Who Is Spreading Rumors

"Miss Yuko, thank you for your teachings." At the training ground, several Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had been taught by Yuko bowed gratefully.

Yuko said gently, "This is all due to your own efforts."

"Please continue to maintain this passion, and I believe that one day, this effort will be rewarded accordingly."

Everyone watched, somewhat entranced, "Miss Yuko..."

She's so gentle, Miss Yuko.

"Next, continue training using the method from just now." Yuko scanned the training ground, gave everyone a slight bow, and then left.

"If only Miss Yuko wasn't injured."

"With Miss Yuko's strength, if she hadn't been injured, she definitely would have become a Pillar."

"Of course! Miss Yuko is the sister of those two Lords!"

"Miss Yuko's self-created Snow Breathing is a powerful breathing technique that can rival the Starting Breathing. To this day, she's the only one in the Demon Slayer Corps who has mastered it."

Everyone looked at the departing figure with admiration, until someone blurted out.

"Miss Yuko is so gentle, I really want to marry her."

His words instantly angered the others.

"Damn you, Matsuda! Look at yourself in a puddle of pee! Only I am worthy of Miss Yuko!"

"Hah? Yamamoto, you die too! Don't even think about defiling my gentle Miss Yuko!"

Yuko, who had already left, naturally didn't hear their noisy argument. Otherwise, she might have scoffed.

Who on earth is spreading such exaggerated rumors!

Rivaling the Starting Breathing!

It's praise disguised as criticism! Pure praise disguised as criticism!

After finishing her teaching, Yuko returned to her room to retrieve the prepared tea set and headed straight for the back mountain.

Whoosh~

Before she even reached the summit, Yuko heard astonishing sounds coming from above.

Kokushibo, holding his Nichirin Blade, was honing the sword forms of Moon Breathing, but judging by his frenzied aura, his state of mind was far from peaceful.

Yuko walked to a nearby stone table and sat down, waiting quietly.

About twenty minutes later, Kokushibo finally stopped, panting heavily.

Yuko called out, "Older Brother."

Kokushibo put away his Nichirin Blade and walked straight towards her.

Yuko poured a cup of tea, "Older Brother, please."

Kokushibo picked up the teacup and, without any regard for manners, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. He then slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.

This was uncharacteristic of Kokushibo, who usually paid great attention to etiquette.

Yuko's eyes flickered as she noticed the veins gradually bulging on the hand holding the teacup. She said calmly, "Older Brother, are you troubled by the Markings?"

She knew. She had always known.

She was an adult who had lived two lives. Influenced by Akino in her childhood, Yuko once saw herself as a true child, acting spoiled in her mother's arms.

But after Akino's death, she had reverted to being an adult.

With the nuanced emotions of an adult, she clearly understood what kind of person Kokushibo was.

Hearing Yuko's words, Kokushibo tightened his grip on the teacup, his breathing becoming slightly erratic.

Without waiting for Kokushibo to speak, Yuko continued, "Older Brother, you're unwilling to accept it, aren't you? Because there isn't enough time left to catch up to Older Brother Yoriichi."

"..." Kokushibo's breathing involuntarily stopped.

Yuko could always see through his heart in an instant.

Sometimes, compared to Yoriichi, he found Yuko even more difficult to deal with.

Kokushibo never liked to speak during conversations with Yuko, because he felt like he had no secrets in front of her.

Sensing Kokushibo's shock, Yuko sighed from the bottom of her heart.

She tilted her head slightly, her wine-red eyes looking gently at Kokushibo.

"Older Brother doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. I've always been proud of you."

"Whether it's you or Older Brother Yoriichi, you are both unique existences in my eyes."

Kokushibo's heart trembled. He lowered his eyelids, his eyes quivering incessantly.

He had always known.

That no matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass Yoriichi.

He was just unwilling...

Yuko pressed her advantage, "Older Brother..."

Her voice trailed off, a tickle in her throat causing her to cough uncontrollably.

"Cough, cough."

The cough pulled at her lungs, and the piercing pain made Yuko clutch her mouth and bend over in agony.

Kokushibo reached out with concern, wanting to help her up. "Yuko!"

Yuko wiped the corner of her mouth and forced a smile. "It's nothing serious."

Kokushibo was silent for a moment. "Show me your hand."

Yuko knew she couldn't hide it from him. She sighed and opened her palm, revealing a patch of cherry-red blood.

"When did it get worse?"

"About a month ago."

"What did the physician say?"

"If I avoid strenuous activity, I have about three years left to live."

Yuko said optimistically, "It's about the same as the markings. You could say it has no impact on me."

Kokushibo fell silent. His mastery of the Clear World allowed him to clearly assess Yuko's physical condition.

However, Yuko had anticipated this. She strongly rejected the brothers' scrutiny, saying it was peeping at a girl's privacy and spouting a string of things he didn't quite understand.

Things like posting on Xiaohongshu or doxxing him on Weibo.

Looking back, she had been trying to hide her injuries, hadn't she?

"Talk less. I'll take you to a physician."

"No, my body..."

Before Yuko could finish, her older brother forcibly picked her up and carried her down the mountain.

Yuko was stunned for a moment, a curve forming at the corner of her lips.

This is good... Older Brother...

Kokushibo was turned into a demon by Muzan himself; there was no doubt about that.

As for when and where, she didn't know.

When Yuko was initially worried, she had secretly followed Kokushibo out several times.

Only when her strength grew increasingly insufficient did she give up on tracking Kokushibo.

It should be fine, right?

With Kokushibo's strength, even if he encountered Muzan, it shouldn't be difficult for him to escape.

Kokushibo, out on a mission, encountered the progenitor of demons—Kibutsuji Muzan—for the first time.

At that time, Kokushibo's attitude towards the Demon King was still to face him with his sword, until the Demon King said.

"Why not become a demon?"

"As long as you become a demon, you can possess infinite years."

"You want to pursue higher sword skills, and I want to try turning swordsmen who use breathing techniques into demons."

"How about it? You're different from other swordsmen; you have a choice."

Kokushibo's breath hitched, his expression moved.

Even though Yuko had repeatedly tried to guide him, and even though his heart had changed slightly.

But the things people desire in their hearts are hard to shake with just a few words.

Those whose backs are bent by reality and who abandon their dreams don't not want to achieve them.

Once a possible opportunity arises, they will grasp it tightly like a drowning person clinging to the last wisp of straw.

Muzan's voice almost instantly awakened Kokushibo's dream of surpassing Yoriichi.

Yes.

If I could become a demon, if I could have infinite lifespan, then I would have time to keep training, and I would definitely be able to surpass Yoriichi.

And the only price would be not being able to bask in the sun.

The chance to achieve his dream was right before his eyes, and Kokushibo's breathing quickened.

Just as his Adam's apple bobbed, Yuko's gentle face appeared before his eyes, and her warm voice followed.

'Older Brother doesn't need to prove himself to anyone. I've always been proud of you.'

'Whether it's you or Brother Yoriichi, you are both unique existences in my eyes.'

Kokushibo instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.

Muzan frowned, watching him.

What a shame, it looks like I'll have to find someone else.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, Kokushibo's fingers, which were gripping the hilt of his sword, loosened slightly. He spoke out of the blue, "If I become a demon, can my illness be cured too?"

Muzan paused for a moment, a wicked, charming smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Isn't that a given?"

"If you become a demon, any kind of pain can be easily healed."