Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

Chapter 534 Scored 2 Degrees

"Huh? Tell me!" Yu Zi grinned, her tone aggressive as she questioned, "Am I pretending?"

Tamayo reached out and hugged her, stroking the back of her head, and whispered, "If you can't even rely on me, who else can Ikuko rely on?"

Yuko's fierce expression suddenly froze, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her golden eyes, quickly soaking Tamayo's pajamas.

"You'll feel better if you cry it out." Tamayo's voice carried a convincing magic.

"Who would want to cry!" Yu Zi said, choking back tears.

Yes, yes, you didn't cry, you were just shedding tears.

Tamayo didn't say anything more, but simply held her quietly in her arms.

After a long silence, Yuko's voice was still choked with emotion: "I know..."

Of course she knew, she knew to endure, she knew everyone would die sooner or later, and she knew everyone would leave this world with a smile.

But she still feels sad.

Watching everyone grow old day by day, watching everyone leave this world one by one, she just can't help but feel sad.

A relationship that has been earned through effort, no matter how much you've experienced, will still leave you feeling sad.

"Yes, of course I know." Tamayo lowered her eyelids slightly and gently stroked Ikuko's head.

Isn't she the same way?

New joys cannot soothe past sorrows; we all live in this world in pain.

After a moment of silence, Yuko asked softly, "Do you think there really is a hell in this world?"

Tamayo's voice carried a hint of amusement: "Shouldn't it be heaven?"

Yuko paused for a moment, then said, "Then let's just ignore Yan Sheng."

If I had to choose one, I would definitely choose heaven, where everyone is.

Zhu Shi broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to herself: What kind of thought process does this girl have?

It was such a sudden stunt that it strained her back.

Tamayo asked curiously, "Can't Ikuko see souls? Why is she confused about the existence of Heaven and Hell?"

"Because, no god or Buddha has ever helped us, has he?"

Tamayo fell silent.

To be honest, she herself believed in those things far too much.

Just as Yu Zi said, no matter how loudly they shouted, the gods and Buddhas did not even glance at them.

But the soul does exist, and it will surely have a place to return to.

Presumably, heaven and hell are not just fictitious things.

Tamayo could only offer another way of comforting her: "It's okay. Even if there is no heaven or hell, everyone still exists in our memories."

Yu Zi said quietly, "Your words of comfort are completely unconvincing."

If only she could think that way.

Everyone understands the principle, but who can truly put it into practice?

Tamayo: "..."

No wonder he's a seasoned veteran who's lived for hundreds of years; he's not easily fooled.

No... it's not exactly a lie, Tamayo genuinely hopes that Ikuko can recover soon.

"If Miss Shinobu saw you like this, she would probably be very worried."

"Yuko wouldn't want Shinobu-san to see Yuko so depressed, would she?"

Yuko: "They probably can't see it, right?"

Tamayo's temple throbbed. What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly feel like hitting someone?

Tamayo took a deep breath, her gentle tone unchanged: "Who knows? Maybe Shinobu is watching over Ikuko from heaven right now."

As soon as Tamayo finished speaking, Yuko suddenly kicked out with a powerful kick, leaping off Tamayo's arms.

But because of excessive force, he fell off the bed again, still wrapped in the blanket.

There was a dull thud.

Scored twice.

Yuko dangled her feet off the edge of the bed, and a muffled voice came from under the covers: "Tamayo, save, save me..."

Tamayo's eyes twitched violently twice. She thought that if Shinobu could see this scene, she would probably want to cover her face.

What is this doing?

What's gotten into him all of a sudden?

Tamayo, her face dark, pulled her up from under the bed. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Call her stupid?

There's no need to scold them!

Yuko understood Tamayo's expression and awkwardly explained, "No, I'm sorry."

"I'm just afraid that Shinobu will misunderstand."

As she spoke, she shook the blanket towards Tamayo, then lay down on the edge of the bed, far away.

Then, belatedly, he muttered something under his breath.

"Shinobu, don't misunderstand. I only consider Tamayo a friend, and I have absolutely no other intentions."

Tamayo's face darkened even more.

As expected of Yuko, her focus is always different from that of ordinary people.

After being fooled by Yu Zi like this, she didn't know what to say.

