The reason why Scales Zuo burst into tears is because the owners of these figures are his children who will never return.

Some of the faces he hadn't seen in more than 30 years, but he still remembered them clearly. They are so young, but they are all so hard working and so good...... They are all so empathetic. Everyone, at least accompanied him through a lonely and torturous time.

They are not only teachers and apprentices who preach and receive training, but also family members who support each other.

But why, why can an ordinary training exercise on the vine attack mountain take them away?

"Don't cry anymore."

The child who threw herself in the old man's arms raised her head, a short girl with a gentle expression, and was now smiling and looking at each other with tears in her eyes.

"We like Mr. Scales the most!"

"Really...... What a mushroom! ”

Hearing this familiar mantra, the old man could no longer support it, and threw himself on his knees, hugged the child, and cried loudly.

"Where the hell have you been? Where the hell have you been?! ”

"I've been waiting for you—I've been waiting for you for so long!!"

Obviously, this sudden surprise made him forget the fact that these children had died for a while.

Seeing this, the other twelve children gathered around one after another, forming a huge circle and hugging the sobbing scales Zuo Jin.

It was a reunion that transcended the boundaries of life and death.

Yoshiyoshi Tomioka held the white windmill in the distance, his mouth slightly open.

His deep eyes were fixed on one of the yellow-pink haired figures, his upper lip trembling slightly, as if he wanted to call out a name, but found that his throat was like an unoiled machine.

Until the other party called out his name first.

"Bravery."

“……”

Gradually, a faint light began to fill Tomioka's eyes.

He walked forward like a stiff puppet, his eyes brighter with each step, but his expression visibly more complicated.

When he came to the flesh-colored haired young man, the latter suddenly furrowed his eyebrows and raised his right hand, but the corners of his mouth with scars were slightly curved.

Tomioka instinctively shrunk his shoulders and subconsciously covered his left cheek, a hint of long-standing and familiar surprise flashed in his eyes.

Suddenly, a forgotten memory flooded into his mind.

That was four years ago. It's in the same place.

It was the young man in front of him, after slapping him, that said something like that to him.

"Don't say like 'if you had to die yourself'! Even if you say it last time, I will break up with you on the spot! ”

"Your sister, who was supposed to marry someone else the next day, knew that she might die, but she bravely protected you behind her."

"You're the only one...... You must not blaspheme your sister's kindness like this! ”

"You must not die! You must give up your life with this sister, entrust your future, and pass it on! ”

"Got it?"

Voices from the depths of memory echoed in the darkness.

Tomioka couldn't understand why he had forgotten such a deep memory.

He...... I said this a long time ago, why did I still live like that after that, I felt sorry for myself.

In the end, I still disappointed him and my sister.

Tomioka was ashamed to remove the hand that was covering his cheek and lowered his eyelids, intending to meet the slap that should have fallen on his face.

But all he was waiting for was a warm palm, gently covering the skin that was faintly aching from the stimulation of the memory.

The gentleness of that action was not much better than the flower pillar when he was drugged.

"I'm sorry, Yiyong."

The boy was still the childish voice of the thirteenth year. The two of them pressed their foreheads against each other, as they did when they parted on the vine attack mountain.

"I didn't expect that leaving you alone would have such a hard time."

Tomioka's face was blank, but he finally reacted, squeezing out the name of his old friend from his dry throat.

"Rabbit ......"

……

Ten minutes later, after a short reunion, Yi Yong told the ins and outs of the white windmill.

"This is a ...... I met from a girl I met on the way out of the headquarters last night and just entered Tokyo."

Yi Yong was slightly nervous under the watchful eyes of fourteen pairs of eyes, but everyone was happy for him when they saw that he showed obvious emotional changes.

Obviously, although the souls of the students of the Scales Left Nearji are trapped here, they still have a way of knowing most of what is happening to those close to them.

"I don't know the girl, but I do know a companion next to the girl."

"That kid's name is Kotaro, and he used to help out in the butterfly house with Kuro, and this white windmill was originally a toy in his hand."

Scales narrowed his eyes recently: "Toy? ”

How unbelievable is it that a soul left in the world can appear in the form of a physical object, and it turns out to be just a toy in the hands of a child?

As a matter of fact......

After getting this "white windmill", Koichiro, who has spiritual vision, felt that it was a little redundant, and he didn't think of any use for this thing, so he gave it to Kotaro at the suggestion of Miko Changea.

Because the relationship between Kotaro and Chang Ruo Miko is already very close, Jiu Lang has been busy studying recently, and he has no time to play with him, so Xian Ichiro asked Kotaro to accompany the old lady and Chang Ruo Miko to find a place for the little gods to settle together.

After all, with such a big man as a bodyguard, the old and the young will have less right and wrong along the way.

However, this time Tomioka Yoshiyoshi will meet them by chance, and Genichiro really doesn't know about it at all.

Then again.

"Well, that girl seems to know the purpose of my trip, and she also knows that Master Scales will definitely refuse to be the instructor of this training camp of the Ghost Slayer Team, so she lent me the windmill."

Unconsciously, Tomioka's way of calling Scales Zuo Jinji became more and more pleasant.

"She told me that if you refuse, take this windmill and take you with me where I least want to face, and spin it three times counterclockwise......"

"Then, everybody...... And they all appeared. ”

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Especially Scales Left Nearji, I can't figure out why a person who has never met before knows so many things.

"But aren't these kids enough to prove ......?"

The old man's face flashed with a bitter smile, "Am I really not a qualified teacher?" If I hadn't been the one who taught you how to breathe, maybe you'd be alive and well, wouldn't you......"

"What are you talking about?!"

The rabbit said in an excited tone, "You are the best breeder we have ever seen, there is no one!" “

"That's right, there's definitely no better cultivator than Master Scale!"

He and his children also echoed him.

Makoto once again came up with his mantra: "We like Mr. Scales the most!" ”

"And we might be able to guess why you think the way you do......"

Speaking of this, Zhenhu's expression was a little hesitant, and he turned his head to look at his senior brothers and sisters.

"Do you think it's necessary to tell Mr. Scalety the truth about our death?"

She didn't say it, but communicated silently through the way that is unique to ghosts.

"But if he knew about it, he would have collapsed......"

One child said this, his eyes full of pity and unease.

Another child retorted, "But if we don't say it, he will definitely think cranky and think that he is a bad master, so we didn't pass the selection." ”

Everyone is talking about their opinions, but they are hovering between these two thoughts.

But in the end, it was the rabbit who expressed his opinion.

"I can understand why you are reluctant to tell Master Scales the truth."

"But in this way, he will refuse the invitation of the ghost killing team for the wrong reason."

"If the Ghost Slayer suffers a serious blow or setback because of its inferior strength, then how will Master Scales feel when he learns the truth after his death?"

Although the rabbit's words are a bit harsh, they are the most realistic.

"Besides, he is a strong man, if he doesn't even have the courage to face the truth, how can he cultivate us disciples?"

"At least each of us didn't run away when we faced that ghost, did we?"

As soon as these words came out, no one had any objections, but it also meant that they had finally made a decision.

However, although there was a short meeting between the ghosts, it was only a matter of moments for the Scales of the Outer World, Zo Konji and Tomioka Yoshiyu.

Looking at the children who suddenly became serious, Scales Zuo's expression became a little uneasy.

"You ...... this"

"Master Scales, I know why you are reluctant to accept this invitation, but the reasons you have found in your own heart are probably completely wrong."

"In order for you to understand this, we must tell you the real cause of our death. ”

Scales suddenly trembled all over his body as if he had been struck by lightning, and finally had some old state that a seventy-year-old should have.

He said in a trembling voice: "Could it be that there is really something hidden behind this?"

Yoshiyoshi Tomioka also showed a solemn look.

Even he is still wondering how such an excellent rabbit could die in a place like Fuji Attack Mountain.

"Please sit down and listen."

The rabbit and the children sat on the ground around the scales, but each child looked at the old man with some faint worry in their eyes.

But in the end, the rabbit still hardened his heart and told the whole story.

Actually, it's very simple, Scales Zuo recently encountered a ghost when he was young.

Because the ghost is weak and not much stronger than ordinary people, Scales Zuo recently caught the ghost in Fuji Attack Mountain as a "prey" when selecting official members.

However, what he didn't expect was that the ghost relied on his cunning nature, but lived a smooth life in the Fuji Attack Mountain, and one survived to the end of the scale Zuo's recent retirement without being killed, but relying on his own blood ghost skills to become stronger and stronger, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the most powerful ghost in the Fuji Attack Mountain.

At that time, the retired Scales Left also began to accept apprentices. However, in order to let the children pass the trial, he made a fox mask for all the children according to the rules of his hometown - it is said to ward off disasters and evil spirits, and resolve crises.

But it was this mask that became a lifeline for the children.

The ghost recognized the identities of these children through the mask, so he specially selected the disciples of the Scales Left to attack!

When you encounter a weak one, it's easy to say that you can easily kill them.

But when he encounters a powerful swordsman like Mako or Rabbit, this ghost will curse Scales Zuo Jinji himself or insult the children he killed before, and then provoke them into a mess and take advantage of their flaws before killing them.

It wasn't until the last time Genichiro cleaned the entire Fuji Raid Mountain that this ghost was not suitable for experiments because of its huge size, so it was easily solved by the Lone Shadow Crowd passing by. Of course, the children didn't know about this part, they only knew that the ghosts on Fujixi Mountain had died.

It is conceivable that when Scaly Zuo listened to what happened recently, he found that it was actually the mask he made himself that sent the children to a dead end, and what a terrifying storm was set off in his heart.

"I ...... I'm sorry...... I don't know ......."

Guilt leaned towards the left of the scales like a landslide tsunami, and just as he was about to completely submerge the scales, Masu came to him obediently.

"You don't need to apologize to us, Mr. Scale."

"Whether or not you'll be killed by that ghost is not up to you."

"In fact, everyone has made a decision when they enter the Fuji Attack Mountain, and we must not let the others be killed by the ghosts in front of us! Because we are disciples of the pillar! ”

"Even if we don't have that mask, even if the ghost doesn't come to us, we won't run away and let it hurt other children. Isn't this the realization we had from the moment we decided to join the Demon Slayer? ”

Zhenhu said slowly: "Although it's a little bad to boast like this...... But you do produce the bravest swordsmen. ”

The old man's bloodshot eyes looked ahead: "You ......"

"We are so lucky to be your student.

Mako gripped the index finger of the left near-second of the scale.

"Now you have the opportunity to train more swordsmen to be like this. The more powerful swordsmen there are, the faster the demons will disappear. ”

"So, please pass on our will to more people like the righteous brothers. Otherwise, our sacrifice will be meaningless. ”

Scales swept his gaze over familiar faces, and finally choked up and nodded, "I know, I won't...... Let my kids down. ”

"Sure enough, we like Mr. Scales the most!"

After the children shouted and screamed, Rabbit suddenly reminded, "In that case, we should get out of here too." ”

"Leave?"

Scales were a little dazed.

"Yes, the knot between you and Senior Brother Yi Yong has been untied, the ghost has been killed, and we have no reason to continue to stay in the world, it's time to become a Buddha."

The real mushroom reluctantly grabbed the sleeve of the scale left near the time.

"However, if there is an afterlife, I still want to be a student of Master Scale."

Then, her voice changed, "Of course, in a world without ghosts." ”

Scales were slightly stunned for a moment, and then showed a kind smile: "Then it's okay." ”

"Hmm!" Mako nodded vigorously.

"Yiyong, I'll leave the rest to you."

The rabbit patted Yiyong's shoulder, "Don't show that reluctant expression, remember what I told you, you must not let me meet you within fifty years, you must at least live as long as Master." ”

"If I had met you in that world in advance, I would have beaten you up."

Tomioka suddenly burst into tears and laughed: "I know. ”

As he spoke, he said goodbye to his brothers and sisters one by one, and then turned the windmill clockwise under the gaze of everyone.

Suddenly, the fog cleared, golden sunlight poured through the crevices of the cumulus clouds, and all the children disappeared, leaving only two somewhat tired humans.

Yoshiyoshi Tomioka has once again lost his best friend.

But this time, he found the light in his eyes and vowed never to throw it away again.

"Master Scale, it's time for us to leave. There is another important meeting that requires us to be there. ”

"Where to go? HQ? ”

"No, this time, we're going to Reeda Castle."