Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

On the Demon Slayer Corps' side, Ubuyashiki gave Kyojuro enough time for Ikuko to break through the limits of her Demon Slayer Mark.

This stay lasted for more than a week, with the three little ones and Kanao, and every day Ikuko beat them up.

As a Pillar, Kyojuro had reached the pinnacle of human potential in both fighting spirit and physical training, and after several attempts, he successfully activated his Mark under Ikuko's high pressure.

After activating his Demon Slayer Mark, Kyojuro decisively abandoned Tanjiro and the others, and quickly went out to do a mission.

After all, as a Pillar, spending more than a week doing nothing in the Demon Slayer Corps is already enough trouble for the Master. During his rest time, the others must have shared the work for him.

After the leader left, only Tanjiro and the others remained, trembling under Ikuko's training.

When they were with Kyojuro, life was tough, but at least they had a tall guy to keep them going. Now that Kyojuro is gone, they've lost their backbone and all they do is get beaten up all the time.

Ironically, they themselves requested to have the markings activated, so they had to suffer the consequences even if they didn't want to.

Two more weeks have passed.

During these two weeks, under Yuko's extreme pressure, even Inosuke, the simpleton, became numb and completely unable to be active. Zenitsu, on the other hand, would fall asleep after only a short time of training.

I heard that sometimes when people dream at night, they can hear them talking in their sleep, saying "Miss Yuko, no!"

Yuko was speechless when she learned this from the Butterfly Mansion trio; anyone who didn't know better would think she had done something drastic.

Kanao was the only one who was incredibly resilient. No matter how tired or painful she was, or how swollen her ankle was, she would just silently endure it.

Kanao's reactions occasionally give Inosuke and Tanjiro a pep talk.

Even the girls are working so hard, how can they say it's not possible?

A month after the training began, the group finally succeeded in unlocking their markings.

"Oh! So this is the stripe?!"

Inosuke, covered in dust and dirt, looked at himself in the mirror with great excitement, scrutinizing the lines on his face from left to right.

"Finally, I succeeded..." Tanjiro glanced at the mirror from behind Inosuke, then collapsed to the ground behind him, looking exhausted.

Kanao didn't say anything, but silently returned to her sister's side and sat down.

"Well done," Butterfly praised with a suppressed smile, reaching out to stroke her head.

Kanao lowered her head slightly to make it easier for her older sister to stroke her.

"Eh~" Zenitsu cried out in surprise, clutching his head in his hands, "Why am I the only one who didn't get it?!"

Yuko glanced at her indifferently: "Didn't you come here to sleep?"

"...That's too much, Ms. Yuuko! This is an insult to my character!" Zenitsu instantly went berserk. "Take that back!"

"Hmm?" Yu Zi's face turned cold.

Zenitsu shuddered, his anger instantly extinguished, and he stammered, "N-nothing..."

Yu Zi's lips twitched. This guy is really something else.

No one paid any attention to Zenitsu's complaints, because this guy... had already activated his Demon Slayer Mark.

Even the time it took to activate the markings was the fastest among the group.

However, this thing suddenly started while sleepwalking.

On its way to attack Yuko, its speed suddenly increased, almost catching Yuko off guard.

They haven't been able to make the marks stay on their faces permanently, which is why Zenitsu didn't notice.

In reality, his body was completely different from what it was a month ago, as were the others'. It's just that they hadn't noticed it yet because she had been beating them up every day for the past month.

They'll understand just how strong they really are once they go on their mission.

If a month ago, the group could only be considered the weakest level, barely able to kill a Lower Moon, now that they are facing the Lower Moon again, they can easily kill it.

"Ah! It's gone!!!"

Inosuke is yelling again.

"Tanjiro! My Demon Slayer Mark has disappeared!"

"Calm down, Inosuke. Didn't Miss Yuuko say that with our strength, we can't make the mark stay indefinitely?"

These guys are really making a ruckus, can't they just be quiet?

Yuko looked at them helplessly.

"Isn't it interesting?" Shinobu's voice rang in her ears.

"It's very noisy," Yuko sighed.

"Do you hate it?"

"..."

"Yuko is really not being honest." A snicker came from behind.

Yu Zi opened her mouth, but instead of arguing with her, she asked, "Has there been any result regarding the matter I asked you to do before?"

"It's right where Yuuko mentioned." Shinobu Kocho pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. "This is the current name of the place."

Yu Zi took it and nodded slightly: "Okay, then I'll leave for a bit."

……

The day after everyone mastered the Demon Slayer Marks, the Demon Slayer Corps received a series of missions.

"Why is this my business?! I haven't even learned it yet!" Zenitsu wailed and complained as he set off.

Yuko parted ways with them and left the Demon Slayer Corps.

During the training of everyone, she asked Shinobu Kocho to inquire about the Shinto-ryu martial arts school from back then, and learned that the girl... no, now I should say the old woman, was still there.

She had to keep her promise and go deliver the message.

……

Arriving in the city she had once visited, decades had changed everything. Yuko followed the address on the note to find it.

Upon arriving at the address, Yuko looked up.

Shinto-ryu Dojo

A huge archway hangs at the entrance.

Inside the courtyard, a middle-aged woman dressed in a nun's robe, who was sweeping the floor, stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yu Zi nodded slightly: "I'm looking for Ms. Yang Mei."

Yangmei is the name of that girl from back then; she obtained the information from the Demon Slayer Corps.

The middle-aged woman was taken aback: "Looking for your mother-in-law?"

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"...Do you know about the Demon Slayer Corps?"

The middle-aged woman's expression changed slightly, clearly indicating that she had heard something.

"Please come in."

She led Yuko to the back of the martial arts school, and along the way, many young people dressed as disciples greeted her.

That little girl really helped keep the martial arts school going.

The woman settled her in a room in the backyard, poured her some tea, and then hurried off to find someone.

A short while later, she helped an elderly man, who looked to be about seventy or eighty years old, into the room.

Yu Zi looked up and saw that the old man was also sizing her up. Then, his body trembled slightly, and he broke free from the woman's hand and walked towards Yu Zi.

"You...you are..."

There was no mistake. Although Yu Zi hadn't revealed her true face at that time, she would never forget those peculiar eyes.

"Grandma!" The middle-aged woman quickly stepped forward to help her up.

Yu Zi nodded slightly: "I have fulfilled the promise I made to you decades ago."

The old man froze, trembling, and stood still. After a while, a stream of murky tears welled up in his eyes.

"is it?"

"Thanks……"