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Roy slowed his pace and came to a halt, standing amidst the dense mountain forest. He let the sunlight filter through the green leaves, casting dappled spots of light over him like a mottled cloak of sunshine.
Recalling when he first entered the Demon Slayer world and returned home alongside Tanjiro, his emotions surged like a restless tide, churning endlessly. Lifting his foot once more, he took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the fenced courtyard enclosed by wooden stakes...
*Tap, tap...* The sound of footsteps drew 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 yard, thought Tanjiro had returned from chopping wood. Calling out "Brother Tanjiro," they turned around, only to meet Roy's warm, gentle eyes.
The hemp-woven whips held by the two little ones fell to the ground with a *smack*.
"Big Brother!"
"It's Big Brother!"
Excitement, thrill, and disbelief transformed into Nen aura slowly dissipating above their heads, paving a magnificent expanse of red!
Takeo and Shigeru yelled and shouted, abandoning their spinning tops as they sprinted toward Roy like the wind. In his frantic rush, Shigeru accidentally tripped over a rock and tumbled toward the ground with a loud wail.
Unexpectedly, a leaf descended, and a wisp of a breeze emerged. With a wave of his hand, Roy executed [Wind Breathing], blowing out a swirling gust that gently caught Shigeru and set him down safely by his side.
Shigeru's little head was filled with massive confusion. He was visibly stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality. Looking up at Roy, who was a full head taller than Tanjiro, he reached out with both hands and hugged Roy's thigh tightly. "Big Brother... I missed you so much!"
"Big Brother, me too... I missed you too!" With his left thigh hugged by Shigeru, before Roy could even give them a chiding look, Takeo lunged forward right after Shigeru. His little arms flailed as he tightly embraced Roy's right leg.
As the commotion grew louder, Roy stood at the doorway with the little ones clinging to him, smiling as he looked into the courtyard...
Nezuko, Grandma, and a babbling little girl with two small pigtails on her head stumbled out, led by the other two.
"Nezuko, Grandma, Hanako..."
"Brother Eiichiro."
"Good boy."
"Babble, babble."
Little Hanako timidly hid behind Grandma, clearly a bit shy around strangers. Seeing this, Roy crouched down and clapped his hands at her. "Come, Hanako. Come to Big Brother's arms."
Behind him, Tanjiro took the opportunity to slip off his basket. Smiling, he watched and listened as Grandma encouraged Hanako, who, along with Nezuko, was embraced by Roy.
Faint, rustling sobs could be heard. They were Nezuko's tears of longing.
Roy didn't speak; he simply stroked the young girl's forehead in silent comfort. This continued until the kitchen curtain of the wooden house on the east side of the courtyard was lifted, revealing Aoi wearing a headscarf. Still crouching on the ground, Roy flashed her a wide grin. "Mother, I'm home."
Aoi, wearing an apron, her hands still sticky with a few grains of steamed rice, froze for a moment before her eyes suddenly turned red...
"You're back... It's good that you're back... It's good that you're back..."
"Dear," she called out. "Eiichiro is back..."
*Cough, cough.* A violent fit of coughing echoed from the main house. Slowly, a thin, frail figure walked out, his right hand curled into a fist against his mouth as he desperately tried to suppress the discomfort in his lungs. Even though summer had arrived, a blanket was still draped over his shoulders. He leaned against the doorframe, looking over with a smile...
Father and son, sharing a tacit understanding, nodded at each other simultaneously. In that instant, it seemed as if nothing was said, yet everything was conveyed, all without a single word.
"You're back."
"I'm back."
"Come inside."
"Okay."
Roy stood up. With Takeo and Shigeru clinging to each of his legs, he held Hanako in one arm and held Nezuko's hand with the other. Followed by Tanjiro, who had thoughtfully taken off his older brother's basket, he slowly walked toward the main house.
"Hohoho... Good boy. Go chat with your father. I'll go help your mother." Grandma, whose white hair had gained a few more silver strands, hunched her back and stepped aside to make way for the young man, before turning and hobbling toward the kitchen.
At the kitchen door, Aoi held up 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. We haven't killed it yet; it's been kept in the vat. I'll prepare it in a bit."
Roy naturally had no objections. "Sounds good. I happened to buy some things when I passed by the market, too."
Saying so, he led the little ones to the veranda of the main house and sat down. With a thought, he summoned the [Sumeru Mustard Seed]. Reaching inside, as if performing a magic trick, he pulled out a multitude of items under the dumbfounded gazes of Tanjiro, Takeo, Shigeru, Nezuko, and the others.
