After asking her question, Tamayo didn't wait for Yuki's reply before offering a relieved smile.
"My apologies for my impertinence."
"In truth, whether you are him or not is unimportant. What truly matters is eliminating Muzan!"
Yuki felt a pang of emotion at her words.
'As expected, Tamayo, like Kagaya, is both remarkably kind and exceptionally intelligent.'
Moreover, they both share a clear and unwavering purpose.
As long as Muzan is defeated, they wouldn't care whether he was Tsugikuni Yoriichi or not.
With this realization, Yuki abandoned his lingering doubts about his identity.
Gazing intently into Tamayo's eyes, he asked with utmost sincerity:
"Miss Tamayo, do you know the location of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's final resting place?"
Though she had learned of Yuki's purpose from Kagaya's letter and had already formed some speculations,
But seeing before her someone who looked exactly like Yoriichi asking if she knew where his remains were buried still left Tamayo somewhat dazed.
It was as if the deceased himself were solemnly asking, "Do you know where I'm buried?"
Snapping out of her reverie, Tamayo nodded solemnly.
"Of course."
Hearing Tamayo's affirmative reply, Yuki immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since scaring off Muzan atop Mount Kumotori, Yuki had been pondering what else he could do besides retrieving Yoriichi's katana from the Swordsmith Village.
The answer he arrived at was that he could find Yoriichi's burial site ahead of time, preparing a "surprise" for Muzan and Kokushibo.
This surprise would undoubtedly trigger a massive surge in his Restoration Rate.
However, while the original work detailed Yoriichi's fate, it never explicitly revealed the location of his final resting place.
Yuki had initially hoped Kagaya would have some information, but to his surprise, Kagaya recommended Tamayo instead.
After pondering for a moment, Yuki wasn't surprised to learn that Tamayo knew about this.
True to form, Tamayo spoke in a low voice:
"I was present the day Muzan encountered Yoriichi."
"He spared me and made a pact with me to work together against Muzan."
"Since then, I've been researching ways to defeat Muzan. Whenever I make progress, I contact him."
"I simply want him to know that I haven't given up on defeating Muzan. This is my way of atoning for my sins!"
Yuki remained silent throughout her explanation.
He understood exactly what Tamayo meant by "atoning for her sins."
Centuries ago, when Tamayo was still human, she had been afflicted with a terminal illness.
Desperate to see her children grow up, she had trusted Muzan and become a Demon.
In that state, she couldn't suppress her demonic instincts and had killed her husband and children.
Afterward, driven by her demonic nature, Tamayo continued to kill humans.
As she spoke, Tamayo suddenly clenched her fists, her body trembling slightly.
"Yuki, do you know of Kokushibo?"
Yuki nodded.
He knew not only of Kokushibo, but also that before becoming a demon, his true name was Michikatsu Tsugikuni , and he was the twin brother of Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
In the original story, Yoriichi was expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps not only for sparing Tamayo's life, but also because Kokushibo had murdered the Demon Slayer Corps' current Lord.
Yuki also remembered that when Yoriichi reached the end of his life, he encountered Kokushibo once more.
With a single strike, he severely wounded Kokushibo.
Had he been able to deliver another blow, it would have undoubtedly ended Kokushibo's life.
But that one strike had exhausted Yoriichi's life force.
In the end, Kokushibo, in a fit of rage, bisected the standing, lifeless body of Yoriichi at the waist.
It was precisely because of this that Yuki planned to find Yoriichi's burial site in advance and plant some "explosive surprises" for Kokushibo and Muzan.
After all, given Muzan's cowardly nature, his first reaction upon encountering Yuki would be to check whether Yoriichi was still lying in his grave or had truly been resurrected.
Even after nearly three centuries, with Yoriichi's remains likely reduced to dust, Muzan wouldn't rest until he personally confirmed it.
However, true to his cowardly nature, Muzan would never dare to visit Yoriichi's burial site himself.
Instead, he would send Kokushibo to investigate.
Yuki mentally reviewed the entire plan once more, then listened as Tamayo continued:
"As Tsugikuni Yoriichi grew older, our correspondence dwindled."
"But out of concern, I secretly visited him a few times. That's when I saw..."
Tamayo paused, then whispered after a long silence:
"I was far away at the time, and Kokushibo was severely wounded and distraught, so he didn't notice me."
"He picked something up from Yoriichi's corpse and stood there for a long time."
"Finally, Kokushibo seemed too afraid to look at Yoriichi's body again and hurriedly left."
"After confirming Kokushibo's departure, I retrieved Yoriichi's body and built him a proper grave."
As she spoke, Tamayo lowered her gaze, a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes.
"For centuries, I have steadfastly maintained that grave."
"Because I always thought that when my research bore fruit, I would need to tell Mr. Tsugikuni..."
Yuki fell silent.
In the original story, it was only mentioned that Kokushibo had discovered the handcrafted flute he had once given to Yoriichi, lying beside his corpse.
Even after becoming a demon, Kokushibo shed tears upon seeing the flute, which had been severed along with Yoriichi's body.
But Yuki never imagined that Kokushibo would be too afraid to look at Yoriichi's corpse again and simply leave.
Even more surprising was that Tamayo had ultimately collected Yoriichi's remains and continued to maintain his grave.
Moreover, Tamayo's revelations gave Yuki a deeper understanding of his own "role."
Muzan likely believed that Yoriichi had risen from his grave, seeking vengeance.
And Tamayo, or perhaps Kagaya both regarded Yuki as Yoriichi's "reincarnation."
As Yuki pondered this, he checked his Restoration Rate again.
After slaying two Lower Moon demons, his Restoration Rate had reached 30%.
But after his conversation with Tamayo, it had inexplicably jumped to 32%.
'So, understanding Yoriichi can also increase the Restoration Rate?'
Yuki's mind raced.
He suddenly recalled the scene on Mount Kumotori, where he had confronted Muzan with the Soulful Three Questions.
'Could it be that I only received the 7% reward for wounding Muzan because I wasn't fully "in character" at the time?'
While he was lost in thought, Tamayo had already written down the address of Yoriichi's grave.
Yuki glanced at the address, and an unusually peculiar expression crossed his face...