Chapter 152 Separate

"Yoriichi, your brother will... protect you."

Iwakatsu said softly, leaving Yoriichi Tsugikuni momentarily at a loss for what to do with his hand. As Yoriichi calmed down, he felt a weight on his shoulder.

When Yoriichi turned his head, he saw Iwakatsu's sleeping face, which made him choke on the words he wanted to say.

"Brother, let him finish speaking..."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni reluctantly picked up Iwakatsu, looked down at Iwakatsu's tattered clothes and disheveled hair, and gently smoothed them down.

"Brother Yuanyi, are you alright?"

Ichiro Tokito, who was originally observing the members of the Hidden Team, looked up and saw Iwakatsu walking over while being held by Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He went over to check on him and touched Iwakatsu's forehead.

It's a bit hot.

"?"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at Ichiro with an air of nonchalance and lingered on him.

"I only started drinking blood regularly because my brother almost bit me before."

Yuichiro Tokito raised an eyebrow at Yoriichi Tsugikuni's questioning gaze and said nonchalantly. He seemed to have thought of something and looked up to meet Yoriichi's gaze.

"But I didn't expect you could still make me angry in this situation. You're really something. By the way, if I find out you're hugging me like this, I'm sure I'll hate you again."

"..."

Looking at the busy members of the Hidden Team around him, Tsugikuni looked at Ichiro, whose wound had been simply bandaged, but was still bleeding.

Aren't you going back to the Demon Slayer Corps?

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at Yuichiro Tokito and asked, and when he met the other's gaze, Yuichiro Tokito said irritably.

"I'm waiting for you and my brother. Tanjiro and the others have already left."

"Brother cannot return for the time being."

"?"

"Muzan will find out."

"But before..."

Tokito Ichiro spoke in surprise, only to see that Tsugikuni Yoriichi's expression was not good. It was the first time he had seen such obvious emotion on the other's face.

"Because it was my elder brother who cut it off on his own initiative."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni always knew that Kokushibo was capable of getting rid of Muzan Kibutsuji, but he simply didn't do it.

"Ah, that's true."

Yuichiro Tokito hesitated for a moment before realizing that Kokushibo was Upper Moon One. Even if he was on good terms with the Demon Slayer Corps, he should know that Kokushibo wasn't on their side.

"Let's go to the Vine House first."

Tokito Ichiro suggested, recalling the place Uzui Tengen had taken them to before they infiltrated the brothel.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni thought about it for a moment and realized it was indeed the best method at the moment, since dawn was approaching. He nodded, watched as the other person greeted the members of the Hidden Team, and then left with them.

——

"..."

Yan Sheng was in a daze, feeling someone calling him. He frowned and tried to recall the words carefully.

"Black... Black Shibo—".

Holy crap, what a scumbag boss!

Yan Sheng instantly sobered up. He felt extremely dizzy. Had he been drinking? It seemed that he had lost control after stepping over the wooden door.

As Upper Moon One, Iwakatsu possessed strong willpower and resilience, especially since he had previously drunk Yoriichi Tsugikuni's blood. He quickly recalled everything that had happened before, and his mind went blank for a moment.

How embarrassing!

The destruction of the world isn't necessarily a bad thing. What have I done to deserve such a lack of manners?

My stomach hurts even more now.

Yan Sheng wanted to cry but had no tears. If he had known it would be like this, he would have been better not to come. Wouldn't it have been better to sleep? Just as Yan Sheng was about to get up, he heard footsteps. He quickly lay back down and closed his eyes.

"Brother, your skills at pretending to be asleep are really terrible."

Tokito Ichiro looked at Iwakatsu, whose eyelashes were trembling, and helplessly exposed him. Iwakatsu stiffened for a moment, opened his eyes, and silently got up.

What a ruthless child.

"Are you feeling unwell, bro?"

"fine."

He looked at Tokito Ichiro, noticed the bandages on the other's body, and reached out to touch his head.

How long did I sleep?

"one day."

Iwakatsu rubbed his forehead, feeling better than before. He turned and saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni standing in the doorway, then awkwardly looked away. He didn't dare meet Yoriichi's gaze; his head was still spinning, and he could only barely think of how to handle the situation.

"Brother, are you alright?"

"very good."

Hearing Yoriichi's words, Iwakatsu felt instinctively embarrassed and angry; it seemed like one bad thing after another had happened.

"Ichiro, I have other things to attend to. You should go back to the Demon Slayer Corps and take good care of yourself and recover from your injuries. I'll have Kasugai Crow send you a message when I'm done with my business."

"Okay, I'll go back tomorrow."

Tokito Yuichiro wisely refrained from asking what was going on, glanced at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and then turned and left.

Iwakatsu turned to look at Yoriichi Tsugikuni. The other man did not move, standing there with his head down. Iwakatsu noticed that the other man was still wearing a tattered haori, and his wounds were only hastily bandaged.

It was truly a sorry sight. He had never seen the Son of God look like this before. But then he realized that he himself had looked even more pathetic.

That's really annoying.

"Where is my elder brother going?"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni stepped forward and grabbed Iwakatsu's sleeve, asking a question that seemed vaguely familiar to Iwakatsu. He looked at the other man and spoke in as gentle a tone as possible.

"Something came up..."

"Can't I go?"

"cannot."

Iwakatsu was speechless. He frowned and looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, speaking in an extremely impatient tone.

"Brother, why..."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't want to; he wanted to follow Iwakatsu, worried that something might have happened to him again.

"I have things to do... After I finish them, I'll come find you."

Seeing that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was holding on tightly and wouldn't let go, Iwakatsu said somewhat irritably. Iwakatsu paused, tucked his loose hair behind his ear, and met Yoriichi Tsugikuni's gaze with his golden demon eyes.

The air was tense for a moment before Yoriichi Tsugikuni released his grip and conceded.

"I understand, elder brother. I will wait for you at Miss Tamayo's place."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni could hear himself replying like this.

"I need to rest."

After Yan Sheng finished speaking, he lay back in bed, his gaze darkening slightly. After a long while, he turned and left.

He closed the door, leaned against the wall, and pulled a letter from his collar. It was from Chachamaru, who had just delivered it to him. Tamayo had explained in the letter that the drug had made significant progress.

To become human?

"Mr. Iwakatsu has been a ghost for almost 25 years. Whether he will die if he is restored to human form is still unknown."

Hearing the door close, Iwakatsu sat up abruptly; he still had to reply to the scumbag boss. Thinking of Yoriichi's last expression, Iwakatsu paused, feeling a little uneasy, even though it seemed no different from usual.

He rubbed his temples and finally dialed Kibutsuji Muzan's number. Sure enough, a piercing roar came from the other end.

"Kuroshibo!!! What are you doing!!!"

Even though his nerves were about to give way, Iwakatsu could sense Muzan Kibutsuji's collapse through their brain connection.

"I'm sorry, Muzan... sir, I've run into a bit of trouble."

"How come you've become so unpredictable? I don't care what it is, just get it sorted out. Do you even know about that monster... Never mind, you stay after the meeting tomorrow."

"yes……"

Iwakatsu knew that it seemed he would not only have to attend a meeting but also deal with the boss's temper. That monster must be referring to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

As he thought this, he felt his stomach start to hurt again, which was very annoying.