Demon Slayer: Tanjuro Kamado returns from Sekiro

Chapter 161: Is your family a charcoal seller? The Taisho Era Ends

Five days later.

early morning.

In the small town at the foot of the Kamado mountain.

"Choo Choo Choo!"

On the treetops, the early-rising birds held their heads high and sang, occasionally turning their heads to comb their feathers with their beaks.

It was daybreak and the bluestone floor of the street was covered with a layer of dew.

On the orderly street, people on both sides gradually opened their doors and windows and walked out, and merchants also set up their stalls.

Swish, swish.

The old woman was holding a bamboo broom, sweeping the fallen leaves in front of her house.

"Ok?"

At this moment, her not-so-sensitive ears heard approaching footsteps and voices not far behind her.

She subconsciously turned her head and looked towards the end of the road.

In the blurry vision, a group of people were walking along the street with smiles on their faces and talking. Their faces looked very familiar.

A childish voice could be heard faintly.

"We're finally getting home."

Kamado Shigeru held his brother Rokuta in his arms and followed behind Aoi, sighing and yawning, "I'm so tired."

He thought of the scene about a year ago when his mother took them away from here overnight.

Recalling the scene at that time, Shigeru Kamado still couldn't help but shrink his neck and feel a little scared.

Tanjuro walked in front of the group, walking side by side with Aoi.

Street side.

When the old woman saw the appearance of the leader with blurry eyes.

pat.

The broom in my hand fell to the ground:
“…Tanjuro?”

Hearing the old woman's voice, Tanjuro, who was talking to Aoi, turned around and walked towards them, waving his hand:
"Well, long time no see."

Tanjuro smiled and nodded. As a charcoal seller in the mountains, he was familiar with everyone in the town.

However, as his body gradually weakened and he finally found it difficult to go down the mountain, he gradually lost contact with the residents living at the foot of the mountain, and was replaced by his eldest son Tanjiro.

The sound of conversation attracted merchants from across the street.

The merchant puzzledly lifted the curtain at the door, stuck his head out and looked outside.

After seeing who was coming, he was startled for a moment, and then shouted in surprise:

"Tanjuro!"

The next sentence he blurted out was:

"You can get out of bed and walk now?!"

The shouts of surprise attracted groups of town residents.

Because of the Kamado family's traditional kindness, almost everyone in the town has received help from them.

When they heard the news about Tanjuro, they immediately came out from both sides of the street and surrounded the Kamado family in circles.

"It's really the Kamado family!"

"It's been so many years since I saw you come down the mountain, Tanjuro!"

"Aoi is here too! Oh! Tanjiro! Everyone is here!"

"long time no see!"

clap clap!

Someone walked up to Tanjuro in a familiar manner, patted his shoulder, and laughed:

"During the years when you couldn't come down the mountain, Tanjiro did a great job! Everyone likes him very much!"

As he spoke, he turned around and said to the crowd:
"Right!"

"That's right!" Everyone looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

"Thank you."

Tanjuro, as usual, didn't say much, just smiled and nodded to everyone to express his gratitude.

Tanjiro on the side felt a little embarrassed and kept scratching his head.

At this time.

Aoi noticed that Hanako beside her frowned, as if she was worried about something.

"What's wrong?" She turned to look at Hanako and reached out to touch her head:
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Hanako hesitated for a moment:
"…Mother."

She raised her head, reached out and grabbed the corner of Aoi's clothes, and clenched her other hand nervously in front of her chest. Hanako looked worried:
"We just left without saying a word, and there are still injured people in the Butterfly House... We didn't even say goodbye... Isn't it too sudden? Will everyone feel..."

Halfway through her speech, Hanako glanced at the residents surrounding her, her eyes dodged for a second, and her tone suddenly became hesitant.

Just when Hanako was about to say nothing more, a relaxed and steady voice came from above her head.

"Don't worry."

Tanjuro turned around and squatted down so that he was at eye level with Hanako.

At the same time, he pulled Tanjiro, who was grinning foolishly beside him, with his right hand inconspicuously, so that Tanjiro's body just blocked the residents' view of this side.

