"Eh!!!"
Lady Shinobu and Yoizumi-nii are together!?
Kanzaki Aoi and the three little girls, upon hearing this news from Tanjirou, truly hadn't expected the two of them to develop to this point, especially since they hadn't seen them interact much in the past.
Yoizumi-nii, who seemed indifferent to everything, actually liked Lady Shinobu.
Lady Shinobu is amazing, as expected!
She can even win over someone with such a personality!
"Let's have red bean rice for dinner."
"Okay~" Tanjirou no longer had to worry about his brother's major life event. He felt a huge weight suddenly lift from his heart, and he was in a very good mood, surrounded by an aura of happiness.
"Thank you, Tanjirou, for helping carry the ingredients! Please look forward to dinner!" Kanzaki Aoi rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work, and even the three little girls looked full of spirit.
"Yes!"
As Tanjirou walked out of the kitchen, he suddenly realized a problem: how should he address Miss Shinobu from now on?
Sister-in-law?
But Yoizumi-nii and Miss Shinobu aren't married yet, so wouldn't calling her that now be too soon?
Tanjirou placed his hand on his chin, a troubled expression on his face as he pondered, unable to find an answer.
Meanwhile, Yoizumi, who was in his room, heard a cat's meow. Following the sound, Chachamaru appeared at his feet.
After bending down and stroking its little head, he took a letter from the small satchel on its body. It was from Tamayo.
Yoizumi sat down in the desk chair and opened the letter. When he saw the contents, his expression froze in a daze.
"Yoizumi-nii, regarding the research on the activity-enhancing agent, I have made significant progress and will succeed in developing it before long."
"At the same time, I have a hypothesis that I must tell you."
"Nezuko's blood has changed many times in a short period. Nezuko's mind is like that of a child because there is something more important in her heart than regaining her self."
"I hypothesize that Nezuko might overcome the sun soon."
"Similarly, I once said that Yoizumi-nii is the least suitable person to be a demon. Kibutsuji Muzan's blood has not fully integrated into your body."
"Therefore, please also pay attention to any abnormalities within your body."
"…"
Even Yoizumi, whose mind was as calm as water, couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart and his breathing quickened when he saw the contents of this letter.
"Overcome the sun…" These simple four words seemed to contain endless profound meaning and power.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze turning towards the window.
Through the narrow gap in the glass, the winter sunlight streamed in. This sunlight was not as scorching and intense as summer, but exceptionally gentle, giving a warm and comfortable feeling.
However, it was this seemingly soft sunlight that contained an incomparably powerful vitality.
It pierced through the clouds, crossed the cold air, and shone directly on the earth, nourishing all living things.
Could he also have a chance to stand in the sun?
"…"
Yoizumi withdrew his gaze. This was not what he should be considering now.
If a demon appeared that overcame the weakness of the sun, he couldn't imagine what kind of impact it would bring.
Yet, it was highly probable that such a situation would occur with them, the siblings.
Demons who stood on the side of the Demon Slayer Corps.
A rat that only hid in the gutters, if it knew there was a way to live in the sun, would probably go mad and stop at nothing to obtain it.
His hand, gripping the letter, tightened. If this continued, Nezuko would be in great danger.
When it came to his family, Yoizumi couldn't stand idly by.
He looked down at Chachamaru, who was licking its fur on the ground, and said, "Please give me some time."
Chachamaru made a "purring" sound in its throat, and Yoizumi knew it agreed.
"Thank you."
He quickly left the room, avoiding the sunlight and keeping to the shadows, arriving at Shinobu's room door.
He had only told her to rest that afternoon, and now he had to disturb her, but Shinobu would understand him.
He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door, "Shinobu, I have something important."
After a while, Shinobu, with sleepy eyes, opened the door and leaned gently against Yoizumi. Her forcibly awakened mind hadn't fully cleared, and her voice carried the unique hoarseness of someone who had just woken up.
"Hmm… what is it…?"
Yoizumi led Shinobu to sit on a stool, poured a cup of water from the kettle, and carefully fed it to her mouth.
Once the cool water was swallowed, Shinobu finally sobered up a bit. Seeing the serious expression on Yoizumi's face, she also realized the gravity of the situation.
"What happened?"
Yoizumi handed the letter in his hand to Shinobu.
After she took it, her still-unclear eyes read the contents of the letter, and all her sleepiness was instantly forgotten.
Overcome the sun?!
Her astonished purple eyes darted back and forth between Yoizumi and the letter in her hand, as if to confirm that Yoizumi wasn't joking with her.
Yoizumi timely offered her a teacup, urging Shinobu to calm down.
Breathing deeply with her eyes closed, Shinobu fully woke up.
This was truly earth-shattering news… The Demon Slayer Corps' hypothesis about Kibutsuji Muzan was that he was a demon who couldn't die even if his head was cut off. If he overcame the weakness that even the sun couldn't kill, then there would likely be no solution at all.
Shinobu also recognized the seriousness of the situation.
"Is the news reliable?" she asked in a low voice.
"I don't think she would lie to me," Yoizumi believed Tamayo was a reliable companion. After all, her hatred for Kibutsuji Muzan was so strong that it couldn't be hidden even by her gentle appearance.
"Yoizumi, you showed me this because you need something from me, right?" The intelligent Shinobu quickly realized this point.
"I hope Shinobu can cooperate with her."
"To jointly develop an agent that turns demons back into humans."
"Both of you understand demons extremely well and are proficient in pharmacology."
"If the sun is truly overcome, Nezuko's situation will be very dangerous."
"What about Yoizumi?" Shinobu noticed that his words only expressed worry for Nezuko.
"…"
Yoizumi smiled gently and took Shinobu's hand.
"I won't die."
"This is a promise to Shinobu."
Since Yoizumi said so, how could Shinobu refuse?
Even if she had to cooperate with a demon she hated.
"I need to report this matter to the Master."
"With the Master's support, our cooperation will be smoother."
"Thank you, Shinobu."
"But…" Shinobu's tone shifted. She had been entirely engrossed by the matter of overcoming the sun, and now she noticed other contents in the letter.
What was this activity-enhancing agent?
Shinobu smiled at Yoizumi, her gentle smile concealing an attitude that brooked no refusal.
"Tell me, what is this activity-enhancing agent, Yoizumi!"
"You kept it from me!"
"…" To be honest, Yoizumi himself had forgotten about this matter.
He hadn't intentionally kept it from Shinobu.
"Because Shinobu didn't ask…"
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