was upside down.
Doing reversed push ups with one arm planted into the blood sea while his entire body remained lifted effortlessly in the air.
Topless.
Muscles flexing beneath pale skin with every movement.
"Oh?"
The man looked toward her casually despite still balancing himself.
"Someone's here?"
"Huh?"
Seol-an peeked again carefully.
That face—
That was definitely Kōin.
Or rather…
An older version.
Sharper jawline.
More chiseled features.
Far more handsome.
But—
Why did he have crimson horns protruding from his forehead?
And those muscles—
Dear Celestials above.
Even Grandmaster Ji-ho wasn't built like this.
The man tilted his head curiously while still upside down.
"Ah."
A grin spread across his face.
"It's you, young lady."
Seol-an immediately stiffened.
"L- Lady?!"
Her sapphire eyes widened.
"So you knew I was a woman?!"
The horned man blinked once.
"Hm?"
Then casually—
"Were you hiding it?"
"…."
Seol-an suddenly wanted the blood sea to swallow her whole.
She pointed at him accusingly instead.
"Are you… Kōin?"
The horned man froze.
Then burst into loud laughter.
"ME?!"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!!"
He dropped down effortlessly onto his feet, blood splashing lightly around him.
Then suddenly—
SMACK.
He slapped Seol-an hard on the back friendly enough to almost knock her forward.
"My master?"
He laughed again.
"You wound me, Lady Seol-an."
He grabbed her hand dramatically and bowed.
"My name is Shinba."
A grin.
"Shinba Daishō."
"I believe we've met before."
Then before she could react—
He kissed the back of her hand theatrically.
Seol-an's face turned completely red.
Who in the heavens was this lunatic?
"Sh- Shinba?"
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Who?"
The horned man smirked.
"Perhaps this form will help."
A crimson glow engulfed him instantly.
His body dissolved into light—
And reformed.
Into a blade.
A hiltless crimson tanto.
The same cursed blade Kōin used.
The crimson blade spun once in the air before landing perfectly into Seol-an's hands.
The moment her fingers wrapped around it—
"HOOOOHHH!"
The voice echoed directly into her mind dramatically.
Seol-an nearly dropped it.
"W- WHAT?!"
The blade vibrated excitedly.
"The fact that I don't phase through your hands…"
Its tone became oddly impressed.
"That means my master trusts you greatly."
Seol-an blinked.
Then slowly tightened her grip around the hiltless blade.
"…I see."
A pause.
"Where is he?"
The blade hummed thoughtfully.
"My master?"
"Hm…"
"I don't know."
Seol-an stared at it flatly.
"…What?"
"Aren't you his blade?"
"Indeed!"
The voice sounded proud somehow despite being a literal weapon.
"And that is all I am."
A pause.
"A blade."
The crimson edge shimmered lightly.
"I am bound to my master."
"Only he may summon me."
Another pause.
"I cannot summon myself to him."
Seol-an frowned slightly.
"That sounds inconvenient."
"It is tremendously inconvenient."
The blade answered immediately.
"Especially when my master is mentally unstable."
"…."
"But…"
The blade tilted slightly in her grip.
"If my instincts are correct…"
A quieter tone.
"He shouldn't be far from where I manifested."
Seol-an slowly looked across the endless blood sea again.
Nothing.
Still endless.
Still silent.
Then the blade spoke again casually.
"Also."
Seol-an narrowed her eyes.
"What now?"
"My master definitely likes you."
"…WHAT."
"You should have seen his soul reaction when you touched his chest earlier."
The blade sounded delighted.
"Very romantic."
Seol-an's face exploded red instantly.
"SHUT UP."
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
As Seol-an continued walking through the endless sea, Shinba rested over her shoulder casually.
The blade suddenly spoke again.
"Lady Seol-an."
"…What now."
"Why don't you tell Yako Kōin that you're a woman?"
Seol-an almost slipped in the blood.
"…Huh?"
She slowly looked down at the blade.
"He didn't know?"
Shinba answered immediately.
"Yako?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"Kagemiya?"
"No."
Seol-an blinked.
"…What."
The blade sounded amused.
"Kagemiya Kōin noticed almost immediately."