"I left a letter for everyone."

Tanjuro smiled, he looked up at Aoi who was standing there, and said in a gentle tone:

"We all helped rebuild the Butterfly House before we set off for home. We have done everything we can."

He touched his daughter's head:
"So don't worry."

"Hmm..." Hearing this, the worry on Hanako's face eased a little, but she still seemed a little depressed.

Seeing this, Tanjuro stood up, still smiling, and turned around to look at the residents who were surrounding him.

A quick glance.

He found that the residents in the distance were still gathering around him, and there were even more and more of them. Some people who didn't know the situation also came over and cast curious eyes.

Helplessly, Tanjuro shook his head and took a deep breath:

"Cough...cough cough!" His face suddenly turned pale and he coughed violently several times.

He staggered two steps, reached out to support Tanjiro beside him, and his voice suddenly became hoarse:
"Sorry, everyone."

Tanjuro raised his arm tremblingly, as if he was still the sick and dying man he once was, and said in a low voice:
"I've walked too far, I'm a little too tired, I may not be able to chat with you for a while..."

“Ah…! Sorry, sorry… I forgot…” The people who were nearby were startled and carefully made way for them, looking at Tanjuro with worried eyes:
"Don't force yourself. Go home and rest."

Aoi on the side looked at Tanjuro's back with a little curiosity. She knew at a glance that Tanjuro was pretending.

It’s just... Aoi hasn’t seen Tanjuro in the mood to joke and not so calm and composed for a long time.

Think of this.

pat.

Aoi took a step forward and held Tanjuro's trembling hand.

Her deep purple eyes reflected Tanjuro's somewhat stunned expression, and Aoi smiled:

"Let's go."

……

……

End of street.

"This mountain is great, let's live here!"

The sunlight fell cleanly on the man's face. He smiled, put his hands on his hips, looked at the mountain in front of him, and nodded with satisfaction.

It was Tokito Yuichiro.

At this time.

"Father, look!"

A finger stretched out and pointed in the direction of the Kamado family who were surrounded by the crowd.

"Is there any important person over there? Why are there so many people surrounding him?"

A doubtful and slightly childish voice was heard, and the person who made the voice was a young boy with blue hair.

It was Tokito Muichiro who was unconscious throughout the entire decisive battle.

He was looking up at his father with puzzled eyes.

The father who was being watched, Yuichiro turned his head, smiled and scratched his head, his tone unclear:
"Hmm... maybe."

Fortunately, Wuyilang didn't care too much.

"Come to think of it." Tokito Muichiro retracted his gaze, turned his head to look at his brother, Ichiro, who was standing beside him, crossed his arms, and tilted his head:

"Why don't we go back to our old home, instead of looking for a new place to live closer to the city?"

"I miss our house."

Hearing this, Tokito Ichiro couldn't help but roll his eyes and curl his lips in an impatient tone:
"Are you an idiot?"

He pointed his finger at his silly brother and explained earnestly:

"According to the Lord's explanation, all the ghosts in the world have died, so we can go home."

"But!" Youyilang's tone suddenly emphasized. He subconsciously glanced in the direction of his mother Xun, with a faint expression of worry on his face:

"What if we return to that home deep in the mountains and encounter something like that again?"

"Are you helpless again like last time?!"

In his mind, he recalled that dark night of storm.

My father is away and my mother is seriously ill.

In the dark and damp wooden house, there was only a small, dim oil lamp emitting warmth.

The spreading despair among the two brothers was like the oil lamp, trembling from time to time with the cold wind that leaked in through the crack in the door.

"I don't want to go through that again!"

Snapped!
Yuichiro became angrier and angrier as he spoke. Finally, he took two steps forward, slapped the stunned Muichiro's cheeks with both hands, and took a deep breath:

"Learn from your past mistakes, idiot!"

His voice echoed slightly in the surroundings.

——If there were medical facilities like those in Butterfly House, my father wouldn’t have had to go out in the heavy rain to pick those wild herbs when my mother had a high fever!

