Chapter 84 Inheritance and Determination
Yoriichi Tsugikuni stayed at the Kamado family's house for a long time. He had made up his mind about his choice. On the day before he was to leave, he came to Uta's grave again.
"Xiao Ge, I'm leaving."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat down in front of the grave and placed the fresh flowers he had picked on top of the small mound.
He had a lot to say to Ge, but he didn't know how to express it. Ge had been chatting with him non-stop since the beginning, and they understood each other perfectly.
"Xiao Ge, I hope you can live an ordinary and happy life in your next life, and not be burdened by a useless person like me again."
Ji Guoyuan paused, looking at the little mound with gentle eyes. His voice was very soft, like a pebble falling into water amidst the midday cicada chirping.
"I love you, song, goodbye."
Ji Guoyuan stood up and left without looking back. He shielded his eyes from the glaring sunlight and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The sun can easily harm others.
"Mr. Yoriichi, you're back?!"
Zhu Miko, carrying a wooden basin and with her daughter on her back, smiled at Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Okay, Tanji, let me help you."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni watched as Tanjiro Kamado busily chopped wood, then rolled up his sleeves and tied them up before taking the axe from Tanjiro's hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Yoriichi."
Kamado Tanjiro didn't hesitate and watched as Yoriichi Tsugikuni wielded his axe to chop wood, and soon he had finished most of it.
"Mr. Yoriichi, I have a favor to ask. May I witness your martial arts skills?"
Kamado Tanjiro knew that the other party was about to do something very dangerous, and he had no right to stop him, but secretly he thought that such a perfect martial art should be preserved.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni stopped what he was doing. He looked up and stared at Tanjiro Kamado for a long time before slowly uttering a single word.
"good."
Yoriichi picked up the knife and carefully stroked it, his movements fluid and graceful.
"Oh my god."
Zhu Miko carefully led the child to Kamado Tanjiro's side, watching his ritualistic actions.
With firelight, he wielded his sword with fluid grace, like a god.
Beautiful and swift, like a fleeting firework, yet as dazzling as the sun, leaving an indelible impression.
Yoriichi sheathed his sword. The wind blew past him, stirring his red haori and distinctive hanafuda. His expression was indifferent, as if he had always been, but Tanjiro Kamado could sense the complex emotions swirling within him.
"I'm leaving, Tanjiro."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at the two and bowed slightly, making Tanjiro Kamado and Akemiko feel flattered. They watched Yoriichi Tsugikuni leave, his red figure disappearing into the woods.
"Tankichi, is Mr. Yoriichi feeling any better?"
"I think he has made up his mind."
——
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Yoriichi Tsugikuni chose to drink the medicine at noon. He didn't want to, and couldn't, leave his older brother lying there alone.
He felt as if his body was being burned, his vision was becoming increasingly blurry, and the blinding sunlight was shining on him.
When Yoriichi Tsugikuni opened his eyes again, it was already dusk. The last rays of the sun shone on him, without the expected stinging pain, only a familiar warmth.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni found Tamayo, and he watched as she performed a series of examinations on him, but there seemed to be no change.
“Mr. Yoriichi, your data report is the same as before. You don’t have the ability to recover from demons, nor are you afraid of sunlight. Perhaps we made the right bet, and the potion has offset your mark curse.”
"Yeah?"
Yoriichi arrived at the familiar room, opened the door and went in, looking at the figure still lying on the bed.
“Brother, I can stay with you for a long time now.”
He carefully helped Yan Sheng up, wiped his body, and chatted with him intermittently, even though there was no response.
Time passed slowly, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni seemed to have truly broken free from the death of the Mark, living a peaceful life ever since.
Tamayo is, after all, a demon, and in order to avoid being discovered, the opportunities for Kawakami Akio and Rengoku Shujuro to visit her are very limited.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni often received messages from Aka, until one day, it stopped on the windowsill and closed its eyes forever.
Yoriichi remained silent for a long time that day, but still brought Akane back to the Demon Slayer Corps that very night, where he watched it being buried alongside its other comrades.
"Yoichi Tsugikuni, how is Iwakatsu?"
Kawakami Akio asked, "Several years have passed, and I've gotten married and had children, but I still can't stop worrying about that special friend."
"My elder brother's injuries have healed, but he is still unconscious."
"Yeah."
Kawakami Akio didn't speak again, and they remained silent for a long time before Kawakami Akio finally raised his head.
“Yoichi Tsugikuni, Rengoku is right, you do care about Iwakatsu.”
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was surprised. He turned to look at the other person, knowing that Akio Kawakami had always had a problem with him.
"Father~".
A little girl, dressed in a wobbly outfit, ran over and hugged Kawakami Akio's leg tightly. Like a little rabbit, she looked curiously at Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"I'll be going now. Remember to let me know when he wakes up."
Akio Kawakami picked up the girl, turned around, and waved to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, his back to her. Yoriichi watched her leave, lingering there for a long time.
A person's life is short, and everyone's life is different.
Those buried here were all young members of the Demon Slayer Corps who had no relatives. Yoriichi Tsugikuni declined Mietsu Ubuyashiki's invitation and rushed back to Tamayo's hiding place without stopping.
"Mr. Yoriichi".
Zhu Shicai had just checked Yan Sheng's condition. The good news was that he had recovered, and the effects of the initial suppressant had completely worn off. The bad news was that he still showed no signs of waking up.
"Thank you, Ms. Tamayo."
Jikuni Genichi spoke calmly. He was already quite familiar with the other party, and he had come this time intending to leave for a long period of time.
Have you made up your mind?
Tamayo looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni and asked again uncertainly, she hadn't expected it to be so sudden.
"Well, I want to travel around. Before that, I'll leave things to you, my elder brother."
"Okay, I understand."
Tamayo watched as Yoriichi Tsugikuni walked towards that room and stayed there for a very long time, until dawn broke before he left.
Spring came and autumn went, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't know how long he had been traveling. After it ended, Yoriichi Tsugikuni returned to Tamayo as soon as possible.
The place remained sparsely populated, as if frozen in time. Yushiro opened the door for him, looking at Yoriichi Tsugikuni with a puzzled expression, but didn't ask any further questions.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni also noticed Yushiro's unusual behavior, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he rushed to the room and saw the person he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Elder brother."
Yoriichi sat by the bed, holding her pale, cold hand tightly.
"Mr. Yoriichi".
Tamayo approached and was somewhat surprised to see Yoriichi Tsugikuni's expression. She scrutinized him closely. Her overly direct gaze caused Yoriichi to look at her, his fiery red eyes just as they had always been.
"You...it seems you haven't changed at all in all these years."
Tamayo said seriously, she subconsciously felt that something was wrong, but some people do age slowly.
As it turned out, Tamayo was right. Many years later, when Yoriichi Tsugikuni met Rengoku Shujuro and Akio Kawakami again, he also noticed his own abnormality.
From his ageless appearance at the beginning to his still youthful body at the end, time seemed to have stood still for him in that year. Yoriichi Tsugikuni gradually severed ties with the Demon Slayer Corps and began his own demon-slaying journey.
—Taisho Period—
Moonlight streamed down, and in a closed room, a pale hand on the bed twitched slightly.
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