Horitake successfully "kidnapped" a junior sister.
He was almost certain that when he brought Junior Sister Yae back to Mount Sagiri, the old geezer would be overjoyed!
Of course, the happiest one would probably be Zenitsu; having a beautiful elder sister to accompany him was probably what Zenitsu had always dreamed of.
This perfectly aligned with Horitake's objective.
As long as he brought Yae to Mount Sagiri, had the old geezer teach her, and had Zenitsu accompany her in training, Horitake wouldn't have to worry about the rest. He would just leave it to Zenitsu.
If, after spending so much time together, Zenitsu still couldn't win over his senior sister, then that kid was too pathetic, and Horitake wouldn't bother with him anymore, nor would he compensate him!
In short, just one phrase: let nature take its course!
The opportunity was given to Zenitsu; it was up to Zenitsu whether he could seize it.
If Zenitsu was truly so pathetic that he was destined to be forever alone, then forget about Horitake helping him, even heaven helping him would be useless!
Thinking this, Horitake happily patted Yae's shoulder and laughed:
"Good! Very good!
From now on, Yae, you are my junior sister!
Come! Senior brother!"
Yae was a bit embarrassed:
"Um... I haven't even met Master yet, and your Master might not necessarily accept me as a disciple."
"Don't worry, don't worry, my influence is strong enough. With my influence, Master will definitely accept you as a disciple.
And your aptitude is good. If you personally ask to be accepted as a disciple, I believe the old geezer will be moved!
This matter is as good as done! You will definitely be my junior sister! Come! Senior brother!"
Yae was helpless, and somewhat shyly called him "Senior brother."
She didn't know why, but that one "Senior brother" made Horitake feel incredibly exhilarated!
Why such exhilaration? Hadn't anyone called him senior brother before? That guy Zenitsu used to call him senior brother.
After thinking carefully, Horitake understood.
It was simply that Zenitsu was so timid that he had no sense of accomplishment when called senior brother, not to mention that the kid later started calling him "big brother."
But Yae was different; Yae clearly seemed like someone who would achieve something in the future.
Moreover, Yae was a spirited girl, and being called senior brother by such a girl truly gave Horitake a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Horitake became even happier, no longer just seeing Yae as a junior sister, but genuinely starting to treat Yae as his own sister.
He asked with concern:
"Junior sister, when do you plan to leave with me?"
Upon this question, Yae couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness again.
After thinking for a moment, she replied:
"There's nothing left for me here. My home is also empty.
I want to go home first, tidy up a bit, then set up a cenotaph for my father. Once that's done, I can follow senior brother to... what's it called, Mount Sagiri, to apprentice."
Horitake listened and agreed deeply.
Because Yae's father had eaten nearly twenty people, although the matter had not yet been exposed, Yae was indeed unsuitable to continue living here.
Before leaving, she definitely needed to properly tidy up her home.
And after Yae's father turned into a demon and was slain by Horitake, he had completely vanished into dust, leaving no trace, so only a cenotaph could be erected for him.
"Oh, right, Senior brother, can I bring Tarou with me?"
Saying this, Yae stroked her dog.
Strictly speaking, the only remaining family Yae had was her hunting dog.
Horitake naturally couldn't deprive Yae of this small glimmer of hope and emotional support. He nodded in agreement:
"Of course, you can bring your dog to Mount Sagiri. My master and junior brother are not dog-hating people, so Tarou can stay on Mount Sagiri.
However... once you become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, once you officially start slaying demons, you won't be able to bring it along.
At that time, your strength will have become very strong, and Tarou will only be a burden to you."
Yae stroked her dog's head, agreeing:
"Understood. Can Tarou stay on Mount Sagiri permanently?"
"It should be fine. Once you join the Demon Slayer Corps, I estimate my junior brother will also be almost ready. At that time, the old geezer will be all alone on Mount Sagiri again, so keeping Tarou to accompany my master is also a good idea."
Yae nodded and stood up:
"Then there's no time to lose; I'll go home and pack now."
Horitake and Shinobu also stood up accordingly:
"So urgent? Junior sister, won't you rest a bit longer?"
"I'm fine. Let's go back now. Once I'm packed, we'll leave immediately. I don't want to stay in this sad place any longer, and I don't want to waste my life anymore."
Since Yae said so, Horitake and Shinobu found it hard to refuse.
And so, the three people and one dog left the inn and arrived at Yae's home.
Yae's home was located on the outskirts of Sukizu, a very ordinary民房 (commoner's house).
Upon arriving at Yae's home, Horitake and Shinobu noticed a row of newly erected graves on the empty land next to their house.
Those should be Yae's family members.
Seeing this scene, Horitake couldn't help but recall the situation he had witnessed at Tanjiro's home that morning.
How similar the situations were? How tragic the encounters?
Demons, these creatures, truly should be eliminated from the world as soon as possible, so that such sorrow and tragedies do not increase!
Thinking this, Horitake and Shinobu accompanied Yae into the house.
Yae tidied up inside and out, making the house clean.
Then, she found some of her father's belongings and erected a new cenotaph next to her family's graves.
The three people and one dog faced the row of graves, offering their respects.
Now, for Yae, truly nothing was left; no attachments remained.
Before leaving, just before locking the door of her home, Yae stood at the entrance, looking at the empty house, and fell into a momentary reverie.
She couldn't help but recall the times when her family had gathered happily.
Gone, all gone, never to return, only she remained.
Looking at the empty home, Yae couldn't hold back anymore and squatted on the ground, sobbing.
Horitake remained silent, only standing beside his junior sister, quietly keeping her company.
Shinobu sighed helplessly, squatted down and hugged Yae, gently comforting her.
After crying for quite some time, Yae finally composed herself.
Standing up, she roughly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, forced a strong smile, and firmly locked the door of her home, bidding farewell to the sorrows of the past.
Yae turned around, tears still on her face, but striving to smile:
"Let's go!"
Horitake sighed and nodded.
Who knew, at this moment, the system's voice appeared in Horitake's mind:
"Ding! Host has recognized Yae as a junior sister. Yae has transformed from a minor supporting character to a major supporting character in the plot, greatly disturbing fate and triggering a negative butterfly effect: Jigoro Kuwajima and Zenitsu Agatsuma's crisis!"
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