Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

Chapter 127 Childish Things (2/4 (Combined))

The morning was quiet and peaceful. Even the neighbors next door, who usually get up early to exercise, were unusually quiet today.

Urokodaki Sakonji also got up earlier than usual, lit a bonfire in the house, and personally cooked a hot pot.

The flames flickered, and the rich soup in the pot bubbled and steamed, filling the room with a pleasant aroma.

Makomo changed into a pink kimono with a floral pattern.

The girl had deep green eyes, and at this moment her slender feet were wearing new shoes. She wore a smiling fox mask with her eyes closed, half of which had been removed and the other half was still on her face, revealing half of the girl's delicate face.

Upon arriving at the house, Urokodaki Sakonji had already prepared a table full of steaming hot food.

Makomo took the small bowl and ate with her most respected master Urokodaki. The steaming food touched the girl's delicate eyebrows. She ate in small bites, and several times she wanted to open her mouth to tell her most respected master Urokodaki something to do in the future.

But no matter what he said, he couldn't get the words out.

"Is everything packed?"

Urokodaki Sako spoke in a low voice.

"Have you packed your water bottle, clothes, and everything else? We'll be staying at Fujikasane Mountain for a full seven days."

"Everything is ready."

After finishing the last bite of rice in her small bowl, the girl stood up and looked at Master Urokodaki, who was still sitting there: "Master, I'm leaving."

"Um.

""

"From now on—Master, please take good care of your health."

Mako said in a low voice.

"I will."

Makomo had so much more to say, but in the end she just said, "Then, Master, I'm leaving."

"I'll see you off."

"it is good."

Just like every time a most respected master bids farewell to each of his disciples, he is filled with hope and anticipation.

But each time, the apprentice never returned, and all that remained were the cold, impersonal letters delivered by crows.

At a spot on a blue stone, Urokodaki Sakonji stopped, and Makomo stopped as well, tilting her head to look at her master. Due to the tengu mask covering her, Makomo could not see what her master's expression was like at this moment, and wondered if he was very sad.

But I guess so.

Every time she bids farewell to her disciple, her most respected master Urokodaki, her most beloved old man, would secretly wipe away tears.

In the past, I had my own presence by the side of my most respected master, Urokodaki.

Now there's no one to keep me company.

Fortunately, new residents moved to Sagiri Mountain; otherwise, Master would have been terribly lonely on this mountain all by himself.

"I'm leaving, Master."

Makomo waved to Urokodaki Sakonji, then placed her small hand on her abdomen and bowed respectfully: "I will come back."

Just like her master's other disciples who would make promises to him upon leaving, she, like her senior brothers, sisters, and Sabito, solemnly made a promise to her master.

"You must come back."

Beneath the mask, Urokodaki Sakonji's voice was low and slightly hoarse.

Makomo said nothing more, bowed respectfully, and turned around without hesitation, gracefully embarking on the path to the swordsman assessment at Fujikasane Mountain.

A gentle breeze brushed against the mask and landed on the eyes, blurring the eyelashes with the morning mist.

Like her senior brothers, senior sisters, and Sakoto, she embarked on this path. Will she have the same ending as her senior brothers, senior sisters, and Sakoto?

She didn't know.

Although she was full of confidence in herself, just as many things in this world are beyond her control, many people she cherished and treasured left one by one.

Compared to Makomo, Su Mu, along with Kanao and Tanjiro, would undoubtedly leave much later, as Kamado Aoi had packed all their luggage very well.

Nidouzi actually wanted to join in too, but Su Mu stopped her.

Like many people who travel far away, family members would give them repeated instructions. Kamado Hime was no exception. However, facing the expressionless Su Mu, there were many things she dared not say.

"I'm gone."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

He waved to the family who were standing by the stove to see him off.

"May your military career prosper."

With her small hands on her abdomen, Zaomen Kuizhi bowed deeply to Su Mu.

Mizuko, Hanako, Takeo, and Shigeru all performed almost the same actions as their mother.

Time passed slowly.

When the separation first began, Mizuko didn't really have any special feelings. She just suddenly felt that the surroundings were much quieter. Her brother wasn't by her side, and neither was her teacher nor the expressionless Kanao. Other than that, she didn't really have any special feelings.

Just like a normal life.

But on the second day, she suddenly felt very bored. With no one supervising her, she could lie comfortably in the rocking chair and sunbathe, or lean against the window and look outside.

but----

Very bored.

--------

Suddenly I really want to see my brother, my teacher, and even that annoying Kanao.

