Chapter 275: Letting Go x Yoriichi Tsugikuni's Confusion
Roy paused slightly, standing amidst the dense mountain forest, letting the sunlight spill through the green leaves, casting specks of light that draped him in a mottled sun-cloak.
Recalling when he first entered the Demon Slayer world and returned home with Tanjiro, his heart was in turmoil, surging like a tide, restless... Taking another step, he took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the small courtyard surrounded by a wooden fence.
Tap... tap... The sound of footsteps grew closer.
A shallow line of footprints extended all the way from the dense forest. At a certain moment, hearing the commotion, Takeo and Shigeru, who were playing with spinning tops in the courtyard, thought Tanjiro had returned from chopping wood. They called out "Tanjiro Nii-san" and turned around, directly meeting Roy's warm and gentle eyes.
The two little ones, holding whips made of hemp grass in their hands,
Dropped them to the ground with a smack.
"Big Brother!"
"It's Big Brother!"
Excitement, thrill, and disbelief transformed into Nen aura slowly dissipating from the tops of their heads, paving a magnificent red!
Takeo and Shigeru shouted loudly, abandoning their spinning tops, and dashed towards Roy like the wind. In his frantic rush, Shigeru accidentally tripped over a stone and fell towards the ground with a wail.
Unexpectedly, a leaf fell, a wisp of clear breeze arose. With a wave of Roy's hand, he deployed [Wind Breathing], blowing out a swirling breeze that rolled Shigeru up and landed him safely beside him. Shigeru, with a small head but big confusion, clearly froze for a moment. Recovering his senses, he looked up at Roy, who was a full head taller than Tanjiro. Reaching out with both hands, he hugged Roy's thigh tightly: "Big Brother... I missed you so much!"
"Big Brother, me too... I missed you too!" The left thigh was hugged by Shigeru. Before Roy could playfully glare at the two, Takeo, following Shigeru, pounced over, his small legs paddling, and tightly hugged his right thigh.
As the commotion grew louder... Roy stood at the doorway, with three little ones hanging off him, smiling as he looked into the courtyard...
Nezuko, Grandma, and a babbling little girl with two small tufts of hair tied on her head, stumbled out, led by the two of them... "Nezuko, Grandma, Hanako..."
"Eiichiro Nii-san,"
"Good child,"
"Yi yi ya ya~"
Little Hanako timidly hid behind Grandma, clearly a bit shy... Seeing this, Roy crouched down, clapped his hands at her, and said: "Come, Hanako, come to Big Brother's arms."
Behind him, Tanjiro took the opportunity to slide down, smiling, listening, and watching. Grandma encouraged Hanako, and along with Nezuko, they were embraced by Roy. Faint sobbing sounds could be heard... it was Nezuko's tears of longing.
Roy didn't speak, just gently stroking the young girl's forehead, comforting her silently. Until, from the wooden cabin on the east side of the courtyard, the kitchen curtain was lifted, revealing Kie wearing a headscarf. Roy, crouching on the ground, grinned at her: "Mother, I'm back."
Kie wore an apron, her hands still sticky with some steamed rice grains. After freezing for a moment, her eyes suddenly turned red... "You're back... it's good that you're back... it's good that you're back..."
"Anata (Husband),"
"Eiichiro is back..."
Cough cough A violent coughing fit sounded from the main house. Slowly, a thin and frail figure walked out. His right hand was curled into a fist and placed near his mouth, trying his best to suppress the discomfort in his lungs. Even though it was the beginning of summer, he still wore a blanket draped over his shoulders. Leaning against the doorframe, he looked over with a smile... Father and son, sharing a telepathic connection, nodded to each other in unison. In this instant, it seemed nothing was said, yet everything was said, all understood without words.
"You're back."
"I'm back."
"Come inside."
"Mm."
Roy stood up, Takeo and Shigeru hanging on each leg, holding Hanako in one arm and Nezuko's hand in the other. Followed by Tanjiro, who thoughtfully took off the basket for his big brother, they slowly walked towards the main house...
"Hehehe... Good children, go chat with your father, I'll go help your mother." With white hair showing more silver threads, Grandma hunched her back and stepped aside to make way for the boys, then turned and hobbled towards the kitchen...
At the kitchen door, Kie lifted the curtain, wiped away her tears, and smiled at Roy: "We're having sushi today. The day before yesterday, I had Tanjiro buy a live fish from the market. I haven't killed it yet, keeping it in the vat. I'll kill it shortly."
