42 Chapter 42: The Extinguished Heart Fire.
...
"Caw! Caw!"
The crow flapped its wings and flew across the sky.
The sky was a bit gloomy, and it seemed to be going to rain.
The cold and damp breath gently brushed the ground.
On the solemn street of houses, there is a large mansion.
Inside the door of the mansion, facing the entrance, hangs a white feather weave with a red flame pattern.
Under the eaves of the Japanese mansion.
Bang!
A rough and wide hand violently threw the wine pot in his hand on the corridor under the eaves.
Silky crystal clear wine splashed out of the pot and fell on the wooden corridor.
"...Boring."
The man was leaning against the door frame, casually wiping the residual wine from the corner of his mouth, his gaze was scattered and looking at the gloomy sky in the distance.
The original golden hair with red corners seemed a bit dull at this moment, and the temples that had not been sorted out for many days were also very messy.
His chin was full of stubble, and he looked quite decadent.
He breathed deeply, exhaling a heavy breath of depression in his heart:
"...It's meaningless, it's useless."
Thinking of the situation where his son was sharing his experiences with him enthusiastically just now, Rengoku Shinjuro only felt a wave of entanglement and depression.
Even if... he could become a hashira.
So what...
In his mind.
The content he saw in the "Flame Hashira's Book" lingered for a long time.
Every word written in it seemed to have become Rengoku Shinjuro's inner demon.
Such a powerful swordsman couldn't kill the Demon King.
Then No matter how hard Ordinary people try, it's useless.
"...Ah."
Rengoku Shinjuro's tired eyes drooped, he picked up the sake bottle, and poured it hard into his mouth.
The expected sake did not pour out, only a few drops of sake splashed out.
The hand holding the sake bottle of Shinjuro froze for a while, he slowly let go of his hand, leaned on the door frame, and stood up stiffly:
"There's no more sake..." he muttered in his mouth.
He was just about to turn around, but he saw his young son hiding at the door of the house, secretly looking over here.
Seeing Shinjuro turn around, Kyojuro quickly retracted his head, hugged the broom in his hand, and ran away in small steps.
Shinjuro didn't care, he just swayed and stood up, touched his stubble, picked up the sake bottle, and walked out of the house slowly.
...
On the street.
The damp smell permeated the air, making people uncomfortable.
The small road at the entrance of the Rengoku family's house is usually not frequented by people.
Shinjuro walked out of the gate, looked up at the sky.
Just as he came back to his senses and was about to go buy sake.
Step, step!
A figure in dark red feathers walked past him.
The slightly swaying bright flower card earring immediately caught Kyojuro Rengoku's attention.
——Sun-shaped flower card earrings...!
His gaze suddenly became focused, his dull orange-red pupils slowly moved with the direction of the person's progress.
His originally casual expression suddenly became serious. When he reacted, he put all his attention on the person passing by.
Under the high-intensity observation of the former Flame Hashira, Shinjuro almost recognized what it was in a breath.
The shape of that flower card earring:
——The same as the one drawn in the "Flame Hashira's Book".
——Exactly the same!
——That person...!!
"Clang!"
The sake bottle in his hand unconsciously loosened, and it smashed on the ground with a bang, splashing a few drops of residual sake.
"Hey!! You!!"
Rengoku Shinjuro's pupils shrank sharply, he suddenly raised his hand, pointed at the dark red feather figure that had just passed him straight:
"You..." His thick black swallow eyebrows couldn't stop trembling, even the extended fingers were shaking.
Shinjuro's voice was hoarse, his pupils reflected the back of the person's flower card earrings, and his trembling arm:
"cough...cough!"
After taking a few quick breaths, Shinjuro found that his throat seemed to be choked, staring at his eyes and couldn't speak.
In front of him.
"?"
Kamado Tanjuro stopped, he slowly turned around, looked back somewhat puzzled.
