Squeak--
The wooden door was slowly pulled open.
The familiar figure appeared before him, Sakonji Urokodaki's heart, which had been hanging in suspense because of Giyu's faith, finally settled back into his chest.
He's back.
Giyu still has that aloof and reserved demeanor, but there seems to be a bit more composure between his brows than when he left.
Urokodaki's lips, hidden beneath the Tengu Mask, curved upwards subtly without anyone noticing.
However, this happiness lasted for less than three seconds.
His gaze passed over Giyu's shoulder and landed on the man and woman behind him.
Last time it was those two little girls from the Butterfly family, and this time... they brought two more people back?
Urokodaki's gaze was first drawn to the woman. She was dressed in a simple kimono, with a graceful figure and a quiet demeanor, like a night-blooming cereus quietly blooming under the moon.
Her beautiful face showed signs of fatigue from the journey, but it did not diminish her charm in the slightest.
She's truly a beauty.
Urokodaki nodded subconsciously, but immediately, an absurd thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
'This... this could be... the girl that Giyu kid... found?'
He calmly looked the woman up and down again.
'Hmm, she has a gentle temperament, is beautiful, and has clear eyes... she is indeed a good match for my apprentice.'
'... wrong!'
Alarm bells rang Urokodaki in Urokodaki's mind.
'This woman looks considerably older than Giyu! And the mature charm in her eyes and brows makes her look like a married woman!'
In an instant, the way he looked at his apprentice completely changed.
It was a look that mixed shock, disgust, and all sorts of complex emotions, as if looking at a creature from another planet that was completely incomprehensible.
' Giyu, this kid, is usually so quiet, but when he does something, it's... astonishing?'
Standing next to Giyu, Sabito keenly noticed the change in his master's eyes, and then looked at Tamayo, where his master's gaze was fixed, and instantly understood what was going on.
"Puff!"
A soft laugh escaped Sabito, and he quickly lowered his head, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Giyu looked completely bewildered.
He couldn't understand why his master's gaze had suddenly become so strange.
In the midst of this eerie silence, Tamayo took half a step forward, bowed slightly to Urokodaki, and spoke in a voice as melodious as spring water:
"Nice to meet you, Urokodaki. I am Tamayo."
A mountain breeze blew by, carrying the faint scent of herbs and Wisteria emanating from her to Urokodaki's nose.
It has a very subtle fragrance.
But beneath the fragrance, Urokodaki detected a completely different, yet incredibly familiar, scent.
That's... the aura of a ghost!
Sakonji Urokodaki Sakonji's muscles tensed instantly, and his hand on the Nichirin Blade at his waist clenched tightly! The look in his eyes, hidden behind his mask, instantly became as sharp as a blade!
"Giyu,"
His voice was hoarse and low with shock, "They... they... are ghosts?!"
Giyu nodded calmly, and then, without even offering an explanation, he simply walked past his stunned master and headed into the house.
Urokodaki Zuo-Latest times:????
He stood frozen in place, feeling his blood pressure soaring.
He glanced at Sabito, who looked completely innocent and shrugged, then at Tamayo, who was still smiling, and at the boy who had been staring at him with extremely wary eyes the whole time...
Finally, he let out a long, long sigh.
With an apprentice like that, he'd be worried sick!
"... Come in first."
He stepped aside, making way for the doorway.
When Tamayo's feet stepped onto the warm, dry wooden floor, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for hundreds of years, finally felt a sense of relief.
If Giyu Tomioka hadn't brought them here, they probably would have had Yushiro heads chopped off the moment they met this former Water Hashira.
She could clearly feel the murderous aura that swept over her like a landslide and a tsunami the moment the other party recognized her identity.
That was the powerful aura of a "pillar" honed through countless life-or-death battles.
In the end, however, he chose restraint and trust.
Tamayo looked around the simple yet clean wooden house. The furnishings inside were simple, but the house exuded a sense of life. The air was filled with the fragrance of wood, and there were still embers burning in the fireplace, emitting a warm glow.
This is one of the sacred sites of the Demon Slayer Corps, a cradle for training powerful swordsmen.
Here, there is no bloodshed, no fear, no shadow of Muzan.
This is "home".
A long-lost, almost forgotten emotion called "security" quietly sprouted in her heart.
She looked at the boy who had already sat down at the table and poured himself some water, her heart filled with gratitude.
It was this man, who didn't like to talk but had a stronger belief than anyone else, who led them from endless darkness to this place that could perhaps be called "hope".
"Please sit down."
Sakonji Urokodaki's voice pulled her back to reality.
