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

Chapter 575 Daily Life in Seireitei

Hiyori greeted Yuuko, then turned her cannon on Urahara Kisuke in the ruins: "Hey! You bastard! Stop playing dead! Did you hear me?! Get up and get back to your squad right now! If you dawdle for another second, I'll kick your ass off."

She roared with great force, the tip of her massive Zanpakuto pointing directly at Urahara, conveying a strong sense of threat.

One kick... and smash... your butt...

Yu Zi broke out in a cold sweat, finding it hard to believe that such words would come from a child who looked no more than ten years old.

Kisuke Urahara jolted awake, forgetting all about feigning pitifulness. Clutching his stomach, he struggled to his feet, his white coat covered in dust. "Yes, yes, yes! Right away! Immediately! Get out now!" he hurriedly replied, his hasty movements almost causing him to trip over again.

Kisuke Urahara didn't even dare to look at Yoruichi and Ikuko again, fearing he might bring further trouble upon himself. He vanished over the courtyard wall in a flash, his speed so fast that Ikuko was utterly ashamed.

"I think it's necessary to re-evaluate the captain of your 13th Protective Team."

Yoruichi joked, "Yuko, you can't misunderstand us because of one bad apple."

Watching Urahara flee in disarray, wishing he had more legs, Hiyori finally let out a satisfied hum.

Hiyori, carrying his Zanpakuto, glanced back and forth between Yuuko and Yoruichi before finally settling on Yuuko.

Her bloodshot eyes held an undisguised scrutiny, but not hostility; rather, they were more of a pure curiosity and assessment.

Hiyori tilted her head, her tone still direct, but without the impatience she showed towards Kisuke: "Tsugikuni Ikuko? I think I've heard that name before from that idiot captain."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow: "From Kisuke's mouth?"

That idiot, he shouldn't be the type who can't keep a secret, right?

The fewer people who know about Yuko, the better. Based on her understanding of Kisuke Urahara, he usually seems unreliable, but he shouldn't be this clueless.

Hiyori, completely oblivious to the oddity in Yoruichi's tone, replied directly, "Yeah, that bastard kept muttering about it."

"Although I couldn't hear it very clearly, I remembered it as soon as she said her name."

"..." Yoruichi's lips twitched.

That idiot... he must have been so engrossed in thinking about Yuko's body that he didn't even notice he accidentally revealed Yuko's name.

Just as Yoruichi was pondering something, Hiyori glanced at the snacks in Yoruichi's hand and suddenly looked at Ikuko with a strange expression: "Speaking of which, could that bastard be secretly in love with you?"

She didn't see who Kisuke Urahara gave a gift to; even Captain Yoruichi had never received such treatment.

Yuko, who was quietly listening to the conversation between the two, was caught off guard and never expected that Hiyori's tone would suddenly shift to her. She almost lost her composure.

"Pfft, hahaha..." Yoruichi's train of thought was interrupted by this remark, and she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach with one hand and clutching Yuuko's clothes with the other, laughing in a painful way.

Yuko twitched the corner of her mouth: "...Why, why do you say that?"

Hiyori didn't answer directly, but instead frowned and looked at Yuko twice: "Hmm~ that idiot captain, he doesn't seem like a good match for you at all."

"Don't be polite, just refuse that kind of jerk."

"Hiyori-chan, if you talk about Kisuke like that, he'll be hurt," Yoruichi chimed in, never one to miss a chance to stir up trouble.

"Who cares about him!" Hiyori waved her hand, her little face puffed up with anger again, but this time her anger was clearly directed at Urahara, who was not present. "He's always acting crazy, and when we need him, he just runs off to slack off!" She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and the Zanpakuto she was carrying on her shoulder swayed, as if she was ready to chase after him at any moment.

"Come on, calm down." Yoruichi waved her hand with a smile, picking up a twisted cookie from the gift box. "At least he brought a gift, right? Although it looks... well, not very nice."

When Hiyori saw the cookies, she immediately showed an expression of extreme disgust: "You dare to eat something that bastard made himself? Captain Yoruichi, has he poisoned your sense of taste? Be careful you don't get diarrhea and die in the toilet!"

"Yuko, would you like to try some? Let's see if it's poisonous." Yoruichi smiled and handed Yuko a piece.

"Why don't you eat?"