Roy had no objections: "Alright, it just so happens I passed by the market and bought some things too,"
Saying so, he led the little ones to the corridor of the main house and sat down. With a thought, he deployed the [Sumeru Mustard Seed], reached into it, and like performing a magic trick, under the stunned gazes of Tanjiro, Takeo, Shigeru, Nezuko, and the others, pulled out many things.
There were new clothes for Nezuko, Takeo, and Shigeru,
A bamboo pinwheel for Hanako,
Fabric bought for Mother, Father, and Grandma,
Snacks for the children,
Meat, rice, and oil for the family... A massive pile, stuffed to the brim, was stacked like a small mountain before everyone, making their eyes go wide! "Nii-san, you... you emptied the market?!"
"How did you bring back so many things?"
"My goodness..."
Too much... too much... a dazzling array of items, too many for the eyes to take in.
Roy smiled and didn't explain. Flipping his hand, he pulled out a [Nen Aura Wooden Sword] he had carved for Tanjiro beforehand from the [Sumeru Mustard Seed] and tossed it to him.
Thanks to Ging, Roy now had his own unique understanding and cognition on how to successfully [Enchant] objects for others. This [Nen Aura Wooden Sword] was imbued with some of his understanding of the way of the sword. How much Tanjiro could comprehend in the future would depend on his diligence and talent...
Swish~ With the sword in hand, Tanjiro's eyes visibly lit up. Holding the sword lovingly, he looked at it from left to right, his eyes completely empty of anything else.
At the right moment, Takeo shouted: "I know, Nii-san... people all say you are a god. As expected, only a god could conjure up such a huge pile of things, right?"
"Who said that?"
"Tanjiro Nii-san said it..." Shigeru and the little ones stared at Roy with bright eyes, pointed at Tanjiro beside them, and tattled to Roy: "Nii-san said the aunties and ladies at the market all said so..."
Only then did Tanjiro reluctantly pull his gaze from the [Nen Aura Wooden Sword], awkwardly scratching the back of his head and said: "Everyone saw it, it wasn't me talking nonsense."
Roy reached out to take the teacup his father Tanjuro handed him, took a light sip of tea, and said ambiguously: "If they say so, then so be it." Takeo and Shigeru howled, getting so excited they were about to jump up and run around Roy in circles. As a result, each of them had an ear grabbed by Nezuko, who glared fiercely at them.
It seemed that while their big brother was away, this big sister Nezuko hadn't hesitated to "step in" and teach the two of them a lesson.
Roy watched this scene with a smile. Finally, he closed the [Sumeru Mustard Seed], slowly took out a few boxes of medicine from his pocket, and arranged them in order in front of Tanjuro according to the dosage instructions.
The boy's fiery red long hair swayed in the wind. He smiled at Tanjuro and said: "Father, medicine... medicine that can cure your illness." As his words fell, the wooden corridor instantly fell quiet.
Tanjiro and Nezuko trembled all over... Takeo and Shigeru, whose ears were grabbed, stopped making a fuss... Even the youngest, Hanako, holding the bamboo pinwheel, lying on the wooden floor covered with a plush blanket, looked up at him, then at her, and obediently made no sound...
Finally, Tanjuro remained, sitting cross-legged at the low table, looking down at these medicines. Waves of emotion appeared in his pupils, and his breathing clearly quickened... Evidently, his heart was very unsettled!
He still remembered that snowy night,
Just behind the house,
The moment he handed the Hanafuda earrings, passed down in the Kamado family for hundreds of years, to the boy.
The boy solemnly promised him: "I will absolutely find a way to cure you."
Now... he really did it...
The man covered his mouth, trying his best to suppress himself from coughing. Looking up again, he stared blankly at the Hanafuda earrings hanging below the boy's ears, dancing with his fiery red long hair... Hearing Kie and Grandma approaching, carrying sushi, fried fish fillets, and miso soup,
He didn't doubt the efficacy of these medicines in the slightest, nor did he ask Roy about the origin of these medicines.
The corners of his mouth curved up slightly into a smile. Looking gently at the boy, he said: "These earrings found the right person."
Suddenly, a throb appeared in Roy's heart. Vaguely, Roy seemed to see Yoriichi Tsugikuni, smiling freely, and said: "Borrowing the words of a certain senior, Father, I, in the end, fortunately did not fail my mission."
Fortunately did not fail his mission... Tanjuro, similarly with fiery red long hair draped behind his head, froze slightly, then smiled... At the right moment, Kie and Grandma arrived, "Time to eat."
Roy and Tanjuro smiled at each other again. He instructed Tanjiro to slice some of the cooked food he bought to make a platter, while the other silently watched the boy command calmly, his eyebrows and eyes full of gratification.
