What is recognition?
Recognition is the process by which humans acquire, process, and apply information through psychological activities such as perception, memory, and thinking, encompassing the ability to understand and adapt to the objective world.
In summary: everything seen, heard, thought, felt, and experienced forms a complete system.
In his previous life, Roy had watched Demon Slayer, immersed himself in its characters, and experienced their joy, sadness, grief, and anger. This is why he left such a deep footprint in his cognitive world.
Lost in thought, he turned and sat up from the snow. A small cloth pouch fell from his chest, spilling out several candies, reminding him that today was the full moon celebration for his youngest sister, Kamado Hanako.
Due to his intervention, Tanjiro was no longer the eldest son of the household. Rokuta, the youngest child born in the original story, hadn't been born yet, meaning there were still two to three years before the plot began.
Not only was his father, Kamado Tanjuro, still alive, but even his grandmother, the white-haired old woman who often held Tanjiro while stargazing, was still living.
This was fascinating. In reality, Roy was the eldest son of the Zoldyck family, and in his cognitive world, he was still the eldest son of the Kamado family. Perhaps it was precisely this "compatibility" that allowed him to push open the door to Demon Slayer.
Roy vaguely sensed the connection. He bent down to pick up the candies one by one, then began examining his physical condition.
First was "Nen."
Roy attempted to communicate with the aura within his body, directing it toward his right index finger. A milky-white glow flickered; though weak and not particularly noticeable against the white snow, it truly existed.
This made him sigh with relief.
After all, this place, like the Hunter x Hunter world, wasn't a peaceful land but a world where man-eating demons roamed freely. Having or not having "Nen" before mastering breathing techniques and obtaining a Nichirin blade, was crucial.
"Shadow Step," "Rhythm Echo," and "Snake Awakens."
Shadow Step: The assassination footwork passed down through generations of the Zoldyck family, emphasizing four elements: "light," "floating," "mysterious," and "phantom."
Moving light as a swallow, mysterious as a dream. Roy took a step and moved like a ghost, sometimes east, sometimes west, his figure weaving through the old forest. While making his movements impossible to track, he left not even a single footprint in the snow. This directly stunned a certain younger brother who was worried about his big brother's safety in the dark.
Today was Hanako's full moon celebration. Father Tanjuro had sent eldest brother Eiichiro down the mountain early to shop, but as evening approached with no sign of him, Kie (Eiichiro and Tanjiro's mother) sent the sharp-nosed Tanjiro to find him.
Unexpectedly, while Tanjiro found his person, he was also left dumbfounded.
The innocent and somewhat naive younger brother was wrapped in a thick black-green checkered coat, with a light purple scarf around his neck, standing dazedly in the flying snow. His beautiful amber eyes reflected Roy's ghostly dancing figure, his small mouth agape, the word "Onii-chan" stuck directly in his throat!
His mind kept repeating one phrase: 'Is this still his Big Brother Eiichiro?'
Yes, one hundred percent it was Big Brother Eiichiro!
Eyes could deceive, but scent wouldn't. Tanjiro's nostrils twitched, confirming this was definitely Roy's scent. He quietly crept behind a large tree, only poking out his head.
At this moment, having finished practicing Shadow Step and familiarizing himself with his body, Roy didn't rest but immediately began practicing "Rhythm Echo."
This "assassination technique," when summarized, was an advanced application of the "silent gaits" technique.
Compared to "Shadow Step," it added an element of confusing opponents through afterimages created by a varying cadence of steps.
Roy took a deep breath and stepped out again. Using his standing position as the starting point, he instantly created a circle of afterimages.
Killua had used this move against Netero when competing with Gon for the ball on the Hunter Exam airship, though his opponent's level was too high for a rookie who couldn't even use Nen abilities to challenge.
But that was humanity's strongest, Netero, not the fledgling Tanjiro.
Seeing this scene, Tanjiro's eyes widened again. He foolishly counted on his fingers, subconsciously trying to count how many big brothers there were, when suddenly a sharp "swish" sound came—
A sharp hand blade pressed against his ear and pierced into the tree he was hiding behind!
Snake Awakens: Killua whips his arms around with incredible speed to slice through anything that touches them. When refined, it can penetrate mountain stone, pierce refined iron when mastered, and cut through Nen tools when perfected.
Roy had personally witnessed Silva use a single-hand chop to sever a fine katana!
However, he was still at the rudimentary stage. Being able to penetrate three inches into wood was already his limit. More would require time to hone, unlike killing intent perception, which he could learn somewhat through constant exposure!
That's right—the moment Tanjiro found Roy, Roy had also discovered Tanjiro!
He pulled his hand from the tree he had pierced through and looked at this familiar yet first-met brother with a smile: "Mother sent you to find me, right? Sorry, I just took a nap and made you all worry."
Tanjiro looked at Roy's face, then glanced at his right hand. Though he was clearly still breathing, his spirit seemed not to have returned yet. He nodded dumbly, then quickly shook his head like a rattle.
Seeing him like this, Roy found it amusing and patted his head: "Do you have many questions you want to ask?"
Tanjiro shook his head, then nodded.
Roy's smile grew wider.
He said gently: "Today is Hanako's full moon celebration. Let's celebrate for Hanako first, then talk afterward, okay?"
Tanjiro nodded vigorously.
Roy patted his shoulder and said nothing more. He flicked his toe to grab the hatchet in his hand, then bent down to shoulder the basket, walking leisurely toward home.
Tanjiro followed closely behind him, his head buzzing until the moon rose above the treetops, stretching their shadows long.
Only then did he stop.
From this distance, through the wind and snow, they could already see several familiar little wooden houses built in the traditional style of the Taisho era.
The eastward-facing one had wisps of cooking smoke rising from it. They could faintly hear children's laughter and adults coughing. If accompanied by a few dog barks and cat leaps, it would definitely weave together a warm mountain village scene.
"It's just a pity... this world really has demons... in two or three years, this place will no longer exist."
Roy murmured softly.
Tanjiro looked up at him puzzledly: "Demons?"
Obviously, his big brother didn't want to explain further. With another glance, he had already stepped forward again, walking toward home.
Tanjiro was stunned for a moment, tightened the scarf around his neck, and hurried to catch up.
At this time, hearing the commotion, adults and children poked their heads out from inside the house. Seeing it was Roy and Tanjiro, several children cheered excitedly.
There was Nezuko, Takeo, Shigeru, and the smallest one still in swaddling clothes, held in the arms of a white-haired old woman—Hanako.
"Big Brother Eiichiro, you're back!"
"Mm... I'm back."
Roy smiled in response, his gaze meeting that of the man sitting in a corner of the veranda.
The man coughed a few times, his hands adjusting a set of ceremonial robes. Seeing Roy's gaze, he smiled just as gently.