Soma had never expected that, during this meeting, Amane Ubuyashiki would propose marrying her daughter Hinaki to him. To be honest, it left Soma somewhat at a loss.
But he could make a rough guess as to why.
Perhaps it was related to the matter he had mentioned last time about releasing demons into certain regions. Or perhaps she wanted to deepen the connection between them. Or perhaps she truly felt that he was a decent person…
But no matter the reason, this was not a bad thing.
After all, Hinaki had inherited the beauty of her mother, Amane Ubuyashiki, and she herself was a very fine young woman.
Deep down, he was more than willing.
However, he still needed to consider the feelings of Nezuko and Kanao.
"What do you think?" Amane Ubuyashiki asked.
At this moment, she actually felt somewhat displeased. Logically speaking, her daughter Hinaki was extremely outstanding, the treasured daughter of the Ubuyashiki family, and there was no telling how many people wished to marry her.
She had originally thought that once Soma heard this, he would be overjoyed, or would perhaps agree impatiently on the spot.
But Soma's attitude clearly did not meet Amane Ubuyashiki's expectations.
Soma raised his head and glanced at Hinaki Ubuyashiki, who had lowered her head after saying that she was "willing to serve by his side," her small hands clutching at her skirt. Only then did he speak with a bitter smile.
"Miss Hinaki is a very fine young woman, and she is also very beautiful. A girl as wonderful as her would probably be liked by any man, and I am naturally no exception."
Amane Ubuyashiki nodded slightly.
"I myself have no objections, but I still have some concerns."
"What concerns?"
Amane Ubuyashiki's tone was not particularly pleasant.
"It is like this. At present, I am not exactly single. I have already begun a relationship with Nezuko…"
Soma frankly explained his circumstances to Amane Ubuyashiki, mainly regarding his relationship with Nezuko, as well as his situation with Kanao.
To be honest, when she heard these things, Amane Ubuyashiki felt somewhat angry.
Although in this world, outstanding men were not necessarily lacking women by their sides—for example, the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, had three wives—the circumstances of Amane Ubuyashiki's own family were different.
Ever since she had married Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Kagaya had never taken another wife. Naturally, Amane Ubuyashiki also hoped that her future son-in-law would devote himself wholeheartedly to her daughter alone.
However, Soma's frank attitude also made Amane Ubuyashiki feel more reassured.
After all, Soma could have chosen not to say any of this.
Once Soma finished explaining everything, he sat there without speaking. Amane Ubuyashiki fell into thought and did not speak either. Hinaki Ubuyashiki held her sleeve in her hands, her head lowered slightly, her long lashes trembling faintly. No one knew what she was thinking.
As for Kiriya Ubuyashiki, he looked at his elder sister for a while, then at Soma for a while.
For a time, the room fell into a deep silence.
...
In the end, Amane Ubuyashiki still made the decision and agreed to the marriage, then asked Soma and her daughter, Hinaki Ubuyashiki, to take a walk alone in the courtyard.
The courtyard scenery was lovely. Many wisteria trees had been planted nearby, and as the wind blew through them, petals danced in the air.
Soma and Hinaki Ubuyashiki walked slowly together. Occasionally, Soma would stop and turn to look at Hinaki beside him.
The young girl's figure was light and graceful, and she had inherited nearly all of her mother's finest qualities. Her appearance was lovely, and her silver-white hair fell down around her. She could be called another beautiful spirit, like a birch tree brought to life.
At this moment, however, the girl kept her head lowered, both small hands almost hidden inside her sleeves. Her long lashes trembled softly, as if revealing the unrest in her heart.
"Hinaki, what do you think about what your mother said?"
Soma stopped walking and looked at Hinaki Ubuyashiki, who had stopped as well.
The young girl lowered her head and said nothing.
"If you do not like it, Hinaki, I will speak with Madam about it. I will not let Madam make things difficult for you."
Soma's voice was low.
For any woman, it would probably be intolerable to marry someone who was also involved with other women. Moreover, Hinaki Ubuyashiki came from the Ubuyashiki family. In a sense, she could be called a favored daughter of heaven.
Generally speaking, a woman like her should carry pride in her heart. And the prouder a person was, the less likely they would be willing to share what was theirs with someone else.
Only, this might have been something her mother had decided, which was why Hinaki Ubuyashiki had silently accepted it.
