Good bird! What a beautiful bird!
Ryousuke had never found the squawking of a Kasugai messenger so musical. It was a divine pardon. His body reacted faster than his brain!
"Understood! Leaving now!"
Ryousuke practically scrambled, using hands and feet to dive into the house, grab his pack, and sprint down the mountain trail.
"Ryousuke! You—"
"Ryousuke-niisan!"
"YASUI RYOUSUKE!!!"
Three voices cried out in unison as they gave chase. Ryousuke didn't stop, waving a frantic hand over his shoulder.
"Gramps! Shota! Rika! I'm gone! Emergency mission! See ya!"
In a flash, Ryousuke had vanished around the bend of the winding mountain path.
"Ryousuke-niisan! You idiot! Idiot! IDIOT!" Rika stomped her foot with a pout, her voice full of a young girl's adorable resentment.
Ryousuke stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet. He could practically see Rika with her puffed-out cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, looking like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. That mental image was more terrifying than facing Mue.
He tucked his head down and ran even faster. Can't handle it, can't handle it! Time to bail!
Days of frantic travel pushed the awkwardness of Momoyama and Rika's "marriage blues" to the back of his mind. Following the hummingbird's guidance, Ryousuke moved through towns and villages, looking for the local Kakushi contact point.
Suddenly, a surprised shout came from behind him.
"Ryousuke-san?! Ryousuke-san!"
He turned to see a familiar face peering out from behind a wall, waving frantically. It was Moriyama Akira.
"Moriyama?" Ryousuke stopped, surprised. It seemed his teammate for this mission was the "King of Carrying."
Moriyama ran over, his face beaming. "It really is you! I saw the black haori and thought the silhouette looked familiar! We haven't seen each other since Final Selection. I can't believe we bumped into each other here!"
"You're assigned to this mission too?" Ryousuke asked, his eyes habitually scanning the perimeter. The mission brief was vague: "Suspected demon activity," with no reports of casualties or disappearances.
"Yeah!" Moriyama nodded, his expression turning a bit troubled. "I've been here for three days, but I haven't found a single trace! I've checked the whole prefecture, but I don't feel any 'demon aura' at all. The locals say no one is missing. It's weird... is this demon just really good at hiding?"
Ryousuke remained silent. This was suspicious. No tracks, no blood, no missing people. Everything was too normal.
He theorized the demon might have a spatial-type Blood Demon Art, like Kyogai or Nakime, or perhaps something like Gyokko that could fuse with objects. But more than that, he was curious about the boy in front of him.
Mission difficulty usually scales with rank. Ryousuke was now Kano ($7^{th}$ rank).
"What's your current rank?" Ryousuke asked, brow furrowed.
"Oh! Uh..." Moriyama smiled sheepishly. "Shin rank ($8^{th}$ rank)."
"Shin rank?!" Ryousuke was genuinely shocked.
Ryousuke had reached $7^{th}$ rank because he'd soloed a Rokurokubi and assisted a Hashira in killing a Lower Moon. Even Shota, who had been hunting demons like a madman, was only $8^{th}$ rank. And this guy—who had basically hid his way through Final Selection—was already an $8^{th}$ rank?
"I'm not being rude, just curious," Ryousuke said, squinting. "How exactly did you rank up so fast?"
Moriyama looked even more embarrassed. "Er... well, to be honest, it was all luck."
"Luck?"
"Yeah!" Moriyama nodded vigorously. "My first mission, the crow said the demon was in an abandoned warehouse in west Osaka. I took a wrong turn and ended up in a graveyard in the south. Turns out, the demon was actually there! But it had already been mangled by something else. It was so desperate for blood it was digging up corpses and didn't notice the sun rising. Half its body was charred and it was rolling on the ground in pain... so I just... walked up and finished it off."
Ryousuke: $o\_O$?
"The second time," Moriyama continued, "I was chasing a demon into the deep woods. I tripped and fell into a hidden hole. It turned out to be a cellar where the demon had stashed all the kidnapped children! By the time I got the kids out, other Slayers had finished the fight. Since I 'rescued' the victims, I got a massive merit boost..."
Ryousuke's lip started to twitch. Are you kidding me? What kind of protagonist luck is this? I'm out here fighting for my life, and this guy is stumbling into victories!
"And then there was the time by the river," Moriyama babbled on. "The demon tripped, fell into the rapids, and hit its head so hard on a rock it went unconscious. I just drew my sword and... pop."
The air was quiet for several seconds. Ryousuke sighed, feeling a sense of cosmic absurdity.
I saved Moriyama and Shota from the Hand Demon, but it seems I've unlocked a second "Murata" in this world. And he's also a Water Breather! Giyu and Sabito's junior!
Wait... so Mt. Sagiri is just factory-farming "Main Characters" and "Luck-based Gods" now?!
Ryousuke wondered if "Kings don't meet"—if Moriyama's luck only worked because he wasn't standing next to another "king" like Sabito.
"Ryousuke-san?" Moriyama called out.
Ryousuke snapped out of it. "Nothing. Just thinking. How is Mr. Urokodaki?"
"Master is doing great! He recently took in a new girl named Makomo—she's adorable. And I have three juniors: Sabito, Giyu, and Murata. Sabito and Giyu are geniuses! Murata... well, his talent isn't high, but he's my best friend."
Ryousuke smiled. So they're all alive. Sabito and Makomo... their fate has already been rewritten.
"Moriyama," Ryousuke said. "After this mission, I want to go to Mt. Sagiri with you. I want to pay my respects to Mr. Urokodaki on behalf of my master, Jigoro Kuwajima."
"Really? That's great! Master was just talking about you! He wanted to thank you for what happened at Final Selection."
Ryousuke nodded. Strengthening his ties with the future powerhouses of the Corps was a smart move. Besides, it was a great way to hide from Gramps' marriage talk.
Suddenly, a sharp, pungent scent hit Ryousuke's nose. Moriyama stiffened at the same time.
A demon. And it's thick.