Soon,
The food was ready,
Everyone was gathered,
On this sunny noon, they enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
After the meal,
Grandma took Hanako for a nap,
Nezuko led Takeo and Shigeru to handle the gifts Roy brought,
Mother Kie cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash,
In the blink of an eye,
Only Roy was left keeping Tanjuro company, talking, and playing with the little ones for a while. It wasn't until the sun slanted west and night fell that Roy stood up, teased Hanako for a while, letting her grab his face with her chubby little hands, then turned his head to Tanjuro and said: "Father, goodnight."
Subsequently, picking up Takeo and Shigeru, one in each hand, and taking Tanjiro with him, they returned to the west room and went to sleep on that familiar communal bed.
Tap... tap... The boy's tall back walked in front, the slightly smaller Tanjiro followed behind, plus the two little ones jumping and skipping beside them. Under the moonlight, a few intertwined shadows were cast, entering Tanjuro's eyes.
The man looked deeply,
Until the door opened and closed,
A trace of melancholy surfaced deep in his eyes...
Creak~ The door closed, separating the father and sons inside and out, and also separating them into two worlds.
On a summer night, a gust of mountain wind rose, carrying the fragrance of the earth, dispelling the daytime heat.
Roy stood with his back to the door, clearly sensing the aura belonging to Tanjuro outside the door, presenting a gloomy gray... The boy stood silently for a moment. Lifting his feet, he took off his shoes and socks, got onto the communal bed, and calmly joked and played with Tanjiro, Takeo, and Shigeru for a while longer.
Watching them fall asleep,
He then quietly got out of bed. By the bright moonlight, he gently pushed the door open and looked towards the main house corridor...
Tanjuro, just like in the past, was already sitting peacefully in the corridor, behind that low table, brewing a pot of herbal tea, silently waiting for him.
"Father."
"Come."
Hearing this, Tanjuro waved, gesturing for Roy to sit down.
Sitting opposite each other across the low table once again, not in the cold winter, but in the summer that had already begun to turn hot.
Father and son looked at each other, feeling as if everything had changed, yet as if nothing had changed. Neither was the first to speak. After a long while, vaguely, Hanako babbled and groaned.
Coincidentally breaking the silence,
Tanjuro leisurely handed Roy a cup of tea and asked: "Are you leaving again?"
"Yes." Receiving the teacup, Roy rubbed the cup without drinking, answering frankly.
Sitting opposite each other, Tanjuro,
Inside the house,
All fell into a dead silence...
A suppressive atmosphere spread...
Roy took a deep breath. Pretending not to see Kie eavesdropping inside the house, he gently stroked the curse on the back of his hand and said deeply: "The world of the people has been pacified, but my story is far from over."
"Father, I have things to do, and I must... do them,"
"Please forgive me, you and Mother!"
"Eiichiro," In the inner room, Kie finally couldn't hold back anymore. Carrying a lamp, she walked out from the darkness.
The woman looked at Roy, sat down next to him, reached out to place the lamp on the low table, and gently stroked his cheek. Her eyes uncontrollably turned red again, her voice trembling as she said: "Son, you are not wrong, you don't need to apologize to us,"
"Since you still have unfinished business, then go do it. As long as your father and I live another day, we will wait for you another day."
"Sigh..." A long sigh slowly lingered around the roof beams, enduring for a long time... Tanjuro remained silent, watching and listening from the side, saying nothing, letting Kie continuously instruct Roy. He drank cup after cup of tea in his hand. Tonight, it was destined he wouldn't get a good night's sleep. Until the mother and son finished their intimate talk,
Only then did the man speak leisurely, looking kindly at Roy and said: "You've heard what your mother said, so I won't nag."
"Eiichiro," Tanjuro sat upright, looking at the boy with a rare solemn expression and said: "I am different from your mother. I only have one requirement of you: stay alive."
"Even if you don't come back, I don't mind. As long as you... are safe and sound!"
[Transparent World] activated. In this instant, Roy met Tanjuro's clear, bright, and tranquil gaze head-on, and instantly it overlapped with Silva's figure.
Clearly two people with entirely different personalities, entirely different strengths, entirely different experiences, entirely different cognitions, and even... existing in entirely different worlds. Yet they fit perfectly together, you in me, me in you, indistinguishable... At a certain moment, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who resided within Roy's "Kendo" with only a trace of spiritual power remaining, couldn't help but sigh leisurely in the boy's heart: "Eiichiro, you have a good father... very good, very good, a much better... father than I was..."
While his heart surged, Roy said to himself in his heart: "Yes, my fathers are both very good,"
"Therefore, I must try my best to fulfill my promise to them, and defeat him fair and square!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni: "?!"
☆☆☆
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