There were new clothes for Nezuko, Takeo, and Shigeru; a bamboo pinwheel for Hanako; bolts of fabric for Mother, Father, and Grandma; snacks for the kids; and meat, rice, and oil for the household... A massive pile of goods was stacked before them like a small mountain, making everyone stare in sheer disbelief!
"Brother, did... did you empty out the entire market?!"
"How did you bring all these things back?"
"Oh my goodness..."
There was too much... way too much. The dazzling array of items was almost too much for their eyes to take in.
Roy just smiled without explaining. Flipping his hand, he pulled out a [Nen 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 of how to successfully [Enchant] objects for others.
This [Nen Wooden Sword] was imbued with a fraction of his understanding of the way of the sword. How much Tanjiro would be able to comprehend in the future would depend entirely on his diligence and talent.
*Swish.* As the sword landed in his hands, Tanjiro's eyes visibly lit up. He held the sword fondly, examining it from left to right, his eyes completely devoid of anything else.
Right then, Takeo shouted, "I know, Brother... People say you're a god. Sure enough, only a god could conjure up such a huge pile of things, right?"
"Who said that?"
"Brother Tanjiro said it..." Shigeru and the other little ones stared at Roy with sparkling eyes. Pointing at Tanjiro beside them, they tattled to Roy, "Brother said all the aunties in the market were saying this..."
Only then did Tanjiro reluctantly tear his gaze away from the [Nen Wooden Sword]. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and said, "Everyone saw it. I wasn't making it up."
Roy reached out and accepted the teacup handed to him by his father, Tanjuro. He took a gentle sip of the tea and replied ambiguously, "If they say so, then I suppose it is."
Takeo and Shigeru let out a howl and were about to jump up in excitement to run circles around Roy. However, Nezuko shot them a fierce glare and grabbed them, pinching one ear each.
It seemed that in his absence as the eldest brother, Nezuko, the eldest sister, hadn't held back in "disciplining" the two of them.
Roy watched the scene with a smile. Finally, he closed the [Sumeru Mustard Seed] and slowly took out several boxes of medicine from his pocket. He categorized them according to their dosage instructions and placed them neatly in front of Tanjuro.
The young man's long, fiery red hair swayed in the wind. Smiling at Tanjuro, he said, "Father, medicine... medicine that can cure your illness."
As his words fell, the wooden veranda instantly fell silent.
Tanjiro and Nezuko shuddered... Takeo and Shigeru, whose ears were still being pinched, stopped fussing... Even little Hanako, clutching her bamboo pinwheel and lying on the wooden floor covered with a fleece blanket, looked up at him, then at her, remaining obediently quiet.
Finally, there was Tanjuro, sitting cross-legged in front of the low table. He looked down at the medicine, ripples of emotion appearing in his eyes. His breathing grew noticeably heavier... Clearly, his heart was far from calm!
He still remembered that snowy night behind the house. The moment he handed the Hanafuda earrings, passed down through the Kamado family for hundreds of years, to the young man, the boy had solemnly promised him: "I will absolutely find a way to cure you."
And now... he had actually done it...
The man covered his mouth, trying his hardest to suppress a cough. When he looked up again, he stared blankly at the Hanafuda earrings dangling from the young man's ears, fluttering alongside his fiery red hair... He listened as Aoi and Grandma approached, carrying sushi, fried fish fillets, and miso soup.
Without doubting the efficacy of the medicine in the slightest, nor asking Roy where it came from, a faint smile surfaced on the corners of his lips. Looking warmly at the young man, he said, "These earrings found the right person."
Suddenly, a throb of emotion welled up in Roy's heart. Faintly, it was as if Roy could see Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He gave a free-spirited smile and said, "To borrow the words of a certain predecessor: Father, in the end, I fortunately did not fail my mission."
Did not fail his mission... Tanjuro, whose own fiery red hair was draped over his back, paused for a moment before chuckling along.
Right then, Aoi and Grandma arrived. "Time to eat."
Roy and Tanjuro exchanged another smile. One instructed Tanjiro to slice some of the cooked food he had bought to make a platter, while the other silently watched the young man direct things with ease, his eyes filled with gratification.
Soon, the dishes were ready, and everyone was gathered. On this beautiful, sunny afternoon, they enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
After the meal, Grandma took Hanako for a nap. Nezuko led Takeo and Shigeru to sort through the gifts Roy had brought. Mother Aoi cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash.
