Chapter Fifty-Six: Zenichiro?
Alright, it's decided…
There will be no harem… and I might even ignore the idea of romance as well.
But I do have a question, just something I thought about:
If Yukihara Ren gets married in the Demon Slayer world, and Rei gets married in the Jujutsu Kaisen world… that doesn't mean it's a harem novel, right? It's just romance and different character stories
(ignore the fact that they're copies of Ren when thinking about this…)
I don't know, I just suddenly started thinking about it…
Enjoy~~~
Strong rays of sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, rudely announcing that morning had long since passed.
Ren slowly opened his eyes and sighed in annoyance when he realized it was already noon. He lazily stretched his body, left his room on the upper floor, and leaned against the wooden railing overlooking the lower hall.
From his position above, his expression froze for a moment.
Below him, Hakuji and Sakurai were sitting around a low table, enthusiastically playing card games.
Hakuji, with his powerful build and the tattoos his kimono tried to hide, looked as though he had fully blended into the role of an "ordinary human," while Sakurai, with his childish features, messy brownish hair, and the green Demon Slayer uniform he wore, laughed as he threw down a winning card.
But the shock wasn't the two of them—
It was the third person sitting with them.
It was Zenichiro; a boy with sharp features that radiated seriousness, wearing the official Corps uniform with a high collar. A small scar on his cheek added to his dignified presence. His short black hair was neatly styled, and his Nichirin sword rested beside him with exaggerated respect.
Ren rubbed his eyes with his hand, as if trying to make sure the "Six Eyes" hadn't made a mistake.
'A former Upper Moon Two, and two Demon Slayers… happily playing cards in my house?'
At that moment, Ren remembered Zenichiro's face. His memory returned to the Final Selection two years ago; that boy he had saved from the Hand Demon, who hadn't been satisfied with thanking him, but instead had crazily insisted that Ren was the only person worthy of becoming his younger sister's husband, as if Ren were some sacred commodity that must be claimed.
Ren tried to turn around and return to his room before anyone noticed him, but Hakuji was faster.
"Hey! Ren!" Hakuji shouted while waving a playing card in the air. "Damn it, get down here! This guy has been standing at the door like a statue since early morning waiting for you to wake up! Are you a sloth or what?!"
Ren stopped, veins appearing on his pale forehead. He slowly turned and glared at Hakuji, while the latter continued mockingly, "I felt sorry for him under the hot sun and let him in… looks like your fan club is growing."
Ren descended the stairs calmly and coldly. He was still wearing a light sleeping yukata, his long black hair falling messily over his shoulders, his features reflecting extreme laziness; despite his strength, Ren remained the "King of Laziness."
The moment Zenichiro's eyes landed on Ren, the cards fell from his hand. He suddenly stood up and bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the ground, shouting in a voice that shook the house walls:
"Yukihara-sama! Light has returned to Japan with your return! I am grateful to the gods that I was born in the same era in which you breathe!"
Sakurai and Hakuji exchanged looks filled with despair. Sakurai sighed while rubbing his face, while Hakuji muttered quietly, "Good grief… this guy is really obsessed. He's looking at that 'demon' sitting in front of us like a pure angel descended from heaven."
Ren stood in front of Zenichiro, placed a hand behind his head lazily, and said in a hoarse voice from sleep, "I told you two years ago that I'm not interested in marriage, and I'm not an angel… why are you here, Zenichiro?"
The four sat around the low table, and Ren began dealing the hanafuda cards skillfully yet lazily, the famous traditional game of that era. He leaned his elbow on his knee, throwing cards without the slightest interest, while Zenichiro sat with a straight back and obvious tension, as if he were on a suicide mission rather than a simple card game.
"Speak, Zenichiro… what have you been doing these past two years?" Ren asked in a lethargic voice.
Zenichiro began telling his story, his voice trembling at times and growing firm at others. He spoke of his family's tragedy, of his parents whom he lost at a young age, and of his struggle to live with his older and younger sisters. He described the terror he felt when a demon broke into their home, and how an elderly Demon Slayer appeared at the last moment and saved what remained of his family.
"I became his disciple from that day," Zenichiro continued as he hesitantly threw a "Paulownia" card. "And after you saved me in the Final Selection, I returned to him. He had been waiting to make sure I inherited all his techniques… the old man passed away peacefully days after my return, leaving me the legacy of Light Breathing."
Ren stopped playing for a moment, his emerald eyes seeming to analyze the words.
'Light Breathing?' Ren thought. This breathing style didn't exist in his memories of the anime, but he realized that the real world was far broader. This breathing, derived from Thunder Breathing, didn't rely solely on destructive power, but on blinding speed that left behind afterimages to confuse the enemy, as if the user existed in multiple places at once.
Of course, Ren could do that and more using original Thunder Breathing or Sun Breathing, but he admired humanity's flexibility in creating styles suited to their own capabilities.
"It's over… I win," Ren said coldly as he threw down his last cards onto the table, declaring a crushing victory despite barely looking at his hand.
