The snowscape in the early morning looked exceptionally charming. The cool, cold wind entered the lungs with every breath, clearing the mind.
"Hanako, Shigeru, you don't need to pack those things."
Nezuko wiped the cold sweat from her brow; packing things had left her breathless.
Nezuko packed the clothes, put them aside, and subconsciously looked toward Mizuki sitting on the porch.
The straw hat, dusted with a few snowflakes, was placed next to the katana on the side of the porch. Her wine-red, slightly curly long hair fell past her waist, and a beautiful curve lifted the delicate profile of her face.
Nezuko's eyes suddenly widened, and a tear unconsciously spilled from the corner of her eye.
How strange... Why is she so sad? It feels like the person in front of her is very tired, very worn out... Had she seen this scene somewhere before? In a trance, the snow color in front of the house quickly vanished from Nezuko's sight, and a streak of orange-red sunset poured down, making Mizuki's hair color even more vivid.
It was as if a voice rang out beside her ear.
"Miss Mizuki..." Nezuko murmured, and the sunset reflected in her eyes quickly faded.
"Hmm?" Hearing the call from behind, Mizuki turned back, confusion written on her face. Had she... introduced herself just now?
I suppose so?
She smiled and asked, "Is something the matter?"
The confusion in Nezuko's eyes quickly faded. After hesitating for a moment, she came to the porch and sat down next to Mizuki.
Mizuki looked at her with some confusion, thinking she wanted to take the baby, and carefully supported the bottom, intending to hand the child over.
"Older Sister seems very sad..." Nezuko looked at her with a worried expression, her eyes seeming to shimmer with tears.
To feel sorrow for the sadness of others... Mizuki was momentarily lost in thought.
She remembered why she had gotten hooked on this anime.
Because the people in this anime, regardless of their personalities, all expressed their kindness in their own ways.
Mizuki smiled slightly and shook her head, "No, I was just spacing out."
The worry on Nezuko's face didn't fade. Just as Mizuki forced out an unnatural smile and was about to speak to salvage the situation, Nezuko spoke.
"If you feel tired, why don't you tell me about it, Older Sister?"
Mizuki's smile froze for a moment, and her eyes widened slightly.
'If you feel tired, why not stop and take a break.'
Nezuko's voice overlapped with the final advice her older brother had given before his death.
"When I usually have something painful happening, I share it with my mother and older brother," Nezuko said gently. "If you share sad things, they won't feel so bad anymore."
"Ah, of course, if Older Sister doesn't want to, then forget it." Nezuko finished by frantically waving her hand.
Mizuki's heart was slightly moved, and she repeatedly squeezed the fingers of her hands resting on her thighs.
Nezuko's eyes sparkled, looking at her expectantly, and she even leaned her body slightly forward.
"I..."
She couldn't say it—telling a twelve-year-old girl to face danger... she couldn't say it.
Mizuki went through an internal struggle, and finally, as if her brain had short-circuited for a moment, she spoke the first sentence, and then her mouth moved faster than her brain, recounting the entire process.
After finishing the story, Mizuki couldn't even imagine how she had managed to say it all out loud.
Mizuki tightly clenched her hands, lowering her head, afraid to look at her. After a long silence, just when Mizuki couldn't bear the quiet atmosphere and wanted to crawl into a hole, Nezuko suddenly grabbed her tightly clasped hands.
"So, that means me staying here will be a big help to Older Sister, right?"
Looking at those tender hands, Mizuki said hesitantly, "It's very dangerous. You might die..."
The plot had already been changed by her. Originally, everyone in the kamado family except Tanjirou, who was lucky enough to be out, would suffer.
Thus, she couldn't be sure if Nezuko staying alone would proceed the same way as in the original work.
"But if Older Sister hadn't warned us, our whole family would have died, right?"
Nezuko's voice sounded so gentle, so gentle that Mizuki didn't have the nerve to look up and face her.
"I want to help Older Sister; that's my own decision, so... please don't feel embarrassed."
Mizuki's expression was slightly moved, and she stiffly raised her head to look at her.
Nezuko curved her eyes, showing a gentle smile toward her.
Mizuki stared blankly at her, feeling a stinging sensation in her nose and an unusual blockage in her heart, as if a giant stone had suddenly pressed down, causing indescribable discomfort.
Nezuko actively leaned forward, gently hugged her, and lightly patted her back.
"There, there... there, there..."
Tears welled up in Mizuki's eyes... the giant stone had always been there.
Humans are social animals; they cannot survive alone.
Because of emotions.
People need someone to confide in.
When they lose someone to confide in, humans can only bear all sorts of emotions alone, especially the negative ones. Over time, they become numb, but that doesn't mean the emotions have disappeared.
Instead, they are re-triggered at a certain point in time... When Kie Kamado returned from the woods, holding the hand of her second son, Takeo, what she saw was the two of them embracing.
Especially since the Demon Slayer Miss was crying... Could Nezuko have bullied her?
Kie Kamado asked worriedly, "What's wrong here?"
Mizuki belatedly realized what was happening, quickly let go, and wiped away her tears, her ears slightly flushed.
"It's nothing, I just got sand in my eye."
Takeo still had the axe resting on his shoulder. After seeing Mizuki's stunning appearance, his cheeks flushed for a moment. After shaking his head, he pouted and said, "She was clearly made to cry by Older Sister."
Mizuki had just cried. As someone hundreds of years old, she was too embarrassed to speak up.
Nezuko's gentle expression froze for a moment, and a vein popped up on her temple.
She bit out each word: "Ta~ke~o~"
Takeo shivered all over and quickly said, "I'm going inside to help pack things up first!"
He bolted into the house.
Although Older Sister Nezuko was usually very gentle, when she got angry, she was the scariest—even scarier than Mom.
Kie Kamado frowned deeply, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"Nezuko, don't bully the guest."
"Mom~" Nezuko cried out, somewhat annoyed.
Kie Kamado lightly coughed.
Mizuki quickly explained, "No, Nezuko didn't bully me."
Kie Kamado covered her face and chuckled softly. Of course, she knew that wasn't possible; she just suddenly wanted to tease her daughter.
"Uh..."
Looking at the secretly laughing Kie Kamado and the pouting Nezuko, Mizuki broke out in a sweat.
"Mom, I have something to tell you." Nezuko's serious statement made Mizuki, who had just relaxed, tense up again.
Kie Kamado looked at her curiously, "Hmm? What is it?"
"I want to stay."
"Eh?"
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
👉 patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!