In the blink of an eye, it was just Roy left chatting with Tanjuro, occasionally playing with the little ones, until the sun dipped to the west and night fell.
Only then did Roy stand up. He teased Hanako for a bit, letting her grab his face with her chubby little hands, before turning his head to Tanjuro. "Goodnight, Father."
Afterward, he scooped up Takeo and Shigeru, one in each arm, and led Tanjiro back to the west room to sleep on that familiar communal bed.
*Tap, tap...* The young man's tall figure walked in front, followed by the slightly smaller Tanjiro, with the two little ones skipping alongside them. Under the moonlight, their intertwining shadows were cast into Tanjuro's eyes.
The man watched deeply until the door opened and closed, a trace of melancholy surfacing in the depths of his eyes.
*Creak.* The closing of the door separated father and son, inside and out, dividing them into two different worlds.
In the summer night, a mountain breeze picked up, carrying the fragrance of the soil and dispelling the daytime heat.
With his back to the door, Roy could clearly sense the aura belonging to Tanjuro outside, which presented a gloomy shade of gray... The young man stood in silence for a moment. Then, lifting his feet, he took off his shoes and socks, climbed onto the communal bed, and quietly joked around with Tanjiro, Takeo, and Shigeru for a while longer.
Watching them fall asleep, he then quietly slipped out of bed. Guided by the bright moonlight, he gently pushed the door open and looked toward the veranda of the main house.
Just like before, Tanjuro was already sitting peacefully on the veranda behind the low table, having brewed a pot of herbal tea, silently waiting for him.
"Father."
"Come."
Hearing him, Tanjuro waved his hand, gesturing for Roy to sit down.
Once again, they sat across from each other at the low table. It was no longer the freezing winter, but the already sweltering summer.
Father and son looked at each other. It felt as though everything had changed, yet nothing had changed at all. Neither of them spoke first.
After a long while, Hanako faintly babbled and whimpered in her sleep, coincidentally breaking the silence.
Only then did Tanjuro slowly hand Roy a cup of tea and ask, "You still have to leave?"
"Yes." Taking the teacup, Roy rubbed the sides of the cup without drinking, answering honestly.
Sitting opposite him, Tanjuro, and the entire house fell into silence... An oppressive atmosphere began to spread...
Roy took a deep breath. Pretending not to notice Aoi eavesdropping from inside the house, he gently stroked the curse on the back of his hand and said profoundly, "The world of the people has been pacified, but my own story is far from over."
"Father, I have things to do, things I must... do."
"Please, I ask for your and Mother's forgiveness!"
"Eiichiro." Inside the room, Aoi finally couldn't hold back anymore. Carrying a lamp, she walked out from the darkness.
The woman looked at Roy and sat down right next to him. Reaching out to place the lamp on the low table, she gently stroked his cheek. Her eyes uncontrollably turned red again as she said with a trembling voice, "Son, you did nothing wrong. You don't need to apologize to us."
"Since you still have unfinished business, go and do it. As long as your father and I are alive for another day, we will wait for you for another day."
*Sigh...* A long, drawn-out sigh lingered around the roof beams, echoing endlessly. Tanjuro remained silent, watching and listening from the side without saying a word. He let Aoi ramble on with her instructions to Roy, drinking cup after cup of tea. Tonight, it was destined that he wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep.
It wasn't until the mother and son finished their intimate conversation that the man finally spoke up. Looking at Roy affectionately, he said, "You've heard what your mother said, so I won't nag you."
"Eiichiro." Tanjuro straightened his posture, looking at the young man with rare solemnity. "I'm different from your mother. I only have one requirement for you: stay alive."
"Even if you don't come back, I don't care, as long as you are... safe and sound!"
[Transparent World] activated. In that instant, Roy met Tanjuro's clear, tranquil gaze head-on, and for a split second, it overlapped with Silva's figure.
They were clearly two people with completely different personalities, completely different strengths, completely different experiences, completely different cognitions, and even... from completely different worlds. Yet, they aligned perfectly, blending into one another seamlessly. At that moment, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who resided within Roy's "Way of the Sword" with only a sliver of spiritual energy remaining, couldn't help but let out a faint sigh in the young man's heart:
"Eiichiro, you have a good father... Very good, very good. A much better father... than I ever was..."
As his emotions surged, Roy muttered to himself in his heart, 'Yes, my fathers are both very good.'
'Therefore, I must give it my all to fulfill my promise to them, and defeat him fair and square!'
Yoriichi Tsugikuni: "?!"
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