Until a light appeared in the distant gloom, someone who had been sitting on the eaves all night finally shook off the snow on his head and stood up, dusting the white snow from his body.
He hasn't returned yet... Yoizumi thought, having stared at the main gate all night without any movement.
He landed on the ground from the rooftop and bumped into Tanjirou, who was out for his morning exercise. Seeing his brother covered in white snow, Tanjirou didn't even have time to be surprised before he raised his hands and circled his brother, sweeping the snow from Yoizumi's body.
"Yoizumi-nii, did you accidentally fall into a snowdrift?"
"No," Yoizumi shook his head.
"Oh, I see. You're up very early today."
Tanjirou had thought Yoizumi-nii would sleep for a few more days after his battle, so he was surprised he woke up so quickly.
"Then, Yoizumi-nii, come run with me."
"Okay," Yoizumi, of course, wouldn't refuse a request from his family.
"That's great!"
Now Yoizumi-nii had overcome the sun and could move during the day.
Previously, Yoizumi could only stay cooped up indoors during the day, unable to go out. The night was very short, and Tanjirou didn't want to deprive his brother of his only time to move freely, so he rarely disturbed Yoizumi at night.
He could exercise with Yoizumi-nii!
"Let's have a race. How about we see who can run back to the Butterfly Mansion from the mountaintop first?" Tanjirou said excitedly, his crimson eyes sparkling with tiny glints of light, bright and clear.
Seeing Tanjirou's childlike demeanor, Yoizumi chuckled and agreed, "Okay."
"Three, two, one! Go!"
The two ran out of the Butterfly Mansion together. The cool air, mixed with chill, turned every breath exhaled into white mist.
Yoizumi looked around at the surroundings. Since becoming a demon, it was the first time he had truly and clearly seen the morning, beyond his memories.
How wonderful... Winter was almost over, and spring would soon arrive.
Yoizumi could see the hidden vitality beneath the white snow covering the ground, and the bare tree trunks would always sprout new branches and leaves.
Rivers breaking through ice, new shoots breaking through soil.
These were all the sights Yoizumi encountered.
"I lost..."
"Hmph..." Leaning against the Butterfly Mansion's doorway, Tanjirou panted, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at Yoizumi beside him, whose breathing was steady and whose face showed no sweat at all, sighing.
"Yoizumi-nii... is... amazing."
"Tanjirou," Yoizumi suddenly called his name out of the blue. Tanjirou instinctively responded, "Hm? What is it?"
He hadn't noticed before, but Yoizumi now realized that the mark on Tanjirou's forehead seemed larger than before, somewhat resembling the patterns that had suddenly appeared on Muichiro's face at the time.
"The mark on your forehead, has it changed?"
"Yes, it seems to have changed during the battle."
Tanjirou raised a hand to cover his left forehead. Why it happened, he himself wasn't quite sure.
Yoizumi recalled Muichiro's weak state at the time; even with his healing, he didn't improve. His calm expression gradually gave way to worry.
"Is there anything unusual with your body?"
"Hmm..." Tanjirou thought for a moment, recalling the situation at the time, then pointed to his chest, "At that time, my heart was beating very fast, as if I was about to die, and then my body was very hot, like... like... melting!"
Faced with such an abstract description, Yoizumi nodded. Now he could basically confirm that Tanjirou and Muichiro had experienced the same change.
It seemed to overdraw the body's strength, leading to a state of weakness afterward.
"So, what was Tanjirou's body like after the battle?"
"My hands and feet had no strength, as if all my energy had suddenly been drained. After Yoizumi-nii treated me, I got a little better," Tanjirou tried to recall the scene at the time. That feeling of powerlessness felt even stronger than the side effects he used to experience after using Hinokami Kagura.
He got better... Is it because Muichiro and Tanjirou have different physiques?
"Is there anything strange?" Tanjirou asked.
"It's nothing."
It was too early to draw conclusions about uncertain matters.
"Let's go back first."
"Mm, I'm hungry too."
Tanjirou followed behind Yoizumi, and the two returned to the Butterfly Mansion together.
After breakfast, Yoizumi went to Shinobu's room again and walked to the glass fish tank to sprinkle food for the goldfish inside.
He half-knelt in front of the fish tank, looking at the pair of goldfish inside. He had heard Shinobu mention before that the goldfish's name was... "fugu."
His flat tone was particularly noticeable in the quiet room.
As if hearing their name, the two goldfish swam in unison to Yoizumi, their tails wagging happily as if they had no worries.
Books say fish only have a seven-second memory; it seems fugu aren't like the fish in books.
His fingertip slid across the glass, and wherever his fingertip stopped, the goldfish followed.
"I think I know why Shinobu liked you two."
Upon hearing that familiar name, the goldfish actually turned in a circle. Yoizumi's eyes widened in surprise, then he seemed to understand something.
"Are you missing Shinobu?"
The glass fish tank vaguely reflected Yoizumi's face, his downcast eyes and pursed lips making his emotions unreadable. After a long time, Yoizumi's calm voice sounded again, but unlike before, this time it contained longing... "Me too..."
"Go see her," again proving Yoizumi was a man of action.
Having made up his mind, Yoizumi was ready to put it into practice.
Tanjirou seemed to have gone out to train again. Unable to find Tanjirou, Yoizumi instead found Kanzaki Aoi.
"I need to go out for a bit. Please tell Tanjirou for me."
"Okay, I understand. I'll tell Tanjirou..."
Kanzaki Aoi suddenly realized something was wrong.
Huh?
Kanzaki Aoi looked at Yoizumi uncertainly, then at the sky outside.
Isn't it daytime?
Mr. Yoizumi is going out; doesn't he need Tanjirou to escort him?
After Yoizumi finished speaking, he walked directly into the sunlight in front of Kanzaki Aoi. She hadn't even had time to stop Mr. Yoizumi's suicidal behavior when, the next second, she saw Yoizumi quickly leave the Butterfly Mansion as if nothing had happened.
???
No... Is this right?
Kanzaki Aoi even suspected she was dreaming. Mr. Yoizumi, a demon, walked in the sunlight completely unharmed?
It was truly unbelievable... Had she been hallucinating?
Kanzaki Aoi rubbed her eyes, looking at the empty courtyard.
Had Mr. Yoizumi really been here just now?
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