Tamayo hesitated for a moment, then said, "If that's really how you feel, then smile and live each day to the fullest."

Yu Zi's embarrassed expression stiffened for a moment, then quickly faded.

That idiot... didn't believe it at all.

Tamayo sighed inwardly.

Yuko didn't want to talk, and the room fell silent again.

“Yuko…” Tamayo brought it up, but received no response from Yuko.

Although Tamayo could see that Ikuko had closed her eyes, she knew that Ikuko was not asleep, but was just avoiding her gaze and questions.

She probably didn't want to worry herself.

But how could she not worry about Yuko's current state?

Not receiving a response, Tamayo was not discouraged, but simply looked calmly at Ikuko.

Yuko was shameless; even though she knew Tamayo was watching, she pretended not to know and acted as if she was asleep.

After a long silence, Tamayo spoke up: "Ikuko, stay here."

“Live with me and Yushiro.”

After a moment of silence, Yuko finally responded. She closed her eyes, rolled over, and turned her back to Tamayo.

A lazy voice followed: "Forget it, I don't want to disturb you two."

"I'm not going to be a third wheel or anything like that."

Tamayo's lips twitched: "You should understand that's not what I meant."

“I know.” Yuko didn’t turn around. “Thank you, Tamayo. I feel much better now.”

Is it really?

The worry between Tamayo's brows had not dissipated.

Is this girl no longer willing to open up even to him?

The atmosphere became tense, and Yuko stopped speaking, as if she had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, Tamayo spoke softly, "Ikuko, speaking of which, how are you planning to compensate me for my pajamas?"

"Huh? What?" Yuko turned her head in confusion.

Tamayo tugged at her collar: "See? It's all soaked with your tears."

Yu Zi's lips twitched: "You're not deliberately picking a fight, are you?"

"Let me tell you, I am penniless now, I don't have a single penny."

"This dress cost a lot of money, around 100,000 yen. Until we pay off these debts, Yuko should obediently do housework to pay them off."

Yu Zi's eyes widened: "One hundred thousand? Are your clothes made of gold?"

"I'll just wash it for you."

"No, this pajama set is precious because it can't be washed. Now that it's soaked with your tears, it's ruined."

What the hell?! Can't be washed?! Are there pajamas that can't get wet?!

You can't exactly wipe it completely clean before coming out, can you?

Yuko fell silent.

Tamayo also fell silent.

"I know you mean well, but I'm not worried about disturbing your lives." After a long while, Yuko rolled back from the edge of the bed and gently snuggled into Tamayo's arms.

"I just haven't recovered yet..."

Tamayo breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her. She was afraid that Yuko would refuse to say anything and would suffer alone.

The fact that Yuko would seek them out when she was sad was enough to prove how important they were to her. Tamayo would never let this response go to waste, and she certainly didn't want to ignore Yuko's pain.

"Yes, of course I know." Tamayo closed her eyes slightly and gently stroked Ikuko's head. "No matter how long it takes, this will always be your home."

"The doors here will always be open for you."

"If you feel tired, come back."

"Yushiro and I will always be waiting for you."

Tamayo did not deny Ikuko's idea of ​​leaving.

Yuko is welcome to come here anytime, anywhere, as long as she is willing.

Yuko suddenly wriggled out of Tamayo's arms, looking annoyed: "Why did you say so much?"

"You really want me to leave?"

"I didn't say I was leaving right away. I'd like to stay at your place for another ten days or so."

"So, Tamayo, all you did was tell me all this just to get rid of me?"

"That's really too much. I even considered you my best friend."

Tamayo's mind went blank for a moment, and her whole body began to tremble involuntarily.

"See? I was right!"

"Yuko~" Tamayo took a deep breath, her body emanating a black aura filled with resentment.

"Get your act together!" A sharp rap landed on Yuko's head, and Tamayo glared at her angrily.

"It hurts so much!" Yuko clutched her head, rolling around on the bed in pain.

Tamayo suddenly reached out, her five fingers like pincers precisely locking onto Ikuko, who was rolling around, and grabbed her face.

Yuko trembled slightly, her face filled with terror.

The resentment emanating from Tamayo suddenly dissipated, and she calmed her anger slightly.

"I'm really getting old; I can't believe you can make me so angry."

