In a simple, somewhat cramped yet very cozy little thatched cottage, Uta served tea to Muzan and Yoriichi. She then sat beside Yoriichi, her swollen belly pressed against him.
Muzan: Hic~
Seeing his own son make a move on his precious cabbage—and even run away from home with said cabbage—Muzan had known about it for a long time. Yet seeing Uta's heavily pregnant belly still made his heart ache.
So he directly smacked Yoriichi on the head.
"Who told you to lay your hands on Uta?!"
Though Yoriichi did not feel any pain, he still shrank his neck.
Uta smiled, then asked in confusion, "What exactly happened?"
Muzan could not be bothered to explain, so he glanced at Yoriichi and indicated for him to tell her.
Yoriichi explained the entire situation to Uta, and she nodded.
"So, Yoriichi, you have become a demon just like Lord Muzan?"
"Yes."
Yoriichi felt somewhat worried and could not help hugging Uta from behind.
Muzan shot him a glare before looking at Uta.
"How about I give you some blood too?"
"No." Uta shook her head. "I don't want to become a demon."
Muzan pressed, "Because demons need to eat people and fear sunlight?"
"Mm." Uta nodded.
"Then you can rest assured!" Muzan said with a smile. "We have already found the Blue Spider Lily. Now we no longer need to eat people, and we are not afraid of sunlight."
After saying that, Muzan looked expectantly at Uta. His meaning was obvious: Come on! Let's all become demons together!
Yet Uta unexpectedly shook her head again. "No need."
"Why?!"
Muzan immediately pressed for an answer. He did not understand. Was this not equivalent to immortality? Why would she not want it?
You look down on demons, don't you?!
Uta explained.
"I only want to spend my life peacefully with Yoriichi and live alongside him."
As she spoke, she tenderly met Yoriichi's eyes, a gentle and contented smile curving her lips.
Muzan was speechless for a moment. Damn it!
Smack!
Muzan slapped Yoriichi again, glared at him, and stood up.
"Go live your little life together!"
Yoriichi rubbed his head and smiled awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed as he watched Muzan disappear.
Four years later,
The people originally arranged to live near Yoriichi's home had already left. The only people remaining in that small clearing in the forest were Yoriichi's family and Tanki's family.
Nearly all demons had either consumed the Blue Spider Lily or received Muzan's blood and no longer feared sunlight.
Yoriichi was still living warmly with Uta. Muzan came by from time to time, bringing snacks or other things. After Yoriichi recovered, Tsugikuni Kokushibo no longer faced any threat.
The mere Demon Slayer Corps could not threaten him at all!
So he began wandering everywhere, honing his swordsmanship. Along the way, he could also help Muzan cut down any Half-Demons he encountered.
He became a famous wandering samurai.
On this day, Tsugikuni Kokushibo arrived near Yoriichi's home.
Under the golden sunset, he watched three houses standing quietly on the clearing, their roofs gleaming brightly beneath the sun. He caught sight of Uta sitting beneath the eaves, head lowered as she intently sewed something. Beside her, an unfamiliar woman was also sewing.
Two children were playing in front of them.
His footsteps startled them. The two children stopped playing and looked over together with their mothers.
Uta's expression shifted in surprise. Then she stood, waved at Kokushibo with a smile, and shouted,
"Kokushibo—"
Tsugikuni Kokushibo was invited inside. After taking a sip of tea and setting down the cup, he asked Uta,
"Where is Yoriichi?"
Uta sat across from him, looking through the window toward the forest as though she could see Yoriichi's figure. She smiled.
"He went to chop firewood. He will be back tonight, and he should be back soon. Stay for dinner too."
"Alright. Sorry to impose."
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That night, as Yoriichi shoveled rice into his mouth, he heard Kokushibo say,
"I recently heard that anyone who awakens Scarlet Traces will die before turning twenty-five. You were the first person to awaken Scarlet Traces, so I wanted to ask if there is any way to live past twenty-five."
