Hearing Jigoro's praise, Ryosuke's pupils shrank abruptly, and his body stiffened.
Oh no!!!
"Grandpa, it's not..."
Before he could explain, the sound of a wooden sword hitting the ground rang out behind him.
Ryosuke's heart sank.
Oh ho!
We're screwed!
The thing he was most worried about had happened.
"Ryosuke-nii—!"
Rika's aggrieved cry pierced the silence.
She practically threw herself onto Ryosuke, her almond eyes widened into circles, her gaze sweeping over Hinatsuru and the other two in terror.
The next second, Rika looked down at her own somewhat undeveloped small chest.
Rika: Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪」∠)!
In this moment, the girl grew up.
Before, it was just imagination, but now she finally realized how big the gap was between a Simmons mattress and a wooden plank bed!
Rika's eyes brimmed with tears, and her whole person turned into a "chibi" version!
"Waaah—! Ryosuke-nii! Wuwuwu..."
Rika's two small fists pounded on Ryosuke's chest without rhythm.
"Don't like older ones! And... and three at once! Wu... I hate you! I hate you the most!"
Rika hung onto Ryosuke, crying out of breath, looking completely like a tragic figure let down by a heartless man.
"No! Rika, listen to me! Grandpa, you too..."
Ryosuke scrambled to support Rika while anxiously trying to explain to Jigoro, utterly frazzled.
"Ya! Sui! Ryo! Suke!!!"
A thunderclap erupted from the ground.
Shota, full of resentment and transforming into an aberrant species, crawled out of the darkness in a twisted, gloomy manner.
Holding a Nichirin Sword, he rushed in front of Ryosuke, baring his teeth.
"Dare to bully Rika! I'll chop you up, you bastard!!!"
The blade tore through the air, carrying all of Shota's anger straight towards Ryosuke's face!
"Shota! Stop!"
Jigoro was shocked and angry, instantly blocking between the two, tapping Shota's head with his cane.
The scene spiraled out of control, turning into a complete mess.
"Ryosuke-nii! Waaah..."
Rika was still crying her heart out in Ryosuke's arms, her small hands clutching his haori tightly and refusing to let go.
"Grandpa, let go of me! I'm going to chop this bastard to death! He dared... dared to..."
Shota struggled with his whole body twisted, his blade waving wildly.
"No! Listen to me finish! They are..."
Ryosuke was hugged by Rika and pointed at by Shota's sword; he couldn't defend himself even with a hundred mouths, sweating anxiously.
"Tengen-sama..."
Suma was scared into hiding behind Uzui Tengen, revealing a pair of terrified eyes.
Hinatsuru and Makio were relatively calm, but couldn't help sweating drop.
Uzui Tengen was even more dumbfounded.
His face twitched, somewhat regretting the hasty decision he made at dawn.
"Is this Momoyama... a serious place?"
As the farce escalated, Ryosuke, at the center of the storm, cast a pleading look at him!
Uzui Tengen rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath.
"Enough!!!"
This roar was full of vigor.
Everyone froze as if the pause button had been pressed, looking at him in unison.
Uzui Tengen crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the scene.
"This one-legged grandpa! And that brat waving the sword over there! And this lady crying so noisily! Please allow me, Uzui Tengen, to make a flamboyant clarification!"
He turned sideways and extended his arm, pointing to the three beauties of different styles behind him, his movements dashing and smooth.
"Hinatsuru, Makio, Suma, are my, Uzui Tengen's, flamboyantly unparalleled wives! We are merely indebted to Ryosuke for guiding us to Momoyama to seek shelter!"
The air was dead silent for a few seconds.
Jigoro cast his gaze towards Ryosuke, seemingly seeking verification.
Ryosuke nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Only then did Jigoro cough dryly a few times, bowing slightly to the three with Rika and Shota.
"Cough... cough cough! So that's how it is! My sincerest apologies, young man, and three madams! I, Kuwajima Jigoro, representing Momoyama, apologize to you!"
Shota pouted, mumbling on the side.
"Who told him not to explain clearly himself..."
Rika looked at Ryosuke, staring with eager anticipation.
Rika: (◕﹏◕✿) Stare—
Ryosuke nodded very heavily.
