It was like a total stranger showing up at your doorstep and telling you that aliens were about to attack, asking you to flee with them for shelter, all while subtly gesturing at the gun at their waist.
Wouldn't you think that was a threat?
How could someone who has never seen a ghost possibly believe that ghosts exist?
Yet, as she looked at the person before her—so refined and serious in expression—Kamado Kie couldn't detect the slightest hint of deception. Deep in her heart, she even felt a faint sense of agreement.
Nezuko felt the same.
Logically, she knew that the person in front of them was highly likely to be a fraud—no matter how good-looking and gentle she appeared.
But emotionally, she couldn't help but feel that someone who wore such an expression could not possibly be a bad person.
She truly seemed to be worried about them.
Seeing their hesitant expressions, Yuko knew she could understand their doubts.
She took two steps back.
"Please wait a moment."
Slowly, Yuko drew the Nichirin Blade from her waist. Her movements were unhurried, keeping a safe distance and giving them time to react.
Even so, Kamado Kie instinctively stepped in front of the children to shield them.
"There's no need to be nervous," Yuko said, focusing her attention on the blade in her hands.
"Madam, please look."
As her voice fell, a faint orange-red breath escaped her lips. In an instant, the blade in her hand turned into a crimson-red sword, glowing as if it were a burning fire poker.
"Wow—!"
The two children, who had seen very little of the world, stared in wide-eyed awe and gasped aloud.
Kamado Kie hesitated as if she wanted to say something, but then Yuko suddenly began to perform sword forms in the snow.
Gradually, astonishment filled Kamado Kie's eyes.
This is…
"It's Father's Kagura Dance!" Nezuko exclaimed in shock.
The orange-red flames accompanying the crimson blade shone dazzlingly. The scorching heat melted the snow beneath Yuko's feet, and even those standing several meters away could feel the warmth.
As the eldest daughter of the Kamado family, Nezuko could remember the days when her father had not yet grown too weak to move.
She had once witnessed him performing the ritual dance to worship the Fire God on a snowy night—the dance passed down in their family for generations.
Yuko endured the strain as she completed the full set of the Sun Breathing forms. The snow around her body evaporated into white mist under the intense heat, slowly rising into the air.
With a casual flick of her wrist, she cut through the cloud of steam surrounding her and stepped out from it. Wisps of pale vapor drifted around her as she slowly sheathed her Nichirin Blade.
"So cool!!!"
The two children's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Though Nezuko didn't speak, the astonishment in her wide eyes was unmistakable.
Yuko's lips were slightly pale, yet she smiled gently at them.
Kamado Kie spoke in shock, "You… who are you, exactly?"
Yuko smiled faintly, a trace of nostalgia in her expression.
"My family and the Kamado family… we share a bit of history."
"To earn your trust, this was the only way."
The Kagura Dance was a tradition passed down through the Kamado family for generations, and its difficulty was plain to see. Without years of continuous practice, it would be impossible to master.
The moment Yuko performed the dance, Kamado Kie had already believed her.
With a slight frown, Kamado Kie hesitated before asking, "Then… the demons you mentioned—are they real?"
Yuko replied, "Yes. Demons have always existed. What you call the Kagura Dance—the ritual dance I just demonstrated—is actually a sword technique meant specifically for killing demons."
Hundreds of years had passed since the Warring States era. For a single family to pass down such a complete and intricate sword form purely through hands-on teaching, generation after generation, was truly no small feat—one could even call it a miracle.
"A… sword technique for killing demons…" Kamado Kie murmured softly. She had never imagined that the Kagura Dance handed down in her family had such an origin.
But the strange phenomena that accompanied Yuko's swordsmanship were impossible to ignore.
Yuko continued, "I have a residence in the town at the foot of the mountain. Madam, you and the children can take shelter there first. Once the demon has been dealt with, you can return."
By now, Kamado Kie fully believed Yuko. She nodded.
"Please wait a moment."
She turned to Nezuko.
"Nezuko, take Hanako and Shigeru and pack the essentials. I'll go find Takeo and bring him back."
Takeo—the second son of the Kamado family.
Though Yuko hadn't interacted with Tanjirō's family over the past two years, she had secretly kept an eye on them.
Takeo looked extremely similar to Tanjirō.
This entire family's looks were almost on par with the Rengoku family next door.
Tanjiro's appearance was nearly identical to that of his ancestor, Sumiyoshi.
Nezuko nodded quickly.
"I understand."
Kamado Kie gave Yuko a small bow.
"Please wait a moment, miss. My son went out to chop firewood. I'll bring him back right away."
Yuko smiled and nodded.
Kamado Kie then headed out toward the forest.
She wasn't worried that Yuko would harm the children, because the swordsmanship she had just displayed had already surpassed their comprehension.
Compared to the Kagura Dance that Tanjuro had once performed, aside from some similarities in movement, the two were almost completely different.
This was a far more powerful sword art—not a ritual dance.
After Kamado Kie left, Nezuko led her younger siblings back inside to pack their clothes.
Watching her busy figure moving about with a younger sibling on her back, Yuko spoke up,
"If you don't mind, you can leave the children with me."
Nezuko froze for a moment. After a long pause, she hesitantly stepped forward and gently handed the sleeping child on her back into Yuko's arms.
In a soft voice, she said, "His name is Rokuta."
Yuko held the child with practiced ease and smiled as she nodded.
Nezuko smiled as well.
Just as she thought—this person was truly very gentle.
Reassured, she returned indoors to continue packing.
Come to think of it, she herself had learned how to hold children properly while staying with the Kamado family.
Yuko let out a soft chuckle. It seemed she was always helping the Kamado family take care of their children.
At least this time, she wouldn't embarrass herself by drooling.
Holding Rokuta gently, Yuko turned her gaze toward Nezuko as she hurried back and forth.
She was very different from the Nezuko in her memories.
Still just as cute—but far gentler.
Perhaps it was because, as a demon, Nezuko couldn't speak.
Yuko suddenly fell silent, her eyelids lowering. She turned her gaze away, toward the distant snow-covered forest.
Truthfully, she didn't know whether what she was doing was right.
If Nezuko never became a demon, that meant the loss of a crucial source of strength—a missing piece of the story itself.
Many of the trials that Tanjiro overcame in the original tale had been faced together with his sister… and even with the spirits of his deceased family.
Was this kind of change really right?
From a broader perspective, was this kind of kindness truly the correct choice?
Was it right for the sake of one person to risk the lives of many others?
She didn't want to think about any of this.
But the more she tried not to, the more these thoughts rushed unbidden into the depths of her mind.
---
Currently at chapter 327 for advance chapters
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