After the Sun Rises

The box was opened and the ghost inside blinked and tried to crawl out.

Ichiro half-crouched, trying to squeeze the person in, but it was a bit difficult. [Tanjiro] reached out and grabbed his arm, his sharp nails pressed against the skin outside, slightly denting it.

Tanjiro stayed in the box obediently after being stopped by several girls from the Butterfly House. But now, he was impatient to get out.

The bamboo gag made his voice unclear, so he could only urge her with "mmm".

After a "tsk" sound, Youlang held his forehead with one hand, and after thinking for a while, he pulled the person out.

Although Nezuko didn't say it, she would run to the Butterfly House whenever she had time, and it was obvious that she was very concerned about her brother's condition.

As the red-haired child walked out of the box, his body gradually grew larger, gradually approaching the size of the young man next to him.

After walking out of the room, the corridor outside was not illuminated by the sun, but the light was brighter. [Tanjiro] raised his hand to block it and was led away obediently.

Only when he walked outside did he see clearly the earrings with red patterns on a white background hidden under the long red hair.

Those are Yuichi's earrings, but since Yuichi is nowhere to be found now, these earrings match Tanjiro.

Along the path that was not exposed to sunlight, Ichiro led the group to another place. When they passed the long path full of wisteria flowers, the pungent smell made the ghost sneeze uncontrollably.

The young man with light blue hair ends rubbed his nose hard, but the ghost next to him raised his other hand and gently rubbed the top of his head.

Ichiro was stunned for a moment, and happened to see Tanjiro showing him a gentle smile. This is the friendliness of the eldest son in the family, and it is also the special thing that belongs to Tanjiro.

After coming to his senses, Ichiro also discovered that the wisteria flowers seemed to have no effect on Tanjiro. He was a little puzzled, but the ghost in front of him tilted his head with concern.

At this time, in the Flame Pillar's training yard, it was break time, so the atmosphere seemed particularly harmonious.

The Flame Pillar Rengoku Kyojuro is a very easy-going person. Although his training is very hard, everyone is impressed by his hearty smile while crying.

Brother Purgatory is a very popular person! This is the common opinion of everyone, but looking at the Love Pillar and the Snake Pillar sitting in the yard, many people still whispered.

Members with more experience know that before becoming a pillar, Kanroji Mitsuri was the successor of the Flame Pillar. But few people know the relationship between the Snake Pillar Iguro Obanai and the Flame Pillar.

"Well, please don't be polite. We made a lot of sakura cakes today. Let's all try them together." Kanroji Mitsuri said with a blushing face. "Mr. Iguro, thank you for treating me to dinner last time."

Nezuko stood beside her brother, she covered her lips with her hand and asked, and Tanjiro sniffed it hard again, then nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing this, the Flame Pillar grabbed the siblings' shoulders and reserved a corner of the yard for the two who spoke taciturnly words: "Hmm! The sakura cakes taste good, Kamado siblings, let's go try them together."

The courtyard was filled with sunlight, and a large plate of cherry cakes was placed on the stone table in the courtyard. The three of them sat around the table, and the two people from Love Pillar who had finished their conversation came over.

Tanjiro took a bite of the sakura cake and paused while praising it. He sniffed it gently and then turned his head away.

Nezuko also noticed something. She followed her brother's line of sight and saw the familiar figure from a distance.

"elder brother?"

At the other end of the corridor was her brother, who smiled and curled his eyes.

Ichiro also saw the people in the yard. He was ready to take Tanjiro and wait in the shadows, but his clenched hands loosened quietly.

Tanjiro stared at Nezuko, and his steps moved forward involuntarily. And further ahead was the courtyard with no obstructions.

The moment they were exposed to the sun, Ichiro, who was closest to them, smelled the burning smell. He quickly reached out to block the front, but he was dragged forward by the force without paying attention.

"elder brother!"

When my back hit the ground, the strong smell of burnt ash became more and more obvious. My arms, which were exposed to the sun, were quickly burned and emitted a pungent smell.

