Chapter 51 "They are twins."...
000 vehemently denied it: 【No, this isn't you!】
It knew, of course, that the person in the painting was A-Zhi, and it even knew who the artist was and under what circumstances the painting was created.
Unlike humans, whose memories change over time, systems have their data meticulously stored and can be accessed whenever needed.
On that peaceful morning, the swordsman, who had gotten up very early, began his daily wood-chopping, a task that posed no difficulty for him.
Although his skeletal structure is still transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, his unusually tall stature for his time, as well as the explosive power hidden beneath his clothes, give him the beginnings of an adult.
The morning breeze still carried a chill. The girl in the plain kimono stepped out of the room, rubbed her eyes, and then smiled and waved to the swordsman who looked over.
That was Aori and Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Aori moved to the courtyard and tended to the flowers and plants that Yoriichi Tsugikuni had transplanted from elsewhere. She subtly adjusted her clothes midway through, a detail that was immediately noticed by the swordsman who had been carefully watching her.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't say much. He silently draped his dark red haori over the girl's shoulders and then moved her from the wind to a spot to the side.
The girl was already used to being treated this way, and quickly found a comfortable position to sit down, staring intently at a small blue flower in the flower bushes, her face beaming with surprise.
She called out, "Yoriichi, come and see!"
"…………"
Ah Zhi's smile was so beautiful that Ji Guoyuan couldn't help but want to preserve her current appearance forever.
He then took out a very complete set of painting tools, which were given to him by a painter he had previously rescued who was visiting the mountains to sketch.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was indeed remarkable. He had only watched the painter paint a few times when he was able to see through the details of the painter's brushstrokes and grasp the essence of painting.
He lowered his eyes, and perhaps because the atmosphere was too beautiful, a warm hue appeared on his usually calm face. He poured words he never usually spoke into his writing.
As a result, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's first painting was surprisingly good; the girl in the painting seemed to come alive.
000 had advised Azhi against doing missions, saying that people should be careful not to leave too much behind that could attract attention, especially images.
Otherwise, she'll be the one with a headache after the mission is completed.
Strangely, shouldn't this painting have been buried in the annals of history along with Yoriichi Tsugikuni? Why has it suddenly appeared in the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps? Where did they dig it up from?
000: My head really hurts.
If only I had gone all the way back then, I would have just burned everything down.
Ah Zhi was unaware of the many twists and turns involved. She hadn't thought things through when she spoke, and only realized something was amiss after 000's reminder.
She's right here, why take her painting? Isn't that unnecessary?
Azhi looked slightly embarrassed: "I understand."
She subtly tightened her grip on her knees, wishing she could turn invisible, and whispered haltingly, "...I'm sorry."
Her willingness to admit it was truly amusing.
“As you can see, the woman in the painting looks a lot like you.” Kagaya Ubuyashiki said the same thing to Aori with a smile, trying to explain it as plainly as possible so that the girl could understand. “But this is a painting from the Sengoku period.”
Azhi was initially shocked, and immediately withdrew her fingers, afraid of damaging the antique. She thought that her lord probably didn't call her here to appraise the treasure.
Sure enough, Kagaya Ubuyashiki then said something else, his tone revealing an unusual fluctuation: "Moreover, this is a painting by Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, it's Yoriichi Tsugikuni again.
At some point, Azhi discovered that this name began to appear in her life in various ways and from different people, but before that she really had no idea that this name existed.
The fact that everyone knew of this person's existence except for her instilled in her a sense of unease about the unknown.
[Who exactly is Yoriichi Tsugikuni?] Aori subconsciously asked 000, but before it could answer, she frowned in confusion and pondered for a moment, then began to doubt: [Could it be that I actually know him, but have just forgotten?]
This is the closest the girl has come to the truth.
But 000 still wanted to put up a fight, continuing its evasive tactics and obscuring the main point: "[He has nothing to do with you... he's just a somewhat important tool.]"
The system likes to refer to non-task-oriented characters as "tools," but since Azhi is in the midst of it, she naturally doesn't feel like anyone is a tool.
She'd corrected 000 many times, but it seemed to be having little effect. Azhi breathed a slight sigh of relief and weakly retorted, "How can you talk like that about someone?"
However, unlike before, 000 added the modifier "important" before "tool person" this time, which means it really is quite important.
A-Zhi: [I need to pay more attention to him.]
000: [。]
********
“We suspect that you may be the descendant of the woman in the painting, and the fact that Upper Moon One took you away for no reason and then released you later is exactly what we can prove.”