"HOW?!"
"Lady Seol-an."
The blade's tone became painfully matter of fact.
"You smell like a woman."
Seol-an froze completely.
"…."
"And your heartbeat changes around my master."
"…."
"And your eyes stare at him too long."
"…."
"And you panic whenever he gets close."
"…."
"And you throw chopsticks at him when embarrassed."
"…."
A pause.
"Frankly speaking, you are extraordinarily obvious."
Seol-an's face became completely red.
"I AM NOT."
"You are."
Shinba vibrates under her palm.
"You once princess carried him unconscious while blushing."
"…."
"And then visited him imprisoned underground alone."
"…."
"And entered his soul realm three separate times."
"…."
The blade vibrated smugly.
"Very devoted behavior."
Seol-an wanted to drown herself in the blood sea immediately.
Instead she pointed accusingly at the blade.
"Then why doesn't Kōin know?!"
Shinba went quiet for a moment.
Then—
"Because Yako Kōin is an idiot."
Seol-an raised a brow slightly while continuing through the sea.
Shinba clicked his metaphorical tongue.
"You might fool that child."
The blade shimmered smugly.
"But you are absolutely not fooling us, Lady Seol-an."
She sighed heavily already regretting this conversation.
"Because Yako is just a child."
The blade continued casually.
"He wasn't conditioned into becoming a weapon like Kagemiya was."
A pause.
"Kagemiya noticed you were a woman the very moment you and Yako first met."
Seol-an's face twitched.
"…Ugh."
"Your disguise is genuinely terrible against anyone trained to detect killing intent, heartbeat shifts, breathing patterns, or scent."
"…Please stop talking."
"But don't worry."
The blade's tone became lighter.
"Kagemiya specifically told me not to reveal it to Yako."
That made her blink.
"Huh?"
"He said."
Shinba's voice deepened slightly, mimicking Kagemiya almost perfectly.
'That idiot must realize it himself.'
Seol-an stared ahead silently for a moment.
Then muttered quietly.
"You're all… something else."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't praise."
"I'll still accept it."
Seol-an rubbed her forehead.
Then continued walking through the endless blood sea while Shinba kept talking nonstop.
"Also Lady Seol-an."
"…What."
"You should confess eventually."
SPLASH.
Seol-an's step immediately stumbled.
"CONFESS WHAT?!"
"That you like him."
"I DO NOT."
"You entered his subconscious realm three times."
"That was to save him!"
"You stroked his hair while he slept."
"…."
"You panicked because he might discover your gender."
"…."
"You carried him princess style."
"…."
"You nearly cried when he was dying."
"…."
The blade hummed smugly.
"Very suspicious behavior."
Seol-an gripped the blade harder.
"I should throw you into this sea."
"You could try."
A pause.
"But my master would summon me back instantly."
"…Annoying sword."
"Embarrassed young lady."
"SHUT UP."
Seol-an brushed her hair back irritably.
"I seriously wonder how Kagemiya tolerated you."
The blade immediately answered.
"Oh he absolutely doesn't."
A pause.
"If my master tells me to shut up, I become a very obedient and normal blade."
Seol-an's eye twitched.
"Then shut up."
"Heh."
"You're not my master."
"UAAAGHHH!!"
She stretched her arm back, genuinely preparing to throw the dagger into the endless sea.
The blade immediately spoke faster.
"You sure about that?"
"I am currently your only chance of finding him."
Seol-an froze mid throw.
"…."
The blade sounded unbearably smug.
"That's what I thought."
"HEAAAAGHHH!!"
Seol-an grabbed her own head in frustration.
"KŌIN WHAT EVEN IS THIS BLAAAADEEEE?!"
"An excellent blade."
"YOU ARE HORRIBLE."
"Correction."
The blade vibrated proudly.
"I am hilarious."
"You are a curse."
"I have been called worse."
"I CAN SEE WHY."
The blood sea echoed with Shinba's loud laughter.
Seol-an seriously contemplated throwing herself into the ocean instead.
Seol-an continued walking through the silent sea.
Step.
Splash.
Step.
Splash.
Barely tolerating Shinba's nonstop banter.
The blade kept talking about random things.