So, if Hinaki Ubuyashiki herself did not agree, he would not force her. He would likely go directly and refuse the engagement.
Hinaki Ubuyashiki kept her eyes lowered. Her lips moved slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.
Seeing Hinaki Ubuyashiki so conflicted, Soma thought that she must have some misgivings about it. After all, for any proud woman, this was something impossible to tolerate. So he spoke gently.
"Do not worry. I will explain everything to Madam. I will say that I was the one who refused. I will not let Madam make things difficult for you."
With that, he turned around, preparing to go and explain the matter to Amane Ubuyashiki.
But just as he started walking, he realized that a small hand had caught hold of his clothes.
The young girl, who had kept her head lowered all this time, raised it at that moment, allowing Soma to clearly see her current expression.
She had a small, delicate oval face and a straight, elegant nose. Her entire person was exquisite and beautiful.
When Hinaki Ubuyashiki saw that Soma had stopped, she released her hand. Then she took half a step back, lowered herself, and gave him a deep bow.
"Sir, from now on, this humble girl places herself in your care."
Seeing this, Soma hesitated slightly before reaching out and taking the girl's small hand.
Hinaki Ubuyashiki lowered her head and did not stop him. Only a faint blush colored her cheeks.
After taking her hand, Soma did not do anything else. He simply held the girl's hand and wandered through the courtyard with her.
This place was probably one of the bases the Ubuyashiki family had chosen after the great explosion, but it had everything one could expect: pavilions and towers, small bridges, and flowing water. These things also revealed the Ubuyashiki family's tremendous wealth.
Thinking of this, Soma showed a look of worry.
In truth, Hinaki Ubuyashiki had been secretly observing Soma the entire time. Seeing this, she asked softly, "Sir, is something troubling you?"
"I suddenly started thinking about the matter between us."
The girl felt somewhat shy, but she was also a little curious.
"What is it?"
"I was thinking that, if I marry you, would I have to give a betrothal gift? My salary right now is basically paid by the Ubuyashiki family, so I'm afraid I may not be able to give very much…"
In truth, because of Nezuko, Soma had also come to understand some of the customs of this place. A betrothal gift was indeed required.
However, generally speaking, the bride's dowry also had to be of equal value. In some cases, the larger the dowry, the more it represented how much importance the bride's family placed on the marriage. To a certain extent, it also represented the bride's family's honor.
But no matter how one looked at it, given Soma's circumstances, it was impossible for him to offer a particularly large betrothal gift. Yet it was easy to imagine that, when the time came, the Ubuyashiki family would certainly prepare an extremely generous dowry.
Hinaki Ubuyashiki also had not expected him to suddenly consider this issue. She even began worrying that, when the time came, he might lose face. So she said softly, "Hinaki can persuade Mother. When the time comes, Mother can secretly prepare the betrothal gift for you."
Hearing this, Soma's eyes widened for a moment.
He had only been worried that the betrothal gift he gave would be too small, and that compared to a family like the Ubuyashiki family, it might cause them to lose face.
But he had not expected Hinaki Ubuyashiki to immediately suggest persuading her mother to help him pay the betrothal gift.
For a moment, Soma truly did not know what to say. After all, this would mean the Ubuyashiki family providing both the betrothal gift and the dowry.
"Looks like I've snagged myself a wealthy lady," Soma cracked with a soft chuckle.
Hinaki Ubuyashiki thought he might be angry, which was why he had said such a thing. But when she secretly glanced up at him, she found that he did not seem angry at all when he spoke those words, and she quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Sir, you really do not need to worry about those things. They are only meant for outsiders to see. No matter how much there is, Hinaki does not care."
Hinaki Ubuyashiki spoke softly. She very much wanted to add that she only cared about the person, but the shy words refused to leave her lips.
The two of them walked hand in hand through the courtyard for a while. Because there were still matters to attend to, they did not wander for very long.
When they parted, the girl handed him a sachet. Looking at the somewhat clumsy stitches on it, Soma guessed that Hinaki Ubuyashiki had embroidered it herself.
Soma accepted it and wore it on his person. It was only that, since he had not expected something like this to happen today, he had not prepared a gift in return, which left him feeling somewhat regretful.
"Sir, please be careful during this mission."
The girl looked at him with bright, shining eyes, and within them were hidden worry and concern.
"I will." Soma smiled, then turned and left.
"May victory follow you, sir."