——Finding a new place to live closer to town is also a new layer of security.

This is what Ichiro thought.

"I agree with Yuichiro's idea." Yuichiro raised his finger and joined the conversation between the two brothers with a smile.

In his opinion, the world today no longer requires them to hide from the enemies of the successor nation hundreds of years ago.

So moving out of the mountains is also a good choice.

"Hmm?" Youyilang looked at his usually silly father in surprise and sighed:

“…It’s really rare.”

The mother, Toki Toki, stood behind them, covering her mouth with her hands to suppress the smile, and watched the conversation between the father and his two sons quietly.

She just felt.

——It’s very interesting.

at this time.

"Oh! Look!"

Wuyilang suddenly broke free from his brother's hands. He turned his head, pointed across the street in surprise, and his voice gradually became quieter:

“…The group of people who were surrounded over there came out…”

The leader's appearance was reflected in the blue eyes, and it was none other than——

"——Uncle Kamado!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Wuyilang opened his eyes and then shouted out in surprise.

His voice was more or less subconsciously mixed with breathing techniques, making it extremely loud.

This made everyone on the other side of the street turn their heads to look over here, and also attracted the attention of the Kamado family.

Soon after, the Kamado family stopped by Tokito's family.

"Uncle Kamado! Takeo! Shigeru! Why are you here?"

Muichiro shouted excitedly, his eyes looking very happy, and he looked at everyone in the Kamado family one by one.

He raised his hands high:
"Are you also looking for a place to live?"

After waking up from a nap, the two brothers learned that the Upper Moon One and even the Demon King had been killed.

They no longer had any reason to stay in the Demon Slayer Corps, and the two brothers felt confused.

Being in such a depressed mood, Muichiro was so happy to meet his old acquaintances that he even wanted to give a big hug to Takeo Kamado and Shigeru behind him!
After all, he is more familiar with these two people.

The Kamado family heard Muichiro's words.

They turned around in surprise and looked at each other.

As if asking internally: "Didn't you tell him?"

After reaching the conclusion, Takeo and Shigeru stood up.

"No no no."

Zhu Xiong shook his head several times, pointed to the top of a mountain not far away, and said as a matter of course:

“Our family lives on the top of this mountain.”

"Live on the top of a mountain?" Muichiro tilted his head in confusion, and even Yuichiro next to him did the same.

"Yes!" Mao also said, he opened his hands, as if describing something:
"My family sells charcoal, so we live in the mountains where it's convenient to cut trees..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by his brother Ichiro's surprised voice:

"Are you a family selling charcoal?!" Youchiro was dumbfounded. He looked up at Tanjuro who remained silent and smiling.

He then looked down at Tanjiro who was also smiling beside him.

In his mind, he recalled the appearance of the so-called "God of Fire Kagura" and "Breathing of the Sun" that he had seen.

It was like a bolt from the blue exploding behind Ichiro's head.

——Is this the charcoal seller?

Mao did not hear the hidden meaning of Yuichiro's words, he nodded:
"Is such that."

My younger brother Muichiro recovered. He touched his head and sighed:

"What a coincidence... My family is a woodcutter."

"real or fake!"

This time it was the turn of Shigeru and Takeo, who were completely unaware of the situation, to be surprised.

At this time.

"Are you looking for a place to stay?"

Tanjuro smiled and watched the conversation between the children quietly, finding it very interesting. He raised his head and looked at Yuichiro kindly:
"If you don't mind, you can come to my humble abode and rest for a while."

You Yilang was about to refuse, but he saw his father step forward and smiled happily:

"Okay!"

Snapped!
Yuichiro covered his face with one hand:
"Idiot dad!"

……

In this way, a few more people went up the mountain.

……

……

Time slowly approached noon, and the group walked on the path up the mountain.

not far away.

A solemnly decorated wooden house gradually came into view.

Although it has been a long time since I left, it seems that someone still takes care of it regularly and it looks very clean and tidy.

Just as several people approached.

Swish, swish.

There was a sound of sweeping the floor, and the Kamado family immediately turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound.

next moment.

