Tanjiro's Ancestors

The news hit Yuko like a ten-ton earthquake.

Yoriichi was married?

He kept that quiet!

Five years had passed since they last met...

Yuko's unspoken retort caught in her throat.

He had no reason not to tell his own sister about his marriage.

Unless...

Yuko couldn't bring herself to ask, her heart heavy as she followed Yoriichi's steps.

One night, they arrived in the mountains.

Yuko squinted in the moonlight, making out the path ahead. "Brother, there seems to be a house up ahead."

As soon as she spoke, Yoriichi gripped the Nichirin Blade at his waist and moved towards the house with blinding speed.

A demon!

Yuko reacted swiftly, her hand tightening on her sword hilt as she followed close behind.

When Demon Slayer Corps members left the organization, their Nichirin Blades were usually collected.

However, the Master had permitted Yoriichi and Yuko to keep theirs due to their contributions to the Demon Slayer Corps.

Yoriichi's senses were far superior to hers; she only detected the demon's presence when they were within twenty meters of the house.

"Brother, are you alright?"

By the time she burst into the house, the demon's body was already starting to crumble.

As expected of Yoriichi, as powerful as ever.

The person rescued on the side let out a sigh of relief.

"We're saved~"

Yuko followed the sound, her eyes widening slightly, a look of surprise on her face.

Tan... Tanjiro?

"My name is Tanjiki. Thank you both for saving my life."

The man, who bore a striking resemblance to the protagonist Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, knelt on the ground and bowed as he introduced himself.

It wasn't unusual to offer such a deep bow for saving one's life, but Yuko disliked it.

She stepped forward and helped him up. "There's no need for such formalities. Slaying demons is our du—"

Yuko trailed off. They had already retired from the Demon Slayer Corps.

Tanjiki didn't think much of it, merely looking at them gratefully. "It's late now. If you don't mind, would you rest at my humble abode for the night?"

Yuko glanced at Yoriichi. They had been traveling day and night for several days and still hadn't reached Yoriichi's wife's residence.

Yoriichi suddenly spoke, "Is there anyone else in the inner room?"

If it were just someone else, he wouldn't have been so concerned...

Tanjiki's eyes widened into dots. After a moment of stunned silence, he panicked and ran towards the inner room, exclaiming in alarm.

"Oh no! Tamiko!"

The two followed closely. Lying on the bed in the inner room was a woman with a very pregnant belly.

The woman was struggling on the bed, her face contorted in pain.

"Tamiko!" Tanjiki called out to his wife, his expression frantic.

"Please excuse me." Yuko stepped forward, pulling him aside, and quickly examined the woman.

"She's about to give birth. We need to find a midwife immediately," Yuko said, turning to them. "Brother, please take care of them. I'll head to the town at the foot of the mountain right now..."

Before Yuko could finish, Yoriichi turned and left.

He only left behind a single sentence.

"Yuko, take care of them. I'll be right back."

When Yoriichi said he'd be right back, he truly meant it.

In almost no time at all, Yoriichi returned carrying a midwife.

Upon seeing Tanjiki's wife, Tamiko, safely give birth to a baby girl, a subtle shift appeared in Yoriichi's usually calm expression, a faint smile gracing his lips.

But Yuko could read a hint of sadness in his expression.

While Tanjiki attended to his wife in the inner room, Yoriichi and Yuko sat on the edge of the porch, watching the sunrise. Yoriichi seemed to sense his sister's confusion and explained calmly, "This is... where Uta and I used to live."

As I suspected...

Yuko pursed her lips.

Tamiko was resting in the room after giving birth, while Tanjiki invited the two benefactors to stay for a meal.

"I am truly very sorry, we don't have much good food at home, so please, benefactors, just try the wild vegetables Tamiko picked yesterday."

Yuko smiled faintly, "Being able to fill our stomachs is good enough."

What good food could there be in this era? Yuko was never a picky eater.

Soon, Tanjiki had prepared the food.

Several plates of wild vegetables were brought to the table.

The boiled wild vegetables were mostly wilted and it was impossible to tell what they were, but since Tanjiki was offering them, they were definitely not poisonous.

After breakfast, Yoriichi took Yuko towards the back of the house.

There was a grave mound made of several scattered stones.

It was Uta's grave.

Yoriichi approached his wife's grave and recounted his story of joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

Yuko knelt to the side, listening quietly.

One must not be disrespectful when mourning loved ones.

Yoriichi's story was long. He spoke in a gentle, tender voice, slowly recounting their tale, how he was reunited with his older brother and sister after a long separation, and the days they practiced breathing techniques together.

The sun was high in the sky. It was August, and the weather was incredibly hot.

Yoriichi noticed this and turned to his sister, "Yuko, if you feel unwell, you should go back first."

Those eyes of Yoriichi's could clearly see Yuko's physical condition.

He knew deeply that his sister did not have much time left.

Yuko shook her head, "I'm fine."

In fact, she quite liked summer.

Yuko had a special constitution; she was naturally fond of the cold and unafraid of heat. This might also be the reason she had successfully mastered Snow Breathing.

Yoriichi nodded slightly, understanding his sister's consideration, and continued to speak to his wife.

Just as Yuko was about to move her legs, which had become slightly numb from kneeling for too long, a flash of blue suddenly entered her peripheral vision.

Yuko instinctively turned her head. She saw, right beside Uta's grave, several blooming blue flowers swaying in the wind.

These were... spider lilies?

But why were they blue?

And were these flowers here just now? How did she not notice?

Blue spider lilies...

Fragments of memories from her past life suddenly flashed through Yuko's mind.

She seemed to have seen this term somewhere before...

It was in...

Yuko's eyes widened slightly. She remembered!

The blue spider lily that Muzan had been searching for, the one that could overcome sunlight, she had seen it in the comments section!

Then, a spark of inspiration hit her.

No wonder Nezuko could overcome sunlight; it was because this thing was blooming near their home!

Had no demons passed by here in the last few hundred years?

The pathetic boss hadn't discovered it.

Suddenly.

???

What the hell?

Yuko was stunned.

The blue spider lilies, which had been blooming vibrantly just a moment ago, withered and died within a few breaths, leaving behind stems that looked like common horsetail.

She instinctively reached out to touch them; they had indeed withered.

Right before her eyes.

For no reason.

What principle was this?

No wonder the pathetic boss couldn't find it; these flowers were quite magical.

"Yuko, what's wrong?" After paying respects to his wife, Yoriichi turned and saw his sister staring blankly at a few withered horsetail stems.

"N-nothing."

"Then let's go."

"Mmm."

Yuko hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't break it.

She didn't know if this flower only existed here. If it did, it would indeed shatter the trash boss's dream of sunbathing.

But if it didn't...

Then Nezuko would be doomed.

She was a person without talent, and in the end, she hadn't changed anything.

Whether it was ending Muzan in this era or saving Kokushibo.

She had accomplished nothing.

But she knew that Tanjiro and Nezuko could definitely defeat Muzan.

She, an outsider, couldn't cause any more trouble for this world.

After a final glance at the Blue Spider Lily, which resembled Ephedra sinica, Yuko left with Yoriichi.