Watching Soma's departing figure, Hinaki Ubuyashiki pressed her hands together in prayer.
...
After bidding farewell to Hinaki Ubuyashiki, Soma soon met the main force for this hunt: the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku; the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima; the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa; and the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho.
Aside from the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, Soma had already met the other Hashira before. Among them, he was most familiar with the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho.
"Namu Amida Butsu."
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, pressed his palms together. "The Oyakata-sama has instructed us to follow your command for this mission…"
"Just tell me what I need to do. Tell me directly, and that will be enough." Sanemi Shinazugawa thumped his chest firmly, his tone carrying a sense of closeness.
The Wind Hashira's attitude made the other Hashira glance over in surprise.
After all, Sanemi Shinazugawa was famous for his violent temper.
Kyojuro Rengoku could attest to that better than anyone. When he had first attended a Hashira meeting in place of his father, Sanemi had immediately hurled insults at him, declared he had no right to stand among them, and even attacked him on the spot.
Sanemi's hostile attitude had been directed at nearly every newcomer without exception. Although Soma now held considerable influence in the Demon Slayer Corps, he was still far from Hashira rank. For Sanemi to accept a non-Hashira newcomer as their direct leader was, to say the least, unexpected.
Under normal circumstances, Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa would never have tolerated such an arrangement.
In fact, before arriving, the others had already prepared themselves to step in and mediate if Sanemi behaved outrageously.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Am I some kind of person with a terrible attitude?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa crossed his arms, looking very displeased.
Kyojuro Rengoku was left speechless.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, who did not know that the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, had the fiercest temper of all? Back when he became a Hashira, he had even spoken harshly to the Oyakata-sama himself.
Perhaps because he was also aware of the temper he had always had, Sanemi Shinazugawa's face rarely flushed slightly. Then he stepped forward and placed a hand on Soma's shoulder.
"I believe Mr. Soma is a very capable person. If he is the one responsible for leading this hunt against Upper Rank Two, then I accept it."
"That doesn't sound like you at all, Sanemi," Kyojuro Rengoku sighed with feeling. "I have never seen Sanemi act so close to a newcomer before."
Hearing those words, Sanemi Shinazugawa was immediately embarrassed. He wanted to say something, but did not know how to begin.
"Thank you all for your trust," Soma said with a smile. "I will take this hunt for Upper Rank Two very seriously."
He roughly understood the key reason behind Sanemi Shinazugawa's unusually warm attitude. It should have something to do with his younger brother.
After briefly speaking with the Hashira, Soma brought up the points they needed to pay attention to when dealing with Upper Rank Two. Then, everyone set out.
...
The headquarters of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Female believers knelt one after another in the hall, listening as an old believer explained the doctrine to them.
"Since everyone has chosen to join the Eternal Paradise Faith, from now on, you are all members of our faith. As followers of the Eternal Paradise Faith, you must hold a calm attitude and live happily. As for things that make you uncomfortable or cause you pain, there is no need to force yourselves to do them…"
The old believer stood on the platform, teaching the new believers the doctrine of the Eternal Paradise Faith. Seeing the serious expressions of the believers as they listened, his face became extremely excited.
All this time, the number of followers in the Eternal Paradise Faith had basically remained at around two hundred and fifty. It was not that they had never thought about expanding, but the Founder had never agreed. Only recently had he confirmed his intention to expand the faith's followers, and this left the old believer incomparably excited. He looked forward greatly to witnessing the Eternal Paradise Faith flourish and spread.
He had always believed that the Founder was a true god.
Because the Founder had already existed since his father's time. His father had once told him that even during his grandfather's time, the Founder had looked exactly the same as he did now.
He had been in the Eternal Paradise Faith for decades, from a child to the aged old man he was now, and he had seen the Founder several times. As time passed, he had inevitably grown old, but the Founder remained exactly as he had been when the old believer first saw him as a child.
If that was not a god, then what was?
He believed that under the Founder's guidance, he would surely be able to reach that world of ultimate bliss.
Thinking of this, the old believer's expression grew increasingly excited and fanatical.
Below the platform, several young women were also fervently reciting the doctrine like the other female believers. However, their gazes had been observing their surroundings the entire time. If one looked carefully, one could even see that the fingers of these female believers were covered in calluses, the kind that could only form from years of gripping a sword or blade.
And these young women were none other than Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had infiltrated the Eternal Paradise Faith.
...
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