Ikuko shook her head at the speed of light.

Tamayo's expression softened slightly, and she released Yuko's cheek: "You don't need to flatter me, I'm almost a thousand..."

"Even if you're not an old-fashioned person, I'll still make you angry."

Tamayo's face darkened: "Did you do this on purpose or intentionally?"

"Uh..." Yu Zi broke out in a cold sweat, "I did it on purpose, it was an accident?"

Tamayo pretended to raise her hand, and Ikuko shrank her neck, put her wrist in front of her, and quickly said with her eyes closed, "I just thought you were being too serious and wanted to ease the atmosphere."

The raised fist waited a long time but didn't fall.

Yuko opened her eyes and just in time to see Tamayo's hand fall. She cried out in surprise and quickly closed her eyes again.

"You're cheating!"

Yuko spoke angrily, but what she received was not a fist, but a gentle hand.

"Always like to use this method to cover up their pain..."

"Yu Zi, how can I feel at ease with you like this?"

Yu Zi opened her eyes helplessly: "Can't you just keep me company while I go crazy?"

Tamayo smiled and countered, "What do you think?"

Yu Zi laughed and said, "Don't worry, even if you don't want me to come, I'll still come to your house often to freeload."

"So much the better."

……

Although she still hasn't received the answer she wanted, at least Yuko will live a good life in this world.

She and Yushiro will definitely not be the first to leave before Ikuko leaves.

Yuko did not leave the Zhu family immediately. Instead, as she said, she stayed at the Zhu family's house for more than half a month, during which she often angered Yushiro.

For example, he would comment on each of Yushiro's paintings and give his opinions on those that Yushiro did not like.

'You've painted Tamayo like a celestial being.'

"Tamayo isn't nearly as beautiful as you think. Isn't your perception too stereotypical?"

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; even with beauty filters applied.

For example, when competing with Yushiro to see who could draw Tamayo better, he ended up drawing a stick figure, and Yushiro scolded him for humiliating Tamayo.

Half a month passed before Yu Zi finally said goodbye to the two of them.

"I'm leaving, don't miss me too much."

Yushiro shook his hand dismissively, as if swatting a fly.

"You seem to be hoping I'll leave?"

Yushiro retorted without any attempt to hide his irritation: "What do you think? Even a dog would find you annoying."

Do you find me annoying?

"nonsense."

"Then let's hear it make a couple of noises."

Before Yushiro could be enveloped in black mist, Yuko darted away and gradually disappeared from their sight.

"Really..." Yushiro sighed softly.

……

After leaving the Zhu family, Yu Zi walked down the street in a daze.

Where to go next?

Because I promised Tamayo that I wouldn't cause myself any trouble.

Aside from the normal way of expending physical energy, Yuko seemed to have no other options.

If the Demon Slayer Corps still existed, perhaps one could wear down their stamina by fighting them, but now that the Demon Slayer Corps is long gone, there are probably no more humans who can use breathing techniques.

Live well.

It seems like a very difficult thing.

She still didn't tell the truth. She was afraid of disturbing Tamayo and Yushiro, so she pretended to leave nonchalantly.

She was actually terrified, terrified of being alone.

Oh well, she already said she'd come over often to freeload.

That way you won't feel lonely, right?

……

More than a decade passed after Tamayo and Yushiro left.

Yuko broke her promise again. Apart from occasionally sending a letter or two to Tamayo to say that she was doing well, she never went back.

During that time, she traveled to many places.

He seems like an outcast in this world.

It's truly baffling that this is how hundreds of years have passed.

this day.

Yuko wandered around and eventually arrived in a city.

At first, she didn't notice anything unusual until she climbed a big mountain and looked at the somewhat familiar surroundings, and fell into deep thought.

She... seems to have been here before...

Yuko suddenly woke up.

Isn't this... Tanjiro's house?

She seems to have said something inappropriate again.

She had clearly made up her mind to stay in touch with everyone.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuko decided to continue walking up the mountain.

Decades have passed, and I have no idea what it looks like now.

I don't know if Yoriichi and Kokushima's graves are still in their original places, or if Tanjiro's descendants have moved them.

They must have all moved away, right?

After all, cities have developed so well, how could anyone still stay in the mountains?