"Hehe~"
Rika giggled foolishly, let go of Ryosuke, and hid behind Jigoro somewhat embarrassedly.
The farce subsided, and Momoyama was rarely peaceful.
Jigoro scolded Ryosuke in a low voice.
"Can't you kid strive for a bit of success! Look at that handsome lad, three wives! Three!"
"..."
Ryosuke couldn't argue, so he could only laugh dryly in agreement.
He silently found a corner and added the 5 years of lifespan he had saved up.
[Injecting 5 years of lifespan. Remaining lifespan: 338 days.]
[Thunderclap and Flash upgraded to Proficient. Unlocked advanced form: Sixfold!]
Phew—
Finally became longer and fiercer!
A moment later,
Jigoro began to educate Uzui Tengen on the mission and history of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Uzui Tengen also candidly confessed his own background.
Noon.
Because there were four extra mouths to feed, Hinatsuru and the others also helped with cooking.
The food was served, instantly conquering everyone's senses.
Everyone was full of praise, and Shota even downed three large bowls in a row.
Facing everyone's praise, Hinatsuru just smiled gently.
"Thank you for the compliment. Actually, when we ninjas perform missions, we sometimes need to disguise our identities to approach targets. Poisoning is an essential method. In order to precisely control the dosage and mask the smell, honing culinary skills is the foundation of foundations."
The enthusiastic atmosphere at the dinner table froze instantly.
"Poi... poisoning?!"
The fish meat Shota was bringing to his mouth fell back into the bowl, his expression freezing.
Even Rika subconsciously glanced at the dish in front of her.
"Pfft!"
Uzui Tengen was the first to laugh out loud, slapping his own forehead.
"Hinatsuru, don't mention such un-flamboyant details at a time like this! Look, you've scared everyone!"
He raised his sake cup and drained it boldly: "Eat with ease! Today's meal is absolutely flamboyantly delicious!"
His hearty laughter scattered that bit of chill.
Ryosuke smiled and spoke up to ease the awkwardness.
"Mhm, I believe in flamboyance... Uzui."
"Sorry for startling everyone."
Hinatsuru nodded slightly.
However, this thoroughly piqued the curiosity of Rika and the others.
"But ninjas, eh! I thought they only existed in stories!" Rika exclaimed.
"Yeah!"
Shota agreed: "No wonder your skills are so good."
Uzui Tengen and his wives chimed in with a few sentences, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.
...
Late at night.
The peach forest became dreamlike under the moonlight.
On the wooden corridor outside the dojo, Uzui Tengen sat alone leaning against the door frame, holding a wine jar in his hand.
The flamboyant ostentation of the day settled down with the night.
The breeze brushed his silver hair, softening even the sharp angles of his face a few degrees.
A set of extremely light footsteps sounded from behind.
Uzui Tengen didn't turn back, just passed another wine jar beside his hand to the side.
Ryosuke sat down silently, took the wine jar, and took a sip.
The two were silent for a while, with only the chirping of insects in the mountains and the faint sound of the stream in the distance.
"Squeak—"
A small cry broke the tranquility.
Several mice with robust physiques, wearing gem-studded headbands, were walking over with "heave-ho" sounds, holding plates and wine jars larger than their bodies.
The Ninju (Ninja Mice) placed the plates steadily in front of Uzui Tengen, then started flexing their muscles one after another, emitting "Squeak squeak! Squeak!" sounds from their throats to claim credit.
Uzui Tengen flicked their heads with his finger.
"Good work, flamboyant little guys."
The Ninju immediately puffed out their chests proudly and drilled back into the shadows.
Have to say, my Flamboyant Brother is rich.
Ryosuke lamented.
Even the headbands of the Ninja Mice had gems.
However, these little pets that had undergone special training and possessed intelligence were indeed lovable.
"Great partners."
Ryosuke looked in the direction they disappeared and said softly.
"Yeah... flamboyant and reliable partners."
Uzui Tengen responded, taking a sip of wine.
Perhaps the alcohol went to his head; remembering the scene during the day, he couldn't help laughing.
"Momoyama is very interesting."
"As long as you don't think it's noisy."
Ryosuke glanced at him helplessly.
Uzui Tengen shook his head, his eyes gradually deepening.
"Being noisy proves they are still alive. They are humans, not machines."