Why would that gentle Tanjiro point at her with a look that said, "She's the one who did it"?
Yuko's mind crashed for a brief moment.
Before she could react, a figure leapt out from behind Tanjiro and rushed toward her.
A flash of cold light flickered in Yuko's eyes as she instinctively drew her blade to block.
Clang!
With a crisp metallic ring, a black blade and a blue blade collided.
???
Someone please tell her—she had only been gone for a short while, so why had the plot suddenly changed?
Or did her little notebook record it wrong? Was Giyu supposed to return with them, help bury Tanjiro's family, and only then leave?
She knew it! Too much time had passed—of course something would go wrong!
Yuko braced Giyu's blade and hurriedly called out, "Wait—"
She had only just opened her mouth when Giyu calmly interrupted her.
"Where are the others?"
So strange…
There was a faint scent of wisteria on her. Was this woman really a demon?
Before Yuko could answer, Giyu's gaze shifted slightly and landed on the engraved character "滅" on her blade.
Demon Slayer Corps?
The Nichirin swords of the Demon Slayer Corps were divided into those for ordinary members and those for the Hashira. Even elite-ranked members were not permitted to have characters carved into their blades.
Only the Hashira bore inscriptions like "Destroyer of Demons" on their swords. This blade was slightly different—but without a doubt, it was a Nichirin Blade.
"Ah—Nezuko!"
In the tense standoff between Giyu and Yuko, Tanjiro suddenly cried out behind them.
Giyu momentarily turned his attention back—only to have a head slam straight into his waist, knocking him backward.
He slid across the snow before steadying himself and looking back at Yuko.
Nezuko was standing in front of her, glaring at him with fierce vigilance.
Giyu: "..."
Yuko sheathed her Nichirin Blade, slipped both hands under Nezuko's arms, and lifted her behind her before turning back to explain:
"I've already settled the Kamado family at the foot of the mountain."
Looking at the motionless Nezuko behind her, Giyu's gaze shifted slightly. Before he could speak, the already frantic Tanjiro hurriedly asked,
"Where is everyone?!"
Yuko replied, "In the town below. I arranged for them to stay at my residence."
Tanjiro froze for a moment.
Your residence?
Now that he thought about it, the person before him really did carry a familiar scent.
Tanjiro suddenly exclaimed, "That big estate?!"
It was exactly the same fragrance as the flowers near that estate!
Yuko nodded lightly.
Tanjiro's eyes lit up. "You're that shut-in young lady?!"
"..." Yuko's nod froze halfway. The corner of her mouth twitched. "I suppose you could say that."
Knowing his family was safe at last, Tanjiro finally let out a breath of relief and had the leisure to properly look at Yuko.
He'd been far too anxious just now to notice her appearance. Now that he had calmed down, his face flushed.
She's so pretty…
Giyu looked left and right, then quietly sheathed his Nichirin Blade.
He lifted his gaze toward Yuko, his expression calm. "Demon Slayer Corps?"
Yuko shook her head gently. "No."
Giyu frowned slightly.
When a Demon Slayer left the Corps, their Nichirin Blade was always reclaimed.
It was impossible for one to remain in circulation.
Moreover, although he couldn't identify which Breathing Style the woman practiced, her steady, rhythmic breathing clearly showed that she had mastered some form of Breathing Technique.
Giyu asked, "What about the demon that attacked their family?"
Was it killed by this woman?
Yuko looked up at him. "It was Kibutsuji Muzan."
Giyu's pupils shrank. A ripple finally appeared in his otherwise calm expression.
Sensing the sudden heaviness in the atmosphere, Tanjiro asked in confusion, "Who's that?"
Yuko explained, "The progenitor of all demons—the existence known as the Demon King."
Tanjiro could not yet comprehend the true weight of that name, but he now understood that Nezuko had become like this because of that being.
He silently etched that name into his memory.
Yuko glanced at the sky. "Before the sun rises, let's head down the mountain first. I think Sister Kie should be worried by now."
Hearing his mother's name made Tanjiro feel even more at ease.
Three humans and one demon… no—two humans and two demons—began to head down the mountain.
Seeing Nezuko tightly clutching Yuko's sleeve, Tanjiro waved his hand. "Nezuko, come here."
Nezuko tilted her head to look at him, then glanced at Yuko—and decisively lowered her head.
Crack.
Tanjiro instantly turned to stone.
Giyu remained silent. He didn't walk alongside the three of them, but instead quietly followed at a distance behind.
His steady gaze fixed on Yuko's back.
Yuko slightly turned her head, gently guided Nezuko toward Tanjiro, slowed her steps by two beats, and gradually walked alongside Giyu.
Giyu glanced at her, expression unreadable.
Trying to outlast him in silence was not a wise choice.
Yuko spoke first. "Water Hashira, would it be possible for you to introduce me to the Ubuyashiki family?"
She had originally planned to act together with Tanjiro, but plans had changed. Tanjiro would need to train under Giyu for one or two years.
Perhaps she should find an opportunity ahead of time to reestablish contact with the Ubuyashiki family.
The current head of the Ubuyashiki family seemed to possess remarkable charisma. She believed the outcome would be favorable.
At those words, Giyu instinctively turned his head to look at her.
Not part of the Demon Slayer Corps, yet so familiar with it. In possession of a Nichirin Blade, and even aware of Kibutsuji Muzan's name.
Just who was this woman?
Yuko seemed to sense his doubts and took the initiative. "I don't know if you've ever heard of Snow Breathing."
Tomioka Giyu's expression subtly shifted. "Just call me Giyu."
"I've heard of it," he added afterward.
Of course he had heard of Snow Breathing.
As ancient as the Five Main Breathing Styles, its lineage had not been fully preserved.
That, in itself, was no mystery—anyone who had encountered this Breathing Style would understand why.
This Breathing Style… was completely chaotic.
No—
Calling it chaotic was already flattering it. It was basically a lunatic's randomly cobbled-together Breathing Style.
One moment it flowed like Wind and Water in harmony, the next it mixed in Flame Breathing, and the move after that turned into Thunder Breathing.
The cultivation requirements were already brutal, and the sword forms were a complete mess. Anyone who tried to master it never managed to get out of bed the next day.
Switching Breathing Styles mid-battle was the greatest taboo—yet this Snow Breathing absorbed all the worst flaws of Breathing Techniques.
Whether the demon died was uncertain, but if something went slightly wrong, you'd collapse on your own next move. The lack of continuity between techniques was utterly soul-crushing.
A Breathing Style like this surviving intact would be the real miracle.
If not for the fact that, on rare occasions, someone managed to learn one or two of its forms, people would have doubted whether it ever truly existed.
Yuko said straightforwardly, "I am a swordsman who has mastered Snow Breathing. I want to contribute to the defeat of Muzan."
What Breath? Snow what?
Giyu turned his head to look at her. Under Yuko's gaze, his expression gradually became… strange.
Yuko's heart skipped.
For a stone-faced man like him to make that expression—had she said something wrong?
---
Currently at chapter 348 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08