Creak!
The slightly heavy gate was pushed open casually by Shinichi, immediately stirring up clouds of dust.
Shinichi covered his nose with one hand while waving the other vigorously, shouting loudly into the empty Moriki residence.
"Old Man! I'm back! Where are you? Still kicking? If you're too old to stay in this ancient house, why don't I take you back to the Demon Slayer Corps for retirement?"
Yuichiro, following behind Shinichi, curiously glanced around.
Though the mansion appeared quite aged, there was no denying it was still an exceptionally luxurious residence—especially compared to the home he and Muichiro shared.
"Old Man? Old Man? Weird, where is he? Could Chinatsu have taken him away?" Shinichi frowned.
Having been missing for half a year, he truly had no idea about the current situation of the old man and Chinatsu.
However—woof!
Suddenly, Maru-ni barked excitedly toward a direction, darting ahead of Shinichi and Yuichiro in a few quick strides.
Wagging his tail nonstop, he kept barking and looking back as if urging them to follow.
Sure enough, when Shinichi entered the mansion's backyard, an elderly figure clad in a blue-green battle robe sat quietly with his eyes closed.
"Tch, so you're here? Listen Old Man, are you getting so old you can't even hear me shouting? What kind of attitude is that? Still as stubborn as ever. What a waste to have such a big house all to yourself. Did you chase away the people Chinatsu arranged for you again? What if one day you're bedridden and helpless? Such a troublesome old geezer..." Shinichi rambled on, sounding exactly like a nagging mother scolding an elder.
This scene left Yuichiro utterly stunned.
In his eyes, Shinichi had always been the cold, taciturn type.
Powerful and aloof—this perfectly matched the image of a strong figure in the young boy's mind.
Yet now, that image was crumbling, gradually morphing into something resembling a fussy old woman.
Whoosh!
Just as Shinichi continued his nagging, Elder Moriki white beard suddenly stirred without any wind, his brows furrowing in irritation.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, he abruptly raised his hand and delivered a sharp flick to Shinichi's forehead.
Thunk!!
The crisp sound reminded Yuichiro of the large watermelon his parents had once bought to celebrate his and Muichiro's birthday—it had made the same satisfying thud when tapped.
"You brat! This old man isn't that decrepit yet, spouting such gloomy nonsense!" Elder Moriki opened his cloudy eyes, grumbling in annoyance.
Shinichi rubbed his forehead, unfazed, and smiled.
"Just looking out for your health, that's all. By the way, Old Man, did my sudden disappearance half a year ago give you a scare?"
Elder Moriki glanced at Shinichi and chuckled.
"You? Not a bit. I knew you wouldn't die."
As he spoke, the old man noticed the timid Yuichiro hiding behind Shinichi.
The moment he saw Yuichiro, Elder Moriki paused slightly, a faint glimmer of green flashing through his murky eyes.
"This child... Shinichi, where did you kidnap him from?"
"What do you mean 'kidnap'? Can't you speak properly, old man? But since you've seen him, might as well check if this kid can practice Forest Breathing. At least it'll give our style another successor" Shinichi said casually, gesturing for Yuichiro to come over.
After hearing the story of the Tokito brothers, Elder Moriki's gaze toward Yuichiro softened with compassion and understanding, his tone becoming more affectionate.
In many ways, the Moriki family was quite similar to the Tokito family.
But most importantly, Elder Moriki saw his younger self in Yuichiro, reminding him of his younger brother Moriki Mitsuto, who had sacrificed himself heroically.
"He's a good kid" Elder Moriki murmured, his gnarled hands gripping Yuichiro's tightly.
Despite his young age, Yuichiro's palms were already calloused from years of logging and menial labor.
Noticing Yuichiro's nervousness, the old man reassured him warmly.
"Don't be nervous, child. The Moriki family is just like yours—our ancestors were fearless demon slayer too. Make yourself at home here. And if you don't mind, I'll call you by your name. You can call me Grandpa Mitsuyo, alright?"
Perhaps moved by Elder Moriki's genuine kindness, Yuichiro finally nodded and earnestly called out.
"Grandpa Mitsuyo."
The address made the old man beam, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out with joy.
"Owwwooo!!" Maru-ni, who had been ignored for too long, protested loudly, circling around Elder Moriki in agitation until he finally got the old man's attention.
"Oh my, what's this? Maru-ni? How did you get so fat? Shinichi, did you leave Maru-ni in Chinatsu care? That won't do—that girl's been afraid of hunger since childhood, and she overfeeds animals without restraint. When she was little, she fed our entire pond of goldfish to death! Don't let Maru-ni suffer the same fate."
Coughing awkwardly, Shinichi scratched his nose but didn't explain.
Since Ryukawa Chinatsu wasn't here, she could bear the blame for a little while.
Meanwhile, far away in Kyoto—Ryukawa Chinatsu.
"Achoo!!" (Puzzled) Who's talking about me?
***
Under the cold moonlight, Shinichi and Elder Moriki sat together, chatting idly.
"The Kocho sisters are outstanding, just like their parents—gentle and kind-hearted. I heard they both became Hashira? Truly remarkable," Elder Moriki mused.
Shinichi nodded. "Indeed. Shinobu even asked me to check on your health. If you're feeling unwell, you're welcome to rest at the Demon Slayer Corps' Butterfly Mansion anytime. I believe Kanae wrote you quite a few letters too?"
"Good girls, both of them. Shinichi, even though you're all Hashira now, as a man, you should look after the Kocho sisters whenever you can—especially Shinobu-chan" The old man gave Shinichi a meaningful look.
Shinichi didn't even blink, replying offhandedly.
"No big deal. By the way, do you really think Yuichiro has potential? I'm in a hurry to get to the Swordsmith Village—I still don't have a Nichirin Blade yet."
Elder Moriki turned his head to glance at the backyard door upon hearing this.
"That child... one could say his talent is truly exceptional. A descendant of the first-generation demon slayer and even those who wielded the original breathing techniques—his potential is immeasurable. Shinichi, you've really taken on an excellent disciple."
"What? What do you mean I took on a good disciple? Old Man, who do you think I am? I'm the Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, not a cultivator. When would I have time to teach a disciple?" Shinichi stared at the old man in bewilderment.
But the old man suddenly broke into violent coughing, pounding his own waist between coughs.
"Cough cough... Ah, this old body is failing me. My bones ache from the slightest movement these days and I can't even get out of bed when it rains... cough cough."
"Fine, Shinichi. If you don't want to teach, so be it... cough cough... This old man will just have to sacrifice his life. As long as Forest Breathing can be passed down, I'd gladly work myself to death... cough cough."
With that, the old man wobbled to his feet, staggering step by shaky step toward the backyard, groaning and wheezing with exaggerated effort.
Shinichi "....."
------------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator