Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17
Under the blazing sun, the courtyard of the Ubuyashiki residence was so quiet that one could hear the falling petals.
The shadow of a century-old pine tree cuts across the white sand, bamboo tubes rhythmically tap the water's surface, and the splashing water droplets shatter into rainbows in the sunlight. The vines hanging from the corridor sway in the wind.
The air was filled with the scents of medicine and flowers, and a muffled cough could be heard coming from inside the sliding door.
Several figures swept past silently, making almost no sound, so fast that one might doubt their own eyes.
It wasn't a very formal "pillar meeting" because only a few pillars who had finished their missions and were nearby returned. Besides the number of attendees, the theme of the meeting was also quite different from the past.
Upon entering the room, Obanai Iguro learned who was attending the meeting. He didn't see Mitsuri Kanroji, but he did see Giyu Tomioka, and he couldn't help but scoff.
Giyu Tomioka and Sabito were already waiting there, but they weren't actually that early, which shows that the meeting was held in a very rushed manner.
Obanai Iguro has always disliked Giyu Tomioka, but he's very kind to Sabito. It should be said that none of the Demon Slayer Corps Pillars would dare to be cold to the "Water Pillar," Sabito.
He turned around and sat down on the other side with a grim expression.
They hadn't had much rest when they returned, so they all looked travel-worn, but they were in good spirits and had no injuries.
These days, they rarely get injured unless they encounter an Upper Moon.
In the quiet Japanese-style room, after all the people gathered had arrived, the sickly young man knelt at the intersection of light and shadow, his pale fingers lightly stroking the teacup. Without waiting for everyone to bow, he went straight to the point.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat upright, his face not as pale as usual, but with a faint hint of color. The servant placed the box in the middle of the group.
Inside is a painting that 'Yakuya' had recently delivered to the Ubuyashiki residence, a painting that Ubuyashiki Kagaya was prepared to take drastic measures to acquire.
"This is a painting from the Warring States period."
The scroll is slightly yellowed, which shows its age, but apart from the marks of time, there is no obvious damage to the scroll as a whole, which shows that a lot of effort was put into preserving it so well.
The painting depicts a beautiful woman.
As the scroll slowly unfurled, the woman's face gradually came into view on the yellowed paper. Because it was so clearly visible, the room froze for a second due to the woman's appearance in the painting.
She wore a light-colored kimono, with a dark red haori draped over her shoulders, and her jet-black hair was adorned only with a simple wooden hairpin, without any other decorations.
Even without makeup, her exquisite face was undeniable. She knelt quietly beside the flowers, her smile as beautiful as a painting.
Every stroke of the brush speaks of tenderness, and the figures are depicted with lifelike realism. It is not difficult to see the deep affection the artist had for the woman in the painting.
—She is a very beautiful person; everyone who sees her for the first time thinks so.
If we only consider this a painting of a beautiful woman, we can only marvel at the beauty and wonder that such a beautiful woman existed a hundred years ago. That's about all we can think of.
At most, if the scroll is treated as an antique over a thousand years old and well preserved to increase its value, wealthy merchants who enjoy collecting paintings of beautiful women will be willing to pay a high price for it.
But from any perspective, this seems to have nothing to do with the Demon Slayer Corps, and there is absolutely no need to waste everyone's time on such a painting.
Out of trust and respect for his lord, Obanai Iguro remained silent, patiently waiting for his black-haired lord to continue his explanation.
In fact, this painting was originally presented to the Demon Slayer Corps as a precious antique.
Out of gratitude for being saved from the clutches of the evil spirit, the wealthy man donated his treasured antique painting, revealing before leaving that the painting contained a shocking secret—the secret to destroying the evil spirit.
This painting was passed down from the wealthy merchant's ancestors. Over the generations, no head of the family had ever seriously explored its secrets, and they had all regarded it as a joke from the previous generation.
The wealthy businessman hadn't taken this secret seriously before. People sometimes like to use tricks and hype to drive up the price of paintings, and this seemingly silly secret is no exception.
He only remembered this incident when he actually encountered the cannibalistic demon.
But this shouldn't have bothered the head of the Ubuyashiki family. There are so many things in the world that are associated with gods and ghosts, most of which are just made up.
At best, it's just a painting worth its weight in gold, and besides, the truth of that elusive secret is unknown.
