Ren followed the sound and saw that Kocho Shinobu had changed into her Demon Slayer Corps uniform, draped in her butterfly pattern haori, with a Nichirin Sword at her waist. A pitch-black Kasugai Crow was perched on her shoulder. It was obvious she was heading out on a mission.
"Miss Shinobu, are you going on a mission?"
"Yes," Shinobu nodded slightly. "The frequency of demon appearances has been increasing lately. There are mass casualties almost every day. The Master has deployed all Demon Slayer Corps members. As the Insect Hashira, I naturally can't sit idly at home."
"That makes sense. Where are you heading this time? Will it be dangerous?" Ren asked.
"The destination is Black Water Lake, about a hundred kilometers to the southwest. According to intelligence, there seem to be an unknown number of demons haunting the area, and casualties have already occurred. Since the situation is unclear, simply for safety's sake, the Master specifically asked me to go there to protect the villagers around the lake and eliminate the demons if possible!"
"Is that so? Then let me go with you. It's a perfect opportunity to test the results of my training on these demons. Besides, with two people, we can look out for each other!"
These days, aside from training, Ren did nothing but train; he was practically bored to tears. Although he sparred with Shinobu occasionally, they couldn't fight to the death with real swords. He desperately needed a battle of blood and fire to verify his strength.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Shinobu's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly stopped him. "No! It's too dangerous. According to the intel I received, over a hundred people have gone missing around Black Water Lake. The worst-case scenario is that those people have already been devoured. You should know what that means, right?"
Generally speaking, a demon's strength was directly proportional to the number of humans they had eaten. If the demon in Black Water Lake had truly eaten over a hundred people, its power would have reached a terrifying level, and it likely possessed a powerful Blood Demon Art.
Hearing Shinobu's words, Ren scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "Miss Shinobu, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but if it's really that dangerous, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself than me?"
"..."
Shinobu fell silent. She suddenly remembered that in their sparring matches over the past twenty days, she hadn't won a single time. Not once!
Not only that, but the duration of each match had grown shorter and shorter. In the quickest bout, Ren had knocked her Nichirin Sword flying in just one minute, securing an easy victory.
Initially, Shinobu could use her agile movement techniques to close the distance and engage him in close combat. But by the end, once Ren deployed his latest Wind Breathing techniques, she couldn't even get close to him.
It was fair to say that Ren now possessed Hashira-level strength, or was at least much stronger than her, the Insect Hashira.
Seeing Shinobu speechless, Ren chuckled. "I'm plenty strong. Even if the Twelve Kizuki showed up, I could hold my own, let alone some small fry in a lake. Who knows, maybe you won't even have to lift a finger, Miss Shinobu. I might just kill the demon all by myself."
"But..." Shinobu wanted to say something more, but Ren cut her off.
"Besides, I'm not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps yet. You have no authority over where I go!"
"Fine, fine. Since you want to come so badly, then just tag along. I have only one requirement: don't cause trouble for me." Shinobu shook her head helplessly, knowing she couldn't out-stubborn Ren, and agreed to his request.
"Relax! You just protect the villagers, Miss Shinobu. Leave the demon to me."
With that, Ren shouldered his heavy Nichirin Greatsword and strode out of the Butterfly Mansion. Before leaving, he casually waved goodbye to Kanzaki Aoi and Kanao.
During his stay at the Butterfly Mansion, he had bonded with everyone there. In his spare time, he would help Aoi make the beds, clean the rooms, and prepare food. His steaming hot home-cooked meals had conquered everyone's taste buds. Even the reticent Kanao, who rarely spoke, would give a subtle thumbs-up after eating the lunches he meticulously prepared.
"Lady Shinobu, Mr. Ren, I wish you both success in battle! Safe travels!" Kanzaki Aoi waved her hand to bid them farewell.
"We'll be back in a couple of days. Miss Kanzaki, while I'm away, I'll leave the patients in the Butterfly Mansion to your care," Ren smiled. His relaxed expression made it look less like he was going to slay demons and more like he was going on vacation.
"Xiaoyan, please lead the way for us!"
After leaving the mansion, Ren spoke gently to the Kasugai Crow circling above Shinobu's head. The Corps' crows were extremely intelligent; not only could they deliver messages and guide the way, but they could also speak human language, possessing an intellect comparable to humans.
"Okay! Southwest direction, please follow me!"
The crow named Xiaoyan cawed loudly before diving toward the southwest, with Ren and Shinobu following close behind.
...
Two days later, in the afternoon, the two humans and one bird arrived near the villages surrounding Black Water Lake. Xiaoyan guided them while singing loudly all the way.
"Hajimi, nambei green bean, ashiga yaku naru, haya hajimi, ding dong ding dong ji, mambo majili, hajimi..."
"Enough! Stop singing! It's so noisy! Xiaoyan, stay away from Ren in the future. Don't learn everything from him," Shinobu shouted impatiently, covering her ears.
During their journey over the past two days, Ren kept humming songs she couldn't understand, which annoyed her to no end. Unexpectedly, Xiaoyan seemed very interested in these baffling tunes. Ren, being enthusiastic, had taught Xiaoyan every version of the "Hajimi Song" he knew.
And so, they walked the whole way, and Xiaoyan sang the whole way, until Shinobu felt calluses forming in her ears.
"Shinobu, don't you think these lyrics are catchy? This is real music. Hahaha-jimi, hajimi hajimi~"
"When I meet Lord Uzui the Sound Hashira, I definitely have to teach him the Hajimi Song."
Hearing this, Shinobu shook her head in speechless exasperation. She looked at Ren helplessly and thought, 'To come up with such cursed lyrics... his family really ought to hire an exorcist. No, wait, even an exorcist probably wouldn't help.'
"Miss Shinobu, we've arrived."
Looking at the village appearing before them and checking the map, Ren knew they had reached their destination. The Black Water Lake, where the demon lurked, was nearby.
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