Chapter 1: Kamado Tanjuro

The surroundings are pitch black.

"Tanjiro, remember to breathe."

In the dark and dull mind, the deep voice echoed layer upon layer.

"Breathe...!"

Kamado Tanjiro suddenly woke up from suffocation.

"Cough! Cough cough cough!!"

He took a deep breath forcefully, but was choked by the snow that deeply buried his head.

His entire face turned purple due to long-term suffocation and being buried in the cold snow.

His head is congested!

.....That's right!

.....Father, father is still at home!

With his father's voice echoing in his mind, Tanjiro looked panicked, he hurriedly pulled his head out of the snow with force:

"Father!"

The white snow fell from the top of his head, and Tanjiro, who had just awakened, suddenly raised his head and looked towards his house.

The smell of blood in the air that made people's scalp numb still existed, and it was even getting stronger.

Tanjiro's eyes trembled slightly, and the pervasive smell in the air made him feel very uncomfortable.

"Ha... ha..."

He breathed heavily, and the exhaled gas formed white mist in the cold environment.

The cold air stung his lungs.

The wind and snow were blowing chaotically, and the bone-chilling cold almost froze Tanjiro's limbs that had fallen into the snow due to the fall.

In front of him.

Creak...

The sound of the sole stepping on the snow.

A familiar frail figure is standing at the door of the house, standing sideways to Tanjiro, blocking Tanjiro.

He is wearing a checkered haori of yellow and black.

His deep red hair is unusually tied up in a high ponytail.

The sun-patterned earring on his ear is swaying slightly because of the snow mixed with the cold wind.

He is holding a katana in his hand that he has never seen before.

That is the silhouette of Kamado Tanjiro's father - Kamado Tanjuro.

Tanjiro's slightly trembling eyes reflected the two figures in front of him, he was a little dazed.

After a year of sleep, has his father finally woken up?

At this moment.

Tanjuro is holding that black katana in his hand, the tip of the sword is drooping, and the sharp cold light is facing forward.

Standing against his father is a man in a black suit and a white top hat, whom Tanjiro has never seen before.

The nauseating smell of blood that filled the air all came from this strange man.

Because Tanjiro fell in the snow, he couldn't see the expression of his father who was facing his side.

But he could see the other side.

.....The man in the black suit, the look of horror in his red pupils.

That's an expression like seeing a ghost.

...

...

A day ago.

On the mountain.

A steady and well-decorated wooden house is located here.

This is the house of the Kamado family.

They have lived here for generations, and it is said that it can be traced back to the Warring States period.

At this moment, the sky is dawning, and the morning mist is entwining the mountain.

The winter morning can always make people shiver, let alone on the mountain.

"Clang! Clang!"

A bit of chill seeped into the wooden house through the open door gap, and the cold wind blew the wooden door slightly, making a sound.

The sleeping children in the house all subconsciously curled up, tightening the blankets around them.

Seemingly noticing this, the young boy who had just stepped out of the house turned his face back with an apologetic look and gently closed the door.

"Creak..." The old wooden door was squeezed, making a decayed sound.

The boy with deep red hair, his face full of black ash, was smiling through the door crack at his sleeping brothers and sisters, carrying a bamboo basket full of charcoal.

After locking the door, he straightened up, carrying a full basket of charcoal ready to set off.

He is Tanjiro, the eldest son in the family.

Inside the wooden house.

"Huh..."

Several children are huddled together, hugging each other, sleeping soundly.

Among them, a slightly older one is a girl, she is sitting up in a daze, rubbing her blurry eyes.

"Ha--ah..." She stretched lazily.

Turning her head, her eyes looked at the slowly closing door crack, where some dazzling light was coming in.

The girl tilted her head slightly, she looked at the empty spot next to her in a daze, talking to herself:

"...Brother...?"

Her sleepy eyes moved from the empty spot next to her to the middle of the bed.

She saw her father, who had lost his quilt due to the unconscious struggle of the sleeping brothers.

"Ah!"

In an instant, the drowsy sleepiness was swept away.

"Really..."

