78 Chapter 78 The Flute and the Road.
Time slowly passed.
The clear sunlight passed through the gaps in the dense forest, forming beams of light, gently falling on the ground.
"It's over... it's over..."
Yuichiro, like a soulless person, followed everyone behind him, swaying forward.
Muichiro supported him, his face full of worry.
Soon.
Several people came to a clearing in the forest.
There was a small wooden house.
Around the wooden house, there were stumps that had been cut down everywhere, and deep sword marks left on the stumps.
At this moment.
A frail figure was squatting by the stream in front of the wooden house, holding a small wooden basin in his hand, peeling something.
"Nori!"
Tokito Tadaichiro waved at the person, laughing and shouting.
Tokito Nori heard her husband's voice, slowly turned her head, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Seeing her husband and two children return safely, she smiled, slowly stood up, and raised her hand high: "Tadaichiro!!"
"Look!" She held up the wooden basin, showing what was inside, her tone very cheerful:
"I picked this - so many chestnuts today!"
"Good, right!"
Tokito Nori laughed and walked towards the group.
"You can't eat too many at once." Tadaichiro had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, took the wooden basin from his wife's hand, and there were many green furry balls in the basin.
"Mm-hmm." Nori put her hands on her hips, nodded as if it mattered: "I certainly know."
After this period of recuperation, Tokito Nori's body gradually recovered, and even became healthier than before.
As she spoke, she poked her head out from beside her husband in confusion, looking at the three people who had followed him:
"...Who are these three?"
"Guests." Tadaichiro smiled gently, whispered something in his wife's ear:
"Come to see..."
"I see!" Nori showed a look of sudden realization, but then she became confused again: "But hasn't Tsugikuni-san already..."
Tadaichiro didn't speak, he just turned his head and called out:
"Everyone, come on, this is my home."
In front of the wooden house.
Shinjuro and Himejima were standing at the door.
Yuichiro and Muichiro were standing in the corridor near the door, both of them nervously watching the door.
Tanjuro stopped in the open space not far away, he did not go any further.
As he had guessed.
Kokushibo, probably after that encounter with him in the forest, left here directly.
So that's why he left his traces here so blatantly. - To attract the people of the Demon Slayer Corps to come here.
In the transparent world's vision - there was no sight of Kokushibo in the house.
The purpose...
Probably -
Tanjuro's gaze slowly moved, resting on Yuichiro and Muichiro, and Tadaichiro not far away who was knocking chestnuts with a wooden stick.
Creak...
Shinjuro reached out and gently opened the wooden door.
The sunlight poured into the dim room through the crack of the opened door, and the hot breath rushed in instantly.
Bang!
The wooden door was completely opened.
"No one."
His gaze turned around in the room, Shinjuro frowned, and the hand holding the hilt of the sword slowly loosened.
"Namu..." Himejima fiddled with the prayer beads, released the chain, and chanted a Buddha's name in a low voice, his emotions didn't fluctuate much:
"Escaped..."
Yuichiro, who had been paying attention to this side, also suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, he was puzzled in his heart.
- Isn't it daytime now?
He looked towards the direction outside the corridor, where it was full of the warm sunlight of early spring.
- Where could Uncle Six Eyes run off to?
At this time.
At the door of the house.
"You two."
Tokito Nori held two small cloth bags wrapped in wisteria patterns in her hand, and she called out behind Shinjuro and Himejima:
"Are you... friends of Tsugikuni-san?"
Yuichiro pulled Muichiro, and also came to the door.
He heard his mother's words and couldn't help but pause.
Yuichiro's gaze rested on the Nichirin hidden in Himejima's monk's robe.
He thought - there shouldn't be anyone who would bring such a thing to see his friend.
Tokito Nori was looking down, carefully distinguishing the wisteria pattern on the cloth bag in her hand, and there seemed to be a note with a name written on it.
She hesitated for a moment, then raised her head and asked the two:
"Excuse me... which of you is Gohachiro?"
Upon hearing this.
Himejima and Shinjuro looked at each other.
Both of them maintained their silence.
"...It's me." Tanjuro then came from behind Tokito Nori, he called out softly, his earrings swaying slightly as he walked.
Shinjuro glanced at Tanjuro somewhat surprised, opened his mouth as if wanting to say something.
But it got stuck in his throat, and he slowly swallowed it down.
"Ah, this."
Tokito Nori heard, she turned around, handed one of the two small cloth bags with wisteria flower patterns in her hand to Tanjuro:
"This is something Tsugikuni-san entrusted, to be given to Gohachiro-san."
"Please keep it safe."
Tanjuro took the cloth bag, on the paper note attached to the mouth of the bag, it was written "Gohachiro".
When he opened the cloth bag and took out the things inside.
——?
Tanjuro was slightly startled, he slowly unfolded the heavy paper folded several times in his hand.
...
Tokito Nori turned around again.
She beckoned Yuichiro and Muichiro over:
"Yuichiro, Muichiro, over here."
"This is your share."
She handed the remaining other small cloth bag to the two brothers.
"We have one too?"
Yuichiro took the bag, he weighed the bag in his hand.
After doing these things, Tokito Koyuki expectantly straightened up, put her hands together, tilted her head slightly, and looked at her two sons:
"Won't you open it and see?"
"It's what Tsugikuni-san left for you two."
Upon hearing this.
The two brothers looked at each other blankly.
Then together, they slowly untied the string of the cloth bag.
Rustle...
When the cloth bag was spread out,
What was wrapped inside.
——It was a crudely made, but very new wooden flute.
The holes on the flute were crooked, and the rough texture could even scratch the hand.
But it seemed to be made with great care——there were many traces of modifications on it.
"...What is this?"
Yuichiro frowned in confusion, he reached out and picked up the flute, looked at it left and right, not understanding.
When he picked up the flute.
Muichiro suddenly reached out, pointing to the position originally pressed under the flute:
"Brother! There's a note under here!"
He picked up the note, smoothed it with his fingers, the handwriting on it was very old-fashioned.
Yuichiro stared at the content, read it softly:
"Those who exhaust their paths, return to the same place."
After reading, he frowned with a face of indifference:
"Oh..."
——This sentence, he hears the six-eyed old man nagging about it every day.
"Brother, there's more below."
"It says... Demon Slayer Corps... choose for yourself..."
...
At the same time.
Next to the two brothers.
Shinjuro and Himejima, gathered around Tanjuro.
"What is this?" Shinjuro looked at the huge paper held by Tanjuro in confusion:
"A map?"
On the spread out paper, buildings were densely drawn, and even some moving symbols were marked.
Tanjuro didn't speak, his gaze swept over the entire paper, finally stopping on the three black characters at the top center of the paper.
——［Infinite Castle］
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