"Grandpa Saburo!" Tanjiro turned around, was stunned for a moment, and shouted in surprise.

Sanlang, who was sweeping the floor, trembled subconsciously and turned around in surprise.

What came into view was Tanjuro and his group smiling and waving.

His eyes froze for a moment.

His vision suddenly became blurry. He stretched out his rough hand and touched his eyelids, which were slightly moist.

Sanlang's eyebrows couldn't help trembling, his eyes felt a little sore, he nodded vigorously, his voice hoarse:
"Just come back..."

……

After everyone entered the house, they found that it was extremely clean and tidy.

"Finally home!"

boom!
Mao and Takeo jumped up and threw themselves on the bedding that belonged to them, enjoying the familiar touch.

Nezuko stood aside, rubbing her forehead helplessly.

Brother Shi Tou stood in the courtyard, looking thoughtfully at the kiln on one side of the courtyard, nodded, and sighed:

“…He really is a charcoal seller.”

The clear sunlight flowed in through the eaves and into the open door, falling on the faces of Shigeru and Takeo who were playing on the quilt.

"It's time to eat."

Tanjuro muttered this to himself as he stretched out and felt the relaxation in his body.

He picked up the food he had just bought in the town and slowly walked towards the stove. "I'll help too." Weiyilang saw him and immediately stood up and followed.

Aoi and Xun were left sitting under the eaves, watching the children playing in the courtyard.

……

Shortly after.

dong dong!

There was a knock on the closed door.

"Who?"

Takeo stood up dazedly, walked to the door, and reached out to open it.

Look out the door.

Standing outside the door was a young man with a clean and gentle appearance.

He leaned forward slightly and nodded:

"excuse me."

The young man was wearing a purple and white feather robe. He lowered his head with a smile, touched Takeo's head, and asked in a gentle tone:

"Is Mr. Tanjuro Kamado here?"

Zhu Xiong felt his head was a little numb. He looked at the young man in front of him in surprise, turned around blankly, and shouted into the house:

"Father! Someone is looking for you!"

Upon hearing this, Tanjuro poked his head out from the stove and looked outside the door.

The next moment, his eyes were filled with question marks.

“Ubuyashiki…?”

In the field of vision, the clean-faced young man gradually overlapped with the face of Ubuyashiki Kakuya covered with purple scars in his mind.

"Yes."

Ubuyashiki Yoya was standing outside the door. He smiled and nodded, confirming Tanjuro's idea:

"After the death of Demon King Muzan, the curse on our Ubuyashiki family has been alleviated by more than half."

"after…"

Pah! He took out a letter and unfolded it:

"I saw the farewell letter you left, Mr. Kamado."

"So, please forgive me, or rather, our presumptuous visit."

Ubuyashiki Kazuya lowered his brows, smiled, turned sideways, revealing the vision blocked by his body, and stretched out his hand to the courtyard.

Tanjuro's eyes followed his hand and looked not far away.

"Kamado! Long time no see!"

Uzui Tengen raised his hands high and waved them with a smile on his face.

Beside him, three female ninjas were also waving happily.

“Tanjuro-san——!” Kanroji Mitsuri hid behind Rengoku Kyojuro and shouted in the same tone as Uzui Tengen:

“I’m here too!!”

"Show more powerful!" Kyojuro put his hands on his hips and shouted at Kanroji.

"Yes!!"

"Hahaha! Not bad!" Kyojuro nodded vigorously.

“……” Rengoku Makijuro stood aside and looked at his son as if he was a fool.

His younger brother, Senjuro, scratched his cheek helplessly and laughed dryly twice.

Iguro Obanai hid in the shadow under the tree, watching this side quietly.

"Ah Amitabha." Beimingyu Xingming stood among the crowd, silently chanting the Buddha's name.

Behind him, Sayaka poked his head out and glanced over here with a smile.

Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka stood together. Neither of them spoke, but just looked at each other silently.

"whispering sound."

Busui picked his ears, looked impatient, turned his head to the side, hugged his arms, and pouted:

"It's noisy."

At this time.

"Tanjiro, where is Tanjiro!" Inosuke's pig head squeezed out from the crowd and shouted.

"Idiot! Don't force your way through! The line we worked so hard to form is gone!" Agatsuma Zenitsu's curse followed closely behind.

Bang! There was the sound of bodies colliding.

Kamiki Aoi and Kanao were standing in the corner, and they seemed to be whispering something.

"Long time no see." Urokodaki Sakonji and Kuwashima Jigoro were waving over here.

At this time.

"I'm here too!" The short old man wearing a fire man mask crossed his arms and shouted proudly.

"Village chief!" The knife maker beside him felt a little embarrassed.

Xiaotie followed his father, jumping around and looking left and right.

Tanjuro's eyes scanned everyone one by one.

After a long while, he finally managed to utter these words:

“…Everyone is here.”

The result is the next moment.

"puff!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"What kind of answer is that?"

It brought unanimous smiles from everyone.

At this time.

"Ah! That's right!"

Kanroji Mitsuri clapped her hands, as if she suddenly remembered something, and shouted in surprise:
"Since everyone is here, let's take a group photo!"

"Group photo?" Several people's puzzled voices came:

"…what is that?"

The ones who spoke were from the Swordsmith Village and several people from the Purgatory Family.

"That's it..." Kanroji Mitsuri was confused for a moment, sweat dripping down her face, and she explained to everyone in a hurry:

"A new kind, ah, uh..."

And this time.

"group photo…"

Giyu Tomioka, who was standing in the corner, silently recited this word, but suddenly his eyes lit up as if he thought of something.

"I'll be back as soon as I go."

He said to Shinobu Kocho beside him.

Before Shinobu Kocho could grab him.

Swish!
Giyu Tomioka turned into a shadow and disappeared on the spot.

“……” Shinobu Kocho’s forehead was twitching.

……

At this time.

A fragrance came from the stove, attracting everyone's nose.

"Are you cooking?"

"Let's help too!"

Ubuyashiki Yoya stood aside with a smile. He counted the number of people and waved his hand gently:
"I'll go down the mountain and buy some food and wine."

Hearing this, Fuzugawa, who was standing by, wanted to call out to Ubuyashiki Yoya:
"Master... Mr. Ubuyashiki! I'll do this kind of thing!"

"No, no." Ubuyashiki Yoya shook his head and smiled gently:

"I've almost recovered and want to move around more."

"Then I'll go with you!" Busuikawa's mind was working quickly at this moment, and he quickened his pace and followed.

……

……

After a long time, night slowly fell.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard of the Kamado family. In the middle was a huge wooden board filled with a variety of dishes.

"cheers!"

Everyone's face was filled with a smile that came from the heart.

Except for one person.

Shinobu Kocho stroked the wine glass in her hand and glanced at the empty seat next to her.

——Giyu Tomioka hasn’t come back yet.

at this time.

tread.

Footsteps came from the direction of the trail.

pat.

Shinobu Kocho put down the wine glass in her hand and immediately looked towards the path leading up the mountain under the moonlight.

The person who gradually enlarges in the field of vision is——

A young man with light green hair and black tips.

The young man had a melancholy expression and gloomy eyes. He held a hairpin in his hand and a calico cat was lying on his shoulder.

The laughter of the crowd came to an abrupt end at this moment.

Shinobu Kocho's pupils shrank, and she almost subconsciously reached for the Sunset Blade at her waist. Her body's years of instinct told her.

The young man in front of me—is a ghost!
"Don't worry, Butterfly."

The voice of Ubuyashiki Kazuya was heard, breaking Shinobu Kocho's vigilance.

"This is Mr. Yushiro, the man I mentioned to you before, who provided assistance in the decisive battle."

Tanjiro heard this and looked in Yushiro's direction.

Sniff.

The tip of his nose twitched twice.

Snap! He suddenly covered his nose.

——What a sad smell...

Tanjiro opened his eyes, and Yushiro's swaying body was reflected in his reddish-brown eyes.

——As soon as I smelled it, my nose felt sore and I wanted to cry.