Yoruichi bluntly replied, "I'm afraid it might be poisonous."

Yuko rolled her eyes, but still took the cookie from her hand and put it directly into her mouth.

Hiyori's eyes widened. "You actually ate it?"

"Quick, spit it out!" She tugged at Yuko's sleeve and shook it. "Who knows what that stuff is made of!"

Yuko was both amused and exasperated. She swallowed the biscuit and quickly explained, "It's alright, it's not that you can't eat it."

Yoruichi looked at her suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really, it's just that the quality isn't very good."

Yoruichi pondered for a moment, then placed the opened gift box in front of Hiyori, "Little Hiyori, would you like to try some? This is from your captain..."

"...I'm leaving! I still have to keep an eye on that idiot! If he sneaks out and causes trouble again, I'll hang him at the entrance of the Twelfth Division for three days and three nights!" After a pause, Hiyori turned and walked out, her steps quick and hurried.

Yoruichi: "..."

Hiyori walked to the courtyard gate she had smashed, paused for a moment, looked at the pile of wreckage, and a trace of unease flashed across her face, but she still spoke defiantly: "...Um, the door...I'll have that idiot captain come and fix it later."

After saying that, she turned back and glanced at Yuko again, the inquiry and curiosity in her eyes not completely gone, as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end she just said in a gruff voice: "Hey, you... Yuko, right? Next time you run into that bastard Urahara, stay away from him, so you don't get entangled with him."

"No, I and him..." Before Yuko could explain, Hiyori disappeared through the doorway in a flash.

The courtyard fell silent instantly, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the mess on the ground.

Yoruichi looked in the direction Hiyori had disappeared and chuckled, "Still so energetic, but... she seems quite interested in you, Yuuko?"

"Hehe." Yu Zi rolled her eyes, turned around and left. "I'm going to take a shower first."

Yoruichi didn't stop her. Instead, she looked down at the gift box in her hand, her brows furrowed deeply, and muttered, "How about... you try one?"

Without hesitation, Yoruichi picked up an ugly-looking cookie and popped it into her mouth.

……

The next moment, her whole body shuddered as if from an electromagnetic frequency.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey." Yoruichi spat out the food and muttered to herself in the direction Yuuko had left.

"Yu~zi~!"

How could there be such awful food!

……

In the days that followed, Yuko either went to the Fourth Division at Unohana Retsu's invitation to have a fierce battle with her, or she instructed Byakuya in swordsmanship at the Kuchiki residence, making her days much more fulfilling.

During this time, Yoruichi received a secret mission and left in a hurry, leaving Yuuko only a note with a flamboyant handwriting that read, "Watch the house, call Soi Fon if you need anything, and don't get lost when you go out."

Soi Fon also left because of some things that happened in the Second Division.

The vast Shihōin mansion was now empty except for Ikuko.

Originally, there were some servants in this mansion, but after Mr. Yamamoto found out about Yuko's situation, Yoruichi dismissed them and only allowed them to clean the house at fixed times.

They were also worried that when they were talking, the maid might accidentally see Yuko's unusual behavior.

Holding the note, Yu Zi twitched the corner of her mouth. What did this guy take her for?

A child?

That afternoon, Yuko had just returned from the Fourth Division and changed into a loose-fitting shihaka outfit in her room.

The outfit she wore to the Fourth Division was already worn out and was carelessly tossed into Unohana Retsu's room.

"A butterfly that can destroy the world."

"The omnipotent butterfly".

"The butterfly that grants every wish."

"Please tell me the answer, butterfly!"

In the afternoon, Yuko lay in the corridor basking in the sun, trying out a thousand swastika release phrases until her mouth was dry.

Licking her lips, Yuko rolled over and sat up, scratching her head in boredom.

Okay, let's get up and walk around.

She didn't leave the Shihouin family compound, but strolled towards the back mountain. She hadn't been to this area before; Yoruichi seemed to have mentioned that it was a secluded place used by the family for training, with lush vegetation and a somewhat primitive feel.

The air was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and plants.

As you venture deeper along a path almost entirely covered by weeds, the surrounding bamboo groves grow increasingly dense, and the sunlight is dappled and broken into tiny spots.

Just as Yuko was immersed in this rare tranquility, a very faint sound suddenly came from behind her.

