CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76: SLEEPLESS NIGHT

World peace was, of course, beyond Sosuke’s capabilities.

While he wished he could protect others, he lacked the power to safeguard the entire world.

Moreover, Tanjiro’s family—the very people he had wanted to protect—had been utterly beyond his reach.

As a result, tragedy had still struck, likely while he was leisurely training at Tomioka’s residence.

And now?

Was the sorrow still ongoing?

Was the river of pain still flowing relentlessly?

He could only touch the small, limited part within his reach.

"So, saving the world is simply beyond me. I need to acknowledge my limitations and do what I can. At the very least, I must ensure that the part within my reach doesn’t flow into the river of sorrow."

Sosuke reopened his eyes, a glimmer of understanding in their depths.

Kanae seemed to sense something and turned to look at him.

Sosuke murmured, "I think... I’ve found it."

He gripped the sword hilt, and in the next instant, he leaped forward, his blade flashing with lethal sharpness.

A mountain wind carried snowflakes down, accompanied by an eerie stillness.

Kanae watched him for a long moment before whispering, "What did you find?"

"...Probably just my imagination." Sosuke held his sword stance for a long time, then reluctantly sheathed his blade, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

His earlier strike had been unremarkable—average speed, average power, lacking any improvement and even seeming weaker than before.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "I think I’ve been tricked."

"Don’t rush. Keep searching," Kanae said, covering her mouth to hide her upward-curving lips.

Sosuke sighed, exhaled deeply, and resumed practicing his sword techniques diligently, abandoning his earlier philosophical musings.

The entire afternoon was spent in sword practice.

Yet for some reason, he felt that instead of finding his rhythm, he was being blocked by an inexplicable force.

He experienced a strange sense of stagnation—a feeling of being obstructed, disconnected, as if his movements were hindered and his flow disrupted.

By the end, his sword swings had become completely formless, so awkward that even he felt a lump in his throat.

But when he asked Kanae, her reply puzzled him: "It’s perfectly normal, just like before."

Sosuke was stunned. How could it be the same?

He felt utterly miserable, as if several people were gripping his limbs and blocking his blade, yet he still had to struggle to swing his sword with all his might.

Each swing was excruciating.

He could feel that his blade today was dull and indecisive, utterly lacking the sharpness and precision it usually possessed.

It was nothing like his past performance!

But Kanae would never lie to him. If she said it was the same as before, then it must be true.

’So, is the problem with my perception?’

As Sosuke pondered this, he saw Urokodaki and Tanjiro returning.

Tanjiro looked utterly wretched, his face bruised and battered, his entire body a mess.

Seeing Tanjiro in such a state made Sosuke feel uneasy again. ’If things could be changed, this child wouldn’t have to suffer like this, would he?’

At least Tanjiro still had the chance to choose.

"Sosuke-san! Kanae-san!"

Tanjiro waved enthusiastically from afar.

Sosuke forced a smile. The deed was done, and dwelling on his powerlessness wouldn’t change the past.

’I have to move forward.’

He took a deep breath and asked with a smile, "How was today?"

"Absolutely terrible!" Tanjiro replied cheerfully. "I got beaten up pretty badly!"

"...?" Sosuke was speechless. ’You got beaten up badly, so why are you smiling?’

"Oh, you must be hungry! I’ll start preparing dinner right away," Tanjiro said, hurrying off.

Urokodaki watched his retreating figure without a word, then entered the house without acknowledging Sosuke or Kanae.

Before long, after enjoying a dinner prepared by Tanjiro himself, Sosuke and Kanae retired to their rooms.

There should have been nothing more to say. One slept soundly in bed, while the other didn’t mind sleeping on the floor.

But in the middle of the night, the one on the floor suddenly woke up.

A chill ran down his back, and the bedding on the floor felt as if it had been frozen solid. No matter how he reached out to touch it, it was bone-chillingly cold.

The hardness of the surface felt like lying directly on ice.

If this were a cold jade bed, it would be fine... he thought drowsily, muttering aloud, ...but unfortunately, it has none of the corresponding effects.

"You’re awake?"

A voice suddenly came from above. Faint moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Kanae rubbing her eyes as she looked down at him. "Are you in pain?"

"...I’m fine," Sosuke replied with a smile. "Did I wake you?"

"I haven’t been sleeping well," Kanae said, letting her hand dangle down. Sosuke instinctively took it in his own. "I kept worrying about whether you were in pain, whether you’d wake up in the middle of the night because of it. So I couldn’t sleep soundly. When you woke up, I woke up too."

She suddenly pulled Sosuke up from the bedding with a forceful tug.

"Come up here," Kanae said softly. "You mustn’t neglect your health."

Sosuke found it impossible to refuse such a request.

Though his reason told him to resist—he didn’t want to be presumptuous with the girl before him—his body refused to obey. Even the words of refusal caught in his throat.

In the end, he found himself lying on the bed as if guided by some unseen force. Kanae turned her back to him. "No wandering thoughts, no bad ideas, and no... um... sleeping."

"No sleeping?" Sosuke was momentarily stunned. No wandering thoughts and no bad ideas are understandable, but what’s the logic behind forbidding sleep?

Kanae suddenly flipped over, facing him with a huff. "No wandering thoughts! Just go to sleep!"

"O-okay," Sosuke squeezed his eyes shut.

But the harder he tried to sleep, the more elusive it became. The girl’s fragrance filled his nostrils, flowing straight into his heart.

The girl’s small hand, nestled within his large one, trembled slightly. She was nervous...

Sosuke instantly snapped awake.

He steadied his breathing, purged all distracting thoughts, and began to examine his own heart.

Though he was convinced Urokodaki was trying to deceive him, this method seemed to help him calm his reckless impulses.