The exact nature of the grudges and entanglements between Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Iwakatsu Tsugikuni, and that woman from hundreds of years ago is unknown; they can only speculate about past events based on the available information.
Finding Azhi doesn't mean the matter is over; the follow-up investigation is even more important.
Giyu Tomioka and Sabito split up with Kakuzumi. The former escorted Aori back to the Butterfly Mansion as quickly as possible, while Kakuzumi went to investigate the clues left by the Upper Moon. Naturally, he couldn't escape the fact that something had happened in that market.
A beautiful wife and a valiant husband—that's the assessment of those who have seen the young girl and the Upper Moon. One of the bosses even sincerely exclaimed to Hidden, "They are such a perfect match!"
This is how Yin reported after the investigation was completed.
Upon first hearing these descriptions, Sabito almost couldn't resist drawing his sword and rushing out to slay the demons, but his reason made him choose to suppress his anger and think about the deeper things behind them.
The woman in the painting is undoubtedly Yoriichi Tsugikuni's beloved; every stroke of the brush is evidence of this. It now seems that Kokushibo also had an ambiguous relationship with this woman hundreds of years ago, otherwise he wouldn't have done so many misleading things...
Considering the rumors that these two exceptionally talented swordsmen were originally on good terms but later became enemies for unknown reasons, a tragic love story set in the Warring States period was thus set in motion before everyone's eyes.
As if by some unseen force, the divine aura surrounding Yoriichi Tsugikuni seemed to have dimmed somewhat.
This sounds absurd, but when combined with the even more absurd actions of Kokushibo that Aori just described, it seems to make some sense.
Furthermore, it's important to note that a ghost's ability to recognize a person shouldn't be based solely on physical appearance; aura, blood, and even sensations are more reliable indicators.
Therefore, A-Zhi became the only clue.
Once this is clarified, it becomes even clearer that Kokushibo was merely imposing his own ideas on the girl in a selfish and wishful manner, while Ori was an innocent victim dragged into the situation.
What is false will always be false, and what is imagined can never become reality. Aori could never be the woman from back then, and for Upper Moon One to act in this way is truly despicable.
With the background explained, Kagaya Ubuyashiki took a deep breath and slowly revealed the most important question: "It is said that this painting contains a secret, a secret that can destroy demons."
"Therefore, we would like to ask Miss Aori to think carefully and see if she knows any relevant clues."
Azhi never expected that she would be the one listening to the story, and that it would be a story she couldn't understand.
With her eyes half-closed and head down to look at the painting, a soft nape of her neck would be visible, with a few slightly long stray hairs sticking to it, making her look even more harmless.
Ah Zhi looked very carefully, but was also very confused, completely unable to understand the current sudden event.
Ah Zhi always thought that she was a sudden existence, with no clear origin or destination. So how could someone like her, who was carrying out missions with a system, have ancestors in this world?
On the other hand, what does all this have to do with Kokushibo?
Kagaya Ubuyashiki didn't actually finish his sentence, but everyone could understand the part he didn't say, except for the person in question, Aori, who still firmly believed in the buff that 000 had given her.
【…………】
000 was also somewhat bewildered, a bewilderment akin to being hit by a pie falling from the sky.
Oh... I didn't know it could be done like that?
Yes, they could never guess that A-Zhi was the person in the painting, so why couldn't he be A-Zhi's ancestor?
—Absolutely.
In just a few seconds, 000 completely convinced himself that a path he had never imagined had appeared.
As for the hidden secret...
000's tone was excited: [Tell them the secret to destroying demons is hidden in Mount Sheyun, as for how they know...]
Just pin the blame on Kokushibo.
They have no way to verify this for the time being.
A sense of unease washed over Azhi, her eyelashes fluttered twice, and she hesitated before saying, "This isn't a good idea."
How can you pin something on someone else's head when you didn't do it?
[It won't affect him at all.] 000 genuinely believed this was a feasible approach and began earnestly trying to persuade A-Zhi, [Sigh, let me tell you...]
【…………】
Azhi ultimately did not use 000's method. She was lost in thought for a few seconds and began to rack her brains for an excuse. After a struggle, the result she came up with was naturally... unsatisfactory.
The girl looked away, slightly tucking her pointed chin in, her voice trembling slightly as she said, very guiltyly, "I...I don't know what that secret is..."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around him gasped for breath and their heartbeats faltered. The air in the room seemed to thin, but no one even thought about catching their breath.
A faint gloom settled over their hearts, but Ah Zhi's next words made everyone's eyes widen.