She smiled helplessly and sighed, then with a smile on her face, she took back the quilt from several brothers and laid it on her father again:

"Wake up, Takeo, Shigeru."

"No matter what, you can't take away father's quilt."

When their names were called, the two boys who were sleeping together opened their eyes in a daze.

They responded in a daze:

"Sorry... sister..."

Looking at the neatly tidied beds of her brother and mother in the room, and the faint conversation coming from outside the door, the girl also prepared to get up:

"Alright."

"Brother and mother have already gotten up, you guys should hurry up too, we might have to go down the mountain today."

"Okay--"

In the room, the rustling sound of starting to tidy up clothes came.

"Shigeru, you're pressing on me!" Takeo, who had wrapped his scarf, kicked Shigeru, who had shaved his head to a buzz cut, on the side.

"It hurts... Brother Takeo." Shigeru, who was a little smaller than Takeo, quickly got up, he touched his smooth head:

"Sister Hanako, are you going down the mountain today?"

"Yes!... If possible."

The Kamado family currently has a total of six children.

They are, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta.

Except for Tanjiro, who got up early, everyone is now awake and stretching to get up.

And in the room, at this moment, there is a person who is not tidying up his bed, lying there like a plant, silent, and particularly conspicuous under the care of others.

.....It's a middle-aged man with a thin face, deep red long hair, and a shallow scar on his left forehead.

His eyes are tightly closed, and the hands exposed outside the quilt show his shriveled muscles.

The thin yellow skin has no luster, at first glance, it would be thought to be a pitiful person who is terminally ill and has not much time left.

From beginning to end, he did not make a sound.

It was so quiet that one couldn't help but wonder if he was already dead.

The other people in the room seem to be very accustomed to the middle-aged man's unresponsive situation.

Only the youngest Rokuta, who has just reached the age of speaking, is holding the man's finger, crying and unwilling to get up:

"Woo woo woo wa--Dad!"

His crying instantly attracted the attention of other people in the room.

Often, only children can express emotions most straightforwardly.

"Rokuta..." Takeo looked at Rokuta's crying appearance, and then looked at the middle-aged man who was still closing his eyes, feeling a bit depressed.

Shigeru, who is two heads shorter on the side, is also the same.

The middle-aged man lying down, with his eyes tightly closed, is their father, and Tanjiro's father - Kamado Tanjuro.

"Good, good, Rokuta, if you want to sleep, continue to sleep." Nezuko, who had already tidied up, reached out and picked up the crying Rokuta, skillfully coaxing him:

Nezuko is holding Rokuta, gently rocking him.

"Um..."

Soon, under Nezuko's soothing, Rokuta calmed down, lying in Nezuko's arms, and fell asleep again.

Takeo looked at his sleeping father, he opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something.

But Shigeru, who is a little younger than him, is even more outspoken:

"Father, has been sleeping for almost a whole year."

Although Shigeru said so, the gloomy emotion in his eyes could not be concealed:

"Sister, brother."

"Will father wake up?"

After this sentence was spoken, the room was quiet for a while.

Takeo turned his head to look at Shigeru next to him, and secretly pinched him.

Shigeru also knew that he had said the wrong thing, he lowered his head and did not cry out.

"He will."

Breaking this silence was Nezuko.

She smiled, holding the sleeping Rokuta in her arms, looking at Takeo, Shigeru, and Hanako:

"He will." Nezuko took a deep breath, just repeating this sentence, without further explanation.

At this time.

Creak--bang

The door of the wooden house was slowly pulled open halfway, revealing a space for one person to pass through, and the white light reflected by the snow outside instantly filled the dim room.

Along with the light coming in, there was also the cold air - although it was no longer windy.

A woman in a white scarf, underneath is a purple and white checkered pattern kimono, is standing at the door, smiling at the children in the house:

"Ah, you're already up."

This is their mother - Kamado Kie.

Kamado Kie's voice is soft, she noticed Rokuta who was still sleeping in Nezuko's arms, smiled and nodded at Nezuko:

"Thanks for your hard work."