Uta, who had just sat down, could not help looking toward Yoriichi at his words, then gazed at Kokushibo with concern.
Yoriichi frowned and shook his head. "I don't know either, but perhaps we can ask Muzan."
Kokushibo looked at Yoriichi. "Do you have a way to contact him?"
Over the past few years, Kokushibo had barely seen Muzan. He had been busy improving his swordsmanship and could no longer contact Nakime either.
"Muzan can sense my thoughts, but he might not notice..."
Before he could finish, a figure suddenly appeared before them.
"Yo? You were looking for me?"
The three of them: "..."
Tsugikuni Kokushibo could not help remarking, "Are you, the mighty Demon King, available whenever summoned?"
"Hey, is it wrong for me to care about my son?"
Yoriichi: "..."
Fine. At least he had come.
Kokushibo was about to get to the point, but Muzan interrupted him again.
Muzan pulled over a small stool and sat on it.
"There is no real way to live past twenty-five. Scarlet Traces borrow power from heaven using your lifespan, like a candle burning itself away."
Tsugikuni Kokushibo's face fell in disappointment. "Is there really no other way?"
Muzan shrugged. "How about I give you some blood?"
Tsugikuni Kokushibo looked conflicted, but when he remembered that Yoriichi had already become a demon, he realized he absolutely could not die before Yoriichi. He immediately made up his mind and nodded decisively.
"Give me your blood."
Muzan: He knew it!
Yoriichi had become a demon already. How could Tsugikuni Kokushibo refuse to become one?
"Alright."
To keep Tsugikuni Kokushibo from being unable to endure the pain and rolling around on the floor, wrecking Yoriichi's little home, Muzan grabbed Kokushibo and brought him to Infinity Castle.
The moment Kokushibo stepped onto the wooden floor, Muzan jabbed a finger straight into his head.
It hurt!!!!
Ignoring Kokushibo's face twisting in pain, Muzan leisurely withdrew his finger and watched Tsugikuni Kokushibo roll around on the floor.
But what Muzan could not understand was why Tsugikuni Kokushibo grew four additional eyes after becoming a demon.
Muzan watched with his own eyes as four eyes emerged on his face. So strange...
Moreover, Muzan could tell that although Tsugikuni Kokushibo had become a six-eyed being, he adapted to it almost instantly, as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
At the same time, countless blades burst from his body. Veins bulged all over him, and painful, low roars escaped his throat.
Nakime was already used to such things and calmly continued practicing her biwa.
A moment later, Tsugikuni Kokushibo finally endured it. Every blade protruding from his body retracted back inside, and he looked at Muzan with lingering fear.
"Can you stop stabbing people in the head..."
"I do what I want. Now that you are done, hurry up and change clothes."
As he spoke, Muzan tossed him a set of clothes.
Tsugikuni Kokushibo's clothes had been stabbed to tatters, with some parts of his body exposed.
He took the clothes, lowered his head to look himself over, and without changing expression, carried the outfit Muzan had given him into a room. He emerged after changing.
Muzan smiled.
"Now that you have become a demon, how about I give you a name?"
Tsugikuni Kokushibo stared at him expressionlessly. "There is no need."
"From now on, you are Kokushibo," Muzan declared on his own.
Tsugikuni Kokushibo: "..."
"Your situation is different from Yoriichi's." Hearing Tsugikuni Kokushibo's thoughts and confusion, Muzan explained.
"Yoriichi is still living his little life with his wife, so why change his name? But you ran away from home to pursue the martial path wholeheartedly. It would not be appropriate to keep carrying the Tsugikuni Family name, would it?"
Tsugikuni Kokushibo, now Kokushibo, did not care much either. He stopped thinking about it, nodded, and felt that it made a tiny bit of sense.
Then, remembering that he still intended to travel, Kokushibo considered that three pairs of eyes might cause trouble and disguised himself as an ordinary human.
If Scum Boss could even change from male to female, then hiding a few eyes was easy for me, Kokushibo.
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