When Yōsuke spoke his name, Kamado Tanjirō froze.
After formally joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he had heard that name emphasized more than once: Ubuyashiki Yōsuke. A demon—yet one who had spent his life slaying demons. Even the current leaders of the Corps' medical division, the Butterfly sisters Kanae and Shinobu, were his disciples.
The Corps even carried an explicit order: if one were to encounter Ubuyashiki Yōsuke, no conflict was to arise under any circumstance. He was to be treated with the Corps' highest courtesy.
Realizing he had mistaken his identity and acted rashly, Tanjirō's face twisted with shame.
"I'm terribly sorry! I mistook you for someone else!"
Yōsuke returned the Nichirin blade to him. "Where is your sister—Nezuko?"
"Ah! Nezuko!" Tanjirō suddenly remembered. In his shock earlier, he had left her behind at a food stall.
Forgetting all else, he dashed back toward her.
By the time Yōsuke arrived, he saw Tanjirō clutching two bowls of udon, shoveling the noodles into his mouth as if his life depended on it.
After slurping both bowls down in one go, he bowed deeply toward the bald shopkeeper, his voice full of energy:
"Thank you so much! It was delicious!"
The shopkeeper smirked in triumph, puffing himself up. "So you understand! That's right, that's right! Thank you for your patronage!"
When Tanjirō was about to leave with Nezuko, she suddenly turned her head, staring blankly in Yōsuke's direction. Noticing him too, Tanjirō pulled Nezuko along to greet him.
"My apologies, Yōsuke-san. This is my younger sister, Kamado Nezuko."
But instead of hostility, Nezuko's gaze toward Yōsuke was full of curiosity.
Yōsuke raised a finger and gently touched it to her forehead, quietly gauging her condition.
Tanjirō tensed immediately, fearing Yōsuke might harm her because she was a demon. Yet he could not detect the slightest intent of harm from Yōsuke's scent. Caught between dread and relief, he wrung his hands helplessly.
"So… she suppresses her demonic instincts with sheer willpower. Muzan's blood is not eroding her further. Instead, there is a warm, burning force within her, resisting his blood… reshaping her body."
That power felt strikingly similar to the Breath of the Sun.
Which meant—when Tsugikuni Yoriichi had once taught the Breath of the Sun to Tanjirō's ancestor, Sumiyoshi, the technique must have been passed down through the generations, eventually leaving its imprint within their bloodline. A hidden force, flowing like sunlight in their veins.
Perhaps this was the key… the reason Nezuko, even as a demon, might one day overcome the sun itself.
"Yoriichi… even after a hundred years, your will has been faithfully passed down."
Nezuko tilted her head, puzzled by Yōsuke's words.
Tanjirō anxiously asked: "Yōsuke-san, Nezuko… is she—?"
"She's fine," Yōsuke reassured him. "And she's trying very hard. By her own will, she suppresses her instincts."
Relief washed over Tanjirō. He patted Nezuko's head gently. "You're amazing, Nezuko."
Then, noticing Yōsuke's right-ear earring, he blinked in surprise. It was almost identical to his own hanafuda earrings.
"Yōsuke-san, that earring…"
Yōsuke touched the ornament on his ear with quiet reverence. "It was a gift… from someone very dear to me."
He removed it, then placed it gently in Nezuko's hand. "Now, I wish to entrust it to her."
Tanjirō panicked, waving his hands in refusal. "No, we can't! That was given to you by someone precious—it must hold memories that mean everything to you. We can't possibly accept it!"
Yōsuke's expression softened. "When it was first given to me, I was told: 'May the sunlight in your heart never fade.' Now, I want to pass both the earring and those words to you and Nezuko.
The road ahead will be harsh… but I hope the sunlight in your hearts will never fade either."
Looking down at the pristine ornament in Nezuko's hand—untouched by time or damage—Tanjirō realized how carefully Yōsuke must have treasured it all these years.
"…We will. Yōsuke-san, we'll protect that light."
He carefully fastened the earring to Nezuko's right ear, warning her softly: "Nezuko, you must take great care of this, all right?"
But with her mind still childlike, Nezuko only felt uncomfortable. She tugged hard at the earring.
Tanjirō nearly jumped out of his skin. "Nezuko! Don't pull on it—it'll break!"
Startled by his outburst, Nezuko quickly let go, clutching his sleeve instead.
After checking it over and finding no damage, Tanjirō let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness… it's fine."
Just then, Tanjirō caught two demonic scents. Yōsuke, too, sensed a presence he recognized.
A woman, graceful as a Yamato Nadeshiko, stood a short distance away, her gaze fixed on them.
It was Tamayo.
Yōsuke's eyes met hers, and hers met his.
"It's been a long time, Tamayo."
"It has, Yōsuke."
Like old acquaintances crossing paths after only a few days apart, they exchanged greetings without tension, as if the years between them had dissolved into the night air.
"All that is past has faded with time. Now, they met again simply as familiar faces."
"Shall we go to my place?" Tamayo invited.
Yōsuke did not refuse. "Gladly."
Tamayo turned her gaze to the Kamado siblings, extending the invitation to them as well.
So Tamayo and Yōsuke walked ahead, while Yushirō and the siblings followed behind.
Yushirō's eyes burned holes into Yōsuke's back, his muttering a constant grumble.
Curious, Tanjirō asked him: "Do you… like that lady named Tamayo?"
Yushirō instantly flushed crimson, choking on his words.
Then, with an arrogant cough, he snapped back: "Nonsense! That's absurd. More importantly, why is a human like you dragging around a demon—and an ugly one at that?"
Tanjirō froze, as though struck by lightning. Ugly…? Who is he calling ugly?!
He whipped his head toward Nezuko. Realizing Yushirō's insult had been directed at her, fury boiled over.
"Nezuko is NOT ugly! Look closely—really look at her face! She's one of the most beautiful girls in our whole town!"
Yushirō spared her a disinterested glance, then turned away. "Let's go."
"I'll go, but don't you dare call Nezuko ugly again! You need better light! Come on, look properly at her in a brighter spot—there's a place right over there!"
Tanjirō dragged Nezuko along, pointing insistently toward a well-lit corner, chasing after Yushirō while continuing his desperate argument.
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