Then, her gaze moved to Tanjuro who was still lying down, seeing that he was still asleep, the hopeful look in her eyes slowly dimmed.

Snap!

She clapped her hands, smiled slightly, but could not hide the fatigue revealed in her eyes:

"Tanjiro has already gone down the mountain to sell charcoal, but it snowed heavily yesterday, so everyone should not go down the mountain."

"Eh--!" Shigeru and Takeo, who were just excited to see the thick snow, were instantly doused with a bucket of cold water, and their happy faces collapsed:

"Mother!"

Shigeru looked at his mother with pleading eyes.

"Tanjiro has already gone down the mountain." Kamado Kie's answer was still a refusal.

"Sigh..."

"Let's go, Shigeru."

"I know..."

In the end, the disappointed Shigeru could only go out with Takeo, who was also disappointed.

"But." Kamado Kie turned her words, she touched Shigeru's head , the corner of her mouth raised.

"Tanjiro will bring back delicious food."

Hearing this, Takeo immediately turned his head, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes:

"Really?"

Kamado Kie nodded.

"Great!"

The two of them were happy in an instant, cheering.

They picked up an axe, hopping and jumping to a place near home to chop trees.

Hanako combed her hair, followed her mother, and began to learn to tidy up the things at home.

Nezuko is wrapped in a quilt, carrying Rokuta on her back to prevent the cold, and goes to the charcoal cellar on one side to check whether the heavy snow last night made the cellar damp.

.....If the cellar is damp, it may not be able to burn new charcoal in the next few days.

...

Inside the room.

The open door has been closed, it seems to be afraid that the cold wind outside will make the sleeping Tanjuro catch a cold.

Tanjuro is lying quietly.

Suddenly.

It seems to be because of the noise just now.

Or...

It's because of the "danger" word on Tanjuro's head, which others can't perceive, but keeps flashing, blood red.

....."Danger".....

His finger twitched.

...

...

On the other side.

A place that is incredibly far away.

So far away, it seems to have crossed another world.

"Sekiro" world.

Inside the main hall of Senpou Temple.

Splash--

The sound of water flow came from outside the hall, that was the pond outside the hall.

Inside the temple.

The Divine Child of Rejuvenation propped up her crutch, stood at the door of the inner hall, seemed to be in doubt, and looked back into the temple:"

"What's wrong? Your Ninja... no, the Dragon's Ninja."

She lifted her headscarf, looking at the "Wolf" Ninja behind her who was half-kneeling and getting up, but his eyes were constantly looking around.

The Ninja was wearing a somewhat worn orange linen robe, and the linen scarf looked weathered.

.....The large dark red ferocious pattern on his left forehead proved the ninnja's uniqueness.

At this moment.

The ninja frowned slightly, his hand unconsciously clenched the Kusabimaru at his waist, and he became alert.

.....Something's wrong.

.....Are there enemies nearby?

At this moment, his perception ability has been maximized, he can clearly perceive the danger coming from all around his body.

That represents the "danger" word that he perceives, as if it is also constantly flashing above his head.

Even if he had faced the Sword Saint Isshin who came back from hell, the warning in his heart had never been so sharp and frequent.

Sweat oozed from his forehead, and the hand holding the hilt of the sword was squeezed white.

The ninja's eyes quickly observed the surroundings.

It was as if someone was holding a needle hanging on his brow, a chill climbed up from his spine.

Suffocating.

But after waiting for a long time, it seemed that nothing happened.

The ninja looked at the Divine Child in front of him, slowly swallowing his heart:

"It's okay."

Seeing the ninja's nervous look, the Divine Child nodded calmly:

"It's okay, let's go."

"Go to the west, the sacred homeland of the dragon."

Then, the Divine Child resolutely stepped out of the inner hall.

The ninja "Wolf" who was still in shock saw this and hurriedly followed.

But before leaving the temple, he couldn't help worrying deep in his mind.

.....It has been more than thirty years since he came to this world.

.....I wonder how Kie, Tanjiro, Nezuko are now.

.....I've never found the way to go back to the word before here.

...Is there a way back?

