New Year's Festival.
After bidding farewell to Master Urokodaki Sakonji, Roy embarked on the journey home.
The basket on his back was packed full with medicine for his father, new clothes for his mother Kie Kamado and sister Nezuko, sweets for Mao and Takeo, a bamboo dragonfly for his youngest sister Hua Zi, and... the reluctant gazes of his fellow students Sabito, Makomo, and others...
"It's not like I'm not coming back." The boy always said with a smile.
He understood that, without him as a medium, having just reunited with their master only to part ways again, it was a very cruel thing for the fellow students.
Even though none of them mentioned wanting him to stay, Roy still felt the intense emotions and expectations.
"Rest assured, even if I'm not around in the future, you all can still meet with Master." This was the promise the boy made before leaving.
To fulfill that promise, the prerequisite condition was mastering — "Shu",
"Shu": An advanced applied technique of "Ten", utilizing one's "Nen" to wrap it around objects in contact, enhancing their properties. Even if released, it can persist for a short time... The duration depends on the strength of the user's "Nen"...
Sabito patted him on the shoulder: "We certainly believe you."
The master slipped the prepared New Year's money into his pocket... They all thought the boy was just offering comforting words...
As they watched Roy leave, silently waving,
Roy didn't offer further explanation, tightened the basket, gave them a slight smile, turned around and disappeared into the forest, leaving two trails of footprints that vanished with the wind and snow...
On his way past Sagiri yama, the boy also hunted a wild boar, sold it in town for some silver coins, prepared the New Year's gifts, then followed the familiar path into the mountains. Sensing he could quicken his pace, he caught a faint scent on the breeze at sunset.
He smiled, silently invoked "Zetsu", reducing his presence, and followed the scent. In an open snowy field, he saw a red-haired boy repeatedly chopping at a withered tree.
He bore a resemblance to Roy, with a flame-shaped mark spreading across his forehead, seen as a good omen in that era...
"Screech... screech... screech...."
"One thousand one hundred fifty-one, one thousand four hundred fifty-two, one thousand seven hundred seventy-nine, two thousand!"
The red-haired boy growled, raised his hand and swung the sword, using "Snake Life", penetrating the withered tree... "Crack~"
The withered tree, no longer supported, fell, becoming the firewood pieces beside the boy.
Tanjiro held an axe, wiped his sweat, then stood up straight, gazing in the direction of Sagiri yama, lost in thought...
It had been more than three months since Nisaan left home. Countless times, Tanjiro wanted to head to Sagiri yama to find him, but the firewood in the basket and the siblings at home held him back. Fortunately... though Nisaan was away, every few weeks, a crow would deliver some silver coins... Tanjiro recognized that crow, it belonged to Nisaan's master's Kasugai Crow, responsible for delivering messages.
Mother said that having the crow signified hope, as it meant knowing Nisaan was doing well, which reassured her.
As for the money sent, not a single coin was spent; it was all saved in a wooden box, locked up, reserved for Nisaan's future marriage.
What does marriage mean? Perhaps it's like how father and mother are... Tanjiro came to, exhaled, white breath condensed into icy mist, falling to the ground... He bent down, ready to carry the basket again, noticed a pair of feet had appeared in front of him without him realizing.
Following up from the feet, along the knees, chest, and upwards... the axe in his hand clattered to the ground.
"Nisaan!"
The boy suddenly leaped onto Roy. The firewood in the basket couldn't withstand the violent shaking, scattering all over the ground.
"Tanjiro, you've grown taller." Roy smiled, patting Tanjiro on the head, the red-haired boy nearly broke into tears, biting his lower lip to hold it back.
He clung to Roy like a koala on a tree. Roy let him hang on while listening to him chatter, picking up firewood to place back into the basket...
"Nisaan, you didn't even send a letter. Mother was asking a few days ago if you'd come home for New Year's..."
"I wanted to give you a surprise."
"We don't want surprises, just for Nisaan to come home more often, otherwise... Hua Zi won't even remember you..."
"My mistake."
"It's not Nisaan's fault. Father said it's your time to explore, you shouldn't let coming home for New Year's delay important matters..."
"It won't delay anything. Is father doing alright?"
"We got a physician to see him. The illness is relatively stable."
"That's good."
As the sun set in the west, the elder child led the younger ones through the snow-covered forest,
In the evening, he paused, looking up at the curling smoke rising from the cabin nestled against the eastern slope. Tanjiro, no longer embarrassed to cling, leaped down, standing side by side as they looked towards the distant home.
Faintly... they could hear the laughter of playing children, the coughing of adults, and several blurry figures, forming a warm and cozy scene.
Roy took a deep breath: "Let's go."
Then he moved his legs, with his brother, stepping through the deep snow to stand at the front gate.
"Creak~" The gate opened, the wind and snow ceased... People peeked from the main house, kitchen, and backyard, followed by a silence, then an eruption of cheers!
"Eiichiro..."
"Nisaan!"
"Grandma, come quickly. Eiichiro's older brother is back..."
"Who?"
"It's Big Brother Eiichiro!"
Takeo and Mao rushed out, each hugging one of Roy's legs... Mother Kie Kamado, with her headscarf on, lifted the kitchen curtain, holding a tray of freshly battered Tempura, her eyes rimmed with tears... Nezuko was supporting their grandmother, who was holding Hua Zi... Father Tanjuro, leaned against the stove, sat up straight...
Roy smiled gently, "I'm back."
"Good to have you back... Good to have you back... My precious eldest grandson, come let Grandma take a look..." Grandma, with her silver hair, handed Hua Zi to Nezuko, enveloping Roy's head in her embrace...
Tanjiro helped his elder brother remove the basket...
Takeo and Mao, those little ones, each calling out "Nisaan" while rummaging through the basket for sweets, beaming with joy.
Kie Kamado wiped her tears with the back of her hand, set down the kitchen curtain, and began frying Tempura. Now that her child was back, she couldn't let him go hungry,
The boy patted his grandmother's back, exchanged a glance with his father, Tanjuro smiling kindly at him, even his coughing seemed to lessen significantly....
That night, the town at the foot of the mountain started setting off firecrackers, praying for peace and driving away the Evil Ghosts.
Roy had also bought some small hand-held fireworks from the market at the mountain's base, sitting beside Tanjuro, watching as Tanjiro and Nezuko, with Takeo and Mao, cheered and played in the yard, reaching out to take the warm tea Tanjuro handed him.
"Eiichiro, welcome home." Tanjuro lifted his tea cup to clink it against Roy's, this year was now complete.