There was no possibility that even their lord would know about this, so the Demon Slayer Corps members who rescued the people naturally refused to accept this reward.
However, this wealthy man was such a grateful person that during the refusals, the scroll slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. Fortunately, it was undamaged and simply unfolded intact.
And so that name, long forgotten, saw the light of day.
During the process of tidying up, the Demon Slayer Corps swordsman inadvertently saw the name. Coincidentally, he was not a low-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps and knew many stories about the name.
As if guided by fate, he froze on the spot.
At the end of the scroll was a name, a name that warranted sending the painting to the Ubuyashiki residence for the lord's personal decision.
This is the real topic of today's meeting.
Pale fingers landed on the scroll of paper. Ubuyashiki Kagaya was about to continue unfolding the last part when he noticed the swordsman beside him reacting differently.
Unlike the others who remained puzzled throughout, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito were undoubtedly the two most shocked by the situation in the Japanese-style room.
Even their unwavering breathing techniques faltered for a few seconds. Giyu Tomioka and Sabito frowned in confusion, all because of the incredibly familiar face in the painting.
The person in the painting was clearly Aori, whom they had met at the Tokitoya not long ago.
In the past, if the assigned task was near Yoshiwara, and there was no rush to move on to the next place after exorcising the demon, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito would use Kasugai Crows to deliver a message to Ori about a brief meeting.
Most of Giyu Tomioka and Sabito's few fond memories after joining the Demon Slayer Corps were formed during this period, and it can be said that they were always in a very relaxed mood on their journeys.
Ah Zhi would usually sit happily at the table, which was covered with steaming hot food, because she often bought some strange and unusual snacks to share with them.
But she would sometimes be quieter, waiting rather unhappily, each time thinking she was hiding it well.
The reasons that upset her are often not very complicated, and can even be described as trivial things, such as working overtime, being scolded by the boss for slacking off, or not being able to buy the snacks she likes.
These kinds of problems are easy to solve; these are the biggest worries she has in her daily life.
At these times, Giyu Tomioka would push open the half-closed door, or Sabito would climb into the room from outside the window, and what would come into view was the girl waiting with a smile on her face or a somewhat sullen expression.
Her eyes were slightly lowered, and the thick eyelashes beneath her arched eyebrows cast fine shadows on her face. Her smooth jawline, fair skin, and jet-black hair made her even more beautiful.
Because they needed to compare themselves with the girl in their memories, the two of them realized that the scenes they had taken for granted before were so deeply imprinted in their minds that they would come to mind effortlessly when needed.
Under the dim light of the not-so-bright room, Aori's smiling face almost overlapped with the woman in the yellowed painting.
—They look so alike.
It's no exaggeration to say they're practically identical.
If they didn't already know that this was a painting from hundreds of years ago, both Yoshiyuki Tomioka and Sabito would have suspected that someone had painted it stroke by stroke, comparing it to the current Aori.
The unexpected events caused them to lose their composure somewhat.
This behavior caught the attention of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and naturally aroused Obanai Iguro's displeasure. His dark eyes stared at the somewhat shocked Giyu Tomioka, and he said in a cold voice, "Does Tomioka have any thoughts on this?"
Obanai Iguro's hatred for Giyu Tomioka runs deep; he drawls out his words in a sarcastic tone, never missing an opportunity to nitpick.
The black-haired swordsman raised his head expressionlessly and glanced at Obanai Iguro, completely unaware that he was being targeted, before looking at Sabito who was sitting upright.
"Obanai!" Kagaya Ubuyashiki called out to stop them, then looked at Giyu Tomioka and Sabito with a probing gaze. His expression remained gentle, yet also tinged with doubt. "Do Giyu and Sabito have something to say?"
The daylight was obscured by floating clouds, and the room suddenly became dark. A gentle breeze blew through the room, and as soon as the young lord finished speaking in the breeze, another voice rang out.
"My lord."
The flesh-haired swordsman respectfully bowed his head slightly, his gaze falling on the painting rippling with emotion, as if a soft spot in his heart had been touched, softening his otherwise tough aura.
Sabito revealed his true thoughts, which he naturally wouldn't hide, but the deep confusion in his heart still made him pause for a moment: "Aori... looks very much like the woman in the painting."
His eyes swept across the painting again, and to show the degree of resemblance, he said in a deep voice to the young lord, "Almost identical."
A note from the author:
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[Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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