Mai obviously didn't act on those wild thoughts—unlike what Ryuji feared, she had more serious things on her mind than impulsive violence.
After that, the two of them remained silent, waiting together until morning.
As dawn broke, townspeople began emerging from their homes one by one. Upon seeing Ryuji and Shinobu, their expressions flickered with fear, anxiety—and a hint of anticipation.
Ryuji glanced at their faces and was tempted to give them a scare just for fun, but decided against it.
"It'd be funny, but it might traumatize them."
Judging by their nervous expressions, if he disguised himself as a demon now, he could probably scare a few of them to death.
"Yeah, actually killing someone with a prank would be bad…"
With a mutter, he followed Shinobu to meet the local lord.
Of course, Ryuji didn't kneel. He stood there, casual as ever, and since Shinobu was with him, she didn't kneel either. The noble clearly looked displeased with their lack of etiquette—but at least he wasn't stupid enough to show it directly. Otherwise, Ryuji wouldn't have minded demonstrating just how easily he could mow down monsters and nobles alike.
Shinobu reported on their battle, carefully omitting Ryuji's full capabilities. She simply explained how much effort it had taken to clear the area of demons.
The noble, face blank like a corpse, gave a small nod and dismissed them without a single word of praise or thanks.
"Tch. What a cheapskate," Ryuji muttered. "We cleaned out a whole city of monsters and we don't even get a reward?"
Shinobu forced a smile. She shared his frustration. They were used to going unrewarded during demon hunts—but not even a word of encouragement?
"Well… at least we're getting a roof over our heads. That's something," Mai said with a shrug. "This is feudal Japan, remember?"
Unlike Ryuji, who had only read a few manga and light novels, Mai had firsthand cultural knowledge of this era. And frankly, with his attitude earlier, it was a miracle the lord hadn't ordered his execution.
"Still cheap," Ryuji grumbled. "If it were me, I'd at least invite us to a feast. You can't lord over people like you're superior, then ignore their accomplishments."
"That's just how it is for us in the Demon Slayer Corps," Shinobu said softly.
Ryuji didn't really care. If someone pissed him off enough, he would just take his sword and send the other person to see his ancestors.
They eventually had a meal and went back to rest.
When it came time to bathe, Ryuji glanced at Shinobu hopefully—but unfortunately, both she and Mai said they were going to bathe separately. So he had to go wash up alone.
The baths here were rudimentary—just a wooden tub and someone to boil the water, much like the setup in his post-apocalyptic "7 Days to Die" world.
Ryuji didn't bother anyone. He used Fire Manipulation to heat the water and Water Manipulation to fill the tub, then slipped in.
Even though his enhanced body wasn't physically tired, the warm water still eased his tension. Watching steam rise from the water, Ryuji found his thoughts wandering.
"I can freeze water and turn ice into water… can I heat it too?"
If he could make the water hot with just Water Manipulation, he wouldn't need to use fire. It might even let him control steam—and if he could do that, maybe he'd be able to control wind indirectly.
"So… at the highest level, the Four Great Elemental Techniques should let you manipulate matter entirely, just by mastering one, huh?"
He tried focusing on the water molecules, making them vibrate to generate heat—but he couldn't do it yet. The most he managed was making the water swirl like a washing machine.
Giving up, he used the water to wash his back.
As he did, he couldn't help but recall Ikumi's "back-washing service," with her… generously proportioned assets rubbing against him. She had a lover's devotion, always gentle and submissive.
"Damn, it's been two days here and I haven't slept with anyone... Am I entering another dry spell?"
With Mai probably filling Shinobu's head with warnings, it didn't look good.
"Ugh, how pitiful."
He sighed, climbed out of the tub, and dried off. After cleaning up, he returned to the room Shinobu had arranged for him.
The tatami mat floor was nothing special and was not even as comfortable as the mat in his home—but the bedding smelled faintly of wisteria flowers. He even found a scented pouch stuffed inside the covers.
"She's really obsessed with wisteria…"
As Ryuji began drifting to sleep, the scent calming his mind, he vaguely felt a small body curl up in his arms. Instinctively, he pulled it closer, hands moving expertly to explore the softness of the figure pressed against him.
"R-Ryuji-sama…"
Shinobu's whisper was soft, nervous. She had worked up the courage to sneak into his room—but he was already half-asleep, lost between dreams and reality. His hand still moved on its own, gently kneading her surprisingly full chest.
"Really… Ryuji-sama…"
Face flushed, Shinobu gave up resisting. She let herself be held like a doll in his arms. And as she lay there, she once again felt the size difference between them.
"Is this really okay?"
She wasn't sure. But just as she started to settle in and wait for him to wake up in the morning—
The movement of her twisting body made her butt rub against his dick.
His eyes opened.
But in his mind his thoughts were:
No.
RyujiDon't open your eyes.
Because if you open your eyes now, you'll pounce on her.
~~~~~~~~~~
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