The speed of healing was completely outstripped by the speed of damage, and soon everything was bloody. Ichiro gritted his teeth to keep from crying out in pain, and subconsciously curled up his arms, but Tanjiro, who was standing in his way, was more exposed to the sun.

He tried hard to hold back the excruciating pain, ready to grab the person in front of him by the neck and hide back under the corridor, but as if seeing through his pain, the hand he stretched out was tightly grasped.

Yuichiro huddled under the shadow that Tanjiro had tried his best to cast. He looked up blankly, only to see that his bloody face was healing quickly.

"elder brother!"

Nezuko rushed over, and quickly took off her haori, trying to cover both of them. Her voice was choked with anxiety, and she kept urging, "Brother, brother, go back quickly!"

With help, they returned to the corridor again. Ichiro was kneeling, the wound on his arm slowly healing.

"This is too risky." The Flame Pillar sighed, "But it's also very sudden. Is there something urgent, Tanjiro?"

Tanjiro just hugged Nezuko tightly, occasionally raising his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his sister's eyes, and saying some comforting words like "hmm".

After a short period of thinking, Ichiro finally figured out why he felt something was wrong. He stood up, looked at the worried eyes of the people around him, and said to Nezuko, "You... let him go out in the sun again."

This suggestion was too abrupt. Nezuko was still worried. She widened her eyes and asked in disbelief, "Ichiro?"

As if he understood what Ichiro said, Tanjiro loosened his arms around his sister.

On the other side, Tanjiro was stroking his chin, looking thoughtful.

Ichiro stroked the smooth skin on his arm after the scars healed and murmured, "What does that mean... is it that they can overcome the sun?"

"Overcome the sunlight?!" Kanroji Mitsuri looked surprised, "A ghost that can't even be killed by sunlight is really special."

"This is not a joke." Iguro Obanai looked at the matter more calmly, "If not, no one can guarantee that he will be fine."

Tanjiro seemed to have confirmed something. He stared at his other self and then said with certainty, "Believe him... No, I should say, believe me, Nezuko."

Nezuko was still hesitating, but Tanjiro was already standing in the courtyard facing the sun.

The exposed skin began to break down and reorganize, and finally it looked like a burnt ash layer, which gradually disintegrated. He just stood in the sunlight with a confused look in his eyes, just like any other ordinary person.

The gag was removed, and Tanjiro, who was still a little slurred, smiled and shouted word by word: "Nezuko--"

The girl covered her lips and then cried with joy. Looking at the brother and sister hugging each other, Ichiro closed his eyes and understood why Yuichi said that Nezuko was different.

At night, after hearing what happened during the day, Muichiro asked again and again: "Brother, are you really okay?"

"Does your arm still hurt? Without the scar - will it still hurt?"

The annoying questions and the worried look made the impatient Ichiro helpless. He could only sigh and ruffle his long hair vigorously.

"I'm fine."

Youichiro still couldn't find Yuanyi. He looked everywhere and asked many people, but no one had any news about Yuanyi.

Not long after nightfall, he received a message.

The Rock Pillar, Snake Pillar, and Wind Pillar were sent to Forge Village. It seemed to be during the day, and they had probably arrived at their destination by this time.

The Forge Village is a very secret place, just like the Demon Slayer Headquarters. In order to avoid being discovered by the demons, the method of going to the Forge Village is also very complicated.

The Demon Slayer Corps relies on the Hinami-no-Rin sword to kill demons, so the safety of the Swordsmith Village is of vital importance. The fact that they can arrange three powerful pillars shows that the enemy is very powerful.

That being said, Ichiro understood why Yuanyi was not there. But the silence did not last long, and there was a knock on the door.

The two people in the room were awake, and the one who knocked on the door was Madam Tianyin. With Madam Tianyin were the Flame Pillar and the Insect Pillar.

