Yubashiri, named for its entirely white appearance.
In the past, it was a trophy seized by Zeno from a Swordsman.
Roy lifted the sword in his hand, weighing it slightly. It was a bit light. Then he slashed forward at an angle, drawing an arc in the air.
The effect was immediate—his panel popped up to notify him, "Constitution +0.05"....
As expected, he had misunderstood the direction, overlooking the essence of "Sun Breathing"—
It is a Breathing Technique tailor-made for Swordsmen... This was evident from the new skill bar unlocked on the panel.
[Congratulations to the host for unlocking "Swordsmanship"]
[Current "Swordsmanship" level: Level 1 (1/100)]
'Hnmm... Is this an expected surprise or an unexpected one?'
Roy sheathed the sword.
At the same time, with a "screech", the dining table split into two halves with him at the axis.
Fortunately, Wutong's quick reflexes caught it in time, preventing the food from scattering all over the floor.
"Young master, this sword is very sharp. It's best not to wield it in the bedroom," Wutong advised.
Roy nodded in agreement; indeed, it was a fine sword. It's just a pity it's a bit light, and he's unsure whether he can use Reverse Conjuration to take it to the world of Demon Slayer.
'Why not... try it tonight.'
Saying it, he did it. At ten o'clock, as the clock struck, Roy took a bath, changed into pajamas, and lay on the bed with Yubashiri in his arms.
After a day of "electric shocks," "poison training," and practicing "Sun Breathing", his body was extremely exhausted... Therefore, this time, he fell asleep quite smoothly.
Soon, he saw that familiar passage again.
But this time, before passing through, Roy deliberately checked his right hand.
Unfortunately, his right hand was empty, with no sign of Yubashiri... Roy couldn't help but laugh at himself, realizing he had overthought.
According to the setup in the original story, Nen users of the Conjuration type often have a tendency to overthink things, leading to some eccentricities.
Such as "Shalnark," "Kalluto," or like Kate, who was gender-swapped after being killed by Nephelpito and his slot machine Nen ability—"Mad Clown."
Now without Yubashiri by his side, Roy felt carefree, striding into the passage, drifting towards the sea of subconsciousness... As for the sword.
Demon Slayer has the Swordsmith Village, where he could find a Swordsmith to forge one. At worst... he could temporarily use the Black Nichirin Sword left inside the Zero-Type Puppet by Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Having made up his mind, Roy soon came upon that door adorned with the Ghost Head Pendant, pushing it open without hesitation.
The familiar feeling of falling overwhelmed him again...
When Roy opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the familiar small wooden house, just as expected.
Beside him, Takeo and Mao were sleeping soundly.
Little children sleep restlessly, moving from one end at night to the other by morning, sticking feet into each other's mouths or arms into one another's chests. The covers scattered on the floor, unbeknownst to them.
Seeing this, Roy got up to tuck them in, which woke up Tanjiro.
"Nii-san..." Tanjiro stared at him with bright eyes and said, "Can you take me up the mountain today?"
'Can I say no?' Roy thought the child probably didn't sleep well all night.
Understandably so; suddenly witnessing scenes beyond one's understanding is unsettling even for him.
Roy merely gave Tanjiro a look: "Are you still not getting up? Waiting for me to put on your shoes for you."
"Sorry... sorry...." Tanjiro scrambled out of bed, as excited as a hen that just laid an egg, clucking around Roy.
Roy ignored him, opened the door, and walked out into the white snow of the Snow Country, seeing his mother Kie Kamado coming out of the kitchen, lifting the curtain.
Kie Kamado, with her head covered and a scarf tied, held a wrapped package in her arms, stuffing a few steaming buns into Roy's arms.
"Eat these on the way. Don't wait for them to get cold before remembering."
Moreover...
"Tanjiro, why are you carrying a basket?!"
"I want to go up the mountain with my brother."
"You may not go."
"But I will."
"Aren't you going to stop him?"
"If he wants to go, let him go with Eiichiro Oda," Tanjuro appeared at the corridor at some unknown time.
"You.... "
Kie Kamado, glancing at Tanjuro and then at the stubborn as a mule Tanjiro, helplessly turned to Roy, reaching out to tighten the scarf around Roy's neck, reminding him, "Take care of your brother, and come back before dark."
Just then, Grandma came out holding Hua Zi... Tanjiro opened his mouth as if to say, "I can protect myself, and I can protect big brother, too."
But then he thought of Roy's ghostly figure through the woods and the tree that was easily pierced through.
He sensibly closed his mouth, merely sneaking glances at Roy.
Roy ignored his gaze, looking at mother Kie Kamado, father Tanjuro, Grandma, and Hua Zi in turn, smiling warmly, "Wait for me to come back."
With that, he picked up a hoe, slung the basket over his shoulder, and turned towards the dense forest.
"Nii-san, wait for me." Tanjiro clumsily chased from behind.
Kie Kamado, Tanjuro, and Grandma watched them go....
The familiar small cottage grew farther and farther away, but the warmth lingered in the heart for a long time, something Roy had never felt at the Zoldyck Family.
He enjoyed it, cherished it, even grew attached. For the first time, he felt... staying in this world might not be so bad after all.
"Phew~ phew~" Tanjiro quickened his pace and caught up at last.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Roy knew what he wanted to ask, so he preemptively said, "Tanjiro, do you believe that aside from the world we tread upon, there are other worlds out there?"
"Really? Big brother?" Tanjiro was astonished.
Roy led him through the snowy landscape, leaving two trails of footprints in the forest....
Saying slowly, "I once had a dream, and in the dream, I arrived in another world...."
"In that world, I had a new family, new parents, new siblings..."
"Our family lived by killing..."
"Since childhood, I was raised as an assassin.... "
"One day, I woke to find I had mastered many murderous techniques without a teacher.... "
"Only then did I realize the dream I had was so real..."
"..." Tanjiro's mouth hung open, snow falling from a birch tree onto his head, blown by the wind.
Slowly, the child reacted dumbly, exclaiming, "That's amazing... It's just like how Grandpa Saburo says there are demons in this world too."
"No, that's real." Roy suddenly stopped.
Tanjiro, unable to brake in time, stumbled into Roy's back.
The young boy winced, rubbing his head, his nostrils twitching as his expression changed drastically!
"Blood... Nii-san, there is a strong scent of blood ahead!"
"I see it."
Roy set down the basket and stood still before Tanjiro, leaning on the hoe, his narrow eyes narrowing.