Chapter 50 "Then do you know Yoriichi?..."
It suddenly started raining.
In an instant, the sky darkened, a strong wind blew, causing the trees outside to sway from side to side, and dense raindrops fell on the roof, splashing with a dull sound.
The clouds obscured the sun, making the indoor light even dimmer, and everything was shrouded in gloom, but the meeting clearly had to continue.
Azhi saw the two little girls next to the lord go to light the lamps, which slightly eased the tense atmosphere and allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.
She hadn't even adjusted her posture yet; her legs were unnaturally spread apart, and her limp fingertips landed directly on Tomioka Giyu's thigh, as if she were feeling utterly powerless.
Just as Azhi was about to straighten up, she heard 000's joyful, tearful exclamation: "I knew you had potential!"
In Azhi's memory, 000 had never praised anyone so directly, and so suddenly at that. She immediately frowned and retorted: "You've never said anything like that before!"
It feels like he's being sarcastic or sarcastic.
000 didn't actually say that; it was just too moved. It was moved that Aori was so firm in saying she didn't know Kokushibo, and it hoped that when they met again, she would pretend not to know him either.
No, there will absolutely not be a next time.
Thinking this to itself, 000 didn't show it. It quickly changed its approach: "I said you've been doing very well with your tasks lately."
Azhi muttered softly, "[It's not that great, is it...]"
She had only just met Yoshiyuki Tomioka and hadn't even gotten an answer from him yet, so how could she be considered to have done a good job on the mission?
—There's something strange about the recent 000.
Giyu Tomioka, however, could not fathom Ori's thoughts.
The girl had been motionless since the beginning. Her hair brushed against her chin, and Yoshiyuki Tomioka could not see her expression, but he could hear her weak, trembling breath and smell the fragrance emanating from the top of her hair.
The girl was indeed seeking comfort from him. Even after her past disappointments, Azhi still trusted him completely, just as she had at the beginning, without the slightest hesitation.
Giyu Tomioka suddenly realized this.
After A-Zhi was taken away by the Upper Moon, he forced himself to calm down and not think too much, but the inner condemnation that he deliberately suppressed did not disappear, but instead accumulated more and more.
However, just now, those accumulated heavy emotions were strangely dispelled completely by the petite body in front of my chest.
Redemption came too quickly and too easily.
As if his body was out of control, Giyu Tomioka leaned down and held Aori's shoulder. He took a deep breath, not daring to use too much force, and briefly let himself immerse himself in the moment.
This behavior, so different from usual, naturally caught Azhi's attention.
She turned her head to look, and whether it was due to the dim light or just her imagination, she felt that the black-haired swordsman's deep blue eyes were filled with tenderness...
However, everyone could see all of this clearly.
Unlike Ori, who is not very perceptive in many aspects, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps generally have excellent night vision because they have to deal with demons at night, especially the Pillars.
Therefore, what happened between Aori and Giyu Tomioka naturally did not escape their notice.
The lights were turned on, and because they were afraid the lights would go out, they were covered with lampshades. After a little while, the enclosed space became bright again.
The meeting was about to continue, but the protagonist hadn't quite adjusted yet.
The dim light cast a halo around the girl, creating a captivating beauty.
Sakura gently brushed aside the soft, stray hairs that had fallen from her temples, placed her other hand on her back, and gently helped her sit back in her original position.
A rough fingertip brushed against her cheek, and Azhi immediately snapped out of her daze, blinking nervously as she stared at the flesh-haired swordsman.
His face was calm, but when he raised his head, a hint of sharpness appeared, and it was obvious who this sharpness was directed at.
Not far away, Shinazugawa Sanemi's eyes slowly narrowed. He chose to meet her gaze without flinching, his entire being exuding an aura of hostility.
The air became slightly condensed again, but it was still within a controllable range.
With a soft "pfft," the girl with cherry blossom pink hair and grass green ends covered her mouth and laughed, interrupting the standoff.