Thinking about it, the nuinja's hand holding the hilt of the sword did not let go.

Ninja "Wolf"

- It is Kamado Tanjuro who has traveled from another world.

To be precise, this is already the third life of Kamado Tanjuro.

He was originally born in the modern era, the early 21st century on Earth, but at the age of 20, he was ended by a truck in a light-hearted manner, ending a normal life in a normal way.

Then he was reincarnated in another world, which looks like a normal event.

.....The world of the manga "Demon Slayer a.k.a Kimetsu no Yaiba".

But.

When he was just born in this world, Kamado Tanjuro did not awaken the memory of the previous life on Earth.

Instead, he was steady, grown up, married, had children, and practiced the Hinokami Kagura dance year after year.

It wasn't until he slaughtered the man-eating bear near his home, overdrawn his body, and was about to die of illness, that he recalled everything from his previous life.

So, in his heart, everything there is his everything, his family, his real family.

But when he was dying, he didn't have time to say anything else.

Before he could say it, heavy fatigue made him close his eyes.

That probably, is death, he thought.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he came to this ancient neon place similar to the Warring States period of - the world of the game "Sekiro".

Second rebirth.

He became the protagonist "Wolf" who was picked up from the battlefield and trained as a ninja since he was a child.

Another thirty years have passed.

At this moment.

He has completed the most difficult hidden ending in the original game - Dragon's Homecoming.

He wants to go back, back to the home that belongs to him.

Unfortunately, he has never found a way to go back.

At this moment.

The ninja raised his head and looked outside the hall.

It seems that he hasn't looked up for a long time, his vision is a bit dark, and the outside of the hall filled with sunlight looks very bright.

Step!

When the ninja stepped out of the threshold and walked towards the light outside the door.

The dazzling light made him want to close his eyes.

In fact, he did close them.

After a while, the ninja felt as if he had stepped on the air with one foot.

When his eyes adapted to the dazzling light.

Kamado Tanjuro slowly opened his eyes.

.....What happened?

The light gradually dissipated.

What came into view was the roof of a wooden house that was once incredibly familiar.

.....The roof?

Am I lying down?

Tanjuro blinked his dry eyes, and his vision gradually recovered.

Slowly raising his left arm, he clearly perceived the stiffness and soreness of his body.

Huh?

Hand?

"!" Kamado Tanjuro looked at his own left hand appearing in his field of vision, his pupils contracted.

Hand?!

— The left hand of the ninja "Wolf" had long been broken and turned into a bone-made prosthetic hand.

— But at this moment in his field of vision, it was a perfectly intact human hand!

Tanjuro thought quickly in his mind.

Could it be...

Even though Kamado Tanjuro, who has lived for nearly a hundred years in his past and present lives, could hardly suppress his emotions at this moment.

Creak...

Kamado Tanjuro tried to sit up from the bed.

"Clang!"

There was a sound of something falling next to him.

Tanjuro instinctively turned his head to look.

Kamado Kie had just opened the door, and the stone teacup in her hand dropped unconsciously on the ground due to shock.

At this moment, she was covering her mouth, her eyes were filled with mist, and she was looking at Tanjuro's gray eyes in disbelief.

She thought she would scream subconsciously, but when this day really came, Kie found that she couldn't scream at all.

Tanjuro's attempt to sit up was halted in place, he quietly looked at his wife, who looked more tired than in his memory.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

After a while, the two people who were dumbfounded finally came back to their senses.

"...I'm back." Kamado Tanjuro tried to squeeze out a smile with his incredibly stiff facial muscles and said hoarsely.

Kamado Kie also nodded hard, trying not to choke, and smiled:

"...Welcome home."

ps: Kamado family member relationship (original setting)

Father: Kamado Tanjuro (the protagonist of this novel)

Mother: Kamado Kie.

Eldest son: Kamado Tanjiro.

Second sister: Kamado Nezuko.

Third child: Kamado Takeo.

Fourth child: Kamado Hanako.

Fifth child: Kamado Shigeru.

Sixth child: Kamado Rokuta.