Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

Chapter 231 Returning to the Starting Point or Forging One's Own Path

There wasn't a single decent piece of furniture in the room.

Shinobu Kocho actually helped with the purchase, but Ikuko herself didn't like it and moved it out.

Fortunately, the custom here is to kneel, so it doesn't matter whether you kneel or not.

"sit down."

"excuse me."

Yuko sat down opposite Nezuko, a formal sitting position that Yuko had never liked.

Because he was too serious, Yuko felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

But she couldn't afford to be careless about this.

Yuko took a deep breath and looked at Nezuko, her lips slightly parted, about to speak.

Nezuko seemed to sense something, and hesitantly spoke first, "Um... actually..."

Nezuko hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Yuko raised her eyes slightly and saw the worry in Nezuko's eyes; she understood what was going on.

Yuko lowered her eyelids slightly, shook her head and said, "Although I know Nezuko won't blame me, I feel I should apologize."

"I'm sorry, because of me, this has caused..."

"No!" Nezuko's excited voice interrupted Ikuko. "Ikuko-neechan is not wrong."

Yuko's lips moved slightly: "No... Nezuko could have avoided being hurt at all..."

Nezuko shook her head, leaned forward slightly, reached out and grasped Ikuko's hands, and said in a slightly excited tone:

"This is my own choice; it's because I want to help Sister Yu Zi."

“If it weren’t for Yuko-nee, we might all be dead…” Nezuko looked at Yuko earnestly with her red eyes.

"Thank you." Yu Zi closed her eyes slightly, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

Nezuko would say such things, and Ikuko would be no exception.

Or rather, no one in the Kamado family ever blamed her.

Having received her assurance, Kamado Aoi was relieved when she saw Nezuko's condition later on.

My daughter is fine. Although she can't speak anymore, she's become even cuter than before.

That's roughly the idea.

Yuko was just feeling guilty towards herself, which is why she seemed so timid and hesitant.

Even now, Yuko isn't sure if what she did was right or wrong.

She wasn't sure if Nezuko played a crucial role in the battle against Muzan in the original story.

She wasn't sure if things would take a turn for the worse after she changed the course of the Kamado family's tragedy.

That's why she chose to put Nezuko in danger at that time, bringing the story back to a territory she was somewhat familiar with.

But to be honest, the moment Shinobu injected the human-transforming drug into Nezuko's body that day, Ikuko's heavy mood actually lightened considerably.

Because no matter what, the fact that Nezuko played a role in the final battle has already been implicitly erased by her, and the rest... is up to them.

Nezuko squeezed Ikuko's hand: "So...please don't blame yourself."

Yuko responded with a reassuring smile: "Yes, because Nezuko is very gentle."

Nezuko smiled.

Behind the door, Shinobu Kocho also gave a gentle smile, then quietly left.

……

Late at night, Yuko stood alone in the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion, the cold moonlight reflecting off the Shura Blade she gripped tightly in her hands.

A chilling white breath escaped from her mouth, and with a flick of her wrist, rounds of snow-white sword danced, like a spirit dancing under the silver moon, appearing exceptionally sacred in the cold moonlight.

Breath of Snow...

Type 13 - Silver Slash on Peak!

The sharp, angular sword energy slashed across the sky without creating a ripple or disturbing the tranquil night.

Yuko sheathed her sword and sighed softly.

The newly developed Type 12 and Type 13, pure Snow Breathing sword forms, did not bring much improvement to Yuuko.

The defensive moves of the twelfth form are nothing special, but the sword energy of the thirteenth form...

Essentially, it's still a common method of long-range attrition.

It's too monotonous.

It didn't give her a feeling of being impressed.

After reverting from other breathing techniques to a pure breathing sword form, her sword technique actually showed signs of regression.

It seems impossible to make progress in terms of sword shape.

It's like I've hit a shackle; my mind is completely muddled.

However, it is unrealistic to seek ways to become stronger from other aspects.

……

"Did I disturb you?" A cool yet gentle voice drifted into my ears on the evening breeze.

Yuko looked back and saw Shinobu Kocho emerge from the shadows of the corridor carrying a tea tray and a late-night snack.

The bright moonlight shone on her, adding to her beauty.

Yuko shook her head and went to sit down next to Shinobu Kocho.

"Please." Shinobu Kocho handed the tea to Ikuko.

The two sat and watched the moon for a while, until the pastries on the tea tray were completely eaten, and Shinobu Kocho finished her tea before speaking:

"Is something on Yuko's mind?"

Yuko gazed at the moon: "I was just thinking about the sword shape."

Shinobu Kocho glanced sideways: "Sword type? Is it a newly developed type?"

If she remembered correctly, Yuuko's Snow Breathing had a total of eleven forms.

The last two models, in particular, look quite dazzling.

Well, it doesn't feel quite like Snow Breathing.

Yu Zi sighed with some distress: "It's supposed to be a new development, but I feel like I've already hit a bottleneck."

Butterfly couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Developing a sword-shaped design isn't an easy task to begin with, is it?"

Otherwise, even after hundreds of years, the Demon Slayer Corps, including the five fundamental breathing techniques, would only have less than ten sword techniques.

Yuko said helplessly, "If we want to fight Muzan, then it is necessary."

The butterfly hesitated, unable to speak for a moment.

Yuko must be under a lot of pressure.

After all, even now, there are very few members of the Demon Slayer Corps who can face an Upper Moon demon alone.

Moreover, even the Pillars that have already activated their markings can only manage a stalemate with Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, when facing the remaining Upper Moons.

The remaining Kokushibo and Doma are not targets that can be defeated by one person alone.

A demon swordsman who has mastered breathing techniques and possesses superb swordsmanship.

One is the Blood Demon Art, which is naturally able to counter breathing techniques.

However, regarding information about Upper Moon Two Doma, Ikuko had already mentioned that she and Tamayo had developed an antidote for the methamphetamine that causes alveolar necrosis.

If that guy doesn't have any other skills, then he's arguably the weakest threat among the remaining ghosts.

But since the other side has managed to secure its position as Upper Moon Two, it probably has other tricks up its sleeve.

Shinobu Kocho pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I guess Ikuko's sword form for her breathing technique wasn't fully developed back then?"

Yuko nodded slightly: "Yes, at that time the Pillars had just found a breathing method that suited them under Yoriichi's guidance."

Butterfly smiled and said, "Then Yuko might as well learn about sword shapes from the other pillars and find inspiration from them."

"For example, Mr. Rengoku developed the Ninth Form of Flame Breathing."

Yu Zi frowned slightly. Wasn't this sending her back to square one?

After all, that's how the original form of Snow Breathing came about.