——What happened?

Yushiro did not respond to Ubuyashiki's words. His upper body swayed as he moved forward.

Tread, step.

He looked like he was drunk, but there was not a trace of alcohol on him.

Step by step, I walked among the crowd.

The corners of his eyes were red, and there seemed to be traces of tears on his face. He muttered incoherently:

"Ms. Tamayo...after learning of Muzan's death..."

"…standing in the sun…"

Yushiro slowly raised his head. He had already walked in front of Ubuyashiki Yoshiya and spoke in a trembling voice:

“…disappeared.”

Hear the words.

“…hug…” Ubuyashiki Kazuya opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

He had previously agreed with Yushiro that after the final battle, he would help Tamayo calm down and protect her from then on so that she would not be harmed by the world or the Demon Slayer Corps.

His words were interrupted by Yushiro, who wiped the tears from his face:

"You don't have to apologize. This has nothing to do with you."

Yushiro raised his head and looked at the moon in the sky, trying to control his emotions:
"This is Ms. Tamayo's own choice... We... should respect her choice... Heh... Gu..."

As he spoke, he bit his lower lip tightly and his voice began to choke again.

Seeing this, everyone looked at each other.

"OK OK…"

"I understand how you feel..."

"Don't cry!" This is someone from the Purgatory family.

"Ghosts can cry. This is the first time I've seen it..."

"Don't make trouble!"

They all came to comfort the sad ghost.

At this time.

Snapped!
Beimingyu Xingming clapped his hands and stood up:

"Amitabha." He slowly crossed the table, walked to Yushiro's side and squatted down.

Place your broad palms on the other person's shoulders.

Yushiro raised his tearful face and looked at the huge human in front of him in confusion.

"Ms. Tamayo realizes her sins and chooses to atone for them. Once she has atonement for them, she will be able to enter reincarnation again."

“…What…does that mean…?” Yushiro raised his head and asked with a choked voice.

“…You…we, will meet again one day.” Beimingyu Xingming patted Yushiro’s head, leaving behind a not-so-clear charlatan’s words.

But after everyone made such a fuss, his mood improved a lot.

"…Thanks."

Yushiro stood up quietly and found a corner to sit down.

The laughter of the crowd echoed in the courtyard again.

……

Shortly after.

Tread, step.

Steady footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

"I am back."

Tomioka Giyuu popped his head out and interrupted the party.

Shinobu Kocho covered her forehead and shook her head helplessly:
"…What did you do?"

Hearing this, Tomioka Giyuu's mouth slightly lifted up. He moved aside, revealing the person behind him.

——Mizukina.

He pointed at the wooden box camera in Mizukina's arms and said two words calmly:
"group photo."

"…You…" Shinobu Kocho looked at the camera and was choked for a moment, unable to speak.

At this time.

Kanroji Mitsuri's voice came from behind:
"Ah! It really exists! (≧▽≦)"

"That's amazing, Mr. Tomioka!"

Then, Ganlu Temple turned around and called out to everyone in a cheerful tone:

"Everyone! Mr. Tomioka came back with a camera! We can take a picture!"

Mizukina stood aside helplessly, the corners of her mouth twitching - are these members of the Demon Slayer Corps speaking in the same tone?
Hearing the words from Ganlu Temple.

Tomioka Giyu's eyes became more and more proud (it was hard to tell), he looked at Shinobu Kocho in front of him, as if he was telling something.

But in the end, the words came to my lips and turned into a sentence:
"Let's take a photo."

……

...

Everyone stood together, using stones, planks, and other people's shoulders, and they stood higher and higher.

The Kamado family, the Tokito family, the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, the step-sons, the Hidden Corps members, and Yushiro.

Even the people in the Swordsmith Village.

Everyone stood together, with relaxed smiles on their faces that came from the heart.

Look at the camera opposite.

Mizukina buried her head behind the wooden camera and shouted:
"Okay! Everybody look here!"

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

Click!

As the shutter sounded.

Everything is frozen in this moment, becoming a slightly yellowed old photo.

(End of this chapter)