This smile made Roy feel both familiar and strange.
Roy had never seen Sliva smile in the Zoldyck Family.
It was as if a 'smile' was not meant to appear on the face of a cold-blooded, emotionless assassin.
Even a 'sinister grin' or a 'fierce laugh' was something Roy had never once seen on Sliva's face.
In fact, sometimes he would wonder if Illumi's frequent poker face was also influenced by him.
After all, the elders in the family had said more than once—
"An assassin must never let emotions dictate their judgment."
"Whether it's happiness, anger, resentment, or sorrow, one must 'not show it on their face.' Only by achieving absolute calm can one better complete a mission and avoid exposing oneself to danger."
Perhaps it was because Sliva and Zeno saw that Roy couldn't do this that they further concluded his talent as an assassin was limited.
Indeed, Sliva and Zeno's judgment was accurate. Compared to being an assassin, Roy firmly believed that he should first and foremost be a vibrant 'person,' and only then a 'profession,' rather than an inverted machine that extinguished emotions and only knew how to kill. This was also why he had always disliked Illumi.
It was because Illumi was too 'formulaic'... The family's training had extinguished the joy he should have possessed as a child. He should have, like Nezuko, Takeo, and Shigeru in front of him, rushed to him, chattering excitedly to share his joy, recount his grievances, or even tattle on others.
Instead of wearing a lifeless, dead-fish face all day, performing monotonous training like a machine.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant... Roy was momentarily dazed, and his thigh was already hugged by the little rascal Kamado Shigeru.
He looked up at him with wide, eager eyes and said in a childish voice, "Big Brother~ Candy~"
Roy smiled and quickly pulled out a small cloth bag from his embrace, tossing him a piece... This instantly caused an uproar... Nezuko wanted one, and Takeo wanted one too... Roy was heavily surrounded, busy as could be... He patted Nezuko's little head for a moment, then patted Takeo's back, then reminded Shigeru not to eat too fast and to be careful not to choke. His silhouette, illuminated by the oil lamp, fell into Tanjiro's eyes behind him, finally allowing him to regain a sense of familiarity.
That's right, this was the Eiichiro Big Brother he knew. As for the one in the forest just now... that was a demon god whose soul had been devoured!
"Big Brother, I want some too..."
Tanjiro rubbed his face and joined in with a smile. He was at least sensible enough to help Roy unload the basket from his back, which significantly reduced Roy's pressure.
Roy nodded at him, and after satisfying the appetites of the little ones, he walked towards Tanjuro.
"For me?" Tanjuro looked at the candy Roy held out to him, somewhat stunned. After realizing what was happening, his eyes welled up again... He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten candy. The memory was so distant that he could only vaguely recall it being when his father, Tanjiro's grandfather, was still alive... He hadn't expected time to fly by... Looking back, his child was already sensible enough to bring him candy... Tanjuro looked at Roy gently and shook his head: "Father doesn't like sweets. You eat it."
Roy didn't pull his hand back, insisting, "Father has some, Grandma has some, Mother has some, everyone has some."
Seeing this, Tanjuro knew he couldn't argue with the child, so he simply smiled, unwrapped the candy, and put it in his mouth. While savoring it, he gestured for Roy to help him put on the ceremonial robes for worshipping the Fire God.
Worshipping the Fire God, performing the Hinokami Kagura for the Fire God, and praying for peace is a tradition passed down through generations of the Kamado Family.
The Hinokami Kagura and the two earrings adorned with the sun and mountains that Tanjuro wore in his ears—others didn't know, but Roy, who had read the original work, knew very well... those were Tsugikuni Yoriichi's belongings—
Sun Breathing and the Sun Earrings he wore during his lifetime!
"Our family, from the generation of our ancestor Kamado Sumiyoshi, has required the eldest son to learn the 'Hinokami Kagura.' Now..."
"It's your turn, Eiichiro."
The ceremonial robes were quickly put on with Roy's help. The moment the last cord was tied, the usually gentle Tanjuro stood up, and his aura changed... The red and white robes swayed in the wind, and the large flame-character face mask seemed to come alive... He beckoned to Roy: "Come."
Roy, barely containing his excitement, realized that the opportunity he sought to change his physique had arrived!
Hinokami Kagura is Sun Breathing! Sun Breathing is the powerful Breathing technique Tsugikuni Yoriichi created by visualizing the sun, which can absorb the power of the sun to change one's own physique. It is also the origin of all Breathing styles, such as 'Moon Breathing,' 'Stone Breathing,' 'Wind Breathing,' 'Water Breathing,' and other Breathing styles.
The concept it employs can be summarized in one sentence—sunlight is the source of all growth, and naturally, it became the breeding ground for various Breathing techniques.
Of course, being powerful means it's difficult to learn.
In the past, after Tsugikuni Yoriichi created Sun Breathing, he didn't choose to keep it to himself but rather promoted it within the Demon Slayer Corps, which included his own older brother, now Upper Rank One Kokushibo.
But unfortunately, neither Kokushibo nor other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were able to learn Sun Breathing because they couldn't withstand the 'weight of the sun.'
Consequently, from the Sengoku period until now, only Tanjiro truly mastered and applied it in actual combat, which shows how difficult it is.
Roy pulled Tanjiro, "You come too."
Then, before Tanjiro could recover from his daze, he had already stepped into the courtyard, walked to Tanjuro's side, and unleashed [Gyo]!
Unlike the four major principles of Nen Ability—[Ten], [Zetsu], [Ren], [Hatsu]... [Gyo] is merely a simple application of Nen, requiring only the attachment of aura to the eyes.
And Roy himself had Gotoh's careful guidance, plus the Zoldyck Family's bloodline boost, so mastering it with ease was naturally a given... He was seen with a layer of milky white energy attached to his eyes, staring intently at Tanjuro's movements.
Using the aura flowing within him, he imprinted the Hinokami Kagura, frame by frame, as if analyzing an animation.
First, Hinokami Kagura—"Waltz," then Hinokami Kagura—"Blue Heaven," followed by "Burning Sun Red Mirror," "Solar Heat Haze," "Fire Wheel," "Scorching Rush," "Beneficent Radiance Rush"... Tanjuro danced like a fire spirit in the drifting snow, with Roy following alongside, learning meticulously, and next to him was the clumsy Tanjiro... This went on for one, two, three times... Tanjiro grew breathless and gradually couldn't keep up... He leaned on his knees, gasping for air, his eyes fixed on Tanjuro and Roy, the little person filled with great confusion.
Why did his usually weak father have such good stamina today?
Why was Big Brother, who was as awkward and clumsy as him at the beginning, now able to follow Father's pace so skillfully?