Once Hiru officially stepped into the abyss wreathed in karmic fire, he finally managed to escape Doma's endless chatter and saw for himself what this so-called Hell was really like.
The sky was a vivid blood-red, and the air carried the unpleasant smell of sulfur and ash. Endless screams of agony rang out all around him.
To the living, Hell was naturally a place steeped in imagination. As someone who loved painting, Hiru had inevitably pictured what such a place might look like.
In his mind, Hell was a place of exile for sinners. It should have been chaotic, lawless, and filled with negative emotions.
But everything before him, while certainly full of Hell's "style," seemed to be under some kind of management. Even the punishments were carried out in good order, far removed from what Hiru had imagined.
So much so that he felt a little disappointed. On the other hand, this also meant there were beings in Hell who could be communicated with, and that gave him a chance of accomplishing what he hoped to do.
Still, what pleased him most was that Doma had just been tied up and carried away by a group of people, finally leaving his ears in peace.
[Hell's public officials are way more reliable than the ones on earth. Their efficiency is impressive.]
But right after that thought crossed Hiru's mind, he realized the passing [public officials] were completely ignoring him.
The people around him, or rather, the souls, changed group after group, yet not a single one came for him.
He tried walking a little farther away, but those [public officials] only glanced at him before treating him like air again.
[...Am I really that unlikeable?]
Just as Hiru was beginning to question his own existence, a voice reached him, surprised yet unmistakably familiar.
"...Hiru? Why are you...?"
He turned around, but before he could even make out the figure, someone grabbed him.
"Why didn't you go to Heaven? I clearly had them transfer your sins to me!"
Hiru stared at that familiar face in a daze, but quickly came back to himself.
"...What do you mean, transfer my sins to you? What did you do, Michikatsu-aniue?"
Michikatsu only frowned.
"Were you burned by the karmic fire when you came here? Where's Yoriichi? Why didn't he stop you?"
"Yoriichi-aniue has never really stopped me from doing anything... But Michikatsu-aniue, shouldn't you answer my question first? What do you mean, you had my sins transferred to you?"
Michikatsu sighed and pulled Hiru to the side.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. All of this began because I lost myself to obsession, so I should be the one to bear it. Besides, the sins you carry are nothing compared to mine."
Hiru stared at Michikatsu's back for a moment, then dropped the subject.
"What about Muzan? Did he get sent to the Eighteenth Layer of Hell? Can you let me see him?"
"What do you want to see him for?"
"To ask him how he feels," Hiru said with a scoff. "Being chopped to pieces by the same person again after several hundred years must feel amazing, right? It's a shame I didn't get to see his expression back then. Otherwise, I would've lived a few more years just to laugh at him."
Michikatsu: ...What on earth has Yoriichi been doing with Hiru all these years? How did someone who used to be so obedient turn into this?
Seeing Michikatsu's expression, Hiru laughed.
"There's nothing surprising about it. My personality was never that good in the first place. Back home, I just never had the chance to show it because of one thing or another. After becoming a demon, I could do whatever I wanted, so of course I stopped holding back as much."
Michikatsu: ...Refuses to believe it
"But seriously, can I see Muzan? I really do want to go [pay my respects] to him. And there's someone else I want to find too, Tamayo-san. Ah, you probably haven't met her, right? Tamayo-san is a very gentle and beautiful person."
"..."
"I also asked my colleagues in the Demon Slayer Corps to look after Yuichiro and Muichiro, so I'm sure they'll grow up safely. If reincarnation really is real, do you think they might become children of our family someday? Or maybe after we become children in their family, they'll become our children again?"
"..."
"Hey, Michikatsu-aniue, also, before this I..."
"Stop talking. Now."
"...Oh."
Watching Hiru fall silent in a single second, Michikatsu rubbed his temples with a pounding headache.
[Was Hiru always this much of a chatterbox?]
Hiru did not particularly care where Michikatsu was taking him. He was already dead anyway. It was not as if he could die a second time.
