Chapter 131: Are You a Rickshaw?
Whether it was [Early Death] or [I Was Careless], those were not auspicious
terms.
Natsuya's heart sank slightly.
If these were the developer's notes for the character, did it mean that in the
story's "Main Quest," this warm and talented youth was destined to die as the
Water Hashira?
Sabito's talent was undeniable. Among all the young swordsmen Natsuya had
encountered, he was in the same S-tier bracket as Kyojuro Rengoku and Obanai
Iguro. For him to become the Water Hashira in the future was perfectly logical.
But to die in office?
Natsuya looked at Sabito's clear eyes and made a silent decision.
This game has a high degree of freedom; the main plot isn't necessarily
hard-coded. It likely recalculates based on the player's 'butterfly effect'
actions. I don't give a damn about 'Fate' or 'Scripted Deaths.' I'm going to
grind this kid into the ground. As long as he becomes stronger than the final
Boss, he can delete his own destiny.
Sensing Natsuya's heavy, calculative gaze, Sabito suddenly shivered.
What's going on? Why did the atmospheric pressure just drop?
Just then, before the first Kasugai crow could even fly away, a new one
descended like a bolt of black lightning onto a branch beside them. Its posture
was far more formal.
"EMERGENCY ORDER!"
"Sir Kokonoe Natsuya, by the command of Oyakata-sama, a Hashira Meeting is to be
convened immediately!"
"Remain at your current coordinates. Kakushi units will arrive shortly to escort
you to the Master's mansion. Do not be late!"
The air went dead silent. Uzui was the first to snap out of it.
"A Hashira Meeting?" He blinked, confused. "Aren't those only held every six
months? And... why is Kokonoe being summoned?"
He knew the weight of such an assembly. It was the inner sanctum of the Corps'
decision-making—a council between the Master and the Nine Pillars. Aside from
the scheduled meetings, an emergency summon meant an event significant enough to
shake the foundations of the organization.
Either a lead on an Upper Moon, or...
He looked at Natsuya as a wild, game-changing theory formed in his mind.
At that moment, the second crow finished its formal broadcast and shifted into
an almost "gossipy" tone.
"Caw! Just to add—congratulations, Lord Hashira! Caw!"
"Your appointment to the Nine Hashira is imminent!"
The voice was lower, but clearly audible to the three men.
"Continue to slay demons and grow stronger! Caw!"
The towel in Uzui's hand fell to the dirt. Sabito's jaw dropped. The two of them
whipped their heads around to stare at Natsuya in total, unadulterated shock.
They had assumed Natsuya would reach that rank eventually, but they hadn't
expected the promotion to trigger so fast.
Under their frozen gazes, Natsuya slowly straightened his custom haori, which
had been rumpled from the spar. He didn't look surprised at all; he looked as if
he were simply checking off a completed quest objective.
He nodded to the second crow. "Understood."
Then, he turned to the two petrified swordsmen and gave a shallow nod. "It seems
our 'Special Training' sessions will have to be patched to a later date."
Sabito waved his hands frantically. "I—It's fine, Senior! Please, prioritize
official business! I'm in no rush!"
Uzui sputtered, "Kokonoe, you brat... you're actually a Pillar now? That's so
flashy it's actually giving me a headache."
Natsuya turned to the "Flashy Lord," his face becoming a mask of
mock-seriousness.
"Slayer Uzui. During official business hours, please observe proper rank-based
etiquette."
"Address me by my title."
"Call me Hashira-sama."
Uzui: "..." I really want to punch this bastard! Don't hold me back, Fox-boy!
The news spread like a wildfire.
Rank changes for common Slayers weren't worth a city-wide rumor, but a change in
the Nine Hashira was a "Server-wide Announcement" broadcasted to every member of
the Corps.
In the vast northern snowfields.
Seiko was currently tracking a demon hidden in a blizzard. When the crow
delivered the note, she unfurled it with numbing fingers. As she read the name
she had been thinking of, a ripple of emotion disturbed her serene gaze. A flush
of pride and admiration warmed her cold cheeks.
"Natsuya-kun... he really did it. He's a Hashira now."
"I can't... fall too far behind."
Her breath turned into instant frost in the sub-zero air.
[Snow Breathing]
Invisible power circulated through her frame, driving back the biting chill. She
vanished back into the white-out, her eyes sharper than before.
In the Kanto region.
Giyu Tomioka was executing a solo mission. Since his first kill, the childhood
trauma that had paralyzed him was slowly beginning to recede. Combined with
Sabito's encouragement and the influence of that strange Senior, he was starting
to open up, however clumsily.
"I understand, sir," Giyu said to a civilian. "You haven't seen anything
unusual."
"Were you even listening to me?! I said it was just a common thug, not a
monster—!"
As the boy gathered intel, his crow, Kanzaburo, landed on his shoulder to
deliver the meeting notice.
"Become... a Hashira?"
Giyu's eyes flickered. "Just like... Master Urokodaki."
There was no jealousy, only a quiet, deep-seated respect. In his memory, Natsuya
was just a rookie who had finished his basic elements. How had he ascended to
the peak of the Corps in the blink of an eye?
"When I see him again... I must ask for more guidance."
Throughout the Corps, every Slayer who had been "carried" or healed by Natsuya
felt a surge of inspiration. The "Five-Colored Radiance" was officially a
Pillar. He was young, and his rise was unprecedented.
At a staging point.
The weak-willed Kojiro looked at Dojima. "Dojima, do you think Natsuya-aniki
finally perfected that custom Breath he was talking about?"
Dojima put down his intel scroll, a "told-you-so" grin on his face.
"The Successor... no, we have to call him Lord Kokonoe now."
"Kojiro, he was never technically a Successor—"
"Shut up!"
Two days later.
At a designated hidden waypoint, Natsuya met an agent from the Kakushi, wrapped
head-to-toe in black gear.
[Maeda Masahisa (Power Level: 16)] [Water Breathing LV.1] Tags: [Masked Man],
[Background Prop].
Natsuya: "..." The dev notes for this guy are a bit lazy.
The Kakushi didn't notice Natsuya's judgmental HUD-stare. He bowed with
religious fervor and handed Natsuya a specialized black cloth blindfold.
"Lord Kokonoe, please forgive the rudeness. The location and route to the
Master's mansion are strictly classified. You must wear this."
To the Kakushi, the teenager before him was a titan. Compared to a man who
couldn't even pass the Final Selection, a Pillar-to-be deserved absolute
deference.
A blindfold? Haven't played this mini-game in a while, Natsuya thought. He put
it on, and the world went dark.
"Now what? Do I get a limo ride?" he asked casually.
The next second, he felt his weight shift. He had been hoisted into the air and
placed securely on the Kakushi's back.
Huh? Don't tell me—
"The first leg of the journey will be completed via personal transport, My
Lord."
There were no carriages or trains for this route. It was a high-speed relay
system of Kakushi agents, each carrying the passenger over a specific segment of
the path. No single agent knew the full route; they only knew their own "Lap."
"Please bear with the discomfort, Lord Kokonoe."
The man's breathing shifted. It was an unrefined, basic Water Breathing, but it
was enough to hyper-boost his endurance. The Kakushi launched forward like a
projectile, carrying Natsuya away from Nagoya at a breakneck pace.
☆☆☆
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