"Ren, thank you for saving Nezuko a month ago."
Kamado Kie thanked Ren personally. Although she had not witnessed the battle a month ago with her own eyes, seeing the countless trees severed by sharp blades and the blood covering the ground during their move allowed her to imagine the brutality of the fight.
Ren scratched his head and smiled at Nezuko. "It's nothing, Auntie Kie. It's what I should do. After all, Nezuko is my biological sister from another mother and father."
However, upon hearing this, Kocho Shinobu couldn't help but roll her eyes.
'From another father and another mother, yet a biological sister... how exactly do you combine those words?'
"Regardless, Auntie still wants to thank you!"
Kie smiled gently, then turned her head to look at Kocho Shinobu beside her, asking with a smile, "Ren, this is your..."
"Hello Auntie, my name is Kocho Shinobu, I am Ren's friend!"
Kocho Shinobu answered hurriedly, afraid that Kie would also blurt out a question asking if she was Ren's girlfriend.
"Oh my, so you are Ren's friend. You are so beautiful, I thought you were Ren's girlfriend."
As she spoke, Kie glanced at Ren and teased with a laugh, "I was just thinking this kid had some skills. I haven't seen him for over a month, and not only is he full of energy, but he also found such a beautiful girlfriend, hohoho!"
"..."
Hearing this, Kocho Shinobu couldn't help but blush, lowering her head shyly, afraid to look anyone in the eye.
She felt puzzled inside, thinking: 'Why does every single person say I'm Ren's girlfriend? We are clearly just ordinary friends. But ordinary friends probably wouldn't hug each other, and this guy Ren even touched my leg, although it was just to help me treat a wound...'
"Hehe."
Seeing the blushing Kocho Shinobu, the corners of Kie's mouth couldn't help but rise into a triumphant smile.
She had deliberately said Kocho Shinobu was Ren's girlfriend, and Kocho Shinobu actually didn't get angry, but instead showed a shy expression.
What did this mean? It meant there was something going on between the two! As long as they got along well, they might end up together in the future.
As someone who had been through this, Kie had plenty of experience in these matters!
Suddenly remembering that food was still cooking in the kitchen, Kie hurriedly stood up and smiled, "You guys chat first, I'm going to the kitchen to cook!"
"Auntie, let me help you. It just so happens I have some things to talk to you about."
Ren kept pace with Kie, entering the kitchen together, leaving Kocho Shinobu in the living room to chat with the children. However, with Nezuko there, Kocho Shinobu wouldn't feel out of place.
Inside the kitchen, Ren took out one hundred and fifty thousand yen and handed it to Kamado Kie.
"Auntie Kie, this is the money I earned these past few days. I kept a portion, and I'm handing the rest over to you. It must be very hard for you to raise Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the others all by yourself. I think this money should be able to help you."
Looking at the one hundred and fifty thousand yen, Kie was completely dumbfounded. Having lived most of her life, when had she ever seen so much money?
Even if Tanjiro sold charcoal for ten years, he might not necessarily earn this much.
"Ren, you..."
Kie looked at Ren in astonishment. She wasn't a fool; she understood that there was no free lunch in this world. For Ren to earn so much money meant he had paid a great price.
Given his abilities, the only way to earn this much money in a month was...
"Ren, you didn't go to kill demons, did you?"
As she spoke, a look of deep worry appeared on Kie's face. She already knew that evil demons were no longer monsters from myths and legends, and she knew there were people in this world who specialized in hunting them.
Connecting this to the fact that Ren had left to deal with the poison in his body, Kie quickly figured out the entire sequence of events.
during this month, Ren must have joined some organization that hunted demons for a living, which was why he could earn so much money.
Knowing he couldn't hide it from her, Ren didn't make excuses but admitted it openly.
"That's right. There are many evil demons in this world that feed on humans, and there are many people who have lost important things because of demons, so I joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Not just me, Miss Shinobu outside is also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. We all take slaying the world's demons as our duty, so that people have the right to walk at night."
"You've grown up, Ren..."
Seeing the resolute and unyielding expression on his face, Kie knew that Ren had found his goal in life, and no matter what she said, it would be useless.
Because Ren was that kind of person; once he decided on something, no one could persuade him otherwise.
"However, Auntie cannot take this money. This is money you earned by risking your life, how can I accept it? Auntie isn't a cripple, I can go out and work to earn money too, so you should take this money back."
"Why can't I give it to you? Aren't we family?"
Ren asked with a smile, then continued, "I chose to join the Demon Slayer Corps not only for the common people of the world but also so that you guys could live a happy life. It's too hard for Tanjiro to wake up early and work late every day to chop wood and burn charcoal. Auntie, you don't want Tanjiro to be that tired, right? He should have a better life. for the sake of Tanjiro and Nezuko, please accept this money."
"Alright then!"
Seeing Ren was insistent, Kie stopped being stubborn and simply said, "But I will save this money for you. When you get married, I will give it all back to you."
Speaking of this, Kie suddenly revealed a mischievous smile and whispered, "That Miss Kocho Shinobu is a good girl. Ren, you must cherish her!"
Ren laughed awkwardly. "Auntie, Miss Shinobu and I really are just ordinary friends."
"Are you stupid! What's wrong with ordinary friends? Can't ordinary friends fall in love? Your Auntie and Tanjuro were just ordinary friends when we were young, and didn't we end up together in the end? How does that saying go? The one closest to the water sees the moon first, and one shouldn't let fertile water flow into an outsider's field. You brat, you have to seize the opportunity."
"I know, Auntie..."
Ren agreed in an extremely perfunctory manner. Although Kocho Shinobu was the girl he liked the most, his mind was currently filled with thoughts on how to drag Kibutsuji Muzan out to sunbathe; he hadn't considered personal romance yet.
After handing the one hundred and fifty thousand yen to Kie, Ren stayed in the kitchen to prepare lunch. Since Kocho Shinobu was visiting as a guest, he had to show off his skills and display his cooking ability.
In this way, Ren bustled about in the kitchen, and before long, he had prepared several delicious dishes that looked and smelled amazing.
Smelling the fragrant aroma of the food, Kocho Shinobu's eyes lit up as well; she hadn't expected Ren's cooking skills to be so good.
Just as lunch was nearly ready, Tanjiro returned home carrying a basket of firewood on his back. seeing Ren return safely, he was ecstatic. Subsequently, everyone ate a sumptuous lunch.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]