After observing the appearance of the person who called him for a while, his gaze stayed on the other's hair.
——Is it Kyojuro's father?
Tanjuro suddenly realized.
He looked at the other's panting appearance, and was a bit confused for a while:
"What's the matter?"
Rengoku Shinjuro watched Tanjuro turn around, his pupils trembled, his eyes swept back and forth between Tanjuro's left forehead pattern and earrings.
Without a doubt, this person is a user of Sun Breathing.
——He is one in a million genius.
He saw Kusabimaru tucked in Tanjuro's waist.
Did the user of Sun Breathing join the Demon Slayer Corps again?!
"You..." Rengoku Shinjuro's tone weakened, he slowly put down his hand, his voice was still hoarse and trembling:
"What are you... doing now?"
After struggling in his heart for a long time, Shinjuro found that he seemed to be able to say only these.
Having the pattern, is a user of Sun Breathing.
Such a person...
What does he... care about?
And this seemingly impossible conversation between strangers just happened.
Tanjuro pointed to himself, tilting his head in confusion:
"Me...?"
"Oh, I'm going to see my family now." He smiled at Kyojuro, his deep red eyes squinting, his tone quite gentle:
"It's been a while since we've seen each other."
"What about you? Kyojuro should have come back last night, right?"
Tanjuro said, his gaze looking into the mansion next door.
"Kyojuro..."
Upon hearing this, Shinjuro was slightly taken aback, but didn't say much.
Seeing the other party's silent appearance, Tanjuro slowly blinked, he pointed to the road ahead and asked:
"By the way, the Butterfly Mansion is down this road, right?"
"...Ah... Uh... Yes." Kyojuro reacted, he quickly agreed, nodding his head hesitantly:
"That's right."
"I see, thank you."
"Then I won't bother you anymore, goodbye." Tanjuro said, he nodded his head, looking like he was about to turn around and leave.
"Ah..."
Kyojuro was stunned in place, he was holding the empty rope in his hand, watching Tanjuro's figure getting farther and farther away.
After a long time.
He slowly came back to his senses.
What the...
He reached out and touched his stubbly face, his furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Just like an ordinary person...
In his mind, a woman with red pupils and a gentle smile gradually emerged.
Shinjuro turned around, his figure gradually stopped swaying.
...
...
...
Somewhere in a pub.
Whoosh——
The light-blocking curtain at the door was suddenly lifted.
"Oh?"
The boss sitting inside the counter looked at the door, and after seeing who it was, he immediately raised his eyebrows, stood up with a smile:
"The regular customer is here, isn't this Shinjuro-san?"
He looked at Shinjuro figure, speaking leisurely, his tone very relaxed:
"Same as usual today? A pot of wine? To go?"
As he spoke, the boss skillfully took out a pot of already filled wine from the counter behind him, placed it on the counter, and smiled at Shinjuro.
Thud.
"No." Shinjuro shook his head, he pushed away the wine handed over by the boss, and handed over the rope in his hand:
"I'm not drinking."
"Give me a pot of tea."
"...Huh?" The boss made an incredulous expression, as if he hadn't heard clearly, he put his ear close to Shinjuro:
"Sorry, there seems to be something wrong with my ears, Shinjuro-san, could you say that again?"
As he spoke, the boss also raised his eyebrows, squinted his other eye, and made an exaggerated expression.
"Please give me a pot of tea." Kyojuro, as if he was used to the boss's tone, repeated his own words.
"...Oh——" The boss slowly leaned back, and after confirming that he hadn't heard wrong, the corner of his mouth slowly hooked up a smile:
"That's amazing."
"This is really amazing..."
Muttering to himself, he turned around and took the wine off the counter, went back into the room and brought out a pot of tea.
Thud.
The boss put a whole pot of tea in front of Kyojuro, and gently pushed it forward:
"But..."
"That's how it should be." His tone was more relaxed than before:
"Flame Hashira."
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