Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 9 — A Strange Confession
"Well… that's because—"
Shinobu and Kanae leaned closer without realizing it. Both of them were curious about what answer Ren was about to give.
Ren looked at them calmly and finished his sentence.
"Because I like you two more."
Both sisters nearly lost their balance from the unexpected answer.
Before they could pounce on him in anger, Ren raised his hands casually.
"And I'm not joking," he continued seriously. "That's really the reason. I like you two more than other beautiful women."
Ren was telling the truth.
He had watched many anime and read countless manga in his previous life, but there were always a few characters who held a special place in his heart.
Among them were Mitsuri Kanroji, Kanae Kocho, and Shinobu Kocho.
Kanae and Shinobu simply stared at him without speaking.
He sounded completely serious, yet the words were far too strange to believe.
After all, they had only met him a single day ago.
Ren eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep right there on the roof.
Shinobu and Kanae quietly looked down at his sleeping face.
Kanae sighed in frustration.
"Forget it. The more I think about it, the more confused I become."
She stood up and walked away.
Shinobu remained seated for a moment longer, still staring at Ren's face.
Without realizing it, she slowly lay down beside him.
Within minutes, she had also fallen asleep under the night sky.
After a while, Kanae returned quietly to the roof.
She looked at the two sleeping figures and sighed softly.
Then she gently placed a blanket over both Shinobu and Ren.
Ren suddenly smiled.
"How thoughtful and kind of you."
Kanae jumped slightly in surprise.
"You were awake?"
Ren shook his head lazily.
"Nope. I just woke up because I sensed someone approaching."
Kanae blinked in surprise.
"You have sharp senses."
She sighed and eventually lay down beside them as well.
"This is my first time sleeping on a roof," she said quietly.
Ren stretched his arms widely.
"Then you should sleep while hugging me. What if you fall?"
Kanae rolled her eyes.
"In your dreams."
Ren smirked mischievously.
"Oh, in my dreams we do a lot more than hugging."
Kanae stared at him for a moment before realizing what he meant.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
"Y-you shameless bastard! What exactly are you dreaming about?!"
She quickly covered her chest instinctively.
Ren thought for a moment before answering casually.
"Well, for example… I once dreamed that you and Shinobu both married me."
He grinned.
"And we had a few kids together."
Kanae's brain froze.
"M-marriage?! Kids?!"
Her face turned completely red.
"You shameless idiot! What kind of things are you imagining inside that head of yours?!"
Ren laughed loudly.
"Oh, there are many things. You probably don't want to hear the rest."
Kanae rolled her eyes again.
"Liar. How could you have so many dreams about us?"
She looked at him suspiciously.
"We only met a day ago."
Ren simply smiled quietly.
After all, she didn't know about his reincarnation or his past life memories.
And he had no intention of telling them.
Ren eventually stood up and stretched again.
"Damn… the roof is a terrible place to sleep."
Traditional Japanese roofs weren't exactly comfortable.
Then he gently picked up the sleeping Shinobu in a princess carry.
Kanae immediately stood up.
"You bastard! Leave my sister! I can carry her!"
Ren smirked playfully.
"She isn't protesting, so why are you?"
He looked down at Shinobu.
"Hey Shinobu, you won't mind if I carry you to your room, right?"
Shinobu lazily opened one eye.
"Sure."
Ren smiled and walked toward the house while carrying her.
Kanae stood there completely dumbfounded.
Ren entered Shinobu's room and carefully placed her on her futon.
He gently covered her with a blanket before turning to leave.
Shinobu watched him with a faint smile.
"Well… you're actually a pretty decent guy."
Ren chuckled.
"If I wasn't, you wouldn't have allowed me to get this close."
He glanced toward her sleeve.
"And that poison needle hidden there would already be in my neck."
Shinobu laughed softly.
"You really do notice everything."
Ren simply waved his hand and walked out.
Kanae was waiting outside the hallway.
She had clearly been keeping an eye on him.
Ren smirked when he saw her.
Before she could say anything—
He suddenly lifted her up in a princess carry.
"H-hey! Put me down!"
Kanae protested in shock.
Ren walked calmly toward her room.
"Well, it would be unfair if I only carried Shinobu to her room."
Kanae continued struggling.
"You shameless idiot!"
Ren ignored her complaints and gently placed her on her futon.
After making sure she was comfortable, he turned around and left the room.
The house eventually became quiet again.
The next morning, the three of them prepared to leave.
Ren, Shinobu, and Kanae began their journey toward the Demon Slayer Headquarters.