Hearing this news hit Yuko like a magnitude-ten earthquake.
Yoriichi… was married?
You hid that well, didn't you, kid?
It had been five years since they last met…
The retort rising in Yuko's throat got stuck there.
There was no reason for Yoriichi to keep something like being married from his own younger sister.
Unless…
Yuko couldn't bring herself to ask. She only followed silently behind Yoriichi, feeling a bit heavy inside.
One night, they arrived deep in the mountains.
Under the moonlight, Yuko saw the path clearly.
"Brother, it looks like there's a house up ahead."
The moment she spoke, Yoriichi tightened his grip on his Nichirin blade and rushed toward the house with incredible speed.
A demon!
Yuko reacted quickly as well, gripping her sword and chasing after him.
When Demon Slayer members leave the Corps, their Nichirin blades are usually reclaimed. But out of respect for Yoriichi and Yuko's contributions, the Master had allowed them to keep their swords.
Yoriichi's senses far surpassed hers. It wasn't until they were within twenty meters of the house that Yuko sensed the demon's presence.
"Brother, are you alright?"
When she burst through the door, the demon's body was already beginning to collapse.
As expected of Yoriichi—still overwhelmingly strong.
The person who had been attacked let out a long breath.
"Saved—!"
Yuko looked toward the voice, eyes widening in surprise.
Tan… Tanjiro?
"My name is Sumiyoshi. Thank you both for saving my life."
A man kneeling on the floor—whose appearance was uncannily similar to Tanjiro, the protagonist—bowed deeply in gratitude.
Such a bow wasn't strange for someone whose life had been saved, but Yuko disliked it.
She quickly supported him back up.
"No need for formalities. Slaying demons is our—"
Yuko cut herself off.
They'd already left the Demon Slayer Corps.
Sumiyoshi didn't question it, simply looking at them with gratitude.
"It's already late. If you don't mind, please rest in my humble home for the night."
Yuko turned toward Yoriichi. They had been traveling day and night for several days now, still not yet at the home of Yoriichi's wife.
Yoriichi suddenly spoke.
"Is there someone else inside?"
His tone implied it wasn't just someone.
Sumiyoshi blinked, confused for a second, then suddenly panicked and bolted toward the inner room.
"Oh no—! Suyako!"
The two followed close behind. In the bedroom lay a woman with a swollen belly, struggling in pain on the bed.
"Suyako!" Sumiyoshi cried, frantic.
"Please move," Yuko said, pulling him gently aside. She examined the woman briefly.
"She's about to give birth. We need a midwife immediately." Yuko turned to the two men.
"Brother, please take care of them. I'll go down the mountain to the village—"
Before she could finish, Yoriichi had already turned and left.
He only left behind one sentence.
"Yuko, look after them. I'll be right back."
And when Yoriichi said he'd be right back, he truly meant it.
In almost no time at all, he returned carrying a midwife on his back.
When Suyako safely gave birth to a baby girl, a faint ripple finally passed through Yoriichi's usually serene expression. The corners of his lips lifted in a small, gentle smile.
But Yuko could see the sorrow hidden beneath it.
…
Sumiyoshi stayed inside to look after his wife, while Yuko and Yoriichi sat on the doorstep watching the sunrise. Yoriichi seemed to understand his sister's confusion and spoke quietly.
"This place… is where Uta and I once lived."
So it was true.
Yuko pressed her lips together.
Suyako rested inside after childbirth, while Sumiyoshi invited the two benefactors to stay for a meal.
"I'm truly sorry—there's nothing good to eat here. Please try the wild greens Suyako foraged yesterday."
Yuko smiled lightly.
"As long as it fills our stomachs, it's fine."
In this era, there wasn't much good food to begin with. Yuko had never been picky.
Soon enough, Sumiyoshi prepared the meal.
Several plates of boiled wild vegetables were placed on the table—wilted and unrecognizable, but since he served them, they were surely safe.
After breakfast, Yoriichi led Yuko behind the house.
There stood a small grave built from stacked stones.
Uta's grave.
Standing before his wife's resting place, Yoriichi began recounting the story of how he joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Yuko knelt quietly to the side, listening without disturbing him.
When honoring the dead, one must not be disrespectful.
Yoriichi's story was long. In his gentle, meticulous voice, he told everything—from his reunion with his older brother and sister, to the days when the three of them trained in breathing techniques together.
The sun climbed high. It was August—blisteringly hot.
Noticing this, Yoriichi turned to her.
Yuko, if you're feeling unwell, you can go back first."
With those eyes, he could clearly see the state of her body.
He knew very well that his sister didn't have much time left.
Yuko shook her head.
"I'm fine."
Truth was, she actually liked summer.
Her body was special—born resistant to heat, naturally drawn to cold. Perhaps that was why she had managed to master Snow Breathing.
Yoriichi nodded softly, understanding her consideration, and continued speaking to Uta.
Yuko was about to stretch her legs—numb from kneeling so long—when a flicker of blue entered the corner of her vision.
Instinctively, she turned to look.
Beside Uta's grave, several blooming blue flowers swayed softly in the wind.
Are those… spider lilies?
But why blue?
Also—were these here earlier? Why hadn't she noticed?
Blue Spider Lilies…
A fragment of her previous life's memories suddenly surfaced.
She'd seen that name somewhere before—
It was…
Yuko's eyes widened.
She remembered!
The Blue Spider Lily Muzan was searching for—the key to conquering the sun. She'd seen it mentioned in the comment sections!
And then a flash of realization—
No wonder Nezuko could withstand sunlight—it grew right here near their home!
But… for hundreds of years, no demon passed through here?
How had the sleazy boss never found it?
Suddenly—
???
What?
Yuko froze.
Just moments ago those blue lilies were blooming vividly—yet within only a few breaths, they withered completely, collapsing into dry, yellowish stalks.
She reached out instinctively to touch them.
Yes—they had truly withered.
Right before her eyes.
For no reason at all.
What kind of phenomenon…?
No wonder the sleazy boss couldn't find them. These flowers were bizarre.
"Yuko? Is something wrong?"
Yoriichi had finished paying respects and turned to see his sister staring blankly at the dried remnants of flower.
"No… nothing."
"Then let's go."
"Mm."
Yuko hesitated, but in the end, she didn't break the stems.
She didn't know whether these flowers only existed here. If they did, breaking them would shatter Muzan's dream of sunbathing forever.
But if they didn't…
Then Nezuko would be doomed.
She was a talentless person who, in the end, couldn't change anything.
Not ending Muzan in this era.
Not saving Michikatsu.
She had achieved nothing.
But she knew—Tanjiro and Nezuko would definitely defeat Muzan.
As an outsider, she could no longer interfere with this world.
With one last glance at the blue spider lilies—now nothing more than dried stalks—Yuko followed Yoriichi away.
---
+50 Chapters
(Currently at Chapter 69 on Ko-Fi.)
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08