The Kamado Brothers, Ready to Go, and a Thousand-Year Legacy

"Two days... does it really take that long?"

"Nii-san, I don't need new clothes. It's better to save the money to buy some food for the younger ones."

Nezuko said with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents that looked just like Kie's—incredibly gentle and considerate.

"Clothes must be bought, and we aren't short on food for the time being."

They had just slaughtered a pig yesterday; there was no need to worry about a lack of meat for at least half a month.

"That's still too long..." Kie looked at Roy with concern: "What are you going to Mount Sagiri for again?"

Selling charcoal alone was enough for the town at the foot of the mountain to digest the entire stock the Kamado family had accumulated over the past two days.

"To learn something." Roy peeled open a rice ball and took a small bite: "Tanjiro is older now and can help with the work. The family doesn't really need two coal diggers. I'm going down the mountain to see if I can learn a trade to help subsidize the household."

He couldn't mention the demons, and he certainly couldn't speak of the Demon Slayer Corps. With Takeo, Shigeru, and Hanako still in the house, he didn't want to frighten them.

But having lived under the same roof for so many years, and being connected by the same bloodline... Roy's excuses were hardly enough to satisfy Kie and Tanjuro, let alone Tanjiro, who had already experienced a demon attack.

"Nii-san is lying." Tanjiro would steal glances at Roy from time to time.

Under Roy's glare, he would quickly lower his head, pretending to drink his soup.

"The household doesn't need you to subsidize it. Nezuko and I can both weave baskets. Selling them in town for a bit of pocket money is enough to buy a few sets of new clothes."

"That's right, Nii-san... I've already learned how to weave rattan."

As she spoke, Nezuko dragged a hand-woven basket from under the table. It was filled with sewing supplies and the like, woven with exquisite craftsmanship.

The patch on her cuff was clearly a masterpiece she had sewn herself.

"My Nezuko is truly capable." Roy didn't skimp on praising her. His gaze shifted upward to Tanjuro, who had remained silent the entire time, and he finally insisted to Kie: "No, I must go."

"Perhaps I can find a way to cure Father down the mountain."

Kie opened her mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.

Tanjuro's illness had always been the heart-wrenching worry of the entire Kamado family. If an effective treatment could truly be found, it would be a blessing for them all.

Nezuko and Tanjiro quietly glanced at their father... In the silence, Tanjuro picked a needle from the woven basket, held it in his palm, and stood up.

He said gently to Roy: "Eiichiro, come with me."

The heavy snow bowed the pine forest...

Tanjuro, draped in a thick coat, led the way down the long corridor, followed by a silent Roy...

The father and son rounded the corner and stood behind the house. The two rows of footprints they had just pressed into the snow were wiped away by the wind and snow, vanishing without a trace.

"Extend your ear. Bear with it, don't mind the pain." Tanjuro revealed the thin needle in his hand, signaled for Roy to show his earlobe, and pierced it in one go.

A brief, sharp pain, like a mosquito bite, came and went in an instant... Then...

Roy watched as Tanjuro removed the sun-patterned earrings inherited from Tsugikuni Yoriichi and placed them on him, adjusting their position as he said: "Father is useless and cannot give you much."

"This pair of earrings passed down in our family is now entrusted to you."

"May the Fire God protect my child from illness and disaster, and grant you a smooth and safe journey."

"Wu... en..." The earrings dangled below Roy's earlobe, swaying with the wind...

Tanjuro looked at him with a smile, just as his own father had looked at him in his youth, and said with satisfaction: "Very good, full of spirit."

Roy's throat felt dry; he wanted to say something...

He didn't know why, but in the end, it only turned into a dry promise: "I will find a way to cure Father."

Tanjuro patted his shoulder and smiled: "Go."

He turned, leaving behind a thin, lonely silhouette.

The boy stood silently in the back for a while, suddenly feeling a chill on his neck—it was snow falling from the trees, slipping into his collar... He took a long breath and followed.

It was now 6:55 in the morning.

The two silly chickens kept in the basket hadn't yet learned how to crow.

The Kamado brothers were already packed and ready. With baskets on their backs, tea and rice balls prepared, and two sharp axes tucked into their belts.

Since Snow Walk could not be brought in via "de-manifestation," they had to rely on the axes for self-defense.

If they encountered difficult terrain, they could use them to clear the thorns and carve out a path.

Mother Kie helped Tanjiro tuck in his collar, then tightened the scarf around Roy's neck, nagging him with instructions:

"Take it slow on the road..."

"If you encounter danger, don't be a hero, and don't go wandering around crowded places..."

"At night, it's better to spend the money for an inn than to enter the mountains..."

Tanjiro, straightforward and typical of his blunt nature, blurted out: "Mother, Nii-san and I aren't leaving forever, no need to worry."

It was the boy's first time down the mountain; he excitedly patted his axe and added confidently: "If we run into danger, I'll be the first to protect Nii-san!"

"It would be a good thing if you didn't drag your older brother down." Kie rolled her eyes at him, then turned to look deeply at Roy: "Take care of your brother..."

Roy gave a soft hum, his gaze sweeping over Kie, Tanjuro, and Nezuko one by one, finally settling on his grandmother, who had just walked out holding Hanako.

"Aba... aba..." Hanako opened her arms wide toward Roy.

The little girl had just woken up; she hadn't even washed her face, and there was still sleep in the corners of her eyes.

Roy didn't mind at all. He stepped forward, planted a kiss on her tender little cheek, and said to Grandma with a smile, "Wait for my return."

Grandma nodded with a smile, sat down on the veranda holding Hanako, and watched as Roy led Tanjiro away. Her eyes grew warm, and two lines of hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

Departing young and returning old, the local accent remains, but the hair has thinned.

"Eiichiro's mother, why do I have the feeling that once he leaves like this, we'll never see him again?"

Kie stood in the snow, wiping her tears with the back of her hand: "I'm going to check on Takeo and Shigeru. Those two little things don't know their big brother left without calling them; I don't know what kind of tantrum they'll throw."

As she spoke, she didn't answer Grandma's question, turned her back, and disappeared into the courtyard.

The snow fell harder and faster. The vast courtyard, connected to the entire mountainside forest, was left with only Tanjuro standing in the snow, staring blankly for a long, long time.

Until those two small figures could no longer be seen.

Tanjuro raised his hands and began to dance the Hinokami Kagura.

"Waltz," "Clear Blue Sky," "Burning Sun Mirror," "Fake Sun Rainbow"...

His dance movements fluttered, and he moved like a flame spirit, kicking up clouds of flying snow.

Only, this time, there were no earrings to accompany him. That object, which symbolized the thousand-year connection between Tsugikuni Yoriichi and the Kamado family, now followed a new master, embarking on a new journey, and likewise... a new life.

A life so brilliant that even Tsugikuni Yoriichi, if he knew from beyond the grave, could never have imagined!