How Yako held him incorrectly.
How Kagemiya sharpened him obsessively.
How Ji-ho's stance had terrible footwork for an old man.
How Seol-an apparently stared at Kōin too much.
It was exhausting.
Then suddenly—
"Lady Seol-an."
The tone changed completely.
No teasing.
No laughter.
Serious.
Seol-an slowed slightly.
"…What."
The blade remained quiet for a brief moment.
Then softly—
"Kagemiya is softer than you think."
The sea rippled gently around her legs.
"Please don't hate him too much."
Seol-an's expression softened slightly.
"…I understand."
A pause.
"He was just a child carrying all of that."
The blade hummed quietly.
"Yes."
For once, it didn't joke.
"Me and him have a long history."
Another pause.
"I was the very same rusted kitchen knife he used during the conditioning."
Seol-an's eyes widened slightly.
"…You?"
"Yes."
The blade's voice became quieter.
"I was reforged later."
A faint ripple spread across the sea.
"But a part of him died because of me."
Silence.
The endless blood sea suddenly felt heavier.
Seol-an looked down at the crimson blade in her hand.
For the first time—
It didn't feel like some annoying cursed weapon.
Just something carrying guilt.
Like its master.
"…I see."
That was all she could say.
Because suddenly she understood why Kagemiya hated peace so much.
Why he kept calling himself a machine.
Why he kept forcing Yako to acknowledge the monster inside him.
Because somewhere during all that bloodshed—
A child stopped believing he was human anymore.
As Seol-an continued walking, Shinba suddenly vibrated sharply in her hand.
"We're near him."
Seol-an immediately looked around.
Nothing.
Only the endless sea of blood stretching beneath a dark crimson sky.
"…Where?"
No response.
"…Shinba?"
Still nothing.
Then she blinked.
The blade was gone.
"Hey!"
She immediately looked around in annoyance.
"Don't just leave me like that!"
Only silence answered her.
The sea rolled calmly around her legs.
Seol-an clicked her tongue.
"Ugh. That stupid blade…"
She slowly scanned the horizon again.
Nothing.
No figures.
No pressure.
No Kagemiya.
No Yako.
Only blood.
…
Blood.
Seol-an froze.
Then slowly looked downward.
The sea.
The sea itself.
Her eye twitched.
"…You have got to be kidding me."
The realization hit immediately.
If this was Kōin's inner world…
And if Shinba said they were close…
Then there was only one place left.
Below.
Seol-an stared at the endless crimson beneath her feet.
Then sighed deeply.
"…Of course the idiot would be drowning."
Seol-an inhaled deeply.
Then dove downward.
BWOOSH.
The moment she pierced beneath the surface—
JENG!
Her instincts exploded instantly.
The sea was not shallow.
Not even close.
It was deep.
Horribly deep.
An endless abyss colored dark crimson.
Despite being made of blood—
There was no visibility.
No light.
Nothing.
Only suffocating pitch red darkness stretching infinitely below.
Seol-an's body froze immediately.
Every instinct screamed danger.
She shot back upward instantly.
BWOOSH!
She burst through the surface gasping violently before collapsing to her knees in the shallow blood.
"KHAAH—!"
She spat blood from her mouth, coughing hard.
Her heart hammered violently.
That was terrifying.
Actually terrifying.
She grabbed her chest breathing heavily.
"What the fuck…"
That wasn't an ocean.
That was an abyss.
An actual abyss.
The feeling of depth alone made her skin crawl.
Like something unimaginably enormous slept beneath it.
Seol-an looked down again with horror.
"…Come on Kōin."
Her voice cracked slightly from disbelief.
"This is unfair."
UGGHHHHHNNN!!
She slapped the surface of the blood in frustration, splashing crimson everywhere.
"The shit you make me do!!"
The sea only rippled quietly in response.
As if mocking her.
Seol-an steadied her breathing.
Then forced herself downward again.
BWOOSH.
The abyss welcomed her instantly.
Cold.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
The deeper she descended, the more wrong the sea became.
Her body recoiled violently.
Her muscles cramped immediately.
"SHIT—!"
She tried to move.
Nothing.
The pressure was unbearable.