"Hmm?" Yu Zi gave a soft hum.

Is it an animal?

Before she could even sense what was happening, a swift whooshing sound suddenly shattered the silence!

It was incredibly fast; almost the instant the sound rang out, a kunai carrying a strong gust of wind was already close to the back of her head.

With no room for thought, Yuko's ingrained fighting instincts and her superhuman perception and speed as a demon caused her body to react faster than her consciousness.

She didn't even turn around to check; she simply tilted her head slightly and dodged the attack.

"call out--!"

A kunai infused with spiritual pressure grazed her cheek before driving hard into a thick bamboo stalk in front of her, its tail still vibrating with a buzzing sound.

Yuko turned around without changing her expression and looked in the direction from which the attack came.

Deep in the bamboo forest, a figure was revealed after the attack missed, standing frozen in place with astonishment and disbelief on his face.

That's a teenager.

He looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, with a slender build, wearing dark training clothes for easy movement, and a white headband tied in front of his forehead. Sweat soaked the stray hairs at his temples. He had dark skin similar to Yoruichi, and his black hair was tied up with a headband.

At this moment, his delicate yet distinctly youthful face was filled with shock. He clearly hadn't expected his surprise attack to be so easily evaded.

"You..." the boy began, his voice clear and bright, typical of youth, but trembling slightly with nervousness and surprise. "Who are you? Why have you trespassed into the back mountain of the Shihōin family?"

He instinctively adopted a guarded posture, still holding another kunai in his hand, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner tension.

In those clear purple eyes, besides vigilance, there was more lingering fear and a hint of... barely perceptible panic.

Yuko sized up the boy who bore a striking resemblance to Yoruichi. Considering Yoruichi's carefree personality, an almost certain idea came to mind.

"Are you Yoruichi's younger brother?" Yuko didn't answer his question, but asked directly, her tone calm and emotionless.

Shihouin Yuushirou was visibly taken aback, his wariness replaced by even greater surprise: "You know my sister?"

Yuko didn't answer directly; instead, a feeling of being speechless welled up inside her.

Yoruichi... didn't even tell her that she has a younger brother?

She's been staying here for a month!

Based on Yuuko's understanding of Yoruichi, this guy probably felt there was no need to introduce him in detail, so he just forgot about him.

Yuko sighed softly and said helplessly, "I'm Yoruichi's friend, and I've been staying at Shihouin's house for a month now."

"Stayed...stayed for a month?" Yushiro was completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide open, and his grip on the kunai unconsciously loosened.

He practiced the Instant Step relentlessly in the back mountains, neglecting sleep and meals, all to reach the standard his sister approved of as soon as possible, almost completely isolating himself from the world. He had no idea that a friend of his sister had appeared in the main house in the front yard.

The overwhelming information left him speechless, his mind a complete mess. He looked at the unfamiliar woman before him; she showed no hostility whatsoever, and when she was attacked, she merely dodged without retaliating. It seemed... she truly meant no harm?

Yuko watched the boy's face display a variety of expressions and felt a wave of exhaustion. It's only natural to feel exhausted having an older sister like that.

She took the initiative to ease the tension, taking half a step forward but maintaining a relatively safe distance from the other person: "Yuko, my name is Tsugikuni Yuko. I'm sorry to have disturbed your training. Yoruichi is on a mission, I just came out for a walk."

"This is the note she left." Yu Zi paused, then took the note out of her pocket and tossed it to the other person.

Yushiro caught the note that floated towards him, enveloped in spiritual pressure, in a daze.

"Watch the house, call Soi Fon if you need anything, and don't get lost when you go out."

……

It is indeed my sister's handwriting, and it has her style very well.

But... doesn't this look like a note left for a child?

You know, even his sister wouldn't write something like this in a note.

Seeing that his shoulders relaxed slightly, Yu Zi took two steps back and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, she paused and added, "That move just now was very impressive."

The last sentence is true. Although she dodged it on instinct, the speed she released in that instant was indeed far beyond that of an ordinary Shinigami soldier.

Yushiro subconsciously looked down at the kunai in his hand, a blush quickly spreading across his face. He hurriedly put the weapon away, his movements somewhat clumsy.

"Ah... I, I am Shihouin Yushiro." Only then did Yushiro hurriedly give his name, his voice much softer, with the shyness unique to young people.