Chapter 5: The Butterfly Dream X The Return
No one could give Tanjiro an answer. Not even Tanjuro himself.
All he knew was that the Hinokami Kagura was a legacy passed down from his ancestors. If he willed it, he could perform the dance tirelessly for an entire night. He didn't understand the principle behind it, but Roy, using Gyo, saw it clearly.
It was the Sun Breathing that gave Tanjuro his strength, allowing him to fight off the biting cold and sustain his stamina.
Unfortunately, Tanjuro didn't know how to truly wield this power. Or rather, his frail body was simply incapable of withstanding its full, overwhelming force. Even if Roy explained the method to him, the searing intensity of the sun's power would likely incinerate him from the inside out.
Once... twice... five... six repetitions.
Sleeves fluttered, kicking up flurries of snow. Tanjiro could no longer keep up and collapsed into a sitting position on the ground.
In the snow-swept night, only Tanjuro and Roy were left dancing.
Roy progressed from clumsy and awkward to passable, then to a state of seamless fluidity. He moved with increasing ease, until he was perfectly in sync with Tanjuro's rhythm.
Tanjuro noticed the change. His initial surprise gave way to a challenge, and he intentionally increased his speed, testing his son. A smile unknowingly bloomed on his lips. A thought drifted through his mind: If Eiichiro's grandfather could see this, he would be astonished by his talent for the Hinokami Kagura.
But the ancestors were gone. And Tanjuro had a premonition that it wouldn't be long before he joined them.
A gust of wind rustled through the trees, scattering Tanjuro's thoughts. Snowflakes slipped through the eyeholes of his mask, melting on his face. The man felt a mix of pride and sorrow, his heart filling with a profound sense of guilt and regret.
His mother was old and could no longer work.
He had been sick for years, unable to perform heavy labor.
His wife, Kie, was needed at home to care for their growing family.
Soon, the entire burden of their family would fall onto Roy's young shoulders. And as a father, it seemed the only thing left for him to do was pray.
Then I will pray with all my heart.
'O, great God of Fire... I pray that you watch over Eiichiro and my children. Keep them from sickness and harm. Grant them peace and safety.'
With a final, elegant sweep of his long sleeves, Tanjuro completed the eighth repetition of the dance and came to a stop. He lifted the mask, revealing a face that was pale and gaunt with illness.
Roy, a half-step behind, finished his own movements, a feeling of unfulfillment lingering. He reached out and supported his father, helping him back to the veranda.
Tanjuro patted his son's hand and leaned against a wooden pillar to rest.
The younger children swarmed them, cheering and chattering. Some praised how beautifully Tanjuro danced, others exclaimed how amazing Roy was, and a few teased Tanjiro for being as clumsy as a toad.
Tanjiro didn't get angry. He lunged for Takeo, the one who was teasing him, trying to grab the boy's ahoge (cowlick). But Takeo dodged and hid behind Roy.
"Big brother Eiichiro, Tanjiro was just too clumsy!" Takeo crowed.
"Call him 'Brother Tanjiro'," Roy said, delivering a light chop to Takeo's head. He gave him an amused but stern look before sitting down himself, replaying the dance in his mind.
The children only saw the surface. Roy knew the truth. It wasn't that he was smarter than Tanjiro.
On the contrary, he had two distinct advantages. First, he could use Gyo, which allowed him to analyze Tanjuro's movements with a clarity Tanjiro couldn't possibly have. Second, thanks to the Zoldyck family's hellish training, his physical conditioning was vastly superior to Tanjiro's, allowing him to mimic the complex motions far more quickly.
Besides, Tanjiro was destined to master Sun Breathing.
Roy, on the other hand, still had to face the ultimate trial: he had to withstand the "weight of the sun."
If he could bear it, he would master Sun Breathing completely. If he couldn't, this was all just a beautiful, fleeting dream.
The boy centered himself, neither joyous nor dejected. After he finished his mental review, he got up and went into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned with two plates of rice dumplings. Simple white rice wrapped in vinegar-soaked cloth and drizzled with a light sauce—this was the main course for tonight's celebration. That, and the miso soup Kie had prepared.
The soup had a single piece of pork floating in it. The meal was so meager it made Roy pause.
Since being born into the Zoldyck family, he'd never eaten so poorly. Lavish meals of meat and fish were the norm, to say nothing of the expensive medicinal supplements he was given to aid his training.
Looking now at Tanjuro's sickly condition, at the worn faces of Kie and his grandmother, at the thinness of the children... Roy finally, deeply understood.
In an age stalked by demons, just being alive was a luxury.
And in two years, every single one of these vibrant, smiling faces—save for Tanjiro and Nezuko—would be gone.
That was a future Roy refused to accept.
To accept their legacy is to accept responsibility for them. Since I'm learning their Sun Breathing, I owe them a debt.
At the bare minimum, I'll see to it that they never go hungry for meat again.
His resolve solidified. As Kie smiled and announced that dinner was ready, Roy put his hands together in thanks, picked up his bowl, and began to eat heartily under the night sky.
After the meal, he helped Kie clean up and tuck the younger children into bed. Then, he took off his socks and sandals and crawled into his own bedding, letting the day's exhaustion wash over him.
The night was deep, but the heavy snow cast a bright, pale light over the landscape.
Roy, Tanjiro, Takeo, and Shigeru all slept together on a large, shared futon. As he closed his eyes, he could hear the faint sound of Takeo grinding his teeth and Shigeru letting out soft puffs of gas.
The sounds, the smells... it all felt so real. Real enough that Roy began to wonder if, when he next awoke, he would truly leave this place and return to his own reality.
Beside him, Tanjiro tossed and turned like a fish out of water, unable to sleep. Finally, he rolled over to Roy's side, his large amber eyes wide in the gloom. "Bro," he whispered. "You asleep?"
"Bro" was Tanjiro's unique name for him. The younger kids, including Nezuko, all called him "Brother Eiichiro."
Roy kept his eyes closed. "Yeah."
Tanjiro went silent.
He let out a small "Oh," pulled the blanket over his face, and lay still.
Roy knew what he wanted to ask.
And Tanjiro knew Roy didn't want to talk about it right now.
The truth was, Roy just hadn't figured out a good explanation yet. This was, after all, his first time opening the Gate of Cognition and stepping into this world.
So please, my foolish, dear little brother... just give me a little more time.
Just a little...
With that thought, Roy's consciousness faded into the quiet dark.
He fell into a deep sleep.
Until—
"AWOOOO!"
A familiar, chilling howl ripped him from his slumber.
It was the howl of the Zoldyck family's personal Magical Beast, a creature whose duties included devouring trespassers and serving as the family's pre-dawn alarm clock. It was Mike.
It was 3:50 AM. Roy was awake.
He sat up in bed.
He saw the grandfather clock in the corner of his room, the familiar mahogany desk, the massive wardrobe. He knew, without a doubt, that he had left the world of Demon Slayer and returned to the Zoldyck estate.
Just moments ago, he was huddled in a simple wooden cabin, bracing against the frigid cold. Now, he was back in a grand, stone castle, enduring the oppressive summer heat.
Was he Roy Zoldyck, who had just dreamed of being a charcoal burner's son? Or was he Eiichiro Kamado, now dreaming he was an assassin?
Roy stared into the darkness, lost in thought for a long, long time.