It felt less like swimming and more like the ocean itself was dragging her downward intentionally.
Blood flooded into her lungs.
Burning.
Thick.
Hot.
Her chest convulsed painfully.
No—
No no no—
Her instincts screamed.
Is this it?
Is this seriously how I die?
Not in battle.
Not protecting the sect.
Not even fighting a demon.
Drowning inside someone else's trauma.
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Her vision began darkening rapidly.
The crimson abyss swallowed all light.
All direction.
Up.
Down.
Left.
Right.
Meaningless.
Only endless red darkness remained.
Seol-an's movements slowed.
Her consciousness flickered.
The pressure tightened harder around her body.
Like the sea itself wanted her to disappear inside it forever.
And slowly—
The crimson abyss swallowed her whole.
…
!!!
SPLOSH!!
"KHHAAAH—!"
Kōin burst upward from the crimson abyss carrying Seol-an tightly against him.
Blood cascaded from both of them as he staggered toward the shallow part of the sea.
He immediately lowered her carefully onto the surface.
"Senior Brother Seol-an!"
No response.
Kōin's eyes widened slightly.
He pressed both hands against her chest trying to force the blood out.
Nothing.
Her lungs were filled.
He immediately reached for her robes to loosen them for breathing.
Then paused.
"…Huh?"
Bandages.
Around her chest.
No visible wounds there besides the shoulder injury from earlier.
Then—
Realization.
"…Owh."
The tips of Kōin's ears instantly turned red.
His brain stalled for exactly one second.
Then he violently shook his head.
No time.
No time for this.
Kōin quickly placed his hand against her skin, connecting directly to the sea around them.
The blood inside her reacted immediately.
Even here—
It was still his blood.
And because it was his—
He could manipulate it.
Carefully.
Very carefully.
He focused, trying not to accidentally affect her actual blood flow with his own blood.
Slowly dragging the foreign blood upward.
But—
His expression stiffened.
"How do I…"
If he forced it upward violently, he could damage her throat.
Ugh.
No choice.
Kōin's face burned red immediately.
"Senior Brother Seol-an forgive me…"
He leaned down quickly.
Then pressed his lips against hers.
Using the connection—
He pulled his blood from her lungs and throat into himself before spitting it back into the sea.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Three times.
Until finally—
Seol-an's body convulsed violently.
"KHAAACK—!"
Blood burst from her mouth as she coughed hard, gasping desperately for air.
Kōin immediately pulled back in relief.
"There!"
He exhaled shakily.
"You're okay…"
Then realization hit him again.
…
He just kissed Senior Brother Seol-an.
Kōin's entire face turned completely red.
"K Kōin…!"
Seol-an immediately pushed herself upward weakly, coughing blood from her lungs.
"You're okay!"
Kōin quickly looked away the moment their eyes met.
…Cough.
His ears were bright red.
Seol-an blinked.
Why is he blushing…?
Then—
Her eyes slowly lowered.
To her loosened robes.
To the bandages around her chest.
To his face.
…
…
NO.
Seol-an instantly covered herself with both arms and recoiled backward into the blood with a horrified splash.
Kōin panicked immediately.
"I-I'M SORRY!"
He bowed so fast he nearly slammed his forehead into the sea.
"I didn't know!"
His voice cracked from sheer panic.
"I swear I only realized after opening your clothes to help you breathe!"
Seol-an's face became completely crimson, almost blending into the sea itself.
Kōin kept rambling desperately.
"You drowned and there was blood in your lungs and I couldn't remove it normally and—"
His face somehow became even redder.
"I had to—"
He immediately covered his own mouth.
Silence.
The blood sea rippled quietly around them.
Then Kōin lowered his head completely.
"…Forgive me."
A pause.
"You may take my life for it."
Seol-an's eyes widened instantly.
"H- HUH?!"
Kōin still refused to look at her.
"I truly did not know you were hiding it."
His voice became quieter.
"I am sorry."
Seol-an stared at him blankly.
This idiot.
This absolute idiot.
After everything—
That was his conclusion?
Seol-an stared at him for a long moment.
Then covered her face with one hand.
"…Idiot."
Kōin immediately lowered his head further.
"I know."
