The chirping of birds in the early morning echoed through the village, and Shinazugawa Genya groggily opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar ceiling... "Ugh~"
He propped himself up on his elbows on the tatami mat, trying to get up, but as soon as he moved, a stiff pain shot through the back of his neck.
"Hiss~"
Shinazugawa Genya gasped, his arm stiffly reaching for the back of his head.
My neck hurts so much... Shinazugawa Genya grimaced, his expression instantly twisting.
What happened last night?
Did he do something?
Before his brain could fully connect, a flash of grey fur suddenly caught his eye.
Shinazugawa Genya instinctively looked, then recoiled in fright.
A massive Pig Head lay sprawled beside him, its wise blue eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"zZZZZ..."
"What, it's this guy..." Shinazugawa Genya couldn't relax; his brain instantly cleared, and his pupils slightly contracted.
Last night... he seemed to have followed this group of idiots to peek... bah!
No.
Last night, he seemed to have impulsively charged forward with this guy... and then what?
What happened then?
A trace of confusion flashed in Shinazugawa Genya's eyes; his memory only went as far as the two of them charging forward.
Whoosh... The door suddenly slid open.
"Ah, Genya, you're awake." Tanjirou, holding a plate full of rice balls, asked with a happy and concerned expression, "How are you? Is your body alright?"
"My body?" Shinazugawa Genya moved his neck uncomfortably, frowning deeply. "What exactly happened yesterday? Why can't I remember anything?"
"Eh?" Tanjirou was stunned.
Oh no, did Miss Mizuki hit him too hard and damage his brain?
"That woman knocked us out with a single slash," Inosuke, who had woken up and was squatting in front of the food tray, stuffing rice balls into his mouth, replied indistinctly.
Shinazugawa Genya's expression was a bit strange: "With a sword?"
Tanjirou held up a finger: "Hmph, Miss Mizuki didn't draw her sword at the time, did she? It must have been with the scabbard, right?"
Although his attention was on Zenitsu at the time and he didn't see how the two fell, if Inosuke said so, it must be true.
"Huh? You're kidding, right?" Shinazugawa Genya's face was a little pale; he had no memory of it at all.
His last memory was only of this Pig Head wielding his Nichirin Blade and charging ahead of him.
If it was really as these two said, then didn't that mean the woman took care of him at the same moment she defeated this Pig Head?
Shinazugawa Genya looked at Inosuke, who was wolfing down his food, with some suspicion.
Is this guy really not lying?
Tanjirou replied honestly: "No lies, otherwise Genya wouldn't be lying here, right?"
Shinazugawa Genya:...Tanjirou looked around: "By the way, hasn't Zenitsu returned yet?"
That yellow-haired pervert, right?
Shinazugawa Genya glanced around the room; this wasn't his room. Last night, this guy and that yellow-haired guy must have brought him back.
Inosuke responded while eating: "What happened to that guy?"
At this, Tanjirou's mouth twitched unnaturally: "Zenitsu... was caught by Miss Shinobu."
"He's been having diarrhea since last night; he's probably been to the toilet seven or eight times already..."
Zenitsu, after being cut by Miss Shinobu's Nichirin Blade, immediately collapsed and has been tormented by stomach issues since getting up in the middle of the night.
The wound wasn't deep, just a simple graze, but Miss Shinobu was skilled with poison, adept at tormenting both humans and demons.
When Tanjirou went to the kitchen for breakfast, Zenitsu was just going to the toilet for the seventh time.
"That Shinobu... she's indeed most dangerous when she smiles." Inosuke shivered, implying that being directly knocked out by Mizuki was a good thing for them.
Tanjirou broke into a sweat: "No... I think this is our fault."
"Genya, aren't you eating?" Tanjirou offered a rice ball to Genya.
Shinazugawa Genya was still in a daze and casually slapped Tanjirou's hand away.
Genya's face was ashen: "I still can't believe it."
Although his memory was a bit blurry, that Pig Head should have been several meters away from him at the time.
Because he paused for a moment before reacting and following.
"At that distance, not even a Hashira could do it."
At that distance... could she really defeat both of them instantly while remaining out of his sight and undetected?
He didn't think he was stronger than a Hashira, but it was impossible not to notice anything unusual in that situation.
In his memory, Mizuki had just stood there without moving.
Tanjirou opened his mouth but didn't have time to speak before the door opened again, and a weak voice came through.
"No lie... Miss Mizuki... is very strong."
Tanjirou's face lit up with joy: "Zenitsu, you're ba—"
Tanjirou's smile froze.
Ugh, how miserable... Zenitsu Agatsuma was leaning on the door, his legs trembling, his hair messy on his head, looking listless as if he hadn't eaten or slept for days.
Shinazugawa Genya gave him a sidelong glance: "Very strong? Are you saying that woman is stronger than a Hashira?"
Hashira? Very strong?
You haven't seen the Hashira being beaten by Mizuki; even the most cheerful Flame Hashira started to doubt his life midway, became unusually dispirited for two days, and spoke much less.
"Tanjirou is a Hashira, ask him." Zenitsu rolled a listless white eye, his face even paler and more haggard than Shinazugawa Genya's, drained of color.
He now looked at the rice balls and was somewhat afraid to eat them.
Shinazugawa Genya was startled: "Who is a Hashira?"
Zenitsu expressionlessly pointed at the embarrassed Tanjirou.
The title of Hashira was definitely not a title of pride for Tanjirou.
Because he was too weak and completely unworthy of the Hashira title.
"Huh? He's a Hashira?" Shinazugawa Genya's eyes widened. "Aren't we from the same generation?"
Why are you a Hashira?
Shinazugawa Genya, who had been training under Himejima Gyoumei, could not accept that someone from his generation had become a Hashira before him.
"Hehe." Zenitsu gave a pale smile. "What's that? Didn't that Mist Hashira become a Hashira after holding a sword for two months?"
Moreover, if you had Tanjirou's luck and managed to survive, you'd be a Hashira too.
Thinking about the Twelve Demon Moons they encountered in less than a year since becoming Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, it was something others might never encounter in their entire lives.
Especially the Upper Rank Demon Moon, other Hashira might not encounter them for years or decades.
They encountered three at once, including Upper Rank One.
Just standing in front of him was a test of courage; even Hashira couldn't ignore that pressure.
By now, there was really nothing that could faze Zenitsu.
Well, except for the guy who became a Hashira after two months of holding a sword.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!