He even had the leisure to admire the red spider lilies blooming freely along the River Styx, then started asking whether paper and brushes could be bought in Hell. If they could not, making them himself would not be a problem either.
When Michikatsu brought him to a wooden house, Hiru could not help making a comment about the house's overly old-fashioned taste.
Michikatsu·Built-It-By-Hand·Thinks-It's-Quite-Good·Michikatsu: ...
[You actually put up with this for hundreds of years? As expected of you, Tsugikuni Yoriichi.]
After settling in with Michikatsu, Hiru finally learned from him how Hell operated.
To put it simply, as long as someone was willing to bear your sins for you, you did not have to suffer punishment in Hell at all. Those who had skills in life could also reduce the time they spent being punished by working for Hell.
Michikatsu was currently working for Hell. Every day, after receiving his own punishment, he would help punish other criminals, using that work to reduce his sentence. He usually had a little time of his own, and the house near the River Styx had been slowly built during his spare time.
"Looking at it that way, it isn't all that different from the world above..."
Michikatsu nodded faintly.
"I've heard of the Tamayo you mentioned earlier. They say that because she received the gratitude born from the prayers of all living beings, she only has to endure very light punishment. She is also working for Hell to reduce her sentence."
"I see... Then I can be relieved."
Hiru lowered his head and smiled.
"It was one thing when I didn't know, but now that I've come to Hell too, Michikatsu-aniue, give my sins back to me. In Hell, all you have to do is endure pain, right? For a demon, enduring pain is fairly easy, isn't it?"
"No need. Stay here. The scenery nearby is beautiful, and no one will disturb you. I'll find you some paper and brushes. All you have to do is wait for reincarnation."
"But..."
"No buts. Those things were never your fault to begin with."
Michikatsu stood and walked outside, giving Hiru no chance to continue.
"...At least let me repay you a little in this way."
But Michikatsu's actions only made Hiru even more persistent in the days that followed, constantly trying to persuade him to let him suffer punishment as well. Every attempt was ruthlessly suppressed.
With no other choice, Hiru turned to harassing Hell's original public officials instead, trying to find himself a [job].
It was worth mentioning that during his [job hunt], he ran into Tamayo again and learned from her about Muzan's miserable situation. The two of them stood together and laughed at Muzan for a very long time.
But before this relatively peaceful life had even lasted a few years, Michikatsu's composure was shattered by an [uninvited guest] in his home.
Looking at Yoriichi sitting across from Hiru, Michikatsu's temple began to twitch.
"...Why are you here?"
"Michikatsu-aniue, it has been a long time." Yoriichi wore a gentle smile. "I did as Hiru said and spoke with the staff in Heaven. After explaining the reasoning and circumstances, I came to Hell this time as one of the jailers dispatched by Heaven. I happened to meet Tamayo-san, so I came to find you and Hiru."
"...No, Yoriichi-aniue, don't put this on me."
Hiru raised a hand, his expression wooden.
"I already told you that was a joke."
Michikatsu's expression was complicated too.
"To think you could even manage something like this... As expected of you, Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
Yoriichi's smile grew even gentler.
"I only did what I could and tried. Being able to meet again is truly great fortune."
"Ah, right. Yoriichi-aniue, you said you came to be a jailer, didn't you?"
Hiru looked at him.
"Will you go back?"
"Yes, I still have to go back. But now that I know where the two of you live, I'll try applying for a permanent post after I return."
"Ah, then before that, Yoriichi-aniue, you should go [visit] Muzan first. Since Michikatsu-aniue has no intention of telling me anything about him, and Muzan is in the deeper layers of Hell, I still haven't been able to [personally pay my respects] to him. So when you go..."
Watching Yoriichi smile brightly as he listened earnestly to Hiru, clearly intending to carry it out, Michikatsu silently raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Now he finally understood why Hiru's personality had changed so much.
It was all because Yoriichi had spoiled him rotten!
[This is completely improper. It seems I'll have to find time to talk with Yoriichi...]
Well, it seemed the story of the three brothers would continue even in Hell.