Seol-an sighed deeply.
"Shinba was right."
Kōin blinked.
"…Shinba?"
His expression shifted to confusion.
"How do you know Shinba?"
"Hmph."
Seol-an looked away stubbornly.
Kōin panicked again immediately.
"I truly am sorry."
A pause.
"I truly am."
"Hmph!"
Kōin slowly wilted backward into the blood sea looking utterly defeated.
Like a scolded hound.
Well—
He was a hound after all.
Seol-an watched him sulk silently.
White hair.
Crimson eyes.
Soaked completely in blood while apologizing like he had committed some unforgivable crime.
The contrast was absurd.
This was the same monster that nearly destroyed the entire Tiger Sect hours ago.
And now he looked like he might cry because he accidentally discovered she was a woman.
Seol-an suddenly understood why Shinba kept calling him an idiot.
Seol-an sighed heavily.
Looking at how pitiful the hound looked…
"…Fine."
Kōin slowly looked up.
"I'll forgive you."
He still looked miserable somehow.
…
This attention-seeking prick.
SPLASH!
Seol-an suddenly threw blood-water straight at his face.
Kōin blinked.
Then finally laughed softly.
Relief visibly leaving his shoulders.
Later—
Kōin now sat formally bowing toward her apologetically again while Seol-an sat across from him with crossed arms.
"So…"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Even Kagemiya and Shinba knew."
A pause.
"What exactly made YOU not realize?"
Kōin blinked innocently.
"Huh?"
"Isn't it normal not to know?"
Seol-an stared at him in disbelief.
"Yes."
"For most disciples."
She pointed directly at him accusingly.
"But YOU of all people entered MY room."
Kōin tilted his head.
"…What does that have to do with your gender?"
Seol-an almost choked.
"Huh?!"
"A mirror, hello?!"
Kōin blinked once.
"…Mirrors are normal."
"…."
Seol-an looked genuinely horrified.
"In what world? Kagemiya's??"
Kōin paused.
Then thought about it seriously.
"…That's actually a good argument."
"GHHHHH!"
Seol-an grabbed her own head.
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MIRRORS ARE A WOMAN THING?!"
Kōin immediately defended himself.
"B-But in Kagemiya's world they were used by everyone!"
"IN KAGEMIYA'S WORLD!"
Seol-an pointed violently at the blood sea around them.
"NOT AISHIA!!"
"…Ah."
Kōin finally looked like realization hit him.
"…So that's why Senior Brother Saikan looked at me strangely when I said your room was tidy."
Seol-an's face immediately turned red again.
"YOU SAID THAT OUT LOUD?!"
Kōin immediately raised both hands defensively.
"W-Well he asked—"
"YOU OVERLY HONEST DOG-LICKING BOOTS!"
Seol-an pointed at him furiously.
"YOU MIGHT REVEAL TO THE ENTIRE COURTYARD THAT I'M A WOMAN!"
Kōin shrank slightly.
"AND NOW THERE'S A RUMOR ABOUT ME BEING INTO BOYS!"
A pause.
"EVEN THOUGH I AM!"
Another pause.
"BUT I'M STILL A MAN IN THEIR EYES!!"
…
Silence.
The blood sea rippled softly.
Kōin lowered his head trying his absolute hardest to maintain a straight face.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
Seol-an's eye twitched dangerously.
"…Kōin."
"…"
"Kōin."
"…I'm trying not to laugh."
"DON'T YOU DARE."
"I'm sorry."
He immediately covered his mouth.
"It's just…"
His lips twitched again.
"The way you said it…"
"YOU FIND THIS FUNNY?!"
"No!"
A pause.
"…Maybe a little."
SPLASH!
Seol-an immediately kicked blood-water at him.
Kōin blocked his face while laughing now.
"Senior Brother Seol-an please calm down—"
"STOP CALLING ME SENIOR BROTHER RIGHT NOW!"
Kōin froze.
Then blinked innocently.
"…Senior Sister?"
Seol-an stared at him blankly for three whole seconds.
Then grabbed his shoulders violently.
"KAGEMIYAAAAA WHY IS YOUR REINCARNATION LIKE THIIIIIS?!"
Kōin laughed.