Suddenly—

I really, really want to see this feeling. At first, it was just like a very calm lake.

But when a stone falls, ripples appear in the calm heart.

But it's impossible to see my brother, my teacher, or that annoying Kanao again; they've all left and gone far away.

A person, somewhat bored, walks through the misty mountains, watching the fog rising from the jungle.

After a difficult climb to the summit, shrouded in mist, the view from the top was breathtaking, yet Midouzi failed to appreciate its beauty.

She gazed into the distance through the mountaintop, longing to see familiar figures.

But the person didn't return, so how could we see familiar figures?

As a result, I became very depressed.

The girl hung her head in dejection, picked up a small stone from the ground, and threw it down the mountain. When she threw the tenth stone, Midouzi tilted her head and looked to the side.

On a rock not far away, an old man wearing a celestial dog mask sat alone.

Mizuko understood that the old man was probably waiting for his apprentice named Makomo. She also knew that the old man had taught many apprentices before and had personally seen them off to participate in the swordsman assessment at Fujisakuyama, but none of them had returned.

Suddenly, I felt sorry for this old woman. If her brother, her teacher, and even that annoying Kanao were not to return, she probably wouldn't be able to bear it.

But this old man, again and again, saw off and parted ways.

He has now seen off his last apprentice.

Now, he's practically all alone.

He really is a very lonely old man.

The girl tilted her head and looked at the old man. Finally, her gaze fell on a crow on the old man's shoulder. To be precise, it was a crow. This crow, like the old man Urokodaki Sakonji, had entered old age, and the feathers on its wings looked incredibly old.

Seemingly sensing the person's gaze, the crow also tilted its head and looked at her.

Suddenly, a very urgent idea sprouted in Mizuko's mind.

So, Midouzi straightened her clothes a little and stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Urokodaki-senpai."

Urokodaki Sakonji turned around and looked at Mizuko with a puzzled expression.

"Nenezuko, may I borrow your crow to write letters to my brother, to my teacher, and to Kanao?"

"write a letter?"

Beneath the tengu mask, Urokodaki Sakonji frowned slightly: "Is there important information? Or has something significant happened that requires contact?"

Crows are very important communication tools. If there is something really important, he can certainly ask his crows to help deliver a message.

Nezuko hadn't really decided what to write, but she suddenly really wanted to know about her brother, her teacher, and even Kanao.

"If the information is unimportant, there is no need to convey it."

Urokodaki Sakonji calmly said, "Crows are very important partners; they should only be used to deliver important information."

The crow on the old man seemed to understand. Although it was very old, it was still elegantly preening its aged wings with its beak, with a hint of arrogance.

"What constitutes important information?"

Ni Douzi tilted his head and asked.

After thinking for a moment, Urokodaki Sakonji explained, "It depends on the importance of the information."

Nezuko didn't know what kind of information would be considered important enough for Urokodaki Sakonji to convey.

So Ni Douzi decided to write first.

They hurriedly walked down the mountain.

Watching the hurried figure disappear into the distance, Urokodaki Sakonji shook his head and continued to sit on the bluestone, gazing into the distance in solitude.

Not long after, Mi Douzi arrived, panting. A fine layer of sweat glistened on the girl's delicate face, and her long eyelashes were covered with dewdrops.

The girl carefully handed the letter she had just written to Urokodaki Sakonji.

Urokodaki Sakonji opened the letter and glanced at it.

"Dear sir, brother, Kanao, hello."

"Today is the second day since I parted from my husband. Everything is fine at home. Mom knitted another sweater for you all today. My adorable little Bean has mastered the art of making red bean porridge and can now cook it very well. You will definitely love it when you come back."

"The weather is great today. There's a thick fog over Xiawu Mountain. My mom and I discussed clearing a small plot of land nearby, and Mi Douzi was going to plant red beans on it. But Mom was going to—"

Urokodaki Sakonji put down the letter and shook his head: "This letter isn't very important; there's no need to deliver it."

Midouzi paused, puzzled, then looked up at the crow leisurely perched on the old man's shoulder, and pointed at it: "Isn't it just free? It can deliver a message, can't it?"

"No, this information is useless."

The rejection was almost without hesitation.

"Is it useless?"

Midouzi couldn't understand it at all. This was clearly very important information, at least to Midouzi.

"Then—what kind of information is important?"

Ni Douzi was a little angry.

"Death, life and death, and a vital enemy —"

The explanation of "隷泷左近次".

"Is it really that important?"

