Chapter 55 Yoriichi's Thoughts
Akaza was very satisfied with the result, and the atmosphere around him eased considerably. He watched as Muzan Kibutsuji waved to him, and then followed him out of the Infinity Castle.
Doma appeared beside Iwakatsu at some point, looking sullen and regretful.
"Lord Kokushibo, why did Lord Akaza leave so soon? I wanted to spend more time with him."
His expression was sorrowful, and the golden fan swayed slightly with his movements. Mei, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve; she wore a white kimono adorned with plum blossoms, her expression clearly showing her desire to comfort him.
"..." He just wants to beat you to death.
Iwakatsu focused his gaze on Mei. Her current human personality wasn't as obsessive and insane as in the original story. As Iwakatsu looked at her, Mei simultaneously looked up at him, her expression puzzled, and turned to ask Doma.
"Isn't Lady Kokushibo a woman?"
Iwakatsu's expression froze, and all six of his eyes turned to Doma. He felt that the other man had better think carefully about what he should and shouldn't say.
"Oh dear, Mei, that was an accident. Lord Kokushibo is a very skilled samurai."
Doma bent down and touched Mei's white hair. He subtly shifted his gaze away from Iwakatsu and began to playfully evade the question.
"oh."
Mei didn't pay much attention. As she followed Tongmo through the wooden door, she subconsciously turned to look at Yansheng, who raised his hand and waved goodbye.
—On the other side—
After crossing a mountain, Yoriichi Tsugikuni encountered Tamayo, who was collecting herbs. Beside Tamayo was a black-haired boy who immediately stood in front of Tamayo upon seeing Yoriichi.
"Lord Tamayo, you must leave quickly!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't make a move, but Tamayo patted Yushiro on the shoulder and stood up to bow politely to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Mr. Yoriichi, how have you been lately?"
She hadn't expected to see Yoriichi Tsugikuni again so soon. Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, she tactfully invited him to her secluded spot.
Since Yushiro started following her, Tamayo no longer had to run around and hide, and could finally focus on her research in one place. She was very grateful to Yushiro, and also felt very sorry for making him a demon.
Yoriichi followed the demon, carefully examining it before turning to look at Yushiro. This demon's Blood Demon Art was quite unique; thankfully, it wasn't in Muzan Kibutsuji's hands, otherwise his chances of finding it would be even slimmer.
Tamayo led Yoriichi Tsugikuni to the hall next to her laboratory and sat him down, pouring him a cup of tea and handing it to him.
"How are you doing lately, Mr. Yoriichi?"
After taking a sip, Yoriichi Koku took the drink and placed it in his palm. His eyes were lowered, and the red flame markings on his forehead shone brightly.
"I've slain quite a few demons recently and run into some old comrades. Everything's fine. How's Tamayo's research going?"
"We've encountered a bit of a bottleneck, but overall it's not bad, and the search for blue spider lilies continues."
Tamayo explained the progress to the other party, and she had great trust in Yoriichi Tsugikuni, her companion.
"I'll let you know as soon as I get the news." Yoriichi Tsugikuni said, then paused, as if he had thought of something, and asked, "After you become demons, do you change your gender?"
"?"
Tamayo thought that Yoriichi Tsugikuni had encountered Muzan Kibutsuji, and immediately spoke up.
"No, only Muzan can freely transform. Ordinary demons can only mimic, and it can't be maintained for long. So you have to be careful of Muzan's disguise."
"OK…"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't ask any more questions. He glanced at Yushiro, who was standing not far away glaring at him, and silently looked away. He wasn't very good at communicating with people who disliked him.
"Mr. Yoriichi, if I may be so blunt, you once said that samurai who awaken their markings might not live past the age of 25. Are you sure you want to restore Mr. Iwakatsu's markings?"
Tamayo looked into Yoriichi's eyes and asked earnestly. She herself had chosen to become a demon because she was afraid of death; she didn't want to die, and in a moment of weakness, she had caused the deaths of her husband and child. Therefore, she felt that Yoriichi needed to seriously consider this matter.
"I will, thank you, Ms. Tamayo."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was silent for a moment, then nodded in reply. He had indeed not considered this question; the previous Night Pillar had died in the same way.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni wasn't sure if he would live to be 25, so he hadn't thought about it carefully. In his eyes, everyone dies, and he just needed to do his best while he was alive.
But what about his elder brother? Did he wish for his elder brother to die young?
This was a heavy problem, like a boulder pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
He concealed his emotions, exchanged a few more words with Tamayo, and then got up to say goodbye.
He turned to look at the fading presence and felt relieved. It seemed that Miss Tamayo no longer needed to worry about being discovered by Muzan Kibutsuji.
With that thought in mind, he continued forward and disappeared into the dense forest.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni continued his journey, passing through dense fields. He thought of his wife and his unborn child. He had a deep affection for the songs; they had been childhood sweethearts for many years and naturally married and had children together.
His impression of the song seemed to always be one of smiles, with the other person always cheerful and surrounding him, a man who wasn't good with words.
He always received comfort from the other person, but seemed never to have reciprocated in any way.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni continued on his journey, passing through a bustling night market where he saw children's laughter and heard candied hawthorns and konpeito (Japanese sugar candy).
My older brother loved konpeito (Japanese candy) when we were little. Once, during a summer festival when we were children, he dragged me out for a walk. He always took me out to play, almost like he depended on me, and I always looked forward to seeing him.
He seemed to have no real understanding of his elder brother; his memories of him were limited to the time when the other man had been with him.
After his last meeting, he met Kawakami Akio. Yoriichi Tsugikuni was only a companion to him, and they gradually had more contact after his older brother came.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni still remembers a question the other person once asked him: "Have you really understood Kokushibo now?"
It seemed that everyone knew his elder brother better than he did. He had never understood why his elder brother disliked him so much, and even felt so nauseous at the sight of him.
His older brother was kind; even though he disliked him, he never targeted him. Yoriichi had witnessed far too many cases of people being beaten, verbally abused, and falsely accused out of dislike. And it was precisely because of this that he always tried to get close to his older brother.
He only has his elder brother left.
He seemed to only have three relatives in his memory: his mother, his wife, and his brother.
He was selfish. He knew it, but for the sake of his only one, he didn't persuade his brother to stay, and watched helplessly as the other abandoned everything to leave with him.
What were his feelings at that time? Did he really not know that his elder brother was wrong to do this? His elder brother was blinded by passion, but what about him?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't know; he had never recalled things so seriously before. The more he thought about it, the more he felt how despicable and shameless he was.
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