Yoriichi took the nichirin blade from Mizuki's hand in surprise. He gently wiped it, but the blood seemed to be a coating attached to it, impossible to remove.
It had a similar color to a scarlet blade, but the temperature was completely opposite.
It was cold.
He had noticed it when Mizuki applied the blood to his wound earlier; it was as cold as ice water.
Mizuki explained, "As long as it's not exposed to sunlight, it can last for three whole days."
Blood Demon Art is similar to superpowers and magic, often the fundamental reason demons are stronger than humans. In the face of various strange Blood Demon Arts, even the demons' regenerative abilities, which differentiate them from humans, have to take a backseat. Their only fear is the sun.
Under the sun's rays, Blood Demon Art loses its effect.
Mizuki hadn't experimented, but Blood Demon Art was an instinct deeply ingrained in a demon's brain; she understood it without needing to test it.
After explaining, she raised an eyebrow, boasting, "Impressive, right?"
"...Impressive." Seeing Mizuki act like her old self, Yoriichi's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
Mizuki suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, brother, do you have contact with Tamayo-san?"
Yoriichi shook his head.
His interaction with Tamayo was limited to repelling Muzan that day; he hadn't seen her since, let alone kept in contact.
"I see..." Mizuki sighed with a hint of regret.
In the future, Tanjirou seemed to have met Tamayo in Asakusa, but it was still the Sengoku Period, hundreds of years away from the Taisho era. Who knew where Tamayo was at this point in time?
It seemed getting a job wasn't that easy.
She'd better just stay home and live off her family; at least she wouldn't starve.
Moreover, with her Blood Demon Art, Yoriichi's wounds could heal quickly.
Wait, she seemed to have accidentally invented a perpetual motion machine.
Being stared at by Mizuki as if in a trance, Yoriichi inexplicably felt a chill down his spine, a feeling he hadn't experienced since facing the Demon King.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Mizuki spoke again, "Brother, do you still remember Tankichi?"
Yoriichi paused for a moment, and though he didn't know why Mizuki mentioned Tankichi at this time, he still nodded.
"Of course."
The place where Tankichi's family lived was where he and Uta once lived.
Mizuki smiled, "Let's go visit them sometime and see how they're doing."
And while we're at it, look for the blue spider lily.
The high probability that she escaped Muzan's control was due to accidentally eating a blue spider lily while temporarily staying at Tankichi's house.
Nezuko seemed to have overcome her weakness to sunlight in the later part of the story, but Mizuki wasn't sure if she herself could overcome sunlight.
After all, Nezuko didn't seem to have overcome sunlight from the beginning, and her family had lived there for hundreds of years. Perhaps their ancestors had eaten it for generations, causing genetic mutations, which led to an exception like Nezuko.
How many meals had she eaten?
Mizuki felt it was very necessary to consolidate the treatment.
Hearing Mizuki's words, Yoriichi fell into a reverie.
Years ago, the scene of Tankichi's family warmly entertaining them seemed vivid in his mind.
After a while, he nodded.
"Alright."
...It was a season of blooming flowers, and the two visited Tankichi's family in the evening.
"Yoriichi-san, Mizuki-san, it's been two years, hasn't it!" Tankichi brought tea, while Sumiko was coaxing the child to sleep in the inner room.
Seeing his benefactors again, Tankichi's face was filled with joy.
Entering the house, Mizuki removed her straw hat and sat properly with Yoriichi in front of Tankichi, bowing slightly.
"We apologize for visiting so late."
Because Mizuki wasn't sure if she had overcome her weakness to sunlight, she could only visit at night.
Although she could also shrink like Nezuko and perform a Sengoku-era version of the Demon Slayer sibling story with Yoriichi.
But she truly didn't have the face to be carried on Yoriichi's back like a child.
Tankichi quickly waved his hand, "No, no, Mizuki-san is too polite..."
Tankichi's words suddenly stopped. His eyes were drawn to Mizuki's unique eyes, reflected by the oil lamp.
The atmosphere paused slightly, and just then, Tankichi's wife, Sumiko, came out of the inner room.
She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead: "Finally asleep."
Mizuki smiled at her: "It's not easy to coax a child to sleep, is it?"
Sumiko smiled: "Yes, that child is too lively."
"Very energetic even at night."
Since then, Sumiko had given birth to another son, who was still an infant in swaddling clothes.
"Yoriichi-san, Mizuki-san, please stay the night at our house since it's so late." Although Tankichi had some doubts, he didn't pay much attention to them.
"Then we'll impose."
Tankichi prepared rooms for the two to sleep... The next morning, before dawn, the siblings woke up early to visit Uta's grave.
While Yoriichi was sweeping the grave, Mizuki looked around Uta's tomb.
Where are the flowers?
Where are the flowers?
Yoriichi watched Mizuki wander around, utterly bewildered.
Mizuki's brow furrowed. Do they not bloom in spring?
She thought about when they had come two years ago; it seemed to have been in... summer.
And at that time, the flowers seemed to have bloomed suddenly. If they had been there before their arrival, Mizuki wouldn't have failed to notice such special flowers.
Suddenly blooming, suddenly wilting.
No wonder Muzan hadn't found them after all these years.
In that case, she would only be able to try her luck by coming in the summer.
Thinking of this possibility, Mizuki sighed.
The sky gradually brightened, and the distant horizon showed a hint of fish-belly white.
The siblings returned to Tankichi's home.
Tankichi sat at the entrance, happily waving to them: "Yoriichi-san, Mizuki-san, breakfast is ready."
"Thank you." Mizuki took a few quick steps into the room, avoiding the encroaching sunlight.
Sumiko served the food, and the dining table happened to be illuminated by the sun.
Yoriichi thoughtfully served some dishes into a bowl and brought it to Mizuki, who was sitting in the corner of the room, playing with Tankichi's daughter, Sumi-rei.
Tankichi and Sumiko exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled.
Mizuki, however, gently shook her head.
Food was the most precious thing for ordinary people in this era, and Tankichi's family, who made a living by cutting wood and burning charcoal, already had it tough.
She no longer needed it, so there was no need to waste it; it was better for others to eat their fill.
It's worth mentioning that Tankichi's family's house looked quite good because they had once rescued a Daimyo's wife and daughter in the mountains and received a reward for it.
Watching Yoriichi return, Tankichi couldn't help but ask, "Yoriichi-san, Mizuki-san, this is..."
Tankichi possessed the same gentleness and meticulousness as Tanjirou, and thus noticed Mizuki's peculiarity.
Mizuki's changes as a demon weren't significant, but her peculiar eyes and nail color still seemed somewhat eerie.
In response to Tankichi's question, Yoriichi subconsciously looked at Mizuki.
Tankichi and Sumiko also looked over.
Mizuki held Sumi-rei in her arms, teasing her, and maintained a smile: "Let's eat first; I'll explain everything to everyone after dinner."
People of this era were not as open-minded as those in later generations.
Just like Namiko, upon learning that Mizuki had become a demon, even though Mizuki hadn't made any moves to harm her, she was still so frightened that she punched and kicked her.
But Tankichi's family... might be different.