Chapter 6: Getting a room?
"Yeah." Tatsu shrugged, looking indifferent. "Whatever 'that lord' is, whatever curse to me, it simply doesn't exist."
Kanae was stunned.
Her clever mind raced, connecting everything that had happened:
Tatsu didn't eat humans, yet could sustain his life by eating ramen;
Tatsu didn't carry that nauseating scent of blood;
Tatsu maintained clear self-awareness and emotions;
And now, he claimed he wasn't afraid of the curse...
A shocking conjecture surfaced in her mind.
She widened her eyes, looking at Tatsu in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly with excitement:
"Tatsu, could it be... could it be that you have already broken free from Muzan Kibutsuji's control?"
This conjecture was too shocking.
For centuries, she had never heard of a single demon that could completely break free from that man's control.
Tatsu watched Kanae's expression, a mix of shock and a trace of anticipation, and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased:
It seems my uniqueness has successfully caught this beauty's attention.
"Bingo! You got it right, though unfortunately, there's no prize."
Tatsu snapped his fingers, a confident smile on his face.
"Yeah, I have indeed broken free from that scumbag boss's control."
To make his point more convincing, Tatsu cleared his throat.
"Actually, back when I first turned into a demon and woke up, I thought I was done for. There was this buzzing voice in my head, trying to make me eat people.
But I'm a rebellious guy—the more I'm told to do something, the less I want to do it.
So, I just tried cursing that lord's ancestors for eighteen generations in my mind."
Tatsu described the scene vividly, gesturing wildly.
"I stood out there in the middle of nowhere, pointing at the moon and cursing at the top of my lungs:
'Muzan Kibutsuji, you spineless coward!
What kind of skill is it to hide in the gutter all day?
If you've got guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!
You cross-dressing pervert, you black-hearted capitalist who treats subordinates as expendable tools—if someone like you could rule the world, I'd twist my own head off and let you kick it like a ball!'"
Kanae listened, dumbfounded.
While she didn't quite understand what a 'black-hearted capitalist' was, she understood words like 'asshole,' 'coward,' and 'pervert.'
This... this was just too bold.
"And then?" Kanae couldn't help but ask.
"Then?" Tatsu spread his hands.
"Then nothing happened.
The sky didn't fall, the ground didn't cave in, and I didn't explode into fireworks.
Not a single thing happened.
That's when I knew: hey, this so-called curse is ineffective against me!
I'm as free as the wind!"
Tatsu proudly lifted his chin.
"Look, I can eat human food now, I can chat and laugh with you here, and I can even shout his name out loud.
Muzan Kibutsuji is a huge idiot!
Isn't that the best proof?"
Kanae looked at the high-spirited young man before her.
The shock in her heart slowly subsided, replaced by an indescribable joy.
It was true... there really was a demon that could reach this point.
This meant that demons were not hopeless creatures; as long as one's will was firm enough, as long as...
Perhaps, in the future, there really was a way for demons to turn back into humans, or at least, to stop feeding on them.
This was the very dream she had always been pursuing!
"That's wonderful..."
Kanae clasped her hands over her chest, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
"Tatsu, you are truly amazing.
Your very existence is a miracle."
She looked at Tatsu with softer eyes, even with a hint of admiration.
"Since you have no worries, since you don't need to fear being... being retaliated against by that person, could you please help me find that evil demon?
If that demon is allowed to live for even one more moment, another innocent person might be harmed.
Please!"
She was about to bow to Tatsu.
Tatsu was quick to react and reached out to gently stop her.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't do that, Kanae.
We're close enough that you don't need to do this.
Eliminating evil for the sake of the people is something I want to do, too.
After all, I've long been annoyed by those low-level guys who only know how to eat people."
He set aside his joking demeanor and pointed to the west.
"Actually, yesterday during the day... ah, no, last night when I was out looking for ramen, I smelled a very strong scent of blood near a cave, along with that uncomfortable, rotting stench.
If I'm not mistaken, that evil demon's base is over there."
"Really?"
Kanae's eyes lit up.
She immediately gripped the hilt of her Nichirin Sword, instantly entering a combat state.
"Then let's go now! We should take advantage of the night and wipe him out in one fell swoop!"
She was about to rush off toward the west.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Tatsu grabbed the sleeve of Kanae's haori.
"What's wrong?"
Kanae turned back, looking puzzled.
"Speed is the essence of war. If we don't go now, what if he moves?"
Tatsu sighed helplessly and pointed a finger toward the eastern sky.
On the horizon, the deep, ink-like darkness had already begun to fade, revealing a grayish, fish-belly white.
"Did you forget something very important?"
Tatsu smiled bitterly and pointed to his own face.
"I'm a demon! A demon!
While I'm not afraid of Muzan, I am afraid of the sun!
Look, it's about to get light out.
Do you want me to walk halfway there with you and then put on a show of turning into ashes just to entertain you?"
Kanae looked where he was pointing and suddenly realized it was late... or rather, early.
A trace of embarrassed crimson quickly climbed up her cheeks.
She had been too excited, thinking only of slaying demons and saving people, and had completely forgotten that her companion had a fatal weakness: the sun.
"Ah! I—I'm so sorry!"
Kanae apologized hurriedly, her face flushing bright red.
"I... I was just too eager and completely forgot about this.
I'm so sorry! I almost got you killed!"
She looked around, somewhat at a loss, and then back at the sky.
"Then... what should we do?
It's definitely too late to rush over now, and there's no shelter..."
"So," Tatsu said, watching her flustered, cute expression, and couldn't help but want to tease her again.
"The priority right now isn't to kill a demon, it's to..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes scanning both sides of the street, finally settling on a sign that read "Liuwu."
"It's to quickly find a place to get a room... ah, phooey, I mean, find an inn to stay in and hide from this damn sun."
"G—get a room?"
Although Kanae didn't quite understand the street slang, the word "inn" combined with the image of a man and a woman in this era made the pure Flower Hashira feel a wave of inexplicable shyness.
"What are you thinking about?"
Tatsu looked at her crimson earlobes and smiled wickedly.
"I mean, I need a place to sleep.
You've been running around all night, too—don't you need to rest?
Or are you planning on letting me find some random sewer to crawl into and hide for the day?"
"O—of course not!"
Kanae shook her head quickly.
"How could I let you stay in a sewer, Tatsu?
Then... let's go to that inn."
The two walked quickly toward the inn.
When they reached the entrance, Tatsu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Kanae, a playful smile curling the corner of his lips.
"Hey, Kanae."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Tell me, if we just walk in like this—me, a demon, and you, a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps... wouldn't this count as the start of a 'forbidden romance'?"
Kanae's hand, which was about to knock on the door, froze in mid-air.
She turned back and looked at Tatsu's handsome, roguish face, feeling both annoyed and amused.
"Mr. Tatsu," she said, deliberately putting on a stern face and reverting to her previous form of address.
"It seems you aren't tired enough yet.
Since you have so much energy for jokes, would you like me to accompany you for some special training in Breathing Style later?
Although you might not be able to learn Breathing Style, I can certainly use you as a sparring partner."
"Uh... well, the weather is nice today, isn't it?"
Tatsu immediately tried to change the subject.
"Boss! We need a room! Two superior rooms!
Preferably next to each other, so it's easier for me to... ah, no, easier for me to call for you if something comes up!"
Watching Tatsu instantly lose his nerve, Kanae finally couldn't help it and let out a laugh.