"I understand, Miss Shinobu. I will support you!"
Hearing this, Kocho Shinobu smiled happily. "Hehe, thank you, Ren! I knew you would understand me!"
"But I also chose to join the Demon Slayer Corps to protect the smiles of people in this world."
At this point, Ren changed the subject. "So, I won't just stand by and watch something happen to you. If your body can't handle that massive amount of poison, I will stop you immediately!"
"Haha, you don't need to worry about that. I'm very strong! Besides, I'm injecting Wisteria poison into my body to kill Doma and Kibutsuji Muzan, not to torture myself. I will know my limits and won't overdo the injection."
As she spoke, Shinobu suddenly widened her eyes, which resembled purple gemstones, and stared intently at Ren. She clasped her hands together and pleaded.
"I'll be fine. So, Ren, can you keep this a secret for me? If the Master and Mr. Tomioka found out, they would do everything possible to stop me!"
Although Ren also wanted to stop her by any means necessary, he knew that Shinobu was a strong-willed girl who wouldn't give up easily once she had made a decision. In the end, he agreed.
"I got it. I'll keep it a secret for you!"
"Ren, thank you!"
Thump!
As soon as she finished speaking, Shinobu suddenly hugged Ren, feeling his warm and strong chest.
Ren was startled by her sudden action. Looking at the petite Shinobu, he was momentarily at a loss. His heartbeat even quickened a few beats, almost activating his Demon Slayer Mark...
"Eh?!"
"I think I saw something incredible!"
A sudden voice startled both of them simultaneously. Ren, in particular, had been so immersed in Shinobu's embrace that he hadn't noticed someone appearing behind him at all.
He immediately turned around and saw a cute young girl standing behind them. She was staring at the two of them with wide, watery green eyes, looking just like a paparazzo who had discovered big news.
The girl had long sakura-pink hair with green tips. She wore a snow-white haori over a Demon Slayer uniform with an open chest, and a pair of bright green socks on her legs.
The moment he saw the girl, Ren recognized her identity. It was the Love Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps: Kanroji Mitsuri.
Shinobu blushed crimson. Pointing at Kanroji Mitsuri, she asked, "Mi—Mitsuri, why are you here?"
"Because you were taking so long to come back, Shinobu-chan, the Master asked me to come out and see what was going on. I didn't expect to see such a wonderful scene!"
Mitsuri waved her small fists, dancing around with joy like a child. The soul of a gossip instantly ignited in her heart as she hurriedly asked Ren.
"Um, you're Shinobu-chan's boyfriend, right? When did you two get together? How far have you progressed?"
Mitsuri covered her flushed cheeks, speaking excitedly. "Have you kissed yet? Have you done that? You know, that thing married couples do... you know what I mean..."
"Hey! Mitsuri, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Seeing that Mitsuri was about to say something even more outrageous, Shinobu immediately covered her mouth from behind and explained.
"Ren and I are just ordinary friends! Mitsuri, if you dare spout nonsense again, I won't talk to you anymore!"
"Eh?!"
"Don't do that, Shinobu-chan! I'm doing this for your own good! I'm just concerned about my sister's marriage prospects!" Mitsuri poked her fingers together, speaking cautiously.
Hearing this, Shinobu immediately gave her a chop on the head, scolding her affectionately, "Is this you caring about my marriage? You're just playing matchmaker messily!"
"Eh? Is that so..."
'Hehe, as expected of the Love Hashira. Her brain really is filled with nothing but romance-related things.'
Watching Mitsuri act this way, Ren couldn't help but roast her in his mind.
'However, Akaza among demons and Kanroji among humans—these two are gold-medal matchmakers!'
'If Miss Shinobu and I really end up spending our lives together, I'll have to kowtow to both of them.'
"Alright, enough of this!"
After lecturing Mitsuri and threatening her not to speak of what she just saw, Shinobu continued, "Ren, the Master has been waiting for a long time. Let's hurry over."
"Okay."
After speaking, Ren followed the two of them into the meeting hall of the Ubuyashiki estate. At this moment, seven people were already waiting for them in the hall. These people were the Hashira-level members of the Demon Slayer Corps. They were:
Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei. He was the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps. Among everyone present, his strength was second only to Ren. He was a tall, burly man dressed as a monk, with a very long scar on his forehead and completely blind eyes, wearing a haori with the words "Namu Amida Butsu" written on it.
Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen. He had flowing silver hair and a handsome face, with a radiating red makeup design around his left eye. He was someone who acted flamboyantly in every gesture, simply known as the "Flashy Guy."
Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro. He had iconic fiery red hair, thick black eyebrows, and a determined gaze. He was a man as warm as fire.
Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa Sanemi. He also had iconic short silver hair and three long scars on his face, making him look particularly terrifying. Combined with his strong body and the character for "Kill" on his haori, he gave off an impression of someone not to be trifled with.
Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro. Wearing a wide black robe, he was staring blankly at the ceiling, and this moment was no exception.
Serpent Hashira, Iguro Obanai. He had eyes of different colors and wore a black and white striped haori. His face was wrapped in bandages, and a white snake named "Kaburamaru" was coiled around his neck. The moment the three entered, his eyes stared fixedly at Kanroji Mitsuri. If there hadn't been other people present, he might not have been able to resist moving closer to her.
The last person was Tomioka Giyu, whom Ren had met before. He still wore his stoic face, an expression that pushed people a thousand miles away.
Counting Kocho Shinobu and Kanroji Mitsuri, these were the Nine Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
While Ren was sizing everyone up, everyone except Muichiro was also secretly observing Ren.
They were all very strong and could sense the tyrannical aura radiating from him—an aura even more terrifying than that of evil demons.
Just then, a gentle and soothing voice suddenly came from the hall.
"Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Ren. Starting today, he is the Tenth Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
As soon as the voice fell, a black-haired young man in a kimono walked slowly out from behind the screen. The upper part of his face was disfigured by a blood curse, and his eyes were nearly blind.
The moment the young man appeared, the nine Hashira swordsmen, including Shinobu, knelt on one knee.
Ren also recognized the identity of the person arriving. It was the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]