Mizuko clenched her fists and looked at the old man: "Could it be—could it be that this is all the information the crow was conveying to you?"

The old man paused, taken aback.

An unusual silence fell.

The news brought by the crows is basically the same each time; in recent years, all they have brought back are messages about death.

"I think these things are equally important. If we convey this, my husband and brother will know that everything is fine at home, and that Mi Douzi is doing well. My brother will also feel at ease. If my husband knew that Mi Douzi had made red bean porridge, he would definitely be looking forward to it."

'

Midouzi bit her lip, feeling unwilling and unwilling to give up.

"Didn't Senior Urokodaki ever write a letter like this to your disciple?"

Beneath the tengu mask, Urokodaki Sakonji fell silent once more.

He had never written such a worthless letter before; it was completely devoid of any value or intelligence.

How could crows be used to write such worthless letters?

Looking at the silent old man, Midouzi felt a little disappointed and reluctantly put the letter away. However, the old man was adamant, so she had no choice but to leave, feeling somewhat dejected.

"Wait a minute."

After a long while, seeing the dejected figure, Urokodaki Sakonji finally spoke again.

The initially disappointed Nidouzi turned her head with a hint of surprise.

"This will not be repeated."

The old man spoke very seriously.

"it is good."

Mizuko immediately agreed and handed over the letter. Urokodaki Sakonji personally placed the letter into the metal letterbox made of a special material for delivering crow's legs.

As she released the crow and watched the old crow flap its wings and fly away, Mizuko turned to the old man and asked, "Have you ever thought about writing a letter to Makomo-neechan?"

The old man remained silent. "If we wait for the crow to return, I'll also help Urokodaki-senpai write some things. Does Urokodaki-senpai have anything to say to Makomo-neechan?"

The old man tilted his head back and remained silent. Due to the obscuring effect of the Tengu mask, Mizuko could not see the old man's expression. However, she had a vague feeling that the old man had probably never done such a thing before.

Mizuko didn't look at Urokodaki Sakonji anymore. She just stood on the mountaintop with her hands in front of her chest and said, "Master will have good luck in martial arts, my brother will too, and that annoying Kanao will too. Everyone will be fine, and Makomo-neechan will too."

After finishing, Nezuko turned around and looked at the old man: "Rin-taki-senpai, would you like to pray together as well?"

"That's childish."

Urokodaki Sakonji shook his head.

"Is it childish?"

Midouzi muttered with his head down, not thinking that way at all.

The crow returned quickly. Mizuko, who looked forward to sending the crow back every day, arrived at the place where Urokodaki lived as soon as she saw the crow flapping its wings and landing.

Just then, Urokodaki Sakonji took the letter off his crow's leg. When he saw Nezuko coming over, Urokodaki Sakonji also handed the letter to Nezuko.

The girl opened it with some impatience.

"Dear little sister, hello Nezuko."

"I am on my way to Fujikasayama and everything is fine, so don't worry about me."

"On the way today, we met Miss Makomo. She was furious that we were going to Fujikasane Mountain. She tried to persuade the adults several times, but they ignored her. Miss Makomo repeatedly blocked our way, and I even fought with her. I'm sorry, I lost; Miss Makomo is very strong. But the adults were determined. After her repeated attempts to persuade us failed, Miss Makomo chose to come with us. When the messenger arrived, Miss Makomo was very excited, thinking it was a letter from her beloved Master Urokodaki. Haha, when she saw it was a letter from her dearest little sister, Nezuko, Miss Makomo's expression must have been priceless. Unfortunately, she was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see it. Nezuko, you were really great! You avenged me when I was beaten up. It was so satisfying!"

"However, Nezuko, if you need to write a letter next time, you could ask Urokodaki-senpai to write one too. It's clear that Makomo—"

The young lady is really looking forward to it.

Mizuko happily handed the letter to Urokodaki Sakonji and let him read it. After reading it, the old man seemed a little angry. He even went into the house and picked up paper and pen, but in the end, he stopped.

I've never written such childish letters before.

"I'll write it for Urokodaki-senpai. Tell Makomo-san that her most respected master Urokodaki misses her very much."

"boring."

Urokodaki Sakonji looked up at the window.

Mi Douzi stepped forward with a smile and began writing the second letter.

As the crows wearily flapped their wings and flew away, Urokodaki Sakonji stood by the window and suddenly realized that he had done something very childish and foolish.

"Really—it's so childish."

As Urokodaki Sakonji watched the old crow's departing figure, the voice emanating from beneath his tengu mask was much more relaxed than usual.