【Stelle brought Huohuo back to the lounge. Upon seeing Huohuo and the wisp of ghost fire beside her, Camellia let out a "Huh?" and said, "Stelle, you're back? And who might these two be?"】

【"They're Luka's fans," Stelle replied.】

【"Oh, so you're fans of Luka! Luka, your fans are here to see you! Wait... what is this thing?" Camellia finally realized there was a fire-like object floating beside her. "A ghost! It's a ghost! I didn't realize Luka's fan base had become so broad!"】

【"Heh, I've already grown used to people making a fuss over nothing," tail remarked.】

【Luka kept his head down, looking listless. He only briefly apologized to his fans, saying he had let them down.】

【"Sigh... Luka is really depressed right now; he can't get excited about anything. I ordered two pounds of BBQ for him, hoping some good food would cheer him up. But he... listlessly ate the whole thing."】

【Stelle doubted her own ears. "He ate it all? Two pounds?"】

【tail: "That must be the legendary 'eating with a vengeance.'"】

【Huohuo briefly explained their purpose—to help treat his depression and hallucinations. Although Luka dejectedly stated he had decided to withdraw from the competition, Mr. Tail couldn't stand seeing him so down and "whoosh"—he dove into Luka's body.】

【Before them was a familiar alleyway. Not far away, Luka was chatting with a young girl named Marge.】

【"Marge! You came to see my match again?"】

【The little girl nodded happily. "Mm-hmm! Big Brother Luka is so amazing! I was so scared when those three big guys came out... but you still beat them all! I really hope that one day, I can become as strong as Big Brother Luka!"】

——

Demon Slayer.

"So this is the owner of that diary..."

Tanjiro closed his eyes. As someone who once had many younger siblings—several of whom were around the same age as Marge—it was hard for him as an older brother to witness this. Especially after learning Marge suffered from an incurable disease, he found it even harder to look at the girl's face.

"I remember part of the reason Luka boxes is because of this little girl, right? If he gives up here, won't he be unable to fulfill his promise to Marge?" Zenitsu's brows drooped.

"But Marge is already dead. Promises or whatever are just thoughts in Luka's head," Inosuke said, munching on a bun while watching Luka on the Celestial Screen. "The real problem is, even if Luka pulls himself together and regains his spirit, he still can't beat Boothill, right? How can a gap in strength be bridged just by a boost in willpower?"

"Inosuke! It's not a matter of strength!" Tanjiro corrected him. "It's a matter of mindset. Luka won't just fight this one match in the Wardance, nor will he only lose this once. Life is long, and Boothill won't be the only powerful enemy he encounters. If he falls into this self-destructive mindset every time he faces someone stronger, how can he ever keep growing?"

"Tanjiro is right, but shouldn't he be taking notes from Yanqing right now?" Zenitsu rubbed his chin, reminiscing. "Back when Jingliu showed overwhelming power in front of Yanqing, he still bravely drew his sword in that life-or-Death situation, didn't he? In that regard, Luka really should learn from Yanqing. It seems that as long as one can overcome the hurdle of Death... their strength will improve by leaps and bounds."

——

【"Of course you can! As long as you eat well, sleep well, and exercise, you'll definitely become stronger than me, Marge! When that time comes, you'll knock me down on the ring in just a few moves and shout at the top of your lungs!"】

【Luka put his hands on his hips and lifted his chin with confidence. "A warrior of Molten Hammer, the invincible champion of Boulder Town—let the evil of the world have nowhere to hide!"】

【"Hahaha! No, Big Brother Luka! Those are lines for when you defeat bad guys!" As she spoke, Marge suddenly lowered her head, looking a bit lonely. "Um... Big Brother Luka... I might not be able to watch your next match..."】

【"Huh? That's okay. Even if you don't have time to come, I know you're supporting me! But remember to come to the one after that. I'll be facing 'The Decapitating Singer' Igoroni; you definitely can't miss it!"】

【Marge shook her head gently. "Big Brother Luka... I might not be able to make it to the one after that either... For a long time after this, I probably won't be able to come..."】

【"Hmm? Did something happen?"】

【"I really hope that one day, I can be as strong as Big Brother Luka..."】

【With that, Marge's figure vanished from Luka's world.】

【"Marge? Marge, where did you go? Marge? Marge! Marge!" Luka looked around and called out loudly until the silent stillness pressed in from all sides like a tide, suffocating him. Only then did he realize Marge had left forever.】

【"How could you disappear... I haven't even seen what you look like after becoming strong..."】

【tail asked at this point, "Luka, who was that little girl?"】

【"Her name was Marge, a fan of mine. She came to every match. We gradually became close and would chat. But from beginning to end, I never really knew her situation. It was only much later that I found out she was gravely ill and fighting against the disease. The Underworld is just too poor; even though the doctors did their best, they still couldn't save her..."】

【tail sighed deeply. "Sigh, my condolences, Luka."】

【"You might not be familiar with where I was born. When I was a child, everyone lived a very, very bitter life. Every day, people were struggling on the edge of Death... some died to monsters, some to bandits... I've seen a lot of Death. Back then, I thought it was because we were too weak. If only I could become a little stronger, and then a little stronger, I could defeat my opponents and keep living."】

【"Later, I did become stronger and became the boxing champion of the Underworld. At that time, I felt that as long as I swung my fists, no one could be my match. I could be a role model for all the children in the Underworld! But when I wanted to tell Marge the news of my victory, her father told me she was gone."】

【"Marge... with such a tiny body, she was always fighting the illness. She was always fighting; she had to win this match!"】

【Luka took a deep breath, turned to look ahead, and said gloomily, "In the end, I finally understood... life is full of unwinnable battles. Some battles, even if they must be won, will still be lost. Just like facing Mr. Boothill. I lied to those children... and I lied to myself. I can't face them."】}】,