Chapter 105: A Reminder
The division of patrol territories and the exchange of intelligence concluded swiftly. Uzui Tengen had risen through the ranks in the standard fashion—slaying a massive quota of demons—so there wasn't much to debate regarding his promotion.
Akira leaned back, silently grumbling to himself. 'No wonder I've only managed to find three demons for my medicine testing over the past half-month. These guys are practically wiping out the entire regular demon population.'
Before the meeting transitioned to the sword skill exchange, Akira spoke up, his tone laced with mild curiosity. "Uzui, is the style of your earrings just a personal preference, or do they hold some specific meaning?"
"Oh, these?" Tengen reached up, tapping the hanging jewels. "Akira, you know I used to be a shinobi. This particular style is quite common among ninja clans. Why do you ask?"
Tengen held a highly favorable impression of Akira. For one, the younger swordsman had recommended him to Jigoro Kuwajima, an experienced senior who helped him refine his understanding of Thunder Breathing, which ultimately allowed Tengen to forge his own Sound Breathing. Secondly, seeing the two beautiful young women always by Akira's side, Tengen recognized a kindred spirit. A man who cherished multiple partners and maintained perfect harmony between them? That was truly flashy.
"I secured my position as a Hashira by killing Lower Rank Three," Akira explained, drawing the immediate attention of the rest of the room. "That particular demon wore earrings identical to yours. It made me a bit curious."
Tengen's expression sobered. "Is that so... It makes sense. Many in the shinobi world are entirely unscrupulous when it comes to chasing power, including several members of my own bloodline. It was exactly that toxic environment that drove me to abandon my clan and the shinobi way of life altogether." He swept his gaze across the gathered Hashira, his voice hardening. "If any of you encounter demons wearing these earrings in the future, do not hesitate. Consider it doing me a favor by cleaning up the ninja world's trash."
"Well said!" Shinjuro was the first to voice his agreement, his booming voice echoing in the hall. The others quickly murmured their assent.
Fired up by the exchange, Shinjuro immediately dragged Tengen out to the courtyard for a sparring match.
Since it was a friendly bout, they wielded standard wooden bokken. This inherently put Tengen at a disadvantage, preventing him from using his true strength. Sound Breathing relied heavily on specialized explosives to maximize its destructive potential. Tengen's unique dual Nichirin blades were coated with a volatile gunpowder along the edges, which was why he kept them wrapped in cloth rather than sheathed in iron scabbards, preventing accidental friction ignition.
Despite the handicap, years of grueling shinobi training had forged Tengen's swordsmanship into something lethal and precise. Even without his explosive arsenal, he adapted quickly. The wooden blades clashed in a blur of motion, and Tengen steadily gained the upper hand against the Flame Hashira. His baseline physical stats were monstrous; his towering, heavily muscled physique was proof enough. Among everyone present, only Gyomei possessed greater raw physical strength. Akira himself was only slightly stronger than Tengen in pure muscle power.
Watching Shinjuro finally lower his wooden sword and concede the match, Akira mused quietly. 'The gatekeeper of the new generation of Hashira has officially arrived.'
It wasn't that Shinjuro was weak. Weak swordsmen became demon food long before they ever reached the rank of Hashira. It was simply that this incoming generation of Hashira was completely unreasonable in their talent—Akira included.
After the Hashira Meeting officially adjourned, Akira, Makomo, and Kanae made their way back to the Butterfly Mansion. The evening air was cool and quiet.
The moment they stepped through the front gates, Makomo shot Akira a knowing glance. He offered a subtle nod in return. Without a word, Makomo released Akira's hand and slipped inside the estate, leaving Akira standing in the moonlit courtyard, his fingers still gently intertwined with Kanae's.
"Akira-kun, is something wrong?" Kanae tilted her head, her dark hair shifting over her shoulder as she looked at him with mild confusion.
"Strictly speaking, I'm not the one with something wrong right now. You are." He squeezed her hand softly. "Kanae, you have something heavy on your mind. During the meeting today, it was the first time I've ever seen you look so distracted."
"Oh my... so you noticed." Kanae's gaze drifted toward the garden, avoiding his piercing eyes.
"So, are you going to tell me about it?"
She took a slow, deep breath, the cool night air filling her lungs, before finally meeting his gaze again. "If it's you, Akira-kun... then yes."
Akira was one of the very few within the Demon Slayer Corps who, like her, harbored no personal blood feud against demons. He was also the person closest to her heart. Because of that, she felt safe voicing the dangerous, forbidden thought buried deep within her.
"I've been thinking about a certain question lately. Is it truly impossible for demons and humans to coexist peacefully?" She looked down at their joined hands. "You joined the Corps before I did, so you know this too. Most demons were once just pitiful, broken people. They should understand the suffering of ordinary humans. They know how much hardship, tears, and sweat people pour into simply trying to survive. So... why can't they just get along?"
She looked back up, her eyes pleading for an honest answer.
Akira held her gaze steadily. "Actually, the reason is quite simple. Because they eat people." He kept his voice gentle, but firm. "If those people, after being transformed into demons, only hunted down the ones who had tormented and persecuted them in life, I honestly wouldn't feel any disgust toward them. Even if they devoured their enemies, I would just view them as overzealous, mentally deranged vigilantes. I would keep my distance, sure, but I wouldn't draw my blade against them."
He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "But the moment they turn their fangs on the innocent—the moment they start viewing humanity as nothing more than livestock and food—the entire nature of the situation changes. Asking humans and demons to coexist peacefully in that scenario is like asking wolves and sheep, or cats and mice, to live together as a happy family."
The light in Kanae's beautiful eyes dimmed slightly, a shadow of sorrow crossing her delicate features. "So... you think my idea is naive, ridiculous, and utterly impossible too, right?"
"Not at all," Akira replied instantly, his thumb tracing the back of her hand. "There will always be outliers in any group. While it is incredibly difficult for two opposing species like humans and demons to live in harmony on a large scale, finding one or two special demons who refuse to eat humans isn't entirely impossible."
"Really?" Kanae's eyes brightened instantly, shining even more radiantly than before. She could tell by his steady heartbeat and calm demeanor that he wasn't just feeding her empty comfort. He genuinely believed that such a possibility existed, no matter how microscopic the odds.
Akira nodded. "Of course it's true. As far as I know, there are rare cases of wolves protecting sheep, and cats befriending mice out there in the world. Naturally, the same applies to humans and demons."
'Pleasant Goat is a sheep, and Tom is a cat, after all,' Akira joked internally, thinking of the cartoons from his past life.
But jokes aside, he already knew of a very real exception in this world. Tamayo and Yushiro hadn't completely eradicated their need for human blood, but they survived on minimal, ethically sourced amounts. They knew how to restrain their instincts, retained their human empathy, and lived peacefully in the shadows of human society.
"Akira-kun, you aren't just saying this to make me happy, are you?" Even though she trusted him implicitly, the concept was so monumental she needed absolute confirmation.
"Of course not." A warm, confident smile touched his lips. "Tell you what. I need to head out again for a few days. When I get back, I'll bring you a surprise."
Kanae's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. A bright, beautiful smile bloomed across her face, and she nodded heavily, her heart swelling with renewed hope.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]