Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

If Muzan really gets a chance to make a move, I'm definitely doomed!

Shirakawa Hajime was not as composed as he appeared in front of Tanjiro.

Absolutely not!

He pressed his fist against the bathroom tiles, letting the cold water wash over his head.

At this moment, his desire for power reached an unprecedented peak as his life hung by a thread.

He disliked the feeling of being out of control and powerless when facing enemies.

Fighting to the death and winning by unleashing one's full potential is a privilege reserved for the chosen ones, not an option for him.

First, accumulate strength to achieve absolute dominance.

That was his way of surviving.

But today, Muzan taught him a good lesson.

Even if you think you're being extremely careful, unexpected things can still happen.

The real source of confidence...

It all comes down to strength!

In the bathroom, Shirakawa Yu spent a long time calming his racing heart.

Adjust your mindset and try to regain your former optimistic self.

When he came out, he didn't touch the tattered haori again.

It's infuriating to look at!

This person is so big, yet still managed to trip and fall because they were running too fast.

That damn Muzan! Never underestimate a young person's potential!

Dad will remember this debt!

I'll chop you down to nothing sooner or later!

Glancing at the neatly folded clothes beside him, Shirakawa Yu sighed.

Yushiro kept the house in perfect order, but clearly there were no clothes prepared for guests.

As for Yushiro's own clothes... the size is truly appalling.

Forget it.

Although the Demon Slayer Corps uniform was also covered in dust, the material, for some unknown reason, was still wearable after shaking it off.

When they arrived in the living room, Tanjiro was sitting opposite Tamayo, talking in hushed tones.

Yushiro sat to one side, sometimes looking at Tamayo with eager eyes, and sometimes glaring at Tanjiro with wariness.

Shirakawa Yu adjusted his mindset, sat down cross-legged in a carefree manner, with Tamayo on his left and Tanjiro on his right.

Nezuko immediately rested her little head on his lap, blinking her big eyes and staring at him intently.

To be precise, at this moment, everyone's eyes in the hall were on him.

Tamayo scrutinized Shirakawa Yu, who had a handsome face and was clearly still young. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she got down to business.

"Mr. Bai, so you mean that after your confrontation with Muzan... you escaped unscathed?"

Shirakawa Yu held a teacup in one hand and casually scratched Nezuko's chin with the other.

Little Bean squinted comfortably, making gurgling sounds in its throat.

Hearing the question, he raised his eyelids, looked over with a smile, and his gaze fell on Tamayo—the woman who could currently improve his strength the fastest, her eyes shining almost scorchingly.

Name: Tamayo (Demon)

[Strength Rating: B]

[Potential Rating: Extremely High (Can trigger four levels of analysis)]

Current resolution: 0.15%

Sure enough, it's another character that can unlock the final reward.

Seeing that Shirakawa Yu did not answer, but instead stared straight at her, Tamayo lowered her eyes slightly and softly called out, "Mr. Shirakawa?"

"Ah, yes. I just managed to escape by luck," Shirakawa Yu replied casually, coming back to his senses.

A hint of surprise flashed across Tamayo's eyes.

"That's already quite remarkable. Forgive my bluntness, but when Tanji-kun mentioned that you had only recently joined the team, I instinctively assumed that in this conflict, Mr. Haku—"

"Miss Tamayo".

Shirakawa Yu gently interrupted her, her eyes brimming with laughter, "Please don't use honorifics with me. I'd prefer you just call me 'Chuan Yu'."

"what?!"

Before Tamayo could react to Shirakawa Yu's words, Yushiro on the other side exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Miss Tamayo calling you that is a sign of respect! Don't push your luck—"

(;￢＿￢)

A single glance.

Shirakawa Yu merely glanced at him lightly.

There was no murderous intent, not even much emotion; he just glanced at her calmly.

Yushiro's words caught in his throat, his neck shrank instinctively, and a chill ran down his spine.

His possessiveness towards Tamayo almost made him forget that the woman before him was someone who could fight Muzan head-on and come back alive...

He swallowed hard; reason told him it was best not to provoke them.

But this timid feeling only lasted for a second, and then a strong sense of shame surged up.

Only in front of Miss Tamayo!

He can't back down!

Don't even mention fighting Muzan, even if Muzan were right in front of me!

He can't back down!!!

He straightened his chest (though not much), trying to make his voice sound stronger.

"And another question! How...how did you find this place?!"

Bai Chuanyu didn't seem to care, shrugged, and said with a "does that even need asking?" expression:

"I came with you."

"impossible!"

Yushiro immediately retorted, "I didn't show myself at all! My presence was completely concealed!"

"Yeah, you were invisible."

Shirakawa Yu said slowly, "But have you forgotten that when you came back, what you were carrying was... my knife?"

He paused, looking at Yushiro's suddenly frozen face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"I may not be able to sense you, but how could I not sense the aura emanating from my own blade? Could I not sense the lingering breath technique within myself?"

Yushiro (⊙_⊙): "......"

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word; his face slowly turned red.

Tanjiro, standing nearby, paid no attention to any of this.

He had a silly smile on his face, and he was holding Nezuko's little foot tightly with one hand, as if his little sister would fly away if he let go.

Her eyes were glued to Bai Chuanyu, not daring to blink, her gaze filled with relief that "it's so good that my senior brother is still alive."

But as he watched, Tanjiro felt a strange sense of unease.

My senior brother's eyes... seem a little different?

In the past, even when Shirakawa Yu rolled his eyes and glared at people, his eyes always carried a hint of mockery, which even seemed somewhat comical after a while.

But now... Tanjiro could vaguely detect a sharpened edge in those still smiling eyes.

So, even though your senior brother said it lightly, did this incident actually have a significant impact on him?

"Senior brother," Tanjiro said in a muffled voice, "your Nichirin Blade... is broken."

"If it's broken, it's broken. We can just find the team to play another game later."

Bai Chuanyu waved his hand dismissively. The knife was a discarded pawn to begin with, and he never expected to see it again.

For him, as long as he had the mako around his waist, that was enough.

"I guess that Muzan got hurt by me and is taking his anger out on my sword."

At this point, whatever Shirakawa Yu says is right.

Tanjiro nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling, and suddenly blurted out, "Brother, you're so cool!"

(灬°ω°灬)

Bai Chuanyu: "..."

He felt extremely uncomfortable under Tanjiro's "obsessive" gaze, and goosebumps instantly rose on his arms.

I know this silly boy is just overly concerned; he genuinely thought he was dead a moment ago, and now he's overjoyed to have him back...

But he really wasn't used to it!

"Don't look at me like that!" Shirakawa Yu said with a look of disgust, pushing Tanjiro's face away. "It makes me feel uncomfortable!"

"Okay, senior brother!"

Tanjiro agreed quickly, and as soon as Shirakawa Yu withdrew his hand, he turned his face back and continued to stare at him with those frighteningly bright eyes.

Shirakawa Yu(;一_一): "..."

Oh well, let it be.

Watching the interaction between the two brothers, Tamayo's lips unconsciously curved into a genuine and gentle smile.