"But I know the secret lies in Sheyun Mountain."
"…………"
000: Why don't you just tell everyone about me?
Oh well, the effect is about the same.
********
—Azhi is hiding a secret.
Yoshiyuki Tomioka and Sabito figured it out, and their lord must have understood it too. The others probably also had some idea.
Ah Zhi thought she had handled things well from beginning to end, but she didn't realize that her transformation was too abrupt and too terrible, and couldn't withstand close scrutiny.
How could she possibly know what Sheyun Mountain was?
She hadn't gone out, so someone must have told her. It probably wasn't Kokushibo; if it were that Upper Moon demon, Ori probably wouldn't have kept it a secret.
It's easy to figure out the key points.
Although there were hidden reasons, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito were certain that Ori had not spoken maliciously, and they had even thoughtfully come up with a reason for the girl.
It's simply that there's something they can't say about it.
Intriguingly, what led her to discover the location of the "secret," and what compelled her to have such an unspeakable secret?
Of course, if you don't think about it too much, everything seems to be moving in a better direction, and the path is becoming clearer.
Giyu Tomioka glanced almost imperceptibly down at Aori's profile. There was still a lingering sense of bewilderment in her eyes, and her fair skin revealed bluish veins. She was as fragile as she appeared.
As if sensing something, she looked over, her clear black and white eyes flickering slightly, and slowly tilted her head back to ask, "What is the relationship between Kokushibo and Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"
For once, Aori was quick-witted and realized that the relationship between Kokushibo and Yoriichi Tsugikuni must be unusual. She went to ask 000, but 000 refused to answer the question.
Azhi was confused for a while, and having no other choice, she had to ask the people around her for help. She pursed her lips, revealing her pearly white teeth.
The girl asked a question that everyone else already knew, inadvertently revealing her untimely ignorance.
Both Giyu Tomioka and Sabito wanted to sigh at the same time.
To be honest, they didn't really want to hear Upper Moon One's name from Aori, nor did they want to tell her anything about Kokushibo. It would be best if this demon disappeared from the public eye and never appeared again.
Since the meeting ended, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito have become quiet and reserved, though they don't usually talk much anyway.
Azhi thought she wouldn't get an answer and was a little disappointed. Unexpectedly, the black-haired swordsman was silent for a moment and then spoke again, his voice very low, as if it had been soaked in cold water.
"They are twins."
Although they are twins, they take completely different paths.
The cold light shone on his sharply defined facial features, highlighting a hint of hidden sharpness, which he quickly concealed.
Azhi was surprised and stopped in her tracks. Looking into the black-haired swordsman's deep blue eyes, she let out a soft "Ah".
********
The rain stopped sometime ago.
After a thorough and refreshing rain, everything in sight seemed to be shrouded in white mist, like a fairyland, and the air was filled with the scent of rain-washed freshness.
The good news is that we don't need umbrellas anymore; the bad news is that the roads are still flooded.
Sabito gazed at the puddles-filled road, his tone flat and devoid of any hint of ambiguity, seemingly simply asking the girl if she needed help: "Do you need me to carry you back?"
Azhi wrinkled her nose and glanced at him, raising her voice slightly at the end: "No need."
She's not that delicate, and besides, there are so many people watching over her.
Although she said that, Azhi's eyes and brows still revealed a slight sense of distress. There was really a lot of water on the ground, and walking on it would definitely get her shoes and clothes wet.
She didn't really want to get herself all wet.
A faint laugh, the meaning of which was unclear, reached my ears.
Azhi suspected that they were laughing at her, so she didn't look over and angrily puffed out her cheeks.
She grabbed the hem of her dress and tentatively stuck out her toes. Before she could even touch the ground, a pair of large, strong hands gripped her waist, lifting her off the ground.
Suddenly, my gaze rose much higher.
Azhi was startled and then realized she was being lifted up with one hand. She gently patted the fleshy-haired swordsman's shoulder and back, blushing as she gestured for him to put her down.
The girl, who had unconsciously hunched over, became even smaller and softer in his arms, almost unreal. Sabito smiled and said, "I won't laugh at you, my great hero."
As ordered by their lord, they were to go to Sheyun Mountain to investigate.
-----------------------
Author's Note: 000: Discriminate equally against everyone who delays A-Zhi's task, no matter who they are!
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I know you're all anxious, but the author is even more anxious than you _(:з」∠)_
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:26:27 on June 6, 2023 and 20:49:34 on June 8, 2023!
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