read more inpatreon
ilham20
belamy20
Shuya knew exactly why he'd stopped moving mid-form.
He had awakened Transparent World.
But Nezuko, watching from the side, had no idea what just happened. One second Shuya was flowing through Sun Breathing perfectly… the next, he just froze in place like a statue.
Worried, she dropped her wooden sword and ran over.
Shuya, still in Transparent World, saw every detail of her approach—muscles firing, breathing pattern, even the tiny vibrations in her vocal cords before she spoke.
They said the exact same words at the same time.
"Nezuko, you okay?" ×2
Nezuko's eyes went wide. "How did you know what I was going to say?!"
"How did you know what I was going to say?!"
Shuya echoed her again, perfectly in sync.
Twice in a row. That couldn't be a coincidence.
Does Shuya-nii have mind-reading powers?!
If he does… then right now he probably already knows I like him…
Nezuko's face turned bright red. She ducked her head, too embarrassed to look at him or say another word.
Shuya already knew she had feelings for him, but Transparent World wasn't that broken. It only let him see muscle movements and predict actions once someone started moving or speaking. He couldn't actually read minds.
He assumed she was just freaked out by his sudden stillness. But the way her blood was rushing to her cheeks and the shy little smile tugging at her lips told a different story.
She's embarrassed?
Shuya let the domain fade and gently patted her head. When in doubt, head pats never failed.
"Shuya-nii~"
Nezuko peeked up at him, voice soft and sweet.
The way she said his name sent an unexpected shiver down his spine. Nothing about the words had changed, but something about her tone felt… different. Warmer. Stickier.
"I'm here," he answered quietly.
To Nezuko, the head pat plus that gentle reply felt like something more.
"Shuya-nii… um…" She fidgeted with her fingers, cheeks still pink. "Can you squat down for a second?"
"You've got something you want to tell me?"
Shuya didn't overthink it. He figured she just wanted to whisper a secret. He crouched down without hesitation.
Nezuko's heart hammered. She stared at his unguarded face, fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. Her face slowly leaned closer. Hot, nervous breaths brushed against his cheek.
She bit her lip, eyes filling with determination.
Then she quickly kissed his cheek and bolted out of the training hall like her life depended on it.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
Nezuko hid behind the wall outside, breathing hard. The blush had spread all the way to her ears, turning her entire face a cute shade of pink.
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing so fast she could feel it. Then she touched her own lips with trembling fingers.
"I… I did it!"
She actually kissed Shuya-nii!
It was just a quick peck on the cheek, but she felt ridiculously proud of herself for being so brave.
Inside the training hall, Shuya touched the spot on his face where Nezuko had kissed him and chuckled.
Bold… but also kinda shy. Classic Nezuko.
He didn't chase after her. Instead, he sat down cross-legged on the floor.
Now that he had Transparent World, it was time to go for the other two big upgrades—Demon Slayer Mark and Red Blade.
Compared to Transparent World, the Mark was actually pretty straightforward. All you had to do was push your body temperature past 39°C (102.2°F) and get your heart rate over 200 beats per minute while using a Breathing Style. The Mark would appear on its own.
The "you'll die before 25" side effect? That was a joke to a Nen user who could freely control their life energy. Worst case, he could just use Equivalent Exchange to remove the Mark later.
Worth a shot.
Shuya kept the Sun Breathing rhythm going while slowly raising his body temperature and heart rate.
It didn't take long.
A burning sensation spread across his face like flames licking his skin.
At the same time, an ancient, weary sigh echoed right beside his ear.
"Alas~ Finally, another junior has awakened the Mark?"