The next morning, accompanied by the alarm clock ringing by her bed, Mukuro rolled out of bed and stretched comfortably.
Brushing her teeth, washing her face, and changing her clothes. She brushed her long hair in front of the vanity mirror. After confirming there was no problem with her appearance, Mukuro nodded in satisfaction, left the Spirit apartnt, and went to the Itsuka residence next door.
"Ah? Isn't this Mukuro? Good morning!"
After arriving at the door of the Itsuka residence, Mukuro ran into Tohka and the Yamai sisters, who were just getting ready to head out.
"Good morning, Tohka-san, as well as Yuzuru-san and Kaguya-san."
After greeting the three, Mukuro asked curiously.
"Have you all finished eating so early?"
"Kuku—Exactly!" Letting out a wicked laugh, Kaguya said nacingly, "The offerings have been consud, and my divine power has reached its peak state. Now, I am about to head to the ancient battlefield to purify the evil ghosts and monsters together."
"Purify?"
Mukuro tilted her head in confusion.
"Explanation. The holidays are over, so we are just going to school. You do not need to think too deeply about Kaguya's words."
Yuzuru explained calmly.
"I see, so you are going to seek knowledge."
Mukuro nodded in sudden realization, then asked with so concern.
"Where are Nushi-sama and Yutsuki onee-chan? Do they not need to go to the academy?"
"Mhm... Shido and Yutsuki seem to have sothing to discuss with Kotori-chan, so they asked us to go first."
Tohka explained while looking at the Yamai sisters for confirmation.
"Supplent. Although Yuzuru did not hear the exact details, it seems to be related to you, Mukuro."
"Related to Muku?"
Mukuro widened her eyes in surprise. Right at this mont, Kaguya suddenly looked at her with a tense face.
"You need to be careful. The Key Spirit, my comrade must be secretly plotting so weird idea again."
"Uh... Muku will keep that in mind, thank you for the advice."
Although she didn't think Yutsuki would harm her, Mukuro still nodded and replied.
After saying goodbye to Tohka and the other two, Mukuro entered the Itsuka residence.
——I object... It is not necessary... Furthermore, what if she loses control...
——But... we don't have the right to hide it...
——I think... we should still let Mukuro decide for herself...
From the living room, Yutsuki, Shido, and Kotori's voices could be faintly heard. Although she couldn't hear the exact content clearly, Mukuro definitely heard her own na.
Approaching the living room carefully, Mukuro peeked inside. At this mont, Kotori, wearing black ribbons, was sitting at the table with a very serious expression. Yutsuki and Shido were sitting across from her, seemingly trying to persuade her of sothing.
(It doesn't look like they're arguing... Are they discussing Muku?)
Mukuro thought doubtfully. Although a bit flustered, after hesitating for a mont, Mukuro still gathered her courage and walked into the living room.
"Ah, you're up, Mukuro. Good morning."
"Oh, you're up. Did you sleep well last night?"
"...Phew, good morning, Mukuro."
"Mhm, good morning Nushi-sama,Yutsuki onee-chan, and Kotori."
Seeing the three of them greet her very amicably, Mukuro secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
"Um... I heard everyone discussing Muku. May I ask if Muku did sothing offensive without realizing?"
Hearing Mukuro's words, Shido was stunned for a mont, then hurriedly waved his hands in denial.
"Nothing like that. You didn't do anything wrong, Mukuro."
"Is that so..."
"Well, although we are indeed discussing sothing related to you, it's not because you made a mistake."
After explaining with a bitter smile, Yutsuki looked at Kotori, seemingly asking for her agreent.
Kotori first glanced at Mukuro, then crossed her arms and frowned. She thought for a while with a Chupa Chups lollipop in her mouth, before sighing tiredly and nodding in agreent.
"...Alright. It seems hiding it will only cause unnecessary anxiety. Like Shido said, let's tell her the situation and let Mukuro decide for herself. Yutsuki-nee, you don't have a problem with that, right?"
"Mhm, let's do that."
Yutsuki nodded without objection.
Listening to Yutsuki and Kotori's conversation, Mukuro couldn't help but feel bewildered.
"Mukuro, did you open the gift I bought for you yesterday?"
"Mhm. Muku is very fond of that music box, thank you, Yutsuki onee-chan."
Although she didn't know why Yutsuki brought this up now, Mukuro still nodded to express her gratitude.
"I see..."
Hearing Mukuro's answer, Yutsuki's expression relaxed a bit, and she explained with a smile.
"Did you know? The four rabbits in that music box are a family. The two biggest ones are the mom and dad, and the two slightly smaller ones are their daughters. In the snowy wind, the dad and mom, along with the older sister who has grown up, snuggle closely together so the youngest sister won't catch a cold, hoping she can grow up happy and healthy."
Hearing Yutsuki's words, for so reason, Mukuro felt a slight twinge in her heart.
"—Well, that story is just sothing I made up casually. What do you think of it?"
"U-Um, Muku thinks it is a very beautiful story."
"I see... Mukuro, because you told yesterday that you want to beco a reliable adult, I decided to tell you this."
Looking at Mukuro with gentle eyes, Yutsuki asked faintly.
"Your sister and parents have been found. Do you want to go see them?"
...Eh?
Unable to make a sound, the mont she heard that sentence, Mukuro's mind went completely blank.
——————————
Clack-clack— Click-clack—!
The old-fashioned train moved continuously along the tracks. The rhythmic clatter, accompanied by the rolling of the wheels, echoed in their ears.
Perhaps because it was a weekday, or perhaps there weren't many passengers to begin with, the passengers in the train car were sparsely scattered. The seats in the car were rows of hard plastic seats. The hard texture, combined with the slight vibrations of the train body, made the experience not very pleasant.
Turning to look out the window, after several hours of travel, the scenery outside had changed from bustling to desolate, from noisy to quiet. The big buildings typical of a tropolis gradually beca sparse, replaced by low, small houses and vast fields.
This was a matter of course, because the final destination of this train was a very remote and desolate countryside town outside of Tengu City.
"Onee-chan, and Mom and Dad... are all settled here now?"
Carrying a bit of unease and confusion, Mukuro asked.
"Mhm, exactly."
Sitting in the right seat next to Mukuro, Yutsuki explained.
"According to the investigation, your sister and parents moved out of Tengu City five years ago, and are now living back in their old house in their hotown."
"I see..."
Hearing Yutsuki's answer, Mukuro didn't show a relieved or reassured reaction, but just simply gave a reply. It wasn't that she was heartless, but rather her mind was so chaotic she had no room to think.
"Are you okay, Mukuro? You don't look so good."
In the left seat next to Mukuro, Shido was looking at her worriedly.
"Do not worry, Nushi-sama. Muku is fine now."
Because she didn't want to make Shido worry, Mukuro smiled and shook her head.
"What about your true feelings?"
However, Yutsuki rcilessly punctured her lie.
"...Muku is very afraid."
Pressing her lips tightly together, Mukuro lowered her head and confessed honestly.
"...Onee-chan, Dad, Mom... all three of them are Muku's precious family. They were the ones who taught Muku what happiness is, what love is, but Muku... Muku abandoned them... made them forget Muku... Now... what face does Muku have to go see them..."
"But you decided you wanted to see them, right?"
Yutsuki reminded her. The reason she and Shido skipped school to accompany Mukuro on this train heading to a remote countryside wasn't because of anyone else, but because Mukuro herself proposed it, wanting to et the family she had in the past once again.
"Mhm... Muku knows. This is the sin Muku committed... Muku cannot run away, Muku must face the past..."
Mukuro gritted her teeth and answered in a trembling but firm voice.
"You can do it, Mukuro." Shido held Mukuro's small hand, encouraging her with a gentle voice. "It's fine, you're not alone. Yutsuki and I will be with you."
Saying that, Shido secretly cast a glance at Yutsuki.
"Well, since I'm the one who told you about this, I'll definitely stay with you till the end. I'll help you solve any difficulties you face, don't worry."
Yutsuki nodded understandingly, sighed with a smile, and held Mukuro's other hand.
"Nushi-sama, Yutsuki onee-chan. Thank you."
The warmth transmitting from their palms seed to give Mukuro courage, calming her heart slightly.
Soon, accompanied by the announcent over the train's PA system, Mukuro and the others arrived at the final station.
[We're here, Mukuro! Let's get off the train.]
[Ah, ah, Onee-chan! Where is this place?]
[This is my hotown, Mukuro. This is your first ti here, isn't it? From now on, this is your hotown too. How is it?]
[It's the countryside! The desolate countryside!]
[Uh, it is definitely the countryside compared to the city.]
[But Muku loves it very much!!]
[Hey, hey. You're too excited, Mukuro. Don't run around and get lost.]
[Dad! Mom! Hurry up!!]
In a remote and deserted station, Mukuro saw a young girl, watched over by her sister and parents, making a ruckus with energy and excitent.
"Mukuro?"
Shido's voice snapped Mukuro out of her daze.
"Eh? What is it, Nushi-sama?"
"No... You just looked like you were zoning out, so I couldn't help but call you. What's wrong?"
Shido asked doubtfully.
"Mhm... How should Muku put it..."
After hesitating for a mont, Mukuro spoke a bit uncertainly.
"A long ti ago, Muku seems to have co here with her family."
"Hoh, then the intel we investigated shouldn't be wrong. Mukuro's family is indeed here."
Yutsuki looked at Mukuro and instructed her in a serious tone.
"Mukuro, just in case, let confirm with you. Do you rember the rules I told you about eting your family?"
"Mhm, Muku rembers."
Mukuro nodded, recalling the conversation she had with Yutsuki in the morning, and answered after taking a deep breath.
"One, Muku must use a fake na after eting them. Two, do not tell them information about Spirits and Ratatoskr. Three... Muku is forbidden from using Michael to unlock their sealed mories."
"Mhm, very good."
Yutsuki nodded in satisfaction. The reason she gave these instructions wasn't just out of worry that Tohka and their existence would be exposed, but also to prevent Mukuro's family's lives from being disturbed by them.
After that, Yutsuki and the other two first waited half an hour for a bus at the station, arrived at the village where Mukuro's family lived, and then looked for the corresponding house according to the map.
Soon, the three arrived at the front door of a Japanese-style house with a courtyard. Although it was much smaller than the Spirit apartnt Yutsuki and the others lived in, in this countryside, it was considered a well-off family's house.
"Yutsuki, are you sure this is it?"
Shido asked in confusion.
"Yeah, this is the address Maria and Marina found."
"But the naplate on this house doesn't say 'Hoshimiya', it says 'Tsukikawa'."
Hearing Shido's doubt, Yutsuki sighed speechlessly.
"Are you stupid, Shido? 'Hoshimiya' is Mukuro's sister's family na. After getting married, she naturally took after her husband's."
"Eh?! Onee-chan got married?!"
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Mukuro widened her eyes in disbelief.
"It seems she even has two children,"
Yutsuki added with a bit of a malicious intent.
"Ch-Children!?"
Mukuro couldn't help but take a few steps back, almost fainting on the spot.
"M-Mukuro? Are you okay?"
Shido hurriedly supported Mukuro.
"N-No problem."
Mukuro took a deep breath, trying hard to calm the turmoil in her heart.
During the conversation in the morning, Mukuro hadn't confird the specific living situation of her family with Yutsuki. She only simply understood that the three of them were living without any difficulties. For one, she wanted to co here and confirm it with her own eyes. Secondly, she wasn't fully ntally prepared at that ti.
Although Mukuro also vaguely knew in her heart that after so many years, her sister must have changed compared to the sister in her mory. But she really didn't expect Yutsuki's first words to drop such a terrifying bombshell.
"Alright, alright, relax. Let's ring the doorbell first. Don't think too much. If things get awkward when we et, I'll help smooth things over."
"Mhm, understood..."
"You can do it, Mukuro!"
Encouraged by Yutsuki and Shido, Mukuro walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and reached out, preparing to press the doorbell.
However, just as she was about to touch the button, Mukuro's hand stopped in mid-air.
(Why? Could it be... Muku still has doubts in her heart?)
Mukuro constantly tried to urge herself to press the doorbell, but her fingers trembled uncontrollably against her will. Not only did she not move an inch forward, but on the contrary, as ti passed, fear and unease hidden deep within her began to fill her heart, making her want to turn around and flee from here.
"Nyan~ Nyan~"
Just as Mukuro was hesitating, a strange voice rang in her ear. She looked down and saw a little girl, about 1.2 ters tall, with her hair tied in twin-tails, looking to be around ten years old, standing next to her since who knows when.
"Um... Did you need Muku for sothing?"
Mukuro said a bit awkwardly.
"..."
Looking at Mukuro with pure, clear eyes, the little girl raised her right hand and said in a nonchalant tone.
"Nyanpasu~"(TL:eminem rapping insert)
Original author's PS: Because the original work don't have much described information about Mukuro's parents and sister, the plot of this chapter is purely the author's original creation.
TL:originally this chapter was before volu 22 get released so the na using will be wrong, but I will change it to the right na, only the sister have the na though, so the rest of the families I will still follow author's na.
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