"This is all the plan of Lord Yuanyi and the lord," Madam Tianyin explained, "but Lord Yuanyi specifically instructed us to keep a close eye on Yuichiro's condition."

"Huh?" Yuichiro raised his eyebrows. "He wouldn't think that I can't do it without him, would he?"

Youichiro naturally knew what Yuanyi was concerned about, because the reason why this body turned into a ghost was because of Yuanyi.

Just like the connection between the Demon King and ordinary demons, Yuichiro can feel the connection with Yuichi, and also feel the connection with his direct superior, the Demon King "Yoya".

He hadn't "eaten" for a long time, which could be seen from the speed of the wound healing. If the connection with Yuanyi was cut off, he would surely fall into a deep sleep.

After hearing what Madam Tianyin said, Wuyilang also looked worried: "What should I do, brother?"

"Go to sleep." Yuichiro complained.

The night was long, and the two insects and flames outside the room did not rest either. The crows came and went in a hurry, bringing news from the Forge Village.

The Demon Slayer Corps captured a powerful demon that was not afraid of the Sunwing Sword. Although the demon was very strong, it unexpectedly did not harm humans.

After a fierce battle, the Demon Slayer Corps successfully captured the red-haired demon, tied him up with special iron chains, and imprisoned him on an open plain.

From the moment the sun appeared above the horizon, white smoke began to rise. Everyone waited in awe until they were sure that the ghost had completely disappeared under the sun.

Only the iron chain and the red clothes were left. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally cheered.

No one noticed that a pot with intricate patterns in the corner moved slightly.

As the sun rose, Yuichiro also felt the changes in his body. His eyes were as calm as ever, but he couldn't control his body trembling.

The boy clenched his teeth and curled up, his eyes narrowed due to hunger, saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, and his sharp nails dug into his palms.

Ichiro couldn't remember the torment that followed, but he could clearly feel that the control over his body was taken away, and it was Muichiro who was suffering.

In a daze, he began to "dream" again.

It was something that hadn't happened for a long time. It was a chaotic scene with many familiar and unfamiliar faces appearing one after another. Upside-down buildings, piercing shouts, long red hair flying high, and a red-haired man holding a Sun Blade with his back to the sky, holding the blade high.

Everything froze at the moment the sun appeared, followed by cheers.

Looking at his shrunken brother, Muichiro sniffed, wiped his tears with the back of his hand, and carefully held his brother in his arms.

After overcoming the sunlight, Tanjiro regained his sanity at an astonishing speed. Although he often ignored what others said because he was too distracted, at least he could think normally.

What was even more surprising was that he picked up his other Sun Blade and used the Sun Breathing technique without hesitation.

Nezuko was also very confused because both she and her other brother used Water Breathing at the beginning.

After thinking for a long time, Tanjiro smiled and pointed to his ears.

"Did Mr. Yuanyi teach you that?" Nezuko guessed, "But brother, you have been sleeping ever since you met Mr. Yuanyi."

Tanjiro nodded in agreement: "Yuichi, sir."

At this time, Yuanyi looked like a five-year-old child, wrapped in clothes that looked much larger than he was, and curled up in the box.

[Tanjiro] After being able to move freely, the box that Nezuko brought was left idle. Unexpectedly, it comes in handy now.

"Does Mr. Yuanyi need it?" Wuyilang said excitedly while holding the newly made gag, "Brother doesn't need this."

Yuan Yi shook his head: "I won't bite anyone."

Young Yuanyi, because of his childish appearance, is not as annoying as he is when he is an adult. In the words of Shinobu Kocho, the soft flesh on his cheeks looks very easy to pinch.

In another box, Ichiro yawned, rubbed his eyes and climbed out of the box.

If Wuichiro hadn't strongly requested him, he wouldn't have stayed in the box so stupidly.

After that, he slept for two days and one night until Yuan Yi was sent back to his side, and then he gradually woke up.

Being exposed to the sun for so long also took a lot of energy. In addition, for the sake of the plan, the two of them kept the appearance of children aged five or six.