Parting with Tamayo

"Do you want to go on living?"

"Even if you are no longer human, you will eventually pass away if things continue like this."

"However, life as something other than human will be arduous and painful."

Tamayo saw Yushiro's desire to go on living, which was why she had said this.

If only I could spend the rest of my life with this woman.

That thought arose in Yushiro's heart, so he agreed without hesitation.

Tamayo replaced his towel and said, "Then please wait one more day. I'll come back tomorrow night."

Turning a human into a Demon was not that easy.

In essence, other than Muzan, no Demon could increase their own kind or turn a human into a Demon.

It was not that they did not want to, nor that Muzan refused to allow it. They simply could not do it.

The reason Kokushibo had been able to turn Yuko into a Demon was that he had injected the Muzan blood within his own body into Yuko's.

Otherwise, Yuko should have considered back then whether she could persuade him to turn Yoriichi into a Demon as well.

If that had happened, the damn boss would have had nothing left to play with.

On the way back, Yuko sighed. "If I had met Tamayo first back then, I definitely would have agreed without hesitation."

The reason she had rejected Kokushibo was not that she feared becoming a Demon, but that she feared Muzan would discover her thoughts and memories.

Tamayo was somewhat surprised. "I thought Yuko would be the sort of person who hated evil with a passion."

Yuko shrugged. "But there's no need to throw away my own life, right? I was only in my twenties back then. I was just a few years older than Yushiro. Wouldn't that be dying young?"

Tamayo was silent for a moment before saying, "That child... is already thirty-five."

"Thirty-five? Then he really is old..." Yuko's sigh abruptly stopped, and her voice rose several notches in shock. "Thirty-five?!"

"You mean that kid's current age?!"

Tamayo smiled helplessly.

As a physician, it was perfectly normal for her to know how old her patient was.

Yuko was completely numb.

Now she was being told that the little pretty boy... was actually thirty-five years old?

Who could have guessed that?!

Tamayo smiled and continued the previous topic. "Turning a human into a Demon still requires a certain amount of experimentation. Even if you had met me back then, I wouldn't have been able to help."

"Are you confident?"

"I am."

The following evening.

Yuko packed her belongings and prepared to leave, while Tamayo also went out carrying her medical case.

Tamayo said, "Then let's part ways here."

Yuko gazed at the stars lighting up the night sky and took a deep breath. "Thank you for taking care of me all these years."

The two addressed each other as equals, but in truth, Tamayo was several hundred years older than her.

Over the years, Tamayo had essentially cared for her as she would a younger sister.

Tamayo froze for a moment, and a lovely curve formed at the corners of her lips.

"I should be the one thanking you. Without Yuko, I would probably still be lost."

With their parting drawing near, Yuko felt somewhat dejected as well.

"After we part this time, who knows how long it will be before we meet again."

Given their identities, they were destined never to stay in one place for long.

Parting meant losing contact.

Tamayo smiled and comforted her. "As long as we continue striving toward our shared ideal of defeating Muzan, we will meet again someday."

She understood Yuko's reluctance, because she felt the same way.

At this point, Tamayo's expression became a little more solemn. "I wish you success in battle."

Yuko smiled. "Then I'll take your good wishes."

Let's meet again during the Taisho era.

Yuko pressed down on her conical hat and turned to leave.

Tamayo watched her slender figure recede into the distance before slowly withdrawing her gaze.

Mr. Yoriichi, thanks to your younger sister, I was able to awaken from my confusion and see hope.

Even after agreeing to help future generations defeat Muzan, Tamayo had remained deeply lost.

In her eyes, Yoriichi had been like a divine envoy sent by heaven to kill Muzan. If even Yoriichi had failed, then his successors had even less chance.

Meeting Yuko had allowed her to regain her confidence.

Yuko might not have been as powerful as Mr. Yoriichi, but her tenacious heart had given Tamayo courage and trust.

They would eventually destroy Muzan. Tamayo now had absolute faith in that.

Perhaps because of what had happened yesterday, there were not even any vagrants on the streets of the slums. The Demon Slayer swordsman had disappeared as well, most likely having left.

Yuko arrived at the family's door and gently knocked.

"Who is it?"

A weathered male voice came from inside.

The one who opened the door was the bad-tempered man she had seen yesterday.

But now, the man's hair had turned completely white, and his face looked several years more weathered.

He had gone gray overnight.

"It's you..." The man froze for a moment, then hesitantly stepped aside. "Come in."

"Sorry to bother you." Yuko inclined her head slightly and walked inside.

The house was small, with the kitchen and sleeping area all crammed together.

The woman was boiling water and cooking food. Thanks to her keen sense of smell, Yuko detected the light scent of wild greens.

The woman paused when she noticed Yuko.

She lifted the food out and placed it on the table.

"Would you like to eat with us?"

Yuko looked at her considerably aged face and shook her head.

It was clear that the couple's relationship had improved considerably. Kyoko's efforts had not been in vain, but the pain of losing a daughter was not so easily healed.

The man was silent for a moment. "You're here to ask about the Paradise Cult, aren't you?"

He was no fool.

Yuko asked directly, "Yes. I want to know where that place's headquarters is."

"Or rather, where Doma is."

The man suddenly fell to his knees and slammed his head against the floor.

The woman knelt beside him as well.

"You two..."

"Kyoko died because of me, her father. I know that very well." The man's voice was choked with sobs.

"But I thought... I thought she would have food and clothing without worry in that place, so I sent her there..."

The man's hands clawed at the floor, his fingers scraping out bloody marks.

"Please... behead the evil Demon who killed Kyoko!"

"Anything I have, you can take!"

The woman merely knelt to the side without saying anything, but her attitude said it all.

A ripple passed through Yuko's expression. After a moment of silence, she exhaled and said flatly, "I'm sorry..."

"I may not be able to grant your request for the time being."

The man's trembling body stiffened from grief.

"But I promise you this: one day, I will personally cut off his head and send him to hell."

"...Thank you." The man's body curled in slightly.

Demon Slayer was a hot-blooded manga, but it was also a flawed one.

A story that ended with a plot-driven death forced Yuko to guard against every possible change.

Doma... could not die yet.