Chapter 156 Reunion

Yuichiro Tokito walked along the stone-paved path. He had just received his newly forged Nichirin Blade, and the brand-new hilt and suitable blade length made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"thank you--."

A familiar voice faintly drifted over. Ichiro looked up and thought he heard Tanjiro's voice. As he walked, he saw two people standing at the intersection leading to the hot spring, one of whom was Tanjiro carrying a wooden box.

"Hello - Tanjiro."

He called out, and seeing Tanjiro turn around in surprise, he walked up to him and looked him up and down.

"It seems to have recovered quite well; it looks much better than the listless radish it used to be."

"Thank you for your concern! Ichiro, I didn't expect to see you here too!!"

Tanjiro said happily. He was already used to Ichiro's way of speaking and could tell that the other man cared about him.

"I came here to see what kind of dragon-slaying artifact takes so long."

As Yuichiro spoke, he raised his hand and brought his Nichirin Blade to his face. The other person examined it carefully, tilted his head to compare it, and said with some surprise.

"Wow, it's so long! Are you used to holding it?"

"Fortunately, it's a quarter shorter than the old one."

As the two walked towards the hot springs, a girl came running down the hill. Her long, pink hair with a grass-green ombre was tied into three braids, which swayed as she ran.

"Ah - Tanjiro-kun, Muichiro-kun -."

With tears welling in her green eyes, Kanroji Mitsuri cried out and lunged at Tanjiro. Tanjiro frantically waved his hand, and Ichiro turned around, only to be unexpectedly tackled to the ground.

"Ichiro, Kanroji-senpai, are you alright?"

Tanjiro rushed forward to help Mitsuri up, while Ichiro, clutching his head which had been throbbing from the impact, stood up. After shaking his head, he reached out and straightened Mitsuri's kimono, looking at the still-crying girl with concern.

Are you alright?

"Um—listen to me, I just greeted someone and they ignored me, waaaaaah, that's so mean! I'm a Pillar, you know~ My good mood after just taking a shower is completely ruined!!!"

As Kanroji Mitsuri spoke, she covered her face and cried, leaving the two of them at a loss.

"Dinner seems to be almost ready; I heard it's matsutake mushroom rice."

"Huh—really!?"

Tanjiro casually changed the subject, successfully cheering Mitsuri up again. She hummed a song and ran downstairs. Ichiro looked at him strangely: "How did you know Mitsuri-san likes to eat this?"

"Just a guess."

Tanjiro scratched his head and said, and Ichiro nodded. The two slowly walked to the hot spring. Tanjiro looked up and was hit on the head by a tooth. He turned his head, clutching his forehead, and saw a back view full of scars. The black wolf-tail hair with a bald spot on the side looked familiar to him.

"It's Genya Fuzikawa!!"

Tanjiro spoke up, startling the other person. Then, Ichiro witnessed a strange exchange, which was certainly odd to him.

"How are you?"

He crouched down and looked at Tanjiro, who had just emerged from the hot spring coughing, his expression complex. Tanjiro shook his head; the suffocating feeling he had just experienced underwater hadn't made him angry.

"I'm fine. I thought that being honest with each other would help me get along well. But interpersonal relationships are really complicated."

Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, Ichiro's lips twitched. Who would immediately take off their clothes and soak in a hot spring with the person who insulted them?

Is it possible that your behavior constitutes sexual harassment?

"Huh?"

In the end, Ichiro still didn't choose to soak with the other person, as he had already done so before. He turned and walked towards the mountains, wanting to test his knife. As he reached an open space, he saw a familiar figure.

The other person was wearing a loose black Demon Slayer Corps uniform, and long black hair with blue ends fluttered in the wind.

"Muichiro..."

Yuichiro couldn't remember when he last saw the other person. Although the other person had said something that made him very angry, he later learned the reason behind it. Seeing the other person again, Yuichiro's feelings were very complicated.

Angry, sad, heartbroken, excited

Tokito Muichiro also heard his voice. He slowly turned his head and saw the person he cared about so much. The other person looked exactly like him, and the voice was similar, making him feel very familiar. But no matter how hard he tried to recall, his mind was a complete blur.

Ichiro stepped forward and grabbed Muichiro's shoulder, examining him closely. He had heard that Muichiro's sword had even broken during his last mission, and he was worried that Muichiro might have some injuries that he hadn't noticed.

"Don't grab me."

Muichiro, feeling uncomfortable, slapped Yuichiro's hand away with a cold expression and a strong grip that made Yuichiro feel a burning pain on the back of his hand.

“Muichiro, I am your older brother, Yuichiro. Although you don’t remember me now, but…”

As Yuichiro spoke, he reached out to take the other's hand, but Muichiro suddenly took two steps back, glanced at him sideways, and interrupted him with a tone of suspicion and disdain.

"You should think twice before impersonating someone, okay? I could never have a brother that weak."

"?"

Ichiro's hand suddenly froze. He didn't react for a moment, staring blankly as Muichiro smoothed out his sleeve. The more Muichiro thought about it, the more his head began to throb slightly, causing him to frown involuntarily.

"Pillar's time is precious, don't waste my time."

Ichiro's forehead veins bulged, his body trembling slightly with anger. He stepped forward, grabbed Muichiro's collar, frowned, and stared into Muichiro's blue eyes, which were the same color as his own, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

"Then let me see Lord Mist Pillar's strength."

——

After Tanjiro finished talking with Mitsuri, he was about to go back to his room to sleep when he saw Ichiro walk in with disheveled hair and clothes, his face dark. He could smell the anger emanating from the other man.

"Ichiro, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really great! I just beat up that brat and it made me feel so good!!!"

As Yuichiro spoke, a mocking smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. Tanjiro, who had been about to speak, was rendered speechless and could only watch as Yuichiro entered a room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Um, do you want to take a shower and tidy yourself up first?

Tanjiro looked on, wanting to go forward, but Ichiro's angry expression just now made him hesitate and not dare to knock on the door.

Looks like you're really angry.

Ichiro collapsed into the soft blankets, his teeth itching with rage at the thought of his recent battle with Muichiro, who had truly shown no mercy, striking with such force that it made Muichiro's skin tingle.

Muichiro is fast and agile, but in terms of strength, blocking, and striking techniques, he is no match for Ichiro. Their fight is arguably evenly matched. However, this is contingent on Ichiro being willing to go all out. Although he may say it harshly, how could Ichiro possibly use such force against Muichiro?

Being soft-hearted resulted in spending half a day fighting, not only wasting the bath, but also being mocked by the other party.

"You don't have a brother like me, huh?!"

Yuichiro slammed his fist on the pillow and couldn't help but chuckle.

As expected, being extremely popular can make people laugh out loud. Ichiro gritted his teeth, hoping that Muichiro would never regain his memories, otherwise he would let Muichiro know what it means to have no brother.

Tanjiro, smelling the anger in the next room, touched Nezuko lying beside him with concern and said with difficulty.

"I hope Yuichiro is alright. I hope he can get some rest soon so he can calm down."

Unfortunately, Yuichiro was so angry that he didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. Naturally, Tanjiro, who had originally planned to call him for dinner, gave up the idea when he saw the closed door.