Ren stood up and lazily stretched, then looked at Zenichiro. "By the way, why are you here in Asakusa? Are you following me or something?"
Zenichiro sighed solemnly. "No, sir. I work here as part of the night patrol. Asakusa is a city that never sleeps, and it attracts demons due to its crowds. My mission is to prevent any chaos before it happens."
Ren nodded, silently thanking his past self for planting wisteria trees densely in the courtyard two years ago; without them, his family would be in constant danger. Then he suddenly asked in a sarcastic tone, "Tell me… what are your current ranks in the Corps?"
Zenichiro and Sakurai stood at the same time and shouted with exaggerated pride, "Rank: Kinoe!" (the second-highest rank directly below the Hashira).
A deadly silence followed. Ren looked them up and down, then muttered audibly, "…"
"Are Kinoe ranks being handed out to idiots and weaklings these days? The Corps' standards have really fallen."
Zenichiro's face turned red with embarrassment, while Sakurai exploded in anger, waving his broom. "Ren-sama! That's not fair! We fought brutal battles to reach this rank! You're treating us like kindergarten kids!"
Ren ignored them, turning around and heading upstairs toward his room while muttering unclear words about needing a bath. He entered the bathroom, put on his official clothes (black kimono and haori with flame patterns), then came down to eat breakfast prepared by Sakurai with the help of the "enthusiastic" Zenichiro, who was trying to make the rice look "sacred" for Ren.
After breakfast, Ren stood at the house entrance, his emerald eyes shining with a new light.
"Let's go… our mission in Asakusa is complete."
"We traveled all this distance just to meet a peaceful demoness…" Sakurai sighed in annoyance.
"A peaceful demoness? Don't tell me she fell in love with Ren-sama and decided to repent?! Damn it, my little sister's luck is terrible!" Zenichiro sighed as if he had guessed correctly.
"Hakuji, hit him for me…" Ren said boredly as he left the house.
Hakuji smiled, and as he grabbed Zenichiro by the neck from behind, he whispered coldly,
"I'll be happy to."
Moments later, Ren saw Zenichiro flying overhead. He whistled in admiration. "Wow! You learned how to fly… impressive!"
Zenichiro crashed violently in front of Ren, raising a cloud of dust. As he tried to regain his balance, Ren looked at him with boredom before turning to Hakuji with a reproachful glance.
"Hakuji… I told you to hit him, not launch him like a projectile," Ren said, slipping his hand into his black kimono.
But Zenichiro, instead of being in pain, jumped up with strange enthusiasm, dusting off his Corps uniform with a wide smile. "That's exactly what I expected from the followers of my future brother-in-law! Strength, speed, and brutality! I'm absolutely certain my little sister will be very happy with—"
Before he could finish, Ren stepped closer, his eyebrow visibly twitching with restrained anger. Ren leaned his head toward Hakuji and whispered audibly, "Next time… kick him hard enough to send him straight to Tokyo without stopping."
Hakuji's smile widened, revealing fangs that still carried the spirit of old predation. He said in a terrifying tone, "Leave it to me, Ren… I'll kick him straight into Muzan's personal world and see if he keeps babbling there."
Zenichiro trembled from head to toe, then quickly placed his fingers on his lips and pulled them shut as if zipping a bag, declaring complete silence.
Ren smiled faintly and roughly patted Zenichiro's head. "Yes… yes, that's much better. It seems all users of Thunder Breathing and its derivatives love excessive chatter, don't they? Shut your mouth now and let's move. Time doesn't wait for idiots."
The four began walking toward the Asakusa gates, where the crowds gradually thinned.
"Where to now, Ren-sama?" Sakurai asked while carrying the remaining shopping bags. "Back to the Butterfly Mansion, or do you have another 'disaster' planned?"
Ren replied without turning back. "The Butterfly Mansion is too peaceful, and peace kills skill. We need a place where we can train without people complaining about the sound of breaking bones."
"Breaking bones?" Hakuji laughed mockingly. "Do you mean you'll finally start teaching this brat—he pointed at Sakurai—how to actually fight? I'm tired of seeing him wave a broom."
"Hey! The broom was just for cleaning!" Sakurai shouted angrily. "I'm a Kinoe, you old man! I'll show you my invented breathing, and you'll beg me to stop!"
Zenichiro intervened, unable to endure his silence for long, whispering quietly, "My Light Breathing is faster… Ren-sama, may I join the training? I want to be close to my brother-in-law to learn…"
Ren suddenly stopped, causing the three behind him to crash into each other. He turned, his emerald eyes glowing with a cold gleam under the sunlight.
"Listen carefully… the world is changing. Muzan has lost an Upper Moon, and he's gathering himself now. If you want to stay alive in the coming war, forget your ridiculous ranks. Kinoe? Kinoto? They're all titles that will be buried with you underground if you don't evolve."
"Yes, sir!"
The three froze under Ren's cold gaze, now nothing more than trainees under the dwarf Hashira.
"Who are you calling a dwarf, you—…"
(The chapter was ended due to some technical issues. We apologize and ask for support to fix the destroyed studio…)
50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter!