Yuko had a nightmare—she dreamed that Michikatsu had still turned into a demon.
As she awoke, cold sweat beading at her temple, Yuko's eyes snapped open and she sat upright.
Was it… just a dream?
Almost instinctively, she looked for the table she had knocked over in the dream, and for the blood that had stained the floor.
The table stood neatly in its place. The floor bore no trace of blood.
So it really was…
Clatter—
The door opened, and the physician lady walked in carrying a basin of water. Seeing Yuko awake, she hurried over.
"Miss Yuko? Thank goodness you're unharmed."
Yuko's gaze was slightly blank. "? What?"
The physician froze for a moment, her fingers tightening around the basin's rim as her expression dimmed.
"Michikatsu… cut off the master's head and defected to the Demon King."
Anger flickered in the physician's eyes.
Yuko opened her mouth, but no words came out.
As someone from modern times, she had always felt uneasy about ancient notions of fealty between lord and retainer.
She despised the idea of forcing people to kneel.
But she couldn't deny that the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps was a man of deep charisma—a leader who treated his members with genuine sincerity.
Michikatsu had received his kindness as well…
He, who had always upheld hierarchy and order above all, had personally beheaded their master.
What an irony.
Yuko parted her lips, her voice hoarse. "What about the others?"
"They're all safe."
"After killing the master, Michikatsu fled immediately."
"If the Pillars hadn't all been away on missions, the master would never have been harmed."
"Yoriichi… does he know?"
"Sir Yoriichi returned this morning with the Flame Hashira. He came to see you once. He should be at the master's residence now."
Hearing this, Yuko pushed aside the covers and stood.
"Miss Yuko, your body really can't take this kind of strain."
"The damage Snow Breathing inflicts on the lungs is severe. At this rate, you might not even have three years…"
From the perspective of Breathing Styles: someone whose body isn't suited for Sun Breathing but forces it will suffer lung pain akin to being burned.
Snow Breathing was the opposite. Those unsuited for it would suffer frostbite of the lungs.
That was why many in the Corps considered Snow Breathing to be no less demanding than the original Breathing styles.
Its training conditions were simply too harsh, and at present, only Yuko could use it.
But after her lungs were injured, Snow Breathing's effects on her became painfully apparent.
Yuko gently pressed down the physician's hand. "I know. I'm sorry to worry you."
"But there are things I still need to do."
Dragging her heavy body, she stepped outside and headed toward the master's residence.
Along the way, she ran into several Demon Slayer members—new recruits she had personally guided.
Yuko forced a small smile and nodded at them.
They didn't respond, instead looking at her with a complicated expression.
In their eyes were hints of anger, resentment, and sympathy—a mix she couldn't fully decipher.
But it was clearly different from the admiration they used to show her.
Yuko faltered for a moment. When she recovered, her expression shifted slightly, and she unconsciously quickened her pace.
…
At the master's residence—
The Pillars, who had rushed back overnight upon hearing of the master's death, were now standing around Yoriichi, who knelt on the floor.
He sat upright, hands clenched tightly on his thighs.
"This is all your fault! Your brother became a demon and killed the master!"
"Enough. Yoriichi must be hurting as well," the Flame Hashira said, pulling back the one who accused him.
"It's because he failed to kill the Demon King—and even let those demons accompanying him escape!"
"You! You should commit seppuku—!"
Clatter—!
The door suddenly slid open. Yuko, frail as she was, burst forth with astonishing strength, shoving everyone away from Yoriichi and shielding him protectively in her arms.
"Stop it…" she whispered, clinging to him, her voice trembling with something close to pleading.
All of these Pillars were her teachers who taught her the Breathing Styles. They were good people, and their relationship with Yoriichi had always been strong.
Yuko knew very well: their beloved master had been killed by Michikatsu. Their grief and rage had driven them to direct their sharp words at their comrade.
Both Michikatsu and she had entered the Corps through Yoriichi's recommendation. The master's death was inevitably tied to him.
Letting the Demon King escape was one thing—but sparing the demon who accompanied him was an unforgivable crime.
In this era, being told to commit seppuku for such a failure was entirely normal.
She had no way to argue against it. All she could do was hope they calmed down.
Yuko was still quite well-liked. Both the Pillars and the members held affection for the gentle girl.
Seeing her slight figure trembling as she shielded Yoriichi, the accusations slowly came to a halt.
When the Pillars returned earlier, they had already learned that Yuko had collapsed.
It was the physician who discovered her unconscious. The room had shown signs of battle, proving Yuko had fought against the newly turned demon, Michikatsu.
"Yuko…" Yoriichi murmured, moved, his eyes wavering.
The Pillars' anger softened with her arrival, though tension still hung in the air.
Fortunately, at that moment, the master's child appeared.
Only six years old, he had inherited the responsibility of leading the Corps upon his father's death.
He soothed the enraged Pillars and declared that expelling Yoriichi from the Corps would be the price of forgiving his misjudgment.
When Yoriichi's matter was settled, the young master turned to the pale Yuko sitting nearby—like a white lotus trembling on the surface of a pond.
"Miss Yuko, I will have someone escort you back at once."
"The physician has come to my father more than once because of you. Please… you must take care of your body."
Yuko lowered her head slightly. "My lord, please allow me to leave the Corps along with my brother."
"Miss Yuko—"
"Yuko, you've done nothing wrong."
Everyone spoke up.
Even Yoriichi.
"Yuko, you don't have to do this."
She shook her head. "I can no longer slay demons. If I remain, I'll only burden everyone."
"I'll compile Snow Breathing into a manual later. I hope… it will be of use one day."
The young master opened his mouth to persuade her but found no words. In the end, he simply nodded. "I understand. Miss Yuko, Sir Yoriichi—please take care."
"Please take care, my lord."
"Everyone… take care."
After compiling the sword forms and techniques of Snow Breathing, Yuko left the Corps with Yoriichi.
She had already developed eight sword forms—more than any of the five main Breathing Styles at the time.
Once they stepped outside the Corps, Yuko looked up at the endless blue sky. "Brother… you've been away from home for so long. Do you want to go back?"
Before leaving, Yoriichi had told her the truth of his battle with Muzan.
It wasn't that he failed to kill him. Rather—no one had expected that Muzan could instantaneously split into over eighteen hundred pieces of flesh and escape.
That was why Yoriichi was called a "ceiling"—a limit no one could surpass.
If she had reminded Yoriichi back then… told him to be more cautious… would things have turned out differently?
She had even considered staying by his side, helping him if they ever encountered Muzan again. Together, maybe they could've killed him.
But she never imagined that Michikatsu's transformation into a demon and Yoriichi's battle with Muzan would happen almost one after another.
She was completely unprepared.
She… hadn't been able to change anything…
"There's a place I want to visit," Yoriichi said, gazing at the same sky, a faint sorrow tinting his expression.
Yuko nodded. She had never cared much for that cold, empty home, and after Michikatsu's betrayal, she felt even less attachment. Going back or not made no difference.
"Where do you want to go, brother?"
"…To see my wife."
"…Eh?"
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+50 Chapters
(Currently at Chapter 69 on Ko-Fi.)
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08