Kanroji Mitsuri couldn't hold back any longer. Although she was a little embarrassed, she genuinely found it amusing to watch her companions suffer setbacks one after another, especially Shinazugawa-san.
In her opinion, although what Ms. Azhi said was indeed hard to believe, it was not impossible, and no one knew if there was another hidden story.
Sometime later, Azhi's eyes became misty, and her eyelashes were wet and stuck together. Although she didn't actually shed any tears, she still looked quite pitiful.
There's no need to make things difficult for such a well-behaved girl.
As if knowing that Aori was looking at her, Kanroji Mitsuri said kindly, "Don't be nervous, I'm fine."
"Please continue."
Azhi was very grateful for her help.
She sat properly, her hands clasped on her knees. She bit her lip and said softly, "Then I'll continue."
"Later, Upper Moon Two... that is, Doma... he suddenly attacked us with demons, and Kokushibo fought with him."
She spoke somewhat haltingly, and her vocabulary was very simple, because Azhi's memory of this part was indeed not very clear.
She had only just met Doma when Upper Moon Two said a few ambiguous words, and Kokushibo arrived.
Then for most of the next period of time, her eyes were covered, so she couldn't see what was happening.
But these two or three sentences sounded like an immeasurable danger to everyone.
With the arrival of Upper Moon Two Doma, another Upper Moon has appeared, which makes things even more complicated.
Giyu Tomioka and Sabito were there in person; besides the hut that was burned beyond recognition, the mountain was also completely destroyed by the demons.
Unexpectedly, the leader of that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was Upper Moon Two... or rather, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Azhi didn't know what they were thinking, and continued talking on her own. But when she thought of something, she lowered her eyes.
"After the battle, once Doma left, Kokushibo took me down the mountain."
"I don't know where he went."
"…………"
At first glance, it sounds quite inexplicable.
Kyojuro Rengoku crossed his arms and asked, "Why did Doma leave?"
Knowing that Azhi wasn't as strong as he'd imagined, he chose to look straight ahead, even though there was no one there.
Azhi shook her head; in fact, her confusion was no less than that of the others present.
Kanroji Mitsuri thought of something that needed to be added, "Speaking of which, after the chaos that day, the frequency of demons appearing in various places did decrease a lot."
Although it was only a brief day of peace, it was the first time in hundreds of years. You must know that ghosts eat people based on their own will, and almost every day people encounter ghosts and die.
This coincides with Kokushibo's departure, making one wonder if it's related to him.
"…………"
Everyone fell into deep thought and stopped speaking, like the calm before a storm.
Aori had already told everyone she knew, desperately wanting to end this torment. She looked around frantically, searching for answers, until she was completely disoriented. As if sensing Aori's feelings, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who had been listening attentively the whole time, finally spoke up: "Alright, does anyone have any questions?"
This sounded like a final closing statement, and Azhi couldn't help but prick up her ears, becoming optimistic.
But the reality was far more complicated than she had imagined.
The fact that Tokito Ichiro and Tokito Muichiro, who had remained silent throughout, did not ask any questions during the previous segment does not mean that they did not have doubts.
What's rather unusual is that, unlike most people who don't pay much attention to outsiders or things, their gaze never left Azhi except when the lord was speaking.
When he first met Azhi, a subtle and strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart, even though it was indeed the first time he had met this person.
It's like a memory flowing in your blood, passed down from generation to generation since ancient times, but it has been obscured by the passage of time.
However, once a certain opportunity arises, the shackles of this memory will be shaken, even if they don't actually remember anything specific, but this unusualness still makes them care.
Tokito Yuichiro and his younger brother exchanged a glance and noticed a faint look of confusion in his eyes, which he also noticed.
They are descendants of the Tsugikuni clan, yes, the same clan that produced the strongest Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen during the Warring States period.
Kokushibo and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, these twins were the first to use the Breathing Technique and were undoubtedly among the strongest Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen. However, they did not leave any offspring to inherit their amazing talents.
