"You're Tanjiro?" Shinobu Kocho studied the boy standing before her. A burn scar marked his forehead, but everything about him radiated clarity and sincerity. Despite having lost his entire family, his eyes were still pure, completely untouched by hatred. On his back, he carried a wooden box.
"Yes, Lady Insect Pillar!" Tanjiro replied loudly and respectfully.
Shinobu narrowed her eyes slightly. "In that box are you carrying your sister?"
"Uh-yes, it's my sister, Nezuko."
"Your sister… is a demon?"
"Lady Insect Pillar, even though my sister is a demon, she's never hurt a human. Never," Tanjiro hurriedly explained.
"But can you guarantee she never will?"
"I can. I swear on my life Nezuko will never hurt anyone. Never!" Tanjiro's voice rang with firm conviction.
Shinobu continued observing him intently. For a moment, she considered doing what Sanemi Shinazugawa had done in the original timeline: testing Nezuko's restraint by tempting her with her own blood. But she quickly dismissed the idea. After all, she had ingested a large amount of wisteria poison. It didn't affect her in daily life, but the venom in her blood was potent. If exposed, it would certainly alert a demon, whose senses were hypersensitive to blood.
She dropped the idea.
"Do you know Sun Breathing?"
"Sun Breathing? No, I don't."
"You know the Hinokami Kagura your father taught it to you."
"Huh? Of course I know the Hinokami Kagura, but it's just a dance…"
"Show me."
"What?"
"I said, show me the dance. If the intel is correct, the Hinokami Kagura is the original Sun Breathing form. I need to confirm it."
In fact, Shinobu had already done extensive research based on the information provided by Kevin Cross regarding Demon Slayer. The Lower Moon demon Rui on Mount Natagumo had already been slain. So had the Upper Rank Six sibling duo hiding in the red-light district eliminated with the help of other Hashira.
None of the intel had proven false.
Now, she just needed to verify Tanjiro's situation.
Shinobu had begun to believe that the group chat was truly a special existence connecting countless worlds. After all, while the demons might have intentionally leaked some information to bait her into a trap, much of what the chat provided were details only the Hashira themselves could know deep, personal secrets. If the demons really had access to this kind of intelligence, the Demon Slayer Corps would've been wiped out long ago.
There was also information about how to make Nichirin Blades turn red, or how to enter the Transparent World the pinnacle state of breathing techniques. These were priceless secrets.
As she watched Tanjiro perform the Hinokami Kagura, her remaining doubts faded away.
"There is definitely something unique about that form," said Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira. As the wielder of Flame Breathing the style most closely related to Sun Breathing he was the first to sense the unusual nature of Tanjiro's dance.
"So what Shinobu said… it's all true?"
The other Hashira turned their eyes toward her, expressions shifting into something more serious more reverent.
A chat group that connected the myriad worlds… it was something truly wondrous. Just as Shinobu described: strange and marvelous realms, some of which even had gods though that particular god seemed far from benevolent to humans.
Like Izumi before her, Shinobu had revealed the existence of the chat group to the top echelon of the Demon Slayer Corps. Both the Master of the Corps and the other Hashira were now aware of it. Together, they had used the information to kill Rui on Mount Natagumo, take down the Upper Rank Six in the red-light district, and now, bring in Tanjiro.
After multiple confirmations, one thing was now certain: the chat group had no connection to Muzan or the demons.
"It's just so romantic," Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, said with sparkling eyes, "To meet across worlds and become lovers what a beautiful destiny! I'm so jealous!"
Shinobu blushed slightly at the remark. Destiny? Really?
Besides, this was a harem group chat. That man was at the center of it, and all the women in the group were… well, part of his harem. True, he was extremely attractive so much so that just one glance could make a girl's heart flutter but the nature of the group was still what it was.
Shinobu wasn't someone who wanted to share a man. She wasn't that kind of woman. But the intelligence Kevin Cross had provided her how to defeat Muzan, how to enhance their blades, how to reach higher states of breathing was too critical to ignore. It could be the key to destroying the Demon King once and for all.
And for someone like her, who had long since accepted the possibility of death… Kevin's help felt like the one thing truly precious.
Aside from offering her body, what else could she possibly give him in return?
A quiet sigh slipped from her lips.
She wasn't the kind of person who ignored kindness without paying it back.
As she stood there, her thoughts tangled in quiet turmoil, the chat group's system upgrade finally completed.
Kevin examined the new update details with a satisfied nod.
The biggest new feature? A points system.
That's right points. From now on, members of the chat group more accurately, members of his harem could gain strength by accumulating points.
There were a few ways to earn them. The most basic was daily check-ins, which rewarded between 1 and 100 points at random.
Beyond that, members could earn points through quests essentially helping one another. When a member had a strong desire or urgent need, the group would generate a quest. For example, Brunhilde needed allies to fight against the gods. Because her desire was strong, the chat automatically created a quest. If a group member accepted it and completed the mission, they would receive points to enhance their own strength.
This system didn't just help individuals grow stronger it also fostered cooperation and emotional bonds among the members. It promoted harmony within the group and minimized the risk of backstabbing or harem infighting.
Kevin quickly checked his system tab. To evolve the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan he'd obtained from Izuna Uchiha into the Rinnegan, it would cost 100,000 points.
That meant Izuna could evolve her eyes too without needing to fall in love with Kevin. All she needed was 100,000 points.
Kevin grinned.
"@everyone," he typed into the chat group.
"The chat system has been upgraded. The new points system is live. You can read all the details about how to earn and use points in the pinned announcement."
The members all opened the notice.
And as Brunhilde read about the possibilities, her eyes began to shine.
It seemed… her prayers might finally be answered.
____________________
NEXT CHAPTER : Unlucky Draw
(With the new points system live, Izumi grows stronger and vows to fight the gods in a year. Saeko sets her sights on joining the battle too.
But when sign-ins begin, chaos erupts, Kumoko gets the lowest score and throws a tantrum. Kevin maxes out with 100 points… and to everyone's shock, Brunhilde, proud Valkyrie, pulls just 3.
Next: How will the strongest react to being the most unlucky?)
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