Actually laughed.
Not the hollow chuckle Kagemiya carried.
Not the nervous little sounds he made around others.
A real laugh.
Bright.
Carefree.
Alive.
Seol-an's eye twitched immediately.
Then her body ignited with blazing demonic celestial chi.
"YAKOOO KŌIIINNNN!!!"
Kōin's eyes widened.
"AH."
He immediately turned and ran.
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
Seol-an chased him across the blood sea furiously.
"You laughed at me!"
"I said I was sorry!"
"COME BACK HERE!"
Despite her Heavenly Demon Body amplifying her speed—
Kōin was still absurdly fast.
His golden body movement skimmed across the blood like light skipping water.
Every time she almost grabbed him—
FWMP!
He vanished elsewhere laughing again.
"STOP RUNNING!"
"You activated your demonic body!"
"AS YOU DESERVE!"
SPLASH!
Seol-an lunged again.
Kōin ducked barely as blood exploded upward around them.
The two continued chasing each other endlessly through the sea.
Laughing.
Shouting.
Splashing crimson waves everywhere.
And slowly—
Without either of them noticing—
The sea changed.
The suffocating stench faded.
The heavy pressure weakened.
The endless crimson sky above them slowly cleared.
Dark red clouds parted quietly.
Revealing blue.
A gentle clear blue sky.
For the very first time—
The sea of blood no longer felt like a graveyard.
It felt… peaceful.
Both eventually collapsed into the shallow sea exhausted.
Splash.
Seol-an laid there breathing heavily while glaring at the sky.
"You…"
She pointed weakly toward him.
"You better take responsibility for this, Yako Kōin."
Kōin chuckled softly beside her.
"…Why me?"
"I didn't even know."
"UGHHH!"
Seol-an covered her face dramatically.
"Why are you like this…"
Kōin only laughed again quietly.
The sound felt strangely nice beneath the blue sky.
Then he hesitated.
"…But."
Seol-an immediately turned her head.
"What about 'but'?"
Kōin looked troubled.
Actually troubled.
"…If someone asks me directly…"
Seol-an immediately sat upward.
"NO."
"But lying is wrong."
"NOT THIS TIME."
Kōin frowned slightly.
Seol-an sighed before laying back down again.
"Look Kōin."
Her voice softened.
"No one can stay honest forever."
The sea rippled gently around them.
"And no one can lie forever either."
She glanced toward him.
"At some point, people choose when to lie and when to be honest."
Kōin stayed silent.
The wind brushed against his white hair softly.
"…Lying huh."
He sounded oddly conflicted.
Like the concept itself genuinely bothered him.
Which honestly explained a lot about him.
"You promise right?"
Kōin nodded quietly.
"I'll keep it until you don't want me to."
A pause.
"Be it tomorrow or until the grave."
Seol-an smiled faintly.
"Good boy."
Kōin immediately frowned.
"…I am not a dog."
"Says the man whose spirit resembles a hound and a wolf."
Kōin looked away slightly.
"…Yeah."
His voice became quieter.
"I was a dog as Kagemiya."
The sea rippled softly around him.
"I don't want to become that anymore."
A pause.
"Waiting for orders."
Another pause.
"Waiting for someone to throw the stick at a target."
Seol-an's expression softened.
"Yeah."
She leaned closer suddenly and grabbed both his cheeks.
"S-Seol-an?!"
"Listen to me."
Her eyes locked directly onto his.
Serious.
Firm.
"Even if you are Kagemiya's reincarnation…"
She squeezed his cheeks slightly.
"The fact you don't want to become him already proves you are not him."
Kōin froze quietly.
"To me…"
The blue sky reflected in her eyes softly.
"There is only one Kōin in Aishia."
A pause.
"Yako Kōin."
"Not some ghost of the past."
"Not some leftover soul from another life."
"Just you."
Kōin's crimson eyes trembled slightly.
No one had ever said that to him before.
Not after remembering.
Not after becoming this thing.
Not after the sea.
Seol-an flicked his forehead lightly.
"So stop carrying Kagemiya's sins like they belong to you alone."
Kōin lowered his gaze quietly.
Then—
Very softly—
"…Okay."