Sishu gently patted the head of Tamayo, who was nestled in his arms. He said nothing, offering no words of comfort. He knew that for some things, a good cry was all that was needed.
After an unknown amount of time, Tamayo's sobs gradually subsided. By the time the crying stopped completely, her eyes had already closed, and she had drifted off to sleep. Over sixty years of fleeing had finally come to an end today. The accumulated pressure was released in an instant, and even someone like Tamayo succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep slumber. She shifted her head slightly, seemingly finding a comfortable spot in Sishu's embrace.
A smile she had never worn before graced her lips. At this moment, Tamayo just wanted to sleep soundly in this warm embrace.
Sishu looked at Tamayo, who was now snoring softly in his arms, and then at the nearly-cooked rabbit by the fire. He sighed with a hint of helplessness. Couldn't you at least let me eat first? It seemed he was destined to be a human pillow for the night.
As he smiled wryly, the notification for task completion suddenly sounded.
Task: Proceed to Vaye Village and uncover the identity of the thieving demon. Completed.
Congratulations, Host. Unlocked Transparent World (2/3).
Upon hearing the reward for this mission, Sishu's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected the reward this time to be another step toward unlocking the long-awaited Transparent World. The first time he received this reward was decades ago when he had annihilated a horde of a hundred demons. But then, he understood. Tamayo, who made an irreplaceable contribution to Muzan's eventual defeat in the original story, was an MVP-level support worthy of such a reward.
Tamayo slept for a full day. Her nose twitched slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. Looking up at the broad leaves above her, she realized she was lying in a small tent made of foliage.
Just then, Sishu's head popped in. "Ah, you're awake. Come out and have something to eat."
Nodding, Tamayo got up and walked out of the leaf tent. It was still night, but from the ashes of the campfire, it was clear that this was the next day.
Sishu handed her a wooden bowl with a smile. "The rabbit from last night got burnt. We only have fish soup now."
The fish soup in the bowl was a faint white, with some wild vegetables and mushrooms floating on top. It was clear that Sishu had put a lot of effort into this meal.
"Thank you." Blushing slightly, Tamayo began to sip the soup in small mouthfuls. She knew Sishu had done far more for her than just this. He had built a leaf tent on the spot so she could sleep well while being protected from the sun. The fish soup was also more than it appeared; he had added herbs that would help a demon's body recover quickly. Being treated like this for the first time, Tamayo felt a warmth spread through her heart.
Seeing Tamayo eat with such delight, Sishu felt relieved. He never thought his Master-level Cooking skill would come in handy at a time like this. It was thanks to this ability that he was able to make a fish soup so beneficial for a demon's recovery.
After a few bowls of soup, Tamayo suddenly spoke. "Sishu, you still haven't told me what you've been doing for the past sixty years." Now that they were partners, Tamayo wanted to understand him better.
"Huh? I haven't told you?" Sishu scratched his head and laughed. "It wasn't much, really. Most of the time, I was just eating, sleeping, and chasing demons."
Although he described it with just a few simple words, Tamayo caught the key point: "chasing."
Though she had never seen Sishu fight, her intuition told her that his strength was now approaching that of Yoriichi back in his day. A demon that an existence of his caliber had to "chase" instead of killing directly... how many such demons could there be in the world?
Thinking of this, Tamayo suddenly understood why Sishu showed no fear of Muzan. It wasn't just because of his own immense power, but because he had been chasing the man for decades.
While Sishu and Tamayo were chatting, in a desolate mountain far away, Muzan stood before a giant cave, seemingly waiting for something. Muzan looked utterly miserable. His once-pale face was now dark and grimy, and his lips were swollen like large sausages. He looked like an African uncle. His body was covered in burn marks, and the air reeked of burnt protein.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Muzan stomped his foot, his face a mask of madness. He couldn't understand why this was happening to him. After that night in the bamboo forest, he had done his best to stay out of sight. So why did he run into that guy while he was feeding? That Demon Slayer also used the same breathing style called Sun Breathing.
To avoid revealing his location and attracting Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan had refrained from fighting back, mainly focusing on evasion and stalling for time. But damn it, the other party had chased him for sixty whole years! And in those sixty years, the man's appearance hadn't changed at all! Muzan had even begun to suspect that the man was a demon who had broken free from his control. If not for his lucky escape a few months ago, Muzan had no idea how much longer this game of cat and mouse would have continued.
Fortunately, Kokushibo had said he had good news. After telling him the meeting spot, Muzan had arrived here first.
A little while later, Kokushibo appeared.
"Are you serious? That man, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, is dead?!"
Upon hearing such good news, Muzan grinned widely. With Yoriichi dead, all he had to do was outlast that little brat and have Kokushibo deal with the hunter who had chased him for sixty years. Then, there would be no more Sun Breathing users in the world. At that time, he would be the strongest!
Seeing the suddenly ecstatic Muzan, Kokushibo paused, then hesitated before speaking. "However, there is one more thing to tell you, Master."
He then told Muzan about Sishu. After hearing it, Muzan was stunned.
The strange Demon Slayer who had been chasing him for sixty years was the little brat who was with Yoriichi back then. He remembered it clearly; that kid was a pure-blooded human. If so, why hadn't he aged in sixty years?
Thinking of the miserable life he had led for the past sixty years, Muzan immediately questioned Kokushibo, asking why he hadn't killed Sishu on the night he became a demon.
Kokushibo looked startled and said, "Wasn't it you who suddenly called me back then?"
"Uh..." Frozen on the spot, Muzan suddenly remembered that it was indeed he who had called Kokushibo back. "I thought you had already killed him!"
"But Master, I never explicitly said so, and you never asked me about it afterward."
Hearing this, Muzan was dumbfounded. At this moment, his heart was filled with regret. It was true. At the time, he had only heard a series of explosions and assumed the fight was over. Trusting Kokushibo, he never bothered to ask for details. He never imagined it would lead to this.
Thinking about his life for the past sixty years, Muzan felt a dull ache in his gut. Although he had made Sishu waste sixty years, preventing him from improving much, he himself had also been held back, and the scars on his body had only increased. And judging from Kokushibo's words, Sishu had only been off his tail for a few months, yet his strength had already improved significantly. Coupled with the possibility that Sishu didn't age, Muzan could already imagine how terrifying he would be in a few hundred years.
Gritting his teeth, Muzan snorted coldly and said to Kokushibo, "Let's put the matter of Sishu aside for now. You, come with me. If this works, we won't have to worry about Breathing Style swordsmen anymore."
Although he was curious, Kokushibo knew this was the reason Muzan had summoned him here. For both him, the Upper Rank One, and the Progenitor of Demons to be present, the matter must be of immense importance to demonkind. He nodded and followed Muzan into the cave.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (300 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (100 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (75 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (60 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (70 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (70 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (40 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (50 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.