The naming of Japanese commoners has a somewhat darkly humorous origin. Was it because the authorities benevolently granted them the right to name themselves? No, if that were the case, it would have been due to their environment and the historical inertia passed down through generations. They couldn't possibly have come up with so many names for themselves all at once.
So why did all Japanese people have names several decades ago?
Because it made taxation easier.
Commoners without much education came up with all sorts of bizarre names. Comparatively, the name "Kamado" (灶門) of the Kamado family was actually one of the more normal ones.
In fact, Li Mo thought it was quite good. The name "Kamado" clearly indicated that the family was involved in a business related to "stoves" .
Unlike the Butterfly sisters, who would have thought that the surname "Butterfly" was associated with being doctors? But then again, being a doctor wasn't something ordinary commoners could aspire to.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you walking so slowly?"
Looking up, Li Mo saw Butterfly Shinobu, who had asked the question, standing far ahead of him.
Wait, why was Shinobu walking ahead of him?
"Shinobu, do you know the way?"
"I do."
"?"
Li Mo blinked. They were going to the Kamado family's house. Why did Butterfly Shinobu know the way? Wasn't I the one who was related to the Kamado family? How did it become you?
Butterfly Shinobu, holding Tsuyuri Kanae's little hand, stopped and said, "Didn't you hear a single word of what I told you earlier? About the Blue Spider Lily, I'm one of the people who knows about it."
The Blue Spider Lily, something that a certain despicable demon sought after his entire life. Unfortunately, it was a plant that only grew during the day, and its blooming period lasted only two or three days a year. The withered Blue Spider Lily preserved in the Ubuyashiki family's ice cellar was only there by sheer coincidence. By the time Li Mo arrived, it had already lost its medicinal properties.
—Yes, even if Li Mo hadn't used projection magic to deceive Muzan, it would have been all for naught for him.
Butterfly Shinobu and Kanae waited for Li Mo for a bit. This time, Kanae's other little hand was held by Li Mo, and she didn't refuse.
The little girl knew that the older brother and sisters in front of her had a very good relationship.
"Do you think we'll run into Tanjirō on the way to the Kamado family? When we were in town, I heard someone say that Tanjirō had just gone to town to sell charcoal. If we hurry a bit, we might bump into him."
To get to the Kamado family, one had to pass through the town where they often sold charcoal. Because Li Mo had once worked for the Kamado family for a while, he had left a certain impression on them.
Butterfly Shinobu narrowed her eyes and said, "So those people really do know you."
"Mainly because the Kamado family has a good reputation in the area."
The Kamado family had always been responsible for supplying charcoal to the nearby area, and for years they had no competitors. Over time, everyone got to know this family.
Li Mo had entered the townspeople's awareness as Kamado Kie's younger brother.
As if foretold, although they couldn't see him yet, their senses had already picked up his presence. With a perception stat of 18, enhanced by magic, Li Mo could detect many things.
Hearing this, Butterfly Shinobu nodded and said, "Then let's pick up the pace."
She handed all the luggage to Li Mo and carried Kanae on her back.
Tsuyuri Kanae had received some swordsmanship training, but in terms of speed, she couldn't keep up with her older siblings.
Butterfly Shinobu, though not particularly strong, had the potential to become a Hashira due to her ability to use poison as a swordsman. Poisoning wasn't an easy task, as Li Mo, who had once used magic to assist in poisoning Muzan Kibutsuji, well knew.
Back then, he had used magic to control the wind, gathering the poison around Muzan Kibutsuji. At the time, the concentration of poison in the air was so high that it was as if both of them were submerged in it.
Normal people couldn't poison others by directly controlling the wind like he could.
...
Kamado Tanjirō, eleven years old, was a young boy. Now the pillar of his family, with Kamado Tanjūrō's health declining, he had stepped up as the eldest son.
It was common in this era for children his age to start working.
If Uncle were here, things would be much easier for the family.
This thought often crossed Tanjirō's mind. But the boy understood very well that this was a selfish thought. Uncle had his own life to live—how could they restrict his freedom?
Besides, Uncle always sent money back.
The Kamado family's current ease was largely thanks to Uncle's help. Tanjirō also knew that this Uncle wasn't related to them by blood, but whether it was him, Nezuko, or the younger ones like Takeo, they all loved Uncle dearly.
"Tanjirō!"
Was he hearing things? He thought he heard Uncle calling him. Although Uncle had sent a letter a while ago after three years of silence, he had mentioned having important matters to attend to. So why would he be here now?
Though he thought this, the boy still slowed his pace.
"Tanjirō?!"
Huh, so he wasn't hearing things after all?
This time, Kamado Tanjirō could clearly hear the voice coming from behind him, and it was very close.
Just as he turned his head, he suddenly noticed a figure standing behind him, with large and small bags floating in the air, and hands reaching out to...
"Ah...!!! Why are these things floating?!"
As soon as he spoke, Kamado Tanjirō felt his cheeks being pinched and pulled in opposite directions.
This touch—it was definitely Uncle!
"It's only been three or five years since we last met. What, have you forgotten me already, Tanjirō?"
As he spoke, Li Mo began to knead Tanjirō's cheeks like dough, expressing his frustration, and finally messed up his hair into a bird's nest.
Then he got kicked in the shin.
"Stop fooling around."
"Okay."
Letting go of Kamado Tanjirō, Li Mo took all the luggage in his hands.
Earlier, while teasing Tanjirō, he had used magic to make the luggage float in the air, as he was worried that if he put it on the ground, Butterfly Shinobu would complain.
"Tanjirō, let's go. We'll head back first."
The floating luggage caught Tanjirō's attention, but the boy knew his priorities and led the two back home.
Along the way, Li Mo introduced Butterfly Shinobu: "This is my fiancée and my sister."
"Fiancée? Uncle, are you getting married? When's the wedding?"
After Li Mo used that term, Kamado Tanjirō immediately bombarded him with a series of questions.
The wedding—it really was a big issue.
Li Mo blinked, casually brushing off the topic with a random remark. The only thing he noticed was that Butterfly Shinobu's gaze had grown even colder...
Finally, when the Kamado family's wooden house came into view, Kamado Tanjirō stood at the door and shouted, "Dad, Mom! Uncle's back!"
From inside the house, a woman wearing a headscarf, carrying a child on her back, stepped out.
She first saw Kamado Tanjirō, opening her mouth to speak, but then she noticed Li Mo behind him.
A smile spread across her face as Kamado Kie said, "Welcome back, Mo."
"I'm back, Kie-nee."