Tamayo nodded slightly and gracefully sat down at the table, while Yushiro immediately stood straight behind her like a guardian deity, vigilantly scanning everything in the room.
Yushiro's nerves had been on edge ever since he stepped into the mountain.
Traps are everywhere.
Every tree and every stone in that forest could be hiding a deadly trap.
Although the guy named Giyu Tomioka led them to a safe path, Yushiro still managed to see the bamboo spears and rolling stones hidden in the shadows thanks to his demonic eyesight.
And this room...
They looked ordinary, but Yushiro could sense that everyone sitting there was extremely dangerous.
The old man wearing the Tengu Mask possessed unfathomable strength, his aura as deep as the abyss.
The flesh-haired boy named Sabito had a smile on his face, but his sharp edge was undeniable, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Not to mention the expressionless Giyu Tomioka.
This place is practically a den of dragons and tigers!
Why would Lady Tamayo believe these guys?
Yushiro was filled with confusion and worry, 'What if they suddenly turn against us?'
His gaze was fixed on Urokodaki and Sabito; if they made any suspicious moves, he would immediately rush out with Lady Tamayo.
Just then, he heard Giyu Tomioka's brief explanation.
When Yushiro heard that "the current Oyakata-sama, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, will also be coming to Mount Sagiri," his heart sank.
The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps?
Are you coming here?
Things... seem to be getting more and more complicated.
Sabito suppressed a laugh as he listened to Giyu's minimalist explanation.
He watched as his master went from shock to contemplation, and finally slowly nodded, accepting this unbelievable fact. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his fellow disciple.
Giyu is truly unprecedented in causing his master such a headache.
"So, the current Oyakata-sama, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, will also be coming to Mount Sagiri?" Urokodaki's voice carried a hint of solemn confirmation.
Giyu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and calmly replied, "I've already sent a message to the Oyakata-sama. Now, just wait and see."
Seeing his nonchalant and composed demeanor, Sabito finally couldn't help but turn his head away, his shoulders trembling again.
Night is about to fall.
Master Urokodaki stood up, glanced at everyone in the room, then at the increasingly smaller space outside, and made a decision.
"Giyu, Sabito, follow me."
He said in a deep voice, "Let's go get some timber."
"Master, what are you going to do?" Sabito asked curiously.
Urokodaki glanced at Tamayo and Yushiro, his tone carrying a hint of numb helplessness:
"Let's build another guest room. Looks like this place is going to get more and more lively."
After Giyu's two "mishaps," Sakonji Urokodaki realized that his little wooden hut probably couldn't satisfy his apprentice's enthusiasm for "making many friends."
Prevention is always better than cure.
And so, under the cool night sky of Mount Sagiri, a strange scene unfolded.
The former Water Hashira, the current Water Hashira, and the genius swordsman who should have died—the three of them, armed with axes and saws, were enthusiastically chopping down trees in the forest.
Yushiro stood under the eaves, watching the three busy figures. In particular, seeing them quickly clear a space and start laying the foundation, his vigilance finally subsided somewhat.
'Hmph, at least they have some conscience; they know to prepare accommodations for Tamayo.'
Just then, Tamayo's gentle voice came from inside the house. "Yushiro, it's getting late, why don't you go and help out?"
Yushiro's expression froze instantly.
Shock, confusion, hesitation... countless emotions flashed across his face.
Go help those Demon Slayer Corps guys? Are you kidding me!
But... this is Lady Tamayo's order.
Finally, his loyalty to Tamayo overcame everything. He gritted his teeth, reluctantly walked over, and stiffly asked:
"Is there... anything I can do?"
The rabbit, carrying a huge log, walked by and, seeing Yushiro's constipated expression, couldn't help but mock him:
"Oh, finally you're moving? There's another one over there, go, carry it over."
"Hey, you're so weak, are you really a ghost? Don't tell me you can't even lift a log."
"You bastard--!"
Yushiro's anger was instantly ignited!
He suddenly rushed toward the log Sabito had mentioned, hoisted it onto his shoulder in an almost brutal manner, and then glared at Sabito in a defiant manner.
Thus began a childish "battle of the dragons and tigers".
The nights at Mount Sagiri are no longer just filled with the sounds of wind and insects.
Hey! You're so slow!
"You're the one who's wobbly! You can barely carry a log!"
"I'm doing this to ensure the integrity of the timber! Unlike some barbarians!"
Listening to the loud, energetic arguments coming from afar, Tamayo sat on the veranda, holding a cup of warm tea, a genuinely relaxed smile on her face that she hadn't seen in hundreds of years.
Perhaps, dawn is truly breaking.