After finishing their discussion about the Slayer Mark, everyone present went off to handle their respective tasks.
Rengoku led Mitsuri and Obanai to review the clan records. Uzui set off to meet Ubuyashiki to discuss the trap. Rengoku Shinjuro seemed like he wanted to say something to Yoriichi, but in the end, he held it in and silently escorted Tamayo and Yushiro back to their room.
Hiru left Tanjiro and Muichiro with the former Hashira, who were deeply interested in the Slayer Mark, and instead pulled Yoriichi away.
"There's no need for you to avoid me, right?" Hiru said as they walked outside. "Am I really that hard to face? Or do you think avoiding me will help you avoid facing my death? At this point, you should stop thinking like that."
"…"
"What happened with Eldest Brother? Did you do it, or did he choose to end things himself?"
"…I couldn't do it. It was his own choice."
"I see…" Hiru slowed his steps. "Did he say anything at the end?"
This time, Yoriichi fell silent. Hiru didn't rush him, simply waiting.
After a long while, Yoriichi finally spoke again.
"…Brother said I was still as weak as before. That I couldn't stop you. He also said it was fortunate you didn't go. Otherwise, as the head of the Tsugikuni family, crying while saying goodbye would have been disgraceful."
"…I wouldn't cry. On the contrary, I'd laugh at him when he disappears." Hiru lowered his gaze. "He could've gained the fame he wanted just by following the path laid out for him, yet he chose the harder road and left behind all this mess. Pathetic."
"…As expected."
Hiru glanced sideways at Yoriichi. "As expected?"
"Brother said you'd cry while laughing at him…" Yoriichi's expression finally eased. "As expected of him."
Hiru froze for a moment. After a while, he recovered, but chose to move past the topic.
"…I'll probably stay here from now on. If you want to keep moving around outside, take Kitaro with you. Otherwise, communication will be too troublesome."
"Alright." Yoriichi nodded. "I'll leave after receiving the Master's reply. If we want to lure Muzan out, we can't clear away those eye-like Blood Demon Arts too thoroughly."
"But honestly, it's impressive you can even do that…"
"Hm?"
"Cutting through space and all that… I did say something like that before, but I was joking…"
"It doesn't succeed every time. Sometimes even after I find it, I have to strike three or four times. Strictly speaking, I'm only cutting the Blood Demon Art, not actually cutting—"
"Stop explaining, Brother. I'm begging you."
"…"
"Didn't you notice no one asked how you severed the connection between the Blood Demon Art and the buildings? Sure, part of it is because our identities are already exposed, but mostly it's because everyone knows they wouldn't be able to learn it even if they asked."
Yoriichi: …Is that so?
...
Uzui returned the next day with a reply from Ubuyashiki. Along with approving the plan and stating he would immediately begin modifying the residence, he also sent along Goro, the finest craftsman in the Corps currently responsible for prosthetic limbs, as well as a separate letter addressed to Hiru.
The letter stated that if the puppet plan failed, he himself could act as bait. He had already made his preparations and only hoped that Hiru would help conceal certain details when the time came.
After reading it, Hiru wrote a reply. Not a single harsh word appeared on paper, yet every line carried a clear message. He was calling out Ubuyashiki for having ulterior motives and trying to make him take the blame even at the end of his life.
Unsurprisingly, after carefully reading the letter, which didn't address a single practical matter, Ubuyashiki couldn't help but feel his stomach ache once more.
...
Five days after Hiru sent his reply, Mitsuri and Obanai returned safely from the Swordsmith Village. They brought with them a small child wearing a Hyottoko mask and a massive box that looked almost like a coffin.
Notably, Obanai carried the child, while the heavy-looking box was effortlessly carried with one hand by Mitsuri.
After already being shocked by her appetite, Hiru was once again astonished by her strength.
After delivering both the person and the item, Obanai and Mitsuri didn't stay to follow up on the plan. They immediately set out again to deal with the increasingly rampant demons.
From the child they brought back, Hiru learned that his name was Kotetsu, a descendant of puppet makers from the Swordsmith Village. This time, he had brought along a puppet passed down through the village, as well as books detailing the mechanisms used by his family.
However, Kotetsu explained that this craftsmanship had long been lost. Even in his great-grandfather's time, they could only replace parts on the existing puppet.
Many of the intricate mechanisms could no longer be repaired. By the time he had just begun learning how to modify the mechanisms to make the puppet move, his father had already passed away in an accident.
So creating a new puppet was completely unrealistic.
"Then that's not something you need to worry about," Hiru said, walking up to the box and starting to open it. "This is the inherited puppet, right?"
"Yes. It's Yoriichi Type Zero."
Hiru's hands paused.
"…What?"
"Yoriichi Type Zero. That's the puppet's name," Kotetsu said, looking up. "It's said to be a combat puppet modeled after a swordsman from the Sengoku period. Yoriichi was apparently that swordsman's name. Come to think of it, the Sun Hashira-sama is also called Yoriichi, right? What a coincidence! I wonder who's stronger, Hashira-sama or this puppet!"
Hiru: …Good thing there's no rule saying people can't share the same name.
But when Hiru took the puppet out of the box and saw its face and clothing. Exactly the same as Yoriichi from back then. Even as he admired the incredible craftsmanship, he couldn't help but fall into silence.
…Why does this puppet have six arms?