Chapter 166 Restoration and the Nichirin Blade
"Hey, is Yuichiro awake yet?"
Tanjiro, chewing on a rice ball, his eyes sparkling with surprise, eagerly asked Goto, who was sitting by the bed. Goto nodded. "Ichiro seems to have woken up last night, but he was too tired and fell asleep again."
Upon hearing this, Tanjiro's face immediately lit up with a bright smile: "That's great!! Everyone was so worried!" After all, everyone else had woken up, except for Ichiro, who hadn't moved at all. Shinobu Kocho checked him over carefully again.
"Yes, how are you recovering?" Goto asked with concern, as Tanjiro had only woken up a couple of days ago.
Tanjiro patted his chest confidently and said, "It's alright! I'm perfectly fine! Let's go see Ichiro."
After saying that, Tanjiro eagerly stood up and gave Goto an expectant look. Goto nodded and followed him.
As they walked down the corridor to the door, Tanjiro gently pushed it open and saw Ichiro leaning against the headboard. Although his face was still a little pale, he was able to feed himself.
Tanjiro walked to Ichiro's bedside, his eyes filled with worry: "Ichiro, are you alright?" His voice was full of concern, clearly showing how worried he was about Ichiro's condition.
Yuichiro smiled slightly, though his body was still a little stiff, he tried his best to sound relaxed: "It's nothing, just a little stiff. I heard it's because the toxins haven't been completely eliminated yet. Thank you for your concern." He put down the soup spoon in his hand, indicating that he was slowly recovering.
As the three discussed what would happen next, Goto felt a gust of wind, followed by a dark shadow flashing past and appearing right next to Ichiro's bedside. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Lord Muichiro, the Mist Hashira.
"Brother—." Muichiro's voice was tinged with anxiety, his eyes were red, and tears were welling up in them.
"Muichiro-kun," Tanjiro exclaimed, startled. Such an expression was unprecedented for the usually aloof and taciturn Muichiro.
"Oh?" Ichiro raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on his lips. He twirled the spoon in his hand and glanced casually at Muichiro, his tone slightly mocking. "Isn't this the busy Mist Pillar? What brings you here?"
"Huh?" Muichiro was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Muichiro to say something like that. Goto, on the other hand, was watching with great interest. He covered Tanjiro, who was about to interrupt, and stared intently at the scene before him, afraid of missing a single detail.
"The Pillar's time is very precious~ How can the Mist Pillar have such a weak older brother who is so close to demons? It's so strange." Ichiro said with a smile and in a sarcastic tone.
"Wait, brother—I don't remember, it wasn't intentional..." Muichiro waved his hand and said in a panic, recalling the conflict with Ichiro during this period.
"That Lord Mist Pillar really has a bad memory~." Ichiro sneered, his eyebrows slightly raised as he looked at Muichiro with a leisurely air.
"Wow—I'm so sorry, brother—."
Muichiro pounced on Yuichiro, who was startled and breathless from being pinned down. He angrily pushed Muichiro away.
"My food, no, get up, Muichiro!"
Muichiro looked up, blinking his large blue eyes, which were full of innocence and grievance, and his lips turned down slightly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, brother. Brother is not weak at all. Brother saved me, waaaaah, please forgive me this time."
As he spoke, he gently tugged at Ichiro's sleeve, his face full of flattery, which made Ichiro's eyes tremble slightly and waver a little.
Wow, I didn't expect that.
Goto whispered to Tanjiro, who just blinked. He thought to himself, "Ichiro and Muichiro have such a good relationship. I can smell the joy in their eyes."
"Shut up, Muichiro! If you make another sound, I'll send you back to before you lost your memory!!"
"Yes... it's my older brother."
Finally, after Muichiro hurriedly left to attend an emergency meeting, a brief silence returned to the ward. Goto called Aoi, and the two of them worked together to change Muichiro's soiled blankets, ensuring that he could continue to recuperate in a clean and comfortable environment.
Just as they were busy, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door, and then, Steel Tomb appeared before them. Tanjiro's eyes immediately lit up with excitement when he saw him, and he stood up.
"Mr. Steelzuka, I'm so glad you're alright!"
Tanjiro's tone was filled with joy, but Haganezuka didn't answer. He was panting heavily, his body trembling slightly, as if he had just experienced a fierce battle. Tanjiro's smile gradually faded, replaced by worry on his face.
"It doesn't feel like everything's alright!!" Tanjiro said anxiously, his eyes filled with concern for Hidezuka's physical condition.
Steelzuka didn't answer immediately, but instead walked laboriously to Tanjiro and handed him his Nichirin Blade. Tanjiro took the Nichirin Blade, gently stroking the blade, his heart surging with emotion.
"Are you alright? Please have a seat."
Seeing this, Goto quickly brought over a chair for the unwell Haganezuka to sit down. Haganezuka, panting heavily, tried to calm himself, muttering, "Blade...blade..."
"Tanjiro, pull it out and take a look."
Yuichiro rested his chin on his hand, looking at the Nichirin Blade with curiosity. Tanjiro nodded, drew the sword from its sheath, and held it up, staring at it in astonishment.
"Wow, that's amazing! The depth of the black color is even different now..."
Ichiro was also drawn to it. His Nichirin Blade was silvery-blue when it was drawn. He had never seen a black one with a reddish sheen before. The blade was engraved with only the character "灭" (annihilation), just like the Nichirin Blade that Iwakatsu had given him.
"The iron is of excellent quality, and its former owner must have been a very strong swordsman. The swordsmith who forged this sword intended to destroy all demons; he did not inscribe the author or any other sword name, only that one character."
"Iron Minezuka said seriously," Tanjiro said, looking at the sword with a puzzled expression. After observing it closely, he asked curiously, "But I don't think this character was there when I used it before..."
"So, I've only finished the first stage of polishing and you've already taken it and used it. The rust hasn't even been completely removed yet, and you still dare to mention it? I'll kill you!"
"Wow—I'm so sorry!!!"
Tanjiro apologized hastily, his face being pulled, explaining that he hadn't meant to do it in the heat of the moment.
Yuichiro, curious, touched it with his finger and felt its coolness. He turned away, interrupting their playful banter.
"Didn't you forge this knife? Where did it come from?"
"Ah, it's like this..." Tanjiro recounted his story about Zero and the sword he discovered after training. After finishing, he added, "Speaking of which, that doll looks a lot like Yoriichi."
As Tanjiro listened to his story, Yuichiro turned to look at them and asked in confusion, "Could this Nichirin Blade belong to Yoriichi?"
"Huh?"
The question stunned everyone present. Goto was the first to react, waving his hand in disbelief: "Isn't this from hundreds of years ago? How could this be!"
"But Brother Yuanyi has indeed lived for hundreds of years, hasn't he?"
Ichiro asked curiously, "Tanjiro doesn't know?"
"ah?"
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