Tanjiro sat quietly on the edge of the bed in the Butterfly Mansion, his elbows resting on his knees, hands loosely clasped together. The room was silent except for the faint rustle of wind through the paper walls and the distant chirping of cicadas outside.

His eyes were cast downward, unfocused, filled with the weight of everything they had lost. Rengoku’s final words echoed in his mind, unwavering and powerful, but it didn’t make the ache in his chest any less. The usually warm glow in his expression was dimmed, his jaw slightly clenched as he fought the sting behind his eyes. He tried to breathe steadily, but the grief crept up like a tide. Rengoku had smiled until the very end… and Tanjiro wanted to honor that. He just didn’t know how yet.

He didn’t move when the door slid open quietly. He only blinked, a single tear slipping down his cheek before he quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of his haori, still holding onto the silence Rengoku had left behind.