This does not mean that the bloodline of the nation has been severed.
After Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Iwakatsu Tsugikuni left the family one after the other, their uncle became the heir, and their uncle left behind descendants.
Even today, although Tsugikuni's surname has changed, Tokito Ichiro and Tokito Muichiro are indeed the people whose bloodline is closest to that of the Tsugikuni twins.
This is also why they chose to join the Demon Slayer Corps after their parents passed away.
After a moment's thought, Tokito Yuichiro's face displayed both contrasting qualities of youthfulness and maturity, yet it didn't seem strange to anyone.
"Miss Aori" is a form of address that doesn't reveal any particular emotion.
Azhi looked stunned. She really felt that her mission of telling stories was complete, and she never expected that there would be any questions. Her heart jumped.
She looked over in response and saw one of the twins; she couldn't tell whether it was the older or younger brother who spoke.
The boy's mint-green eyes, framed by his tousled hair, lingered on Aori's face. After a moment, they flickered slightly, and he suddenly asked very seriously, "Do you know Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"
The rain hasn't stopped; in fact, it seems to be getting heavier, just like 000's troubled heart.
Who understands the feeling of being suddenly betrayed by the plot?
Can anyone tell me why someone would bring up Oori's previous mission objective at this point? Yoriichi Tsugikuni has been dead for many years in their hearts, so what's the point of bringing it up?
000 didn't dare to speak easily. At this point, the more it hid, the more difficult it would be. It didn't know what would happen next and always felt that if it opened its mouth, it would be betrayed.
It glared at Tokito Ichiro with resentment and silence, thinking to itself, "You're such a chatterbox. Do you even know that hundreds of years ago, Aori hugged your great-grandfather? And you're just causing her trouble."
Suddenly, Tokito Ichiro and Tokito Muichiro felt a chill run down their spines. They stared intently at their surroundings but found nothing unusual.
"…………"
"Yoichi Tsugikuni?" Looking at the young boy in front of her, Aori repeated herself, her clear black and white eyes showing a hint of surprise.
Indeed, her first reaction was surprise, because this wasn't the first time she had heard the name.
Suddenly, Azhi saw Kokushibo's slightly distorted face in her mind. He had returned to normal human form, but his eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke.
She was forced by Upper Moon to touch his face, and then Upper Moon interrogated her with some questions that left her scratching her head, including the name "Tsugikuni Yoriichi".
Azhi thought she had long forgotten these things, but now it seems that these memories are still clearly engraved in her mind. What's even more terrifying is that her fingertips seem to still retain the sensation from that time, burning and tormenting.
So why is everyone talking about Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
Who exactly is this person?
Tokito Ichiro could see it clearly: rather than being completely unfamiliar with the name, the girl showed more confusion than anything else; it wasn't that she was unaware of what was going to happen.
Not only him, but the other pillars could see it very clearly as well.
Sabito leaned closer, looking at Ori with his eyes half-lowered, a barely perceptible dark glint flashing in his pupils, and asked thoughtfully, "Do you know Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"
For some reason, Aori sensed a strong expectation in his eyes. In fact, it wasn't just Sabito; all the gazes that came over seemed to carry this same meaning.
This includes the white-haired swordsman who hadn't been very friendly before, and the swordsman who kept snakes.
They gave the impression of weary travelers who had been groping in the desert for a very long time, finally discovering an oasis, but fearing it might be a mirage...
It's hard to bear to shake your head and deny it.
Azhi nodded her head haphazardly a couple of times. Before she could explain that she had heard it from Kokushibo, she found a painting placed in front of her.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the painting and the lord several times before Azhi finally confirmed that she was to open it. She carefully parted the scroll and was shocked by what she saw.
Azhi didn't react immediately, and stared blankly up at the sky, asking, "Why is there a portrait of me here?"
-----------------------
Author's note: This is a heavily modified version with personal settings, so please don't take it too seriously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com