The shirtless boar headed teenager, Inosuke Hashibira, successfully drew every gaze on the platform to himself.
Vincent Fox covered his face and quietly inched away.
This was simply too embarrassing.
Expression utterly flat, Zenitsu Agatsuma shuffled over to the proud country bumpkin and said to Inosuke, "Times have changed, piglet. That is a train."
"Shhh."
Inosuke put a finger to his lips, shoved Zenitsu aside and muttered in all seriousness, "I can feel its hostility…"
As he spoke, both hands dropped to the hilts of the twin blades at his waist. He was about to draw them.
At that moment, their spiritual support pillar, Tanjiro Kamado, appeared just in time.
"Stop, Inosuke!"
"Huh?"
Zenitsu exhaled in relief. "Finally, a normal person…"
Vincent looked at Tanjiro's serious face and felt a bad premonition creeping up on him.
Sure enough, Tanjiro then said solemnly, "This might be the guardian of this land. It would be far too rude to just draw your sword at it."
Zenitsu: "…"
Vincent: "…"
Zenitsu clutched his head. "So is everyone else wrong, or am I the crazy one…"
He turned to Vincent, seeking affirmation. "Mr. Fox, this is a train, right?"
Vincent hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Actually… I am starting to feel a little unsure myself…"
Refusing to give up, Zenitsu ran back to Tanjiro, desperately trying to salvage what was left of common sense between these two country bumpkins.
"I am telling you, this is a train. A locomotive. Understand? It is a vehicle. For transporting people."
Only then did Tanjiro react. "So this is what the crow was talking about."
Inosuke, however, could not care less.
He quietly backed up a few steps and then…
White vapor that no one knew the source of puffed out of his boar snout.
"Guardian of the land, I challenge you."
"Beast Rush!"
His body spun three hundred and sixty degrees through the air, and he used his boar head to ram straight into the train's metal siding.
Clang.
"Stop it. This is humiliating."
Zenitsu's face burned bright red as he tried to stop him.
He could already feel the stares. Their little group had become the center of attention for every passenger on the platform.
Vincent thought silently, Maybe I really should move to another world to live…
After that little circus act, the train staff finally noticed them.
Several tall men in uniforms strode over.
"You lot, what do you think you are doing?"
"Do you have tickets? We need to check your tickets in advance on behalf of the train crew."
As they spoke, the two attendants looked the four of them up and down.
The moment they spotted the swords at their waists, their faces changed.
"They have blades. These guys are armed."
"Dangerous individuals. Call the police."
One of them immediately grabbed the handset and reported that there were armed suspects on the platform.
"Run."
For once, Zenitsu's brain fired at full power. He instantly realized how bad this could get.
Vincent took a quick step back, grabbed Tanjiro with his left hand and the boar boy with his right, and bolted.
Twisting and turning through the crowds and side passages, they finally shook off the pursuit.
"Why is the great Inosuke running from them?"
Inosuke sat cross legged on the floor, utterly baffled.
"Because the Demon Slayer Corps is not a publicly recognized organization like the police," Vincent explained calmly. "Legally, we are not supposed to walk around with swords, especially not onto a crowded train."
"And even if we tried to tell them about demons, no one would believe us. They would just treat us as suspicious people and lock us up."
Zenitsu threw his arms around Vincent's leg and burst into tears of gratitude.
"Finally, someone normal. Mr. Fox, I am begging you, please stay this way. Just keep being this sane."
Vincent gave him a speechless look, then turned to face the Tanjiro and boar duo with a serious expression.
"Right now, the most important thing is hiding the swords. Otherwise, we will not even make it on board."
"Oh, that is all? Watch me."
Inosuke yelled, unhooked his twin blades and shoved them straight down his pants.
"See? Perfectly hidden."
Tanjiro: "…"
Vincent: "…"
Zenitsu: "…Idiot. Put your clothes on properly first."
Tooot. Toooot.
While Inosuke was proudly demonstrating his "butt sheath" technique, the train's wheels began to turn.
The train was leaving.
"Oh no."
Zenitsu realized at once and shouted, "The train is moving and we are not on it yet."
"But the police might still be nearby and… hey, why are you all running? Wait for me."
By the time he turned around, Vincent was already leading the charge, with Tanjiro and Inosuke right behind him.
Bang.
With a single leap, Vincent vaulted up and grabbed the side railing, hauling himself onto the train.
Right behind him, Tanjiro and Inosuke also sprang aboard.
"I am still here, you know."
Panting hard, Zenitsu waved frantically from behind.
"Hurry, before it speeds up. Jump."
Vincent hung onto the railing with one hand and stretched the other toward him.
Gritting his teeth, Zenitsu jumped.
All the training over the past few days had not been for nothing.
He almost made it.
"Got you."
Vincent's hand shot out and caught him… by the hair.
With a yank, he dragged Zenitsu up onto the train.
"Ow ow ow ow ow…"
Zenitsu crouched on the floor, clutching his scalp as if he had nearly been scalped bald.
Without a word, Vincent flicked a handful of yellow strands from his palm and let them drift away in the wind.
He turned and glanced at the large wooden box strapped behind Tanjiro.
"Is Nezuko inside?"
"Yeah."
Tanjiro nodded.
"Is it really okay to bring her along?"
Zenitsu looked at the box with a worried face.
"Wouldn't it be safer to leave her at headquarters?"
"No. This is better."
Tanjiro's lips curved into a soft smile.
"I already promised Nezuko. No matter where we go, we will stay together."
"We will never be separated again."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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