At the very moment this drop of rare blood appeared—
Nezuko, who was about to pounce into Tanjiro's arms, suddenly stopped all movement!
The hand pinching her nose released; her large pink eyes instantly widened, and her pupils shrank into thin vertical slits.
She stared straight toward Shirakawa's hand behind his back!
Fragrant… so fragrant!!!
Her instincts as a demon and her overwhelming craving for rare blood instantly suppressed the familial affection that had just awakened!
Her brother's calls, those warm memories—everything was completely overshadowed by the supreme delicacy before her!
The next second—
Whoosh!
Little Nezuko turned around without hesitation, moving far faster than before!
Using the momentum of her turn, she kicked off the ground like a pink cannonball. Like a young swallow finally finding its way home, she spread her short arms wide and, with a cheerful "Mmu!" sound, pounced straight toward Shirakawa!
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ "Nezuko?!!!"
Tanjiro's outstretched hand froze mid-air, the smile on his face shattering, replaced by pure shock and disbelief.
Shirakawa turned just in time, opening his arms to steadily catch the flying Nezuko.
"Heave-ho!" Nezuko crashed perfectly into his embrace.
Her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and her face eagerly moved toward his bleeding finger, her pink eyes filled with longing and urgency.
Shirakawa smiled. With his uninjured hand, he gently rubbed the soft top of Nezuko's head, then quickly wiped the trace of blood onto his collar.
(✪ω✪)
Nezuko let out a delighted sound, her face full of intoxication—
Nuzzling against Shirakawa's neck, she looked like a kitten that had found catnip.
Holding the warm, soft, and fragrant little body in his arms, Shirakawa looked up at Tanjiro, who stood frozen in place.
A bright—almost infuriatingly smug—smile appeared on his face.
"It seems little sister Nezuko has chosen me."
Seeing Nezuko happily nestled in that man's arms, Tanjiro felt as if something inside him was cracking apart.
Sakonji Urokodaki stood at the doorway, silently observing everything.
He raised a hand and pressed against his tengu mask, as if rubbing his brow.
The days ahead…
Would be complete chaos…
The Battle for Nezuko, Round One: Shirakawa, Wins!
On the way back, Sakonji Urokodaki ran ahead, while Shirakawa followed behind, carrying Nezuko's bamboo basket as he had wished.
Tanjiro, mouth agape and face full of despair, desperately chased after them from behind.
Just like in the original story, Urokodaki's long-distance run was a kind of test.
After all, without strong willpower, it's difficult to accomplish anything.
He also wanted to see whether Tanjiro—the boy introduced and praised by Giyu—truly had potential.
The result?
The run nearly took half of Tanjiro's life.
In the original story, he barely endured by relying on his memories.
But this time was different.
Because this time, Shirakawa was here.
Not only did Tanjiro endure, but his speed was also noticeably faster than before.
As for what method Shirakawa used?
Hehehe…
"Young man~ don't push yourself. If you can't keep up… I'll take very good care of Nezuko for you~~~~"
Good grief—those words almost forced Tanjiro to awaken his Slayer Mark on the spot!
Finally, under the glow of the setting sun, Tanjiro collapsed to his knees in front of Urokodaki's small wooden hut, panting with his tongue hanging out like an exhausted dog.
To train him, Urokodaki had even taken several detours along the way.
As for Shirakawa—
He hadn't even broken a sweat.
Urokodaki had already lowered his speed to the minimum for Tanjiro's sake.
This level of intensity wasn't even one-fifth of what Shirakawa usually endured.
Naturally, there was no pressure.
Moreover, with Nezuko by his side, Shirakawa had been maintaining Total Concentration Breathing: Constant the entire time.
Even though Nezuko was being carried on his back—
His Breathing Style forcibly drew in every trace of her faint scent that should have dispersed into the wind.
The feeling… was as if he were holding Nezuko in his arms at all times.
Top-tier inhalation! Excellent!
Tanjiro: "Did… inhale… did I… exhale… pass?"
Urokodaki opened the door and tilted his head slightly. "The test begins now. To the mountain!"
"Eh?!!!" ∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ
Shirakawa was left behind to look after Nezuko.
Even though Tanjiro was extremely uneasy—
Shirakawa: "Don't worry, Master. I'll take good care of Nezuko. Please make sure to test Tanjiro thoroughly. If he's not cut out for this, I'll personally help you throw him out."
(/ω＼) "In the future, Nezuko and I will serve you well!"
Good grief, good grief!
Tanjiro was fired up!
I absolutely have to pass this test!!
Otherwise, I can't beat him, and Nezuko will definitely be taken away by this bastard!!!
And so, with his fighting spirit reignited, Tanjiro followed Urokodaki up the mountain.
Inside the small hut, only Shirakawa and the now-sleeping Nezuko remained—
Alone together.
Looking at Nezuko, who had returned to her normal size, her skin translucent and her face filled with youthful vitality—
Shirakawa swallowed.
His slightly trembling hand slowly reached out.
He cautiously touched Nezuko's lips.
His expression changed, and he suddenly pulled his hand back.
Looking at the scar on his finger from earlier, Shirakawa shook his head and temporarily suppressed the thought.
He wasn't a beast. He wouldn't do anything to a sleeping Nezuko.
What he had been struggling with just now was whether to feed Nezuko his blood.
His own blood!
As someone with a rare blood constitution, he was absolutely certain—
If he wanted, even feeding her a little once every half month—or even once a month—would be enough to keep her from needing sleep to recover energy.
He could even form a bond with Nezuko that no one could ever break.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a good thing.
But—
On the way back, he had thought about many things.
Especially his plans for the future.
First, of course, was the reward granted by the system.
Every woman with potential and strength could provide him with four tiers of rewards.
The first three tiers, in summary, all granted combat-related benefits based on the woman herself.
Tier 1: Grants immediate combat power upon contact.
Tier 2: Provides continuous growth while in contact.
Tier 3: Grants Breathing Style forms, doubled in strength when in contact.
There wasn't much to consider there.
The more women around him, the higher his growth potential, explosive power, and combat versatility.
Simple and straightforward.
All he had to do was… stay close to them~
What truly required careful thought was the fourth tier.
The reward for "completing the conquest" given by the system.
The rewards from Tier 4 were no longer directly tied to the women—
But instead closely connected to Shirakawa's future.
First, the reward from demon women: Devour Blood Demon Art.
This was truly a powerful ability!
Even if the system restricted him from devouring members of the Twelve Kizuki